What did you learn from the "Big Shortage?"
- Thread starter Nick_C_S
- Start date
BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED: Pistol powder disappears off shelves first, is only available occasionally and sporadically from big-box online places and run out-of-stock before you can get to a computer... and come back in stock last (or never).
Here in Hampton Roads, several places have been just fine on rifle powders and primers for over a year. Bullets of all calibers and weights came back in stock online everywhere well over a year ago and are always cheaper (even after shipping) than any LGS anywhere. I personally never completely ran out of sources of bullets.
However, pistol powder is still essentially nowhere to be seen. Any LGS that gets them in are sold to whoever happens to be in the store at the time. I'm about ready to just spring for an 8lb tub of whatever comes online and suck up the hazmat charge, which would normally go against every ounce of my soul, but may not have a choice when my current 4lb tub of Power Pistol runs out.
One more lesson... my AR will shoot 9mm at 1/3 (or less) of the cost of .223 and is just as much fun. I don't know why everybody doesn't have a 9mm upper for practice and fun for their AR. Glad to see PSA is ramping up their 9mm parts game... more companies will follow.
Here in Hampton Roads, several places have been just fine on rifle powders and primers for over a year. Bullets of all calibers and weights came back in stock online everywhere well over a year ago and are always cheaper (even after shipping) than any LGS anywhere. I personally never completely ran out of sources of bullets.
However, pistol powder is still essentially nowhere to be seen. Any LGS that gets them in are sold to whoever happens to be in the store at the time. I'm about ready to just spring for an 8lb tub of whatever comes online and suck up the hazmat charge, which would normally go against every ounce of my soul, but may not have a choice when my current 4lb tub of Power Pistol runs out.
One more lesson... my AR will shoot 9mm at 1/3 (or less) of the cost of .223 and is just as much fun. I don't know why everybody doesn't have a 9mm upper for practice and fun for their AR. Glad to see PSA is ramping up their 9mm parts game... more companies will follow.
reynolds357
New member
I like the shortages. They make me money. At the moment, I am hoarding all the $6 to $9 Ar mags that will sell for $75 each during the next Democrat scare. If not for the mad buying, the mfg's would not have over manufactured and driven the prices to 1980's levels.
I've been stockpiling since the Klinton-Janet Reno years. Even with the Obama scare I was never short of ammo but some of my powder-bullet supplies ran short for reloading what I did shoot. I learned this time to NOT buy powders that I've never loaded just because they were found on a shelf and could be used for some of my calibers. Now I have several 1 pound cans of powders I don't need and don't care to experiment with. Also, it's good practice to match powders-bullet-primers quantities. No need to have 25 lbs. of a powder with only 1000 bullets in stock nor 10,000 primers and only 4 pounds of powder for a caliber. It's not easy to match component quantities to have on hand. Look for sales and buy in large quantities. Wait if possible to buy your standard powders and bullets and don't panic buy. Keep inventory of your ammo and reloading components and concentrate on what calibers you shoot the most. Not necessary to bulk buy for your one 25-06 when you may only shoot it 20-30 rounds per year but you have more than one .223/5.56 rifle and a few 9MM's or 45 ACP's that get shot a lot. Just my plan but you still get caught up in the panic and wondering how long the shortages will last. Can't be helped!!
What scares me almost as much as the Democrats is the FEW big corporations largely foreign owned that own and control so much of the ammo and component supply. They can create shortages or stop supply tomorrow.
What scares me almost as much as the Democrats is the FEW big corporations largely foreign owned that own and control so much of the ammo and component supply. They can create shortages or stop supply tomorrow.
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This was my first shortage; I've only been reloading for three years. Powder has been the hardest to find followed by primers, bullets, and brass in that order.
I only reload 9mm, so comments relate to pistol components.
I want to have a two to three year supply of powder, a one to two year supply of primers (closer to two), and close to a one year supply of bullets. Towards the 2016 election I may increase my stock replenishment. I don't think you have to have equal amounts in stock if primers and bullets will appear on the shelves before powder. OTOH, it doesn't hurt.
1) find powders that are close to my favorite in case I have to switch. This can apply to bullets as well.
2) email notifications of availability are useless. Everything disappears by the time you read the email.
3) gunbot is useful, but you must be looking at it when the item shows up. You have, at most, 30 minutes to order.
4) auction sites are scalpers. I won't pay 3 - 4 times the regular price.
5) there's no downside to overstocking because you can always sell it.
6) even buying locally you have to be lucky to hear about a needed component becoming available.
Question: in previous shortages was powder also the last component to show up?
I only reload 9mm, so comments relate to pistol components.
I want to have a two to three year supply of powder, a one to two year supply of primers (closer to two), and close to a one year supply of bullets. Towards the 2016 election I may increase my stock replenishment. I don't think you have to have equal amounts in stock if primers and bullets will appear on the shelves before powder. OTOH, it doesn't hurt.
1) find powders that are close to my favorite in case I have to switch. This can apply to bullets as well.
2) email notifications of availability are useless. Everything disappears by the time you read the email.
3) gunbot is useful, but you must be looking at it when the item shows up. You have, at most, 30 minutes to order.
4) auction sites are scalpers. I won't pay 3 - 4 times the regular price.
5) there's no downside to overstocking because you can always sell it.
6) even buying locally you have to be lucky to hear about a needed component becoming available.
Question: in previous shortages was powder also the last component to show up?
I was oblivious to all the previous shortages. I never knew that these things even happen. What little shooting I did at the time(s), I was using previously purchased components. So this one really caught me flat footed and unprepared.
My personal situation was never critical. At worst, I was using magnum primers (CCI 550) in place of regular. That's no big deal. But I had to do a lot of standing in line to get my primers n powder. I was successful, but it was a lot of time and effort.
I still consider this shortage ongoing. And I will continue to consider it so until I walk into my LGS and see more pistol powder than I currently have. Right now, my powder supply looks like a cornucopia bonanza compared to my LGS. No way to compare, actually. Can't divide by zero.
My personal situation was never critical. At worst, I was using magnum primers (CCI 550) in place of regular. That's no big deal. But I had to do a lot of standing in line to get my primers n powder. I was successful, but it was a lot of time and effort.
I still consider this shortage ongoing. And I will continue to consider it so until I walk into my LGS and see more pistol powder than I currently have. Right now, my powder supply looks like a cornucopia bonanza compared to my LGS. No way to compare, actually. Can't divide by zero.
sawdustdad
New member
I guess I need to buy some more primers and bullets...to go with all the powder I have now...
I'm actually a touch low on WSP's (Win small pistol primers). By "a touch low," I mean, I have 1700. But I shoot a lot of 38 Special - that'll only last me into spring(ish). I have about 1500 Fed match primers for back up.
Bullets n powder: I'm stocked. Just replenished my 158 SWC supply this week. But that's where I am right now: I just need to replace what I use.
Marco Califo
New member
Because I have, and have had, adequate supplies and variety, I never ran out of anything. Now that things are better, I added 5000 russian 556M primers and more variety of powders.
I think it pays to have 8 lb powders (AA Data 2230C and WC844) and lots of primers for what you reload, as in about a 2 year supply. Then, these shortage are just an annoyance as you wait for 8 lb IMR4895, and 4 lb Power Pistol, for example, to be available again.
I think it pays to have 8 lb powders (AA Data 2230C and WC844) and lots of primers for what you reload, as in about a 2 year supply. Then, these shortage are just an annoyance as you wait for 8 lb IMR4895, and 4 lb Power Pistol, for example, to be available again.
I guess I didn't learn much from the anti gun scares.
I still don't stock up 2 years worth on ammo or components.
What I learned, I learned 30 years ago when I was visiting Mississippi for a year. There was a truck strike, and the grocery store shelves were bare in 2 days........I actually witnessed two women fighting over the last loaf of bread. (serious hair pulled out by the roots fighting) A policeman had to stop it.
Since that time I keep a two year supply of food and rotate it....and a two week supply of water. If I hoarded ammo, I wouldn't have enough funds to do that, so the ammo comes third. Have I ever needed the stored food? No, but others who lost jobs have.....and I've been glad to help a few out. That's easy when there's not a country-wide panic.
The worst of times brings out the worst of people, and a family may have to run to safety. In that case big stores of ammo (or food for that matter) is likely going to be left behind. Best bet there is to pack up light. Pick one handgun and one rifle with light ammo, and a backpack for each member of the family with 72 hours worth of provisions for one person in it plus what smaller members can't carry. I keep those 72 hour kits in my storage room.
I still don't stock up 2 years worth on ammo or components.What I learned, I learned 30 years ago when I was visiting Mississippi for a year. There was a truck strike, and the grocery store shelves were bare in 2 days........I actually witnessed two women fighting over the last loaf of bread. (serious hair pulled out by the roots fighting) A policeman had to stop it.
Since that time I keep a two year supply of food and rotate it....and a two week supply of water. If I hoarded ammo, I wouldn't have enough funds to do that, so the ammo comes third. Have I ever needed the stored food? No, but others who lost jobs have.....and I've been glad to help a few out. That's easy when there's not a country-wide panic.
The worst of times brings out the worst of people, and a family may have to run to safety. In that case big stores of ammo (or food for that matter) is likely going to be left behind. Best bet there is to pack up light. Pick one handgun and one rifle with light ammo, and a backpack for each member of the family with 72 hours worth of provisions for one person in it plus what smaller members can't carry. I keep those 72 hour kits in my storage room.
I had plenty of supplies when the shortage hit so I guess I didn't learn anything. I've went through 3 shortages so far and this is the only one I knew about because I keep a lot of supplies on hand at all times and I wouldn't have known about this one either except for reading all the complaints on the forum. I didn't belong to any forums when the first two hit.
I just always have kept a lot of supplies on hand so I guess if I learned anything, it would be I'm apparently doing the right thing.
Probably not what you wanted to here Nick
I just always have kept a lot of supplies on hand so I guess if I learned anything, it would be I'm apparently doing the right thing.
Probably not what you wanted to here Nick
Most all responses are about rationing and stock piling. I'm curious if anyone has correlated the triggers from each of the shortages. Like others, I started reloading 30 years ago but dropped out of shooting for 20+ years. Now getting back into it in the middle (hopefully the end) of this shortage. No doubt it's tied to political climate and dems in the White House. But more specifically it's probably tied to a specific agenda which is triggered by something ie sandy hook (though sandy hook occurred to late for this shortage). If you can predict it's easier to prepare.
Life is no longer free from politics in any area. Very regrettable.
I don't recall the previous shortages as being as widespread, lasting as long, or being as widespread on what was in short supply.
Unfortunately "hoarding", "Keeping an adequate supply" & so on is not a one size fits all proposition. When I say I've become the warehouse because the supply chain wont I do not mean keeping a 50 year supply. I do mean if I used to keep a months worth of supplies & consumables when it took 3 weeks to replace them I now am obliged to keep a 6 month supply because its now 6 times harder to get those same things.
That's a response to a changing situation, not hoarding.
I don't recall the previous shortages as being as widespread, lasting as long, or being as widespread on what was in short supply.
Unfortunately "hoarding", "Keeping an adequate supply" & so on is not a one size fits all proposition. When I say I've become the warehouse because the supply chain wont I do not mean keeping a 50 year supply. I do mean if I used to keep a months worth of supplies & consumables when it took 3 weeks to replace them I now am obliged to keep a 6 month supply because its now 6 times harder to get those same things.
That's a response to a changing situation, not hoarding.