Unwelcome news: Ammo Supply Unlikely to Return to Normal Anytime Soon

[Goose Cracker]

With all due respect, if the manufacturers thought they could earn "excess" or "excessive" profits (is that even a thing? "Excessive"? Really?) they would. They'd all be expanding as fast as possible. But with copper, lead, brass, and labor costs up 50-100% in the last 12 months, there's no such thing as "excessive" profits no matter how you define it. I'd bet margins haven't improved meaningfully. And that's assuming you can access as much powder and primers and packaging as you need to expand. Labor costs? You're competing against stimulus checks for folks to do jack-all. Add in a hostile regulatory environment and (total guess here) a couple years of lead time for incredibly specialized industrial equipment and sure I'd add another shift to go 24/7 but I'm not spending tens of millions to build a new factory, much less staff and operate it at full capacity.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I think some of the blame needs to be assigned to the guys who own gun shops but instead of putting the ammo they get on the shelves of their store, they auction the shit on gunbroker. com. It's not gonna get better any time soon. If people know they can get $50 per box for pretty much any center fire ammo they aren't going to stop. That's the end of my rant about shop owners on gunbroker lol

To each their own, but I refuse to pay $50/box for standard hunting cartridge ammo. I'll use reloads or even my .375 H and H with ammo I purchased recently for $55/box. The elk won't care!

 

[CoElkHunter]

I was told that some of the local shops around the DFW area were sending out people to buy up all the ammo available at retailers such as Basspro and Cabelas. They then sell it on gunbroker at inflated prices.

That sounds about right!

 

[CoElkHunter]

With all due respect, if the manufacturers thought they could earn "excess" or "excessive" profits (is that even a thing? "Excessive"? Really?) they would. They'd all be expanding as fast as possible. But with copper, lead, brass, and labor costs up 50-100% in the last 12 months, there's no such thing as "excessive" profits no matter how you define it. I'd bet margins haven't improved meaningfully. And that's assuming you can access as much powder and primers and packaging as you need to expand. Labor costs? You're competing against stimulus checks for folks to do jack-all. Add in a hostile regulatory environment and (total guess here) a couple years of lead time for incredibly specialized industrial equipment and sure I'd add another shift to go 24/7 but I'm not spending tens of millions to build a new factory, much less staff and operate it at full capacity.

I want to apply for a grant somehow to buy reloading supplies and ammunition. They must exist somewhere? There seems to be grants out there for everything under the sun/full blood moon.

 

[Goose Cracker]

I want to apply for a grant somehow to buy reloading supplies and ammunition. They must exist somewhere? There seems to be grants out there for everything under the sun/full blood moon.

I hate to break your heart, but if you wanted to study the incidence of homosexuality in shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico due to increases in water temperature, I'd bet you could make it happen. But for increasing the supplies of civilian ammo? Brother, you've got a better chance of being stuck by lightning, bitten by a shark named "Bruce", and cuddled by a saltwater crocodile in North Dakota in the same day! Where's that "so you're saying there's a chance" Jim Carey meme when I need it?

 

[R.M.C.]

To each their own, but I refuse to pay $50/box for standard hunting cartridge ammo. I'll use reloads or even my .375 H and H with ammo I purchased recently for $55/box. The elk won't care!

Hell yeah I'm not paying $50 a box either. But a lot of people are.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I hate to break your heart, but if you wanted to study the incidence of homosexuality in shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico due to increases in water temperature, I'd bet you could make it happen. But for increasing the supplies of civilian ammo? Brother, you've got a better chance of being stuck by lightning, bitten by a shark named "Bruce", and cuddled by a saltwater crocodile in North Dakota in the same day! Where's that "so you're saying there's a chance" Jim Carey meme when I need it?

Well, I'm thinking (dangerous!) the grant would be for studying the psychological effects and stress created and felt by the consumer of hunting ammo and reloading components. Of course, the grant would include the costs of my purchase of outrageously priced ammo and reloading components, and of course interviews with those consumers who have purchased or attempted to purchase such said items. Maybe I could get the grant through the NSSF (National Shooting Sports Foundation)? Ha! Ha! Ha!

 

[CoElkHunter]

I hate to break your heart, but if you wanted to study the incidence of homosexuality in shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico due to increases in water temperature, I'd bet you could make it happen. But for increasing the supplies of civilian ammo? Brother, you've got a better chance of being stuck by lightning, bitten by a shark named "Bruce", and cuddled by a saltwater crocodile in North Dakota in the same day! Where's that "so you're saying there's a chance" Jim Carey meme when I need it?

So, would I have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than BobNelson35Whelen owning a .243 or getting a grant?

 

[tedthorn]

I have a lifetime supply so I'm losing no sleep

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

So, would I have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than BobNelson35Whelen owning a .243 or getting a grant?

@CoElkHunter
Mate the lightening will win every time
Bob

 

[Longwalker]

I'm pretty sure I have a "lifetime" supply of every type of ammo that I shoot. So being a habitual ammunition and component hoarder is not a character flaw at the moment. Despite that, I'm not worried about ammunition availability because in Canada we still have a fairly decent supply of components and ammunition in the stores, just not the common USA manufactured stuff. European products are gaining market share here. Good quality, consistent supply, and competitive prices. S&B, PPU, Norma, Lapua and Barnaul are a few of the brands I see in stock. IMR ( Dominion) powders are also available in a few stores.

 

[Mekaniks]

I was told that some of the local shops around the DFW area were sending out people to buy up all the ammo available at retailers such as Basspro and Cabelas. They then sell it on gunbroker at inflated prices.

There are people that check the ammo shelves every day, and are communicating with folks that work at the stores. When shipments are stocked on the shelves they buy up as much as they can, hoard what they and their buddy's want, and resell the rest at a profit. Supply and demand in it's simplest form....

 

[Mekaniks]

I think this video covers well the current issues in the import supply chain.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I think this video covers well the current issues in the import supply chain.

@Mekaniks
Good points
Bob

 

[CoElkHunter]

I went to Wal Mart today to buy a new vacuum. As always, I stop by the sporting goods/ammo section to gaze at the empty shelves. TODAY, they had five boxes of .243 and about 35 boxes of ALL STEEL SHOT waterfowl shotgun shells. Just in time for dove season! They also had a "mountain" of portable air conditioners stacked ready for the fall season. Am I missing something here?

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I went to Wal Mart today to buy a new vacuum. As always, I stop by the sporting goods/ammo section to gaze at the empty shelves. TODAY, they had five boxes of .243 and about 35 boxes of ALL STEEL SHOT waterfowl shotgun shells. Just in time for dove season! They also had a "mountain" of portable air conditioners stacked ready for the fall season. Am I missing something here?

@CoElkHunter
It shows that people are learning that the 243 is useless, that's why it's still on the shelf and people refer aircons to the 243 because at least they have a use.
Bob

 

[Just Gina]

I went to Wal Mart today to buy a new vacuum. As always, I stop by the sporting goods/ammo section to gaze at the empty shelves. TODAY, they had five boxes of .243 and about 35 boxes of ALL STEEL SHOT waterfowl shotgun shells. Just in time for dove season! They also had a "mountain" of portable air conditioners stacked ready for the fall season. Am I missing something here?

Well...did you at least get your vacuum? If so,, what model?

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Well...did you at least get your vacuum? If so,, what model?

@Just Gina
@CoElkHunter has one of her stealth vacuums. His wife has been trying to get him to use it for years but he still can't find it. It's that stealthy.
Bob

 

[PARA45]

Powder and ammo is making it to the shelves here in Middle Georgia. I went to Bass Pro yesterday and they had some hunting ammo, and a boat load of 556 & 9mm ammo. I also stopped by two stores that usually carry powder, and their shelves had a good supply of powder, with a lot IMR 4350 (1lbs & 8 lbs), BLK CFE and others I don't remember. Now, primers is a different story.

 

[Rob404]

I'm basically good on my reloading components altho I,ve become a little more creative with powders. Premium Bullets such as Swifts (my go to bullet) have been impossible to obtain