Apparently there’s an ammo shortage.
Went to the local sporting goods store today just on a whim to see what ammo was available and as I walked through the door I was greeted with “You looking for ammo?”
I replied that indeed I was. They said they just got some in today so I started to browse.
.308 going for $187 for a 250 round battle pack.
.223 going for $7 for a box of 20
9mm going for $18 for a box of 50.
.45? …gone
7.62X39? …gone
.22LR?……………………GONE, and they have been out of .22LR for 4 weeks!
The one silver lining was that I bought 250 12 gauge shells for only $60, which is pretty good. Considering my shotgun is primarily for home defense and that I have an ample supply of 00-buck already, I consider it money well spent.
I understand the shortage thingie, I understand people without a good stock pile are willing to pay some outrageous prices right now, but I can’t seem to wrap my brain around a sporting goods store running out of .22LR a month ago with no restock yet.
Production estimates I’ve seen are between 2-3 billion rounds annually.
I’m guessing that as prices rose for center-fire calibers, more and more people are sitting on the cache they have and started dusting off the .22’s to take to the range. That’s certainly been my plan for a while now. I guess I’m not the only one. Anyways, I’m on a mission now. I only got about 2000 rounds of .22 right now so I’m gonna buy every brick I can find.
It’s a little unsettling coming to grips with the fact that my ammo supply is now worth more than my 401k.
hopeychange
***UPDATE***
Took the long way home today to check some other ammo sources. The first was the local rip-off pawn shop; not exactly my first choice. But they had a sandwich board out front declaring ".22 ammo just in," so I swerved across 3 lanes of traffic and got out my wallet.
$30 a brick was the cheapest. He claimed it cost him $26 to get it into the store.
We talked for a few minutes and he gave me the usual spiel about it's gonna be $50 per brick within a few months, so I should buy now. I decided to go across the street and check out Wal-mart to compare.
Wal-mart had a grand total of 6 50 round boxes for $3.17 apiece, or the equivalent of $31.70 per brick.
No 9mm, no .45, no 30.06, no .223. no 7.62x39, no .308. They had 4 boxes of .270, 6 boxes of 300 magnums, some 45-70 government and a case and a half of 12 gauge bird shot for about what I paid for the shotgun shells I bought yesterday.
The pawn shop now has better prices than Wal-mart?!?
Don't know about you, but I'm keeping an eye out for flesh eating zombies; things just ain't right.
7 comments:
$18 for 50 of 9mm? That don't sound right. I can find 9mm for $8.97 for a box of 50. But I'm buying cheap FMJ.
What do you consider ample supply of buckshot? I have just over 500 shells of 00 and #4 combined.
aimsurplus.com looks like it got a little bit in too. I shoot a lot of 9x18 and luckily, that caliber is usually available, although prices were kinda high. they also have some .223 in as well. I plan on getting a case or 1/2 case each, you know, to contribute to the problem of people stock piling ammo causing the shortage.
FWIW-
I know every .22 has individual preference in the ammo it digests, but I've found that the Aguila Pistol Match is one of the most accurate and consistent cartridges i've ever shot out of any of my
.22's.
Give it a try.
Spent Saturday morning at my local shooting club; it was like a .22 rimfire shooting festival. Centerfire pistols and rifles were being used, but everyone had their .22 out and running.
I spent the weekend trying to replenish the .22LR I used up in practice. 5 sporting goods/big box/Cabelas alter, I found 5 bricks at one store and bought them all.
No 9mm to be found. Some .40. One place had .45.
Shotshells, on the other hand, are 20% off at most places.
Time to repolish the ol' Mossberg 500 skills. These days, it's all I can shoot I guess.
I admit, I wasn;t too freaked by the shortage, until rimfire disappeared. Now I'm concerned.
Most places in OKC, from Wally World(went in to check) to Academy to the various gun shops, the only .22 in stock was shorts. Every brand of LR, with one exception(shop had about ten boxes), sold out for the last month.
Dad talked to a guy at the Wally he goes to, the man said a friend had asked to let him know when they got ammo in. Some came in, he called the guy; guy and three friends showed up and bought every round that had come in, from .22 to all the centerfire pistol stuff.
Same thing here, only .22 shorts in stock.
I did find some .22LR at Bimart today, for $7.99 for a box of 50!
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