Monday, April 20, 2009

Good news, bad news...

The good news: Beech Grove Firearms had a few bricks of Federal Game-Shok .22LR plated hollow points left after RX and I split, as well as some CCI Mini Mags and Standard Velocity by the sleeve. Also a few dozen boxes each of various 9mm, .40, and .45 FMJ.

The bad news: You're probably not the first person to read this post.


In other Indianapolis area shooting news: Popguns has signs up to the effect that they are only selling FMJ ammo to customers using their indoor range and people who are buying handguns. Rumors were afloat about a local Wal-Mart having a 2-box limit on ammo purchases.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

My local WalMart in Northeast Wisconsin has a two-box limit on all ammo, including 22LR.

David said...

Our walmart here in CA limited ammo purchases to 12 items (boxes or bricks) even back before ammo was scarce. The clerk told me that they have no plans to change that now that they usually don't have ammo. She said "I don't care if I sell you 12 bricks of 22LR or sell two bricks to each of the next 6 guys. Either way, it flies out of here as fast as it comes in."

Crucis said...

Around KC, the Wally Worlds have NO handgun ammo at all and limited rifle/shotgun ammo. I have four on-line orders from a number of sources and all are backordered.

Sometime in the future an 18-wheeler is gonna stop in front of my house and spend several hours unloading ammo.

rickn8or said...

"Sometime in the future an 18-wheeler is gonna stop in front of my house and spend several hours unloading ammo."

Well, that oughta give the neighbors something to talk about. Later.

Anonymous said...

"Sometime in the future an 18-wheeler is gonna stop in front of my house and spend several hours unloading ammo."

This comment should be labeled NSFW. I'm getting a woody just thinking about it.

Ed Foster said...

Cabelas in East Hartford has zillions of rounds of .22rf, so much so that they're having specials on the 525 round Reminton gold bullet stuff. Plenty of .45ACP and 9mm, but zero .380.

Much to the chagrin of a buddy of mine who hoards .380 (but won't reload, go figure). Why everybody has so much 5.7 x 28 I don't have a clue. It never seems to move. Likewise the 5.45mm stuff.

My guess (and it's only that) is that the .45 and 9mm stuff is overrun from military contracts, so there's no die time left for the more odd or less purchased stuff.

Wally World is bulging with the 100 round econopacks of 12 and 20 gage, but only in trap/light field type loads. There was one 40 round box of Winchester white box 7.62 x 39 that, in retrospect, I should have picked up. I'm only sitting on a few hundred rounds of white box, and a few thousand of the steel case ball loads, but still...

Anonymous said...

heck you cant even get bullets to reload!! midway has them backordered!Glad i always keep plenty for reloading and cast my own.

Anonymous said...

I may have to run up your way, Ed. My wife went to the Milford, CT Wally World at lunch today and pretty much cleaned them out. By "cleaned out" I mean 1 value pack of .22 federal, 1 box of .25 UMC, 1 box of .44mag WWB and a value pack of #8 12g. She left a box of .357 for someone else.
I hit up the one in Stratford, CT and they had nothing except a box of .243 a box of 22-250, and a bunch of .410 slugs.

Arcadia Iris said...

A couple of weekends ago, my dad gave me a brick of .22LR. And to think there've been times in my life that I doubted his love for me... *sniffle*

Warthog said...

My local gun shop has started the I'll only sell the pistol ammo if you shoot it on my range thing.

I'm thinking about picking up a mold and starting to mold my own .45

Anonymous said...

The Wally World's here, 5, are always out of everything except CCI, the odd rifle calibers and 12 ga in 2 3/4" field loads.

The local range, Larry's, has LOTS of ammo, reasonably priced even though most of it is FMJ. There are always the 20 rnd boxes of pricey "shoot it when you have a real target" JHP at all the shops that although I look at I would rather reload on my own than pay a buck a round for.

My big bitch is the lack of jacketed 9 mm and 44 bullets to reload with.

Gmac

Old NFO said...

I was in a Wallworld in East Texas Saturday afternoon, bought two boxes of .45 to shoot in a loaner, the guy behind me bought ALL the rest of the ammo they had! Probably 50 boxes of various calibers... I have never seen such a run on ammo in my life!

Also, talking to LEOs this weekend, they have been told expect 10 month delay on LE orders, and Federal is going up by 20% in Jun.

Billll said...

I read with interest, and mostly agreed with Tams post as to why a sudden increase in demand causes shortages for some period of time downstream.
The gunshop notices mobs of people demanding certain specific calibers of ammo, and after 3 weeks of pitchforks, torches, and offers of time with their favorite sheep, begins ordering greater quantities.
This causes the same problem with the wholesalers, who eventually pass it on to the manufacturers.
Well and good, but it's been 6 months with no drop in domestic demand that I'm seeing, plus arguably lower demand in the war zones, so what's the hold-up?
Could someone who knows the phone numbers of some manufacturers find out if production is up compared to 6 months ago?

Tam said...

"Could someone who knows the phone numbers of some manufacturers find out if production is up compared to 6 months ago?"

The ammo companies are running three shifts right now, but aren't going to invest in new plant, and I can't blame them.

With antigun Democrats holding two of the three branches of government and the economy the way it is, would you float a fifteen year, multimillion dollar note for a new ammo manufacturing facility?

the pawnbroker said...

"With antigun Democrats holding two of the three branches of government..."

and that would be the really. bad. news.

jtc

Gewehr98 said...

Never mind the Dems.

Why would you invest in infrastructure when there's a good chance the surge in demand will subside some time down the road?

Then you've bought all the extra equipment and hired all the extra help for what...?

Crucis said...

Gewehr98, this is the case where a good businessman leases more reloading machines and hires temporary help until that peak is over. If the new plateau is higher than before BO, he then buys the equipment and converts the temps into employees.

That's how a business is run. I bet Dillon would be willing to discuss a lease/buy deal on some 1050s.

Gewehr98 said...

Actually, high-volume ammo manufacturers use loading machines that are an order of magnitude more complex and industrial in strength/capacity than your garden-variety Dillon 1050.

Even the smaller commercial reloaders have to modify their 1050's considerably, adding hydraulics, etc. I've seen them in operation at Space Coast Bullets in Melbourne, FL. It's pretty hard to lease them when they're going to come back modified by the user...

Tam said...

"Why would you invest in infrastructure when there's a good chance the surge in demand will subside some time down the road?

Then you've bought all the extra equipment and hired all the extra help for what...?
"

Word.

Gewehr98 speaks Truth here.

Although the current environment will result in an uptick in new shooters versus this time two years ago, there's no reason to believe that current plant can't handle the demand once the bubble pops. Taking out a long-term note based on short-term spikes is a bad idea. Just ask anybody who purchased a home in L.A. in the last three years...