Ammo Shortage: What did we learn?

[TripleThreat]

Remember all of your friends that said you should buy any of the popular rounds/NATO type guns 9mm, ,223 398 etc., because when SHTF you'll have plenty of options?

Those friends were wrong!

I think it was about 7 months ago we found ourselves in the first ammo shortage in modern history (past 50 years or so). I did what most of you did, went looking for ammo high and low, not necessarily to buy, but also to see what was out there.

I found no 22Lr, 9mm or .223 (all of the popular stuff that your friends told you to buy...remember?). What I did see was a decent supply of .380, 38/357 41, 44 and lot's of 12 gauge ammo.

Fast forward to today, I went and made the rounds at many of my favorite ammo stores, only to find sant amounts of "3 boxes per day sir" of .233. There is some small amounts of 10mm, some 45 and 9mm pops-up here and there.

For the most part even after all this time, shelves are empty or at least barren. Here is the surprise. 12 gauge ammo is everywhere and I mean EVERYWHERE for those that are squirrels, this is a great options in many, many ways.

Lessoned learned.

Triple

[SilverTauron]

Remember all of your friends that said you should buy any of the popular rounds/NATO type guns 9mm, ,223 398 etc., because when SHTF you'll have plenty of options?

Those friends were wrong!

I think it was about 7 months ago we found ourselves in the first ammo shortage in modern history (past 50 years or so). I did what most of you did, went looking for ammo high and low, not necessarily to buy, but also to see what was out there.

I found no 22Lr, 9mm or .223 (all of the popular stuff that your friends told you to buy...remember?). What I did see was a decent supply of .380, 38/357 41, 44 and lot's of 12 gauge ammo.

Fast forward to today, I went and made the rounds at many of my favorite ammo stores, only to find sant amounts of "3 boxes per day sir" of .233. There is some small amounts of 10mm, some 45 and 9mm pops-up here and there.

For the most part even after all this time, shelves are empty or at least barren. Here is the surprise. 12 gauge ammo is everywhere and I mean EVERYWHERE for those that are squirrels, this is a great options in many, many ways.

Lessoned learned.

Triple

The lesson is to have your own supply saved up beforehand.

Trying to predict what "rounds" will be available after the next drought is like predicting the weather next Tuesday on Mars. This past go around .40 S&W and 10mm were available in some places. Astute gun owners are probably buying .40 S&W pistols in light of that fact-which means after the next shortage, 12 gauge and .40 S&W will be backordered until next millennia and the "remnant caliber" will be something else.

[xoutxkastx]

I dont buy or stock up ammo for SHTF. I buy, stock up, or reload enough to have fun shooting for the year.

[audiophil2]

As soon as I can get pallets of .22, 9mm, and .223 from my distributors I am buying it buy the truckload and storing it. I had over 300,000 rounds of .22 in December and it was gone before January. I then had to buy it at a higher price.
Right now I am getting about 30,000 rounds of high quality subsonic every few weeks but instead of dealer cost I am paying normal retail which is $100 more per case.

[davek8s]

I think it was about 7 months ago we found ourselves in the first ammo shortage in modern history (past 50 years or so). I did what most of you did, went looking for ammo high and low, not necessarily to buy, but also to see what was out there.


Triple

I guess you forgot about the ammo run in 2008 when our glorious leader was elected the first time.




Buy whatever caliber you want, nato or not nato.

But instead of buying a new pistol every 30 days... buy ammo every payday. Then no matter what the ammo market does, you always have range ammo.

[retiredAFcop]

Remember all of your friends that said you should buy any of the popular rounds/NATO type guns 9mm, ,223 398 etc., because when SHTF you'll have plenty of options?

Smart friends advised me to buy guns in a number of popular calibers, keep a stock of ammunition and/or reloading supplies for them, and especially stock up on ammunition and/or reloading supplies for my oddball calibers. That way, I'd have real options.

In the present ammo-drought, I was always able to easily acquire 12ga shells for my shotgun, even if .223, .45acp, and 9mm were harder to find.

[TripleThreat]

I guess you forgot about the ammo run in 2008 when our glorious leader was elected the first time.

I don't recall that being "anywhere" near what we're experiencing in the past 7 months, maybe my memory is worse than I thought?

Triple

[tommyboy619]

I learned 2 years ago from calguns: "Buy it cheap, stack it deep." My buying frenzy last year has kept me shooting since.

[John Browning]

If you learned anything, you haven't been paying attention. This happened in 2008. When you see something at the right price, buy it. This panic has not impacted me.

[toby]

I ran out of nothing and in return bought nothing at panic prices never have never will need to. ps SHTF ain't happening.

[Findout]

The lesson is to have your own supply saved up beforehand.

Trying to predict what "rounds" will be available after the next drought is like predicting the weather next Tuesday on Mars. This past go around .40 S&W and 10mm were available in some places. Astute gun owners are probably buying .40 S&W pistols in light of that fact-which means after the next shortage, 12 gauge and .40 S&W will be backordered until next millennia and the "remnant caliber" will be something else.

I disagree.. .22LR, 9mm and .223 are the three most popular cartridges in the U.S., are they not? Stands to reason they will always have the highest demand.

Keep in mind that demand increases with scarcity. People will feel the need to buy more just because it's not readily available. Human beings work that way in many ways.

The few odd people buying .40s now aren't going to sway the brozillions that already shoot 9/22/223.

[2nd Mass]

Remember all of your friends that said you should buy any of the popular rounds/NATO type guns 9mm, ,223 398 etc., because when SHTF you'll have plenty of options?

Those friends were wrong!

Triple

IMHO I don't think you're friends were wrong. If shtf buying ammo would be hard period. The idea is having popular calibers so you can acquire ammo if need be. Think Walking Dead, the survivors weren't buying ammo.

Also this

I ran out of nothing and in return bought nothing at panic prices never have never will need to. ps SHTF ain't happening.

Hmm... Perhaps you're to young to remember the LA riots or didn't get around to watching Assaulted. Not only did it happen but it was a short drive away from Whittier. Shtf isn't just the big shtf, it's the riots and Katrina's too.

[SB1964]

I learned not to sell so much ammo!

[M. D. Van Norman]

[bombadillo]

I learned to sell ammo when people throw a **** fit about it, and make a gob of money. $1.00 per round for .223

I learned to have enough thousands of rounds of each caliber I shoot a lot of that I don't need to go out and buy any more ammo when I want to plink, and have enough (thousands) left that if the world were ending, I would have MORE than enough for me and my family, and most of my friends, their friends, and their 2nd great aunts cousins.