Is the Great Ammunition Shortage of 2013 finally coming to an end?

Until the next time the DHS needs more ammunition.

Yes most people actually stockpiled which is NOT what anyone wanted. Or is it? ;)

Yes, now all gun nuts have enough ammo to fend off Obama’s Armies from seizing their guns.

I have been finding .223 Rem here and there, but they are proud of it. If you have something that is chambered in .270 and 7mm, .410 ga or .20 ga you can still go out. I bought the hell out of 7.62×39mm, 54R, and 8mm Mauser around 2007 before the first wave hit. The ammo producers are working full shifts and have been since way before this last series of highly publicized mass shootings so they never really caught up after the 2008 elections. Smart people try to stock up when things are calm but there are too many who don’t…until the SHTF and everyone is in panic mode. This increase in demand drives up the prices and kills availability. I’m guessing shooting enthusiasts are not going to be fooled again so the ammo situation is going to take a long time to level off. Best way to do this is don’t buy and pay these insane prices and things will calm down. I’m not paying 80 bucks for a brick of .22 when they were going for 20 bucks and less before the panic They can shove each one into their penis holes first.

Massive ammunition shortage here in the UK. I have been in shop after shop after shop and there is not a bullet anywhere to be seen but then nobody has a gun so it is fine.

I first noticed this after the 2008 elections. It got really bad after the 2012 Obama win. I never knew so many scared little girls owned guns. I carry a 12 gage bang stick and a 9mm auto on board my vessel. I don’t need a lot, but like woodcutter, I wouldn’t pay those prices just on principle. I found an old guy through a gun club sitting on 8,000 rounds of various ammo. He was going blind and couldn’t shoot anymore so he was selling out cheap. If it wasn’t for him, I’d probably be scrounging around like the rest of these people.

The initial statement in your premise is inaccurate, as @Espiritus_Corvus pointed out. This has been ongoing since late 2008, once gun owners realized a black man had been elected and would be sworn in as President. Every time there is a gun show, the local news agencies have focused on people buying huge amounts of ammunition.

At the last local show in the middle of the “shortage”, it was pointed out that the gun industry has allowed the shortage to flourish by keeping prices artificially low. Shortages only occur when there is resistance to the law of supply and demand.

There is plenty of ammo out there, it’s just people are hoarding it. The 17 people shot in Oakland over the weekend know there is plenty of ammo.

Shortages have been going on since JFK’s assassination. The bedwetters past at least 8 different gun acts in an attempt to lower violence. Each time there was a new act at work, sales surged, followed with shortages.

As a rule of thumb, invest in anything liberals might potentially hate because they will end up attempting to boycott or ban the product/service. This creates a counter reaction from those who oppose and thus it drives markets. It’s not exclusive to guns. Chick-fil-a and Target are recent examples. There was a mass attempt to boycott due to the homosexual controversy and what happened instead was more people ended up eating there and buying from target to show support for the companies. It’s too bad Chick-fill-a isn’t a publically traded company. However, I did buy shares of target the minute I heard about the boycott attempt.

I bought the stock at $48, in july (mass boycott attempt). The following months it went to 61. Stock is almost at 73 now. Did the same for Smith & Wesson stock and a whole bunch of other ones.

@tomathon Yeah, that’s a good idea, I may use that in future myself.

Of course I never go to Chic-Fil-A or Target anymore, or WalMart, not getting my business. ;)

I’m sure Walmart or Target won’t mind. Target made 73 billion last year. Walmart made 469 billion in revenue.

@tomathon I’m sure they won’t either, but it makes me feel good to stand for something, and the LGBT community has enough so-called Christians against them.

This Christian will not judge them or what they do or how they live, and will not support any business that does so with my hard-earned dollars.

Yeah, but it’s done in reverse by the LGBT community as well. They judge what two consenting adults do in an office setting (they support a government that regulates between a buyer/seller, employer/employee). So their argument on what two consenting adults do in private is hypocritical and meaningless.

@tomathon Two wrong’s don’t make a right.

@tomathon: You’re right; the Socialists and the Homosexuals are conspiring against you.

@KNOWITALL

Exactly?
.
@bookish1

I have my tinfoil hat on. I’m safe.

@tomathon Lame, but I got it.

Can I ask what problem you have with LGBT’s? I’m a Christian but I anm under spiritual conviction that loving each other transcends homophobia or the so-called ‘sin’ being committed.

Not interested in having this conversation. This is a gun question, after-all.

I did some process work for Federal Cartridge and their business is booming (pun intended). Business boomed when Obama was elected (both times). I am certain some gun nuts out there have enough ammunition to start their own war. The good thing is that outdated shells may misfire and hopefully blow a potential terrorist to pieces.

Outdated shells are not as much of an issue as surface oxidation, extreme heat/cold, and lots of moisture. If it isn’t stored properly in a controlled climate with low humidity, it may potentially get damaged but that is still talking 10+ years.

@tomathon Okay, if you ever want to, I’m open to it. And I love guns.

@zenvelo First, go to the bathroom then rejoin us. This might take awhile. The fact that a black man is president has nothing to do with it. With that statement it is easy to see you aren’t up to speed with the gun culture at all. And I use the term culture tongue in cheek. Because there is no cult. They are just ordinary people, that some try awfully hard to demonize for the sake of making things easier to lay blame for the ills of society on. Do you really think that honest and lawful black people don’t have guns? I’ll give ya a clue…. tens of thousands of black people (possibly millions) have firearms and lots of them. If it had been a black republican president in there, there wouldn’t be the feeling of urgency like now. Even though there will never be a complete trust of our lawmakers no matter who is in charge, having any democrat in there is most worrisome. All walks of people are watching the political situation shaking out. Not just the “Huffbaggers”. Clinton wasn’t black. He was a white democrat. And he imposed one of the most drastic gun bans in US history. Banning weapons based on cosmetic features that “frightened the sheeple”. Guns that were, and to this day making up such a small number of incidents of shootings that a ban on knives would have had more impact. Democrats in power are not to be trusted now, or ever. Has nothing to do with race. Stop with the race baiting. People like you are hell bent on never letting racism fade. Good job, if that is your goal..

“it was pointed out that the gun industry has allowed the shortage to flourish by keeping prices artificially low. Shortages only occur when there is resistance to the law of supply and demand”. Who pointed this out? Was it you? What does that even mean? They are keeping prices artificially low? There are too many different producers of ammunition in this country and the world. Yes we import TONS of ammo from all over the globe. There is no monopoly. A monopoly would be the way to control pricing….you know this. So the idea that prices can be manipulated the way you have suggested is just plain ludicrous. Please- tell us then, where is this low priced munitions retailer you know about. The gun industry is facing more customers wanting gun related products, more than can be produced currently. Ammo is just a commodity. It’s not like OPEC just leaving the crude oil in the ground longer to drive up demand. All the components that make up ammunition are costing more all the way down the chain. Sure the producers could simply build more factories to do more but they realize this will level off. And then what? All that infrastructure and personnel hired will be laid off and facilities sitting empty. They aren’t going to do that and so they will continue to run shifts 24/ 7 until they feel they can scale back. Believe this or don’t, but shooting enthusiasts still participate in their given activities. They aren’t buying all this ammo just to hide it all under the basement. They are using it,and, doing what they can to put some back.

17 people shot in Oakland huh? Some asshole has at least 17+ rounds of ammunition? You think that anyone with that much ammo has an arsenal? Seventeen whole bullets? No wonder you are sweatin bullets you must be scared shitless.
Hyperbole much?

Hey everyone check this out http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/articles/2013/5/rumor-control-ammo-shortages-revisited!.aspx

Now before we all hyperventilate on the fact this source is NOT from a liberal rag ,we need to keep in mind here that the leftist msm would not go through the trouble to research this. And that could be because they know their reader base would not appreciate it anyway. But if you take the time and actually indulge in this you will or should agree that it is not politically slanted and come away with some insight as to why folks are having some problems attaining ammunition at reasonable prices.

And therefore, answering the big question at the top. I hope this helped.

Yeah, guns don’t kill people, people do. First of all your article comes straight from the NRA, their sole function is to represent manufactures and distributors and get customer’s to pay for it. That’s a pretty good gig if you ask me.

Of course you will disagree that the 2nd amendment calls for a well regulated militia, not individual gun ownership. The reason was that the founders had a bad experience with colonial government and wanted to make sure that the new Federal government wouldn’t repeat the abuses of the previous government. The point is moot now. The government has tanks and bombers and really big guns, things that individuals can’t buy. That means that we should rely on the State National Guard to act as a well armed militia. I’m all for that.

I was in the heart of redneck country in Minnesota then down to Oklahoma and heard people talking about the n***** in the White House. They were telling each other that the black guy is going to take their guns and the only way he’ll get them is “from their cold dead hands”. That was in 2009 and nobody has come yet.

If there is an ammunition shortage (I don’t believe there is) then the rumor was started buy your good old NRA. Sounds like a pretty good way to raise prices and increase sales.

The NRA has changed from an organization of people that target shot and/or hunted. Now it is a political organization stomping with dirty boots through the minds of the uninformed.

The NRA doesn’t sell ammo. They have a wine club. The well regulated militia is made up of individuals who own their own guns and related gear. Well regulated meant more like each member had a type of weapon “in common use” at the time, as apposed to something odd or bizarre to the point it would cause logistical problems.This militia was to be separated from the federal payroll. Therefore making it impossible to hold money over their heads to force compliance. Guess where the Natl. Guard gets their money. You guessed it, from the federal govt. and they do not own those weapons as they also belong to the federals. So the natl Guard belong to them as well. But really they should belong to the states and their governors they are assigned to. But now the feds can force the guard into overseas duties and without the respective state governor,s permission. Seems like a federal force to me. And so they can hardly be called the state militia and definitely not the unorganized militia. Aw hell lets just come out and say it. The Natl. Guard is an extension of the regular federal army, to which the real militia was stood up to oppose in the first place.

If you think there is no ammo shortage then you are advertising your ignorance. I don’t know what else you would call it. If you are not a shooting enthusiast or sportsman and don’t have a need to buy ammo then how in the world can you even know one way or the other? People are having a hard time finding it right now. This is a fact that no liberal commentator will or can dispute, but somehow you know more than they do?

I get a kick out of those who say because the feds have nuclear weapons and drones it would be impossible to effect any outcome. Those idjits like Piers Morgan. Does anyone really believe the govt is ever going to light off a real atom bomb in the mainland US or blow up a shopping mall with a drone missile? Get real. The military can’t be everywhere in the US at any given time but ordinary Americans can, because they are already there right now. No big airlifts, no bureaucratic red tape, no staging area waiting for someone to make the decision to do something.Your unorganized militia is on site pretty much immediately with enough firepower to keep a handle on things until a more professional force gets there. You need us. Deal with it

I was assigned to a state guard unit for a while just before I retired. These guys were mostly retired regulars volunteering to act as a cadre to train up irregulars if the National Guard gets federalized and combat forces are needed in their absence. The Governor makes that call. Most states have a clause buried in their constitution that allows call-up of irregular militia in an emergency. These guys would get trained up quickly with run-what-you-brung weapons. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what I believe is the regulated militia mentioned i the 2nd amendment. At least that is how they are viewed in the total force plan in place. Most Officers, retired or discharged can be re-called to duty in this scenario. (Generally a doomsday solution) I pray it never happens, but keep in training for that contingency.

Thanks @woodcutter, you made my day. I feel re-affirmed in my opinion.

@Ron_C You are correct in that a lot of people were anti-Obama, and @woodcutter is correct in that some people felt the same about past leaders as well. Anyone who threatens the 2nd Amendment is, to a lot of people, anti-America. Black, white, red or yellow.

@majorrich And all those people will be controlled by whom? The government. The government works for the people, thus a well-armed militia formed by the American people is our only defense against a government who forgets that they work for us. How easily people seem to forget history lessons.

According to the Ohio Constitution, These people are under the Command of the Governor of the State where they live. Traditionally, They were under the command of the Sheriff of the County where they live, but (at least in Ohio) They have a Command structure in place that mirrors the National Guard only staffed by old guys like me, all volunteers. Technically (in this case) The Ohio State Reserves can be mobilized by their own command chain. Authorization to use deadly force is kind of a grey area but is only for self defense. (that would include zombies and bad guys who pose a direct threat to the soldier). History tells us that the Founding Fathers did not want a standing army, and wanted the above model as the only model for the Army. This model went flying out the window in the war of 1812. It was decided that a small standing Army was a good idea, but that it was as a cadre to mobilize the state militias. This worked through the Civil War. After that we got a full-on Army.

Further Study reveals a linkage between the 2nd and 3rd amendments to the Constitution. There was a problem with housing and feeding a standing army and Quartering an army in peoples houses was a huge no-no as the British really took advantage of the whole situation during the War for Independence. Madison (who started the amendments to the Constitution) noted the hardships placed on the people during the war left everyone with a sour taste in their mouths and thus the third amendment was born. This is turning into quite an interesting study. There is a common thread through the amendments. How the English Pwned on the Americans during the War for Independence and then Handed our butts to us in the war of 1812.
This is far afield of my original question and I haven’t been to the gunshop for a couple weeks. I have been able to get bullets and brass after looking around, but at quite the premium price. Powder and Primers for same are proving to be quite difficult to obtain for a reasonable price. Folks are very proud of their primers, almost as proud of their .22’s. DB’s are buying what meager supplies are available at retail and listing them on the internets for quadruple what they paid for it. And people are scarfing them up! Maybe I should sell my stash!

@majorrich Exactly, and I’m just saying, it’s possible that something like that may happen again at some point since history repeats itself. We know that some radicals are targeting the US and US assets, so to me it’s sheer idiocy to NOT be armed, securely of course.

There are people who dislike their own country so much that they wouldn’t lift a finger to try to stop any affront to the people, including themselves, whether it be some govt sanctioned fighting force attempting civil controls (Obama’s civilian security force…whatever that is) or a daring Al-Qaeda wanna be event looking to make a name for itself. We call these people miserable cowards. Thats gotta hurt and to some degree I feel bad for them. And so they don’t care if effective ammo is scarce and probably think it is funny. I like to be on the winning side of history.

The ammo will come back when enough people feel they have enough and supply catches up with demand. And I really hope all the bullet scabs who have been making a living buying up all the ammo they have no guns for just to resell for 2 or 3 times or more the retail price end up having to eat that stuff or sell it for a lot less than they the gave for it. The dam is going to burst soon so all those thousands of AR-15’s that Obama helped get out to the general public will have the righteous supply of ammo they’ve been waiting on.

@zenvelo quot “Thanks @woodcutter, you made my day. I feel re-affirmed in my opinion”

What exactly was your opinion? It’s not really clear. We want to know.

and…you’re welcome, I think.

Just back from my local GS, I am in shock! It was nearly noon and they had .22LR on the shelves! Actually they had a LOT of ammunition on the shelves. Pretty proud of all of it to be sure, but there it was! I even got my box of primers I have been looking for. They were proud of that too (over $50/1000) but I needed a box so got only that. Still can’t get the powder I need though. Patience will pay off.

I have a LGS with GI contract M16 30 rd magazines. 15 each, pretty steep when they were going for about 8 bucks pre S.H. The price for their Magpul “P-mags” is still too high to bother with So the stuff is slowly becoming available here and there. They even had .22 match but it was too high also. The shipments are small to many LGS so they tend to sell out fast. That is pretty much what a shortage is. Collectively throughout the country the shooting supplies are still in ramped up mode but the individual vendors receive less per shipment so they can get it out to as many stores as possible. When the product starts to sit longer it goes down in cost. Thats my strategy. Right now the price is driven by the ammo speculators- those profiteers who search out product for resale turning the retail outlets into the middle man when they should be the source for the end user. So they try to ration each customer to combat this but the resellers have that figured out too. They get all their friends and family to each purchase their 3 box limit and pool it all together and still keep their wheels turning. Its all going to play out eventually.

I have a rock.

and a stick.

sticks and stones…