Out of ammo
I figured if anyplace wouldn’t run out of ammo, it is South Dakota, so I checked with my brother. Sure enough, ammunition is gone there, too. A local store that does a major firearms business ordered a semi truck load of ammo; what got delivered was three pallets. They were told they could expect another delivery in 2014.
So what is going on? In part, certainly, the perception of a potential shortage due to the policies of the Obama administration has led to the reality of a shortage, as everyone started to stock up. I can understand the mentality: if I wandered into a gun store and found that they had just put 1,000 9 mm rounds on the shelf, I would buy them all. But does that fully explain what is happening? How about the fact that government agencies are buying up billions of rounds? There have been lots of news reports and lots of rumors, but no clear explanation of why the federal government has invested so massively in ammunition–including the most popular civilian calibers–over the last year. One way or another, it seems that there is a story here. But for it to be pursued, we would need “reporters.” Remember them? Nah, that was a bygone era: you probably don’t.
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It’s not just ammo that’s gone but guns, too. It’s very difficult to find many guns, at least of the cheaper sort that I am partial to. One can only imagine how much money is being left on the table by the manufacturers (of guns and ammo) right now.
Personally, I think it would be nice if some of the ammo companies would put the feral government last in line to wait for their ammo, rather than depriving the public of the inventory. Although, I understand the danger such a tactic would invite as this feral government would unload on any such company.
I don’t appeal to the leftist “reporters” to help out in any way. They are despicable, lying scumbags who should never be trusted on anything. I am most disappointed in Congress and the House GOP for not forcing the Executive branch run amok to explain what the heck they think they’re doing. Sadly, I am not the least surprised at the cowardly GOP House as they have caved on and intentionally ignored or shied away from just about everything this criminal administration has done – and the list of such actions is very, very, very long.
ThePrimordialOrderedPair on February 3, 2013 at 8:43 PM
Ok, I want some shotgun shells like the one Obama used to shoot skeet. I’ve never seen a modern smokeless powder produce that much smoke.
SC.Charlie on February 3, 2013 at 8:44 PM
Sure am glad I have several thousand rounds. Heck, I have several thousand rounds of 22LR, alone.
.223? Yep. I’m covered.
Got lots of guns, too.
Sucks to be unprepared, Mr. Hinderaker.
trapeze on February 3, 2013 at 8:59 PM
Cabelas still has Europellet, .40 and .45 though the .45 stuff is higher end and the 9mm is steel case Russian. The only .22 they have is the Eley target stuff that’s prohibitively expensive.
I actually ended up buying a few boxes of ammo at my local range for a fair price; shot 50 rounds and saved the rest.
Bishop on February 3, 2013 at 9:00 PM
Out of ammo
Figured the article was about Hagel (hat tip, Admiral Stockdale, 1992)
Paul-Cincy on February 3, 2013 at 9:07 PM
If Mr. Hinderaker had found any ammo he might have been surprised at the prices, though.
Never would have guessed that .223 would be going for a dollar (or more) per round. That’s as much as a .30-06 round usually goes for…the cheaper ones, anyway.
.22LR prices have doubled. They may as well have tripled, though, since there is none to be had anywhere.
Sooner or later you have to think that market forces will take over to fill the vacuum.
trapeze on February 3, 2013 at 9:08 PM
Anyone who lived through the original AWB or the mini-crisis of 2009 should have learned their lesson, Hinderiker included. Buy as much as you can afford in ammo and sock it away to be a strategic reserve. And mags…any knowledgeable gun owner would know that mags are the weakest component of any gun and would buy extras.
Bishop on February 3, 2013 at 9:13 PM
I’ve been stockpiling since 2007, and shooting less than 5% of my accumulated ammo, keeping the weaps clean, oiled, and in the safe.
I don’t need ammo for a long time. Still it’s frightening to see the lack of availability, and the number of friends and others who I’ve been urging for 6 years and more to gear up, and now FINALLY they are getting it in gear only to find the prices and supply in a bad way.
I’m with Pair: I don’t know what’s taking the manufacturers so long to ramp up and increase supply, they are leaving billions of dollars on the table by doing so.
I have heard some of the factories are running 24/7 with triple shifts, and literally having to close or maintenance, like a US refinery in 2005. Nevertheless you’d think new assembly lines could have been added by now.
It’s lucky for me I’ve got all I need and more, because for those trying to gear up now, its just murder.
Hopefully in 6 months the shelves will begin to fill up again, but prices never really return to normal after runs like this.
rightwingyahooo on February 3, 2013 at 9:14 PM
I got lucky and managed to grab a case of Federal XM855 5.56 NATO at Walmart the other night as they had just gotten a shipment in. The rest was gone before I left the store. Got it at .45 cents a round too. Pre hysteria prices. I do find it troubling that the Feds are buying up so many rounds. Might they be intentionally trying to dry up the supply? Perhaps they plan on putting us n FEMA camps after all? It’s getting extremely hard to find any .223 or .45 ACP for target shooting for a fair price. Most .223 i find on the web is going for more than $1 a round. And its the cheap stuff. Been able to find some self defense rounds. Pick up a box of 20 when I find them for my 1911.
jawkneemusic on February 3, 2013 at 9:16 PM
Cornering the market, funded by an extra $900 billion a year in wasted spending
phreshone on February 3, 2013 at 9:16 PM
Popular ammo is difficult to find even here in Texas. That said, I was lucky enough to find some .223 at wally world for about $0.35/rd. Granted it was reloads from Serbia but, hey, I’ll take what I can get.
tommytom02 on February 3, 2013 at 9:17 PM
You can still get 12ga shotty ammo, but 9mm, .45, 223, 308, and 7.62×39, are very tough to get.
Im surprised 22lr is tough to get, thats one that stayed plentiful during 2009, when I was stockpiling feverishly and everything was tough to get.
This one could last 2 years, before everything settles down. Feels good to be ahead of the game…
I dont know how people with a pistol and shotgun as their only weaps, and a mere 200 rounds of ammo total in the house, go out shooting.
Stop that. If you’re down to 200 rounds, you don’t need to be shooting. You need to be stacking.
rightwingyahooo on February 3, 2013 at 9:20 PM
I need to buy some stock of the makers of ammunition.
SC.Charlie on February 3, 2013 at 9:24 PM
I’m thinking about getting a .40 cal as I seem to see quite a bit of ammo for that cal around most of the time. Any suggestions on brand/model?
jawkneemusic on February 3, 2013 at 9:25 PM
Well the dot-govs place an order for so many rounds, and they set a delivery date, and of course, they promise to pay late and always do.
But the ammo makers are afraid to say no because its easy money, sooner or later anyway, and they have to have the ammo ready by a date certain or they lose the contract.
The civilian population does not place orders, we show up to buy whats on the shelves.
So its only natural the dot-govs would be seen as gutting supply because they get priority by happenstance.
I wish the congress would pass a law cancelling the ammo orders by the DHS and others. The government is broke and we need the ammo.
There is only one reason they could possibly need that much, and we all know what it is, they are planning to use it on us if they deem it necessary, plain and simple.
rightwingyahooo on February 3, 2013 at 9:26 PM
sig/glock/kimber? how much money do you want to spend? I’m a big fan of Ruger handguns, also owning S/W and H/K, and some excellent new Taurus models not the older ones.
But I use the 9mm and .45s not the .40. And Rugers don’t always have the best triggers, although it that doesnt bother me much…..
rightwingyahooo on February 3, 2013 at 9:32 PM
I’ve never been of the conspiratorial mind but I’m starting to think you’re right. There’s no other explanation for buying so many hollow points. I read somewhere the Feds claimed it was for target practice. Nobody uses hollow points for target shooting. I trust this government less now than I ever did on my entire life.
jawkneemusic on February 3, 2013 at 9:33 PM
Even non-popular calibers are getting harder to find, my favorite 9mm makarov ammo has been sold out for months, with no resupply in sight.
Rebar on February 3, 2013 at 9:34 PM
I love S&W. All of my firearms are S&W except one. I’ve never owned a Kimber. Do they make a 1911 in .40 cal? I’ve always wanted an H&K USP .45 but if they make a .40 cal maybe I’ll look into that one. I recently took a look at Rugers 5.56 AR15′s. Man I wish I had saved up for that sooner. Fantastic looking piece of machinery.
jawkneemusic on February 3, 2013 at 9:38 PM
I just bought an EAA Witness 40 – the poly model – for $310, though Bud’s just jacked their price on it up to $360. I love the gun. It’s a CZ-75 based model with interchangeable slides for different calibers, though this poly model is only supposed to convert to 22LR and 9mm (the other Witness versions convert to those plus 10mm, 38 sup, and 45).
I haven’t seen much 40 cal online (not for decent prices). It’s still about the same price at the range I shoot at, but that’s always been a bit expensive as the charge for using the range. I’m still waiting for Palmetto State Armory to ship me a small order I placed a few weeks ago (when they claimed it was in stock) but I haven’t seen much else around.
ThePrimordialOrderedPair on February 3, 2013 at 9:40 PM
Glad I went crazy in 1993-1995 buying guns and ammo. Wifey rolled her eyes then, now she says come here big guy.
arnold ziffel on February 3, 2013 at 9:42 PM
Just got an M&P Shield in .40 and am looking at either a full size M&P in .40 or maybe an XD(M). Even thought about getting a carbine in .40 if I can find one that takes the same magazines. Maybe the Kel-Tec Sub 2000.
Leaning towards the M&P since it is Smith&Wesson and well, that’s an American company.
But let’s face it…pistols are just there to get you to your long gun. With those you can reach out farther and touch with more energy more accurately.
As for ammo, I’m seeing a shortage of .40 as well, especially in target rounds. And my local gun shops are restricting the number of boxes a person can buy at a time.
They are coming for our firearms and they are keeping us from having ammo.
We have four boxes of freedom: soap, ballot, jury and ammo. And they are working hard to make sure we don’t have box number 4.
A government that fears an armed citizenry is no longer “of the people, by the people, for the people” and probably will perish from this earth.
ProfShadow on February 3, 2013 at 9:49 PM
The problem is even having a stockpile how much do you really want to shoot for practice or fun knowing that replacing it is spendy and difficult.
Bishop on February 3, 2013 at 9:52 PM
M&P Shields do feel nice in my hand. Haven’t shot one yet, just fiddled with one at the store. The Walmart by my place has had .40 cal in stock for some time. Last I checked was about a week ago when I picked up that case of 5.56. Not sure about now though.
This is crap. I was too young to own a gun during the Clinton ban so I wasn’t aware of a lesson to be learned. Otherwise i would have started stocking up sometime ago. I remember a short time after the 2008 election there was a shortage but this round seems especially bad.
jawkneemusic on February 3, 2013 at 10:01 PM
Never hurts to get ammo even before your weap. Even if you end up with the wrong ammo, not the end of the world. You can trade.
rightwingyahooo on February 3, 2013 at 10:43 PM
Went to the gun show here in San Antonio yesterday.
Plenty of guns of all types. Plenty of a mo as well.
The problem? Price.
Cheapest AR type rifle i saw was $1300. The same rifle before the recent insanity would probably be around $700-800.
I was looking for a 1911, which I did find for a decent price, too.
Ammo? I wasn’t looking to get any, but did look at prices a bit. Saw a box OC .45 ball Winchester ‘generic’ box of 100 rounds for sixty bucks. Ridiculous. Same box should be less than forty.
But there was plenty of merchandise, rifles, pistols, parts, mags, etc.
If you wanted to pay…
That being said, of all the gun shops here in town, I hit them all over the last week. Recon if you will…
Only one had a good stock of everything that was still within reason. Another had plenty of stock, but asking ridiculous prices. Te others were pretty bare.
One thing about the gun show: a lot of people were there. It took us almost half an hour to get in the door. But not a lot of people were buying, it seemed to me and those that were were like me, looking for something not in huge demand due to the scare. Otherwise, most of that high priced stuff was sitting right where it was.
catmman on February 3, 2013 at 10:44 PM
If you’re already well armed, you wont pay the silly prices to gear up. Just rubs you the wrong way.
If youre completely unarmed and have nothing, personally, I’d let myself be ripped off on one rifle, and one handgun, in order to be properly armed, and worry about the money later.
Shotguns can still be had for reasonable prices, but there is no substitute for a rifle, and there are no more inexpensive rifles.
I am well armed fortunately, but I still almost talked myself into paying $1800 for an Armalite AR-10 that was the last one in stock ay my local shop about a month ago, just to buy something, even though I already have several .308 and .223 rifles.
Then I thought: “why hog it? Let someone else who has nothing at all, come and get it, they need it more than I do.”
Two days later it was gone. Good luck to whoever bought it.
rightwingyahooo on February 3, 2013 at 11:12 PM
You’re damn right, John Hinderaker, there is a story here, if only a few more had guts enough to report on it.
petefrt on February 3, 2013 at 11:13 PM
Mind telling me where you’ve had some luck in SA? I’ll understand if you want to keep it a secret though!
I’ve bombed out at all the big box stores. My husband has hit Nagel’s a couple times and each time scored some .223 for a buck a round, 2 box limit.
juliesa on February 3, 2013 at 11:37 PM
-DHS is stocking up for use against potential problems with us, U.S. citizens.
-22LR is impossible to find because people are using it and storing it for target practice rather than the very expensive larger caliber rounds.
justltl on February 3, 2013 at 11:50 PM
Nobody, myself included, wants to believe that we are only about an inch away from Obama becoming a dictator and the USA a police state.
All the signs are there.
justltl on February 3, 2013 at 11:55 PM
I own a CZ75B and I’m quite happy with it.
BallisticBob on February 3, 2013 at 11:56 PM
Isn’t it obvious? This is all part of Obama’s Zombie plan.
Browncoatone on February 4, 2013 at 12:19 AM
Starting two years ago I made a monthly trip to wally world to buy everything they had on the shelf in the calibers of weapons that I own. All my friends and family thought I was being paranoid and wasting my money.
and now my bro calls me from nc and tells me he can’t find and .45 or 9mm
vindicated! sitting on a loaded larder!
tom daschle concerned on February 4, 2013 at 2:40 AM
Looks to me like Obama is turning Homeland Security into a special executive branch paramilitary organization. His “brown shirts”?
crosspatch on February 4, 2013 at 4:04 AM
It would be nice if citizens knew where that government ammo is being shipped to. In tough times it might be nice to stock up on taxpayer funded ammo courtesy of Uncle Sam.
trs on February 4, 2013 at 7:22 AM
And people wondered why I got a bolt action Mosin-Nagant…during the last run on ammo I could still get 7.62x54r by the spam can of corrosively primed milsurp. At 640 rounds for under $80 delivered it became the easy to acquire backstop when I got them in 2007. I also had 22lr and 45ACP to feed and had couple bricks of the former and a couple thousand rounds of the latter well before 2008. 12ga. never went out of stock at a low price during the guns and ammo run of 2008-09. Likewise I helped my sister-in-law stock up on 16ga for her late father’s old bolt action Mossberg… that stuff is not widely used in the US thus it rarely goes on sale and rarely disappears completely, but shortages were chronic to 16ga without any politics. Especially slug rounds, she can go upland bird hunting from now to Kingdom Come with it, though.
So after the last gun run of ’08-’09 I just added in ammo when it was available. Also during the last run I noticed a number of smaller reloaders willing to step up to the plate as they tried to expand their normally modest output via their customer base for new ammo. When ammo gets priced like gold, then I will be ready for the next exchange medium…if you are hard up for ammo and don’t have the set-up to reload your own, then look for one of the smaller outfits that do that and use it for target practice, then wind down the session with a couple of magazines of what you carry.
I might hint that there are other guns that use other ammo that isn’t popular but usually available… 32ACP fits that bill as does 9mm Makarov… but I prefer to hear people moan and complain about the popular stuff while being able to stockpile the entirely useful and cheap stuff. Gotta love places that put together a Shooters Package of an old gun and a thousand rounds or more of ammo for it just because its not hot and popular nor commonly used. Consider these lesser arms with ammo like insurance policies: yes the ammo might be absent after a major economic implosion or natural disaster, but they are buying you life and time for you to use wisely. And that M-N will bring down anything in North America. Plus you can still go to the range and keep your skills up until the oddball stuff finally disappears completely. Sounds like great insurance to me, but then I’m just strange that way.
ajacksonian on February 4, 2013 at 7:44 AM
I’m partial to Glock–mine’s the 27, but there are several models in .40. They all work every time. I’ve never had a failure to feed in several thousand rounds. But they are not cheap. For a good, inexpensive model, look at the CZ brand. Kimber is great but pricey. I like Ruger wheel guns, but not so fond of their semi autos. Now, it may be more of what you can find than what you really want. Good luck.
Crusader Rabbit on February 4, 2013 at 8:11 AM
Obama’s Civilian National Security Force [video]
petefrt on February 4, 2013 at 8:26 AM
Or how about this idea. Effectively ban the majority of guns via buying all the ammo making it in very short supply as well as very expensive.
Dr. Frank Enstine on February 4, 2013 at 8:46 AM