Well informed readers know that the ammunition shortage is due to frightened Americans according the article below. As I stated before, my business has an FFL license so that we can do laser engraving on firearms sent to us across the country. As an FFL, we can buy ammunition direct from distribution centers. Or I should say we could in the past. We have not been able to buy any ammunition for a year.
Let me ask the simple questions:
- Are you frightened by a pandemic or social unrest in the cities?
- Do you know anyone who is able to stockpile ammunition caches since manufacturing is not able to keep up with demand?
- Who is buying the ammunition?
I know that some government contracts are bid so they are public. If you think the supply of ammunition is going to the people, ask yourself who these people are. I don’t know of anyone who is able to buy ammunition. One of our local gun stores has crossed out AMMO on his sign in front of the store.
Or is the government frightened of the people? I doubt it since they continue to exert tyranny with no consequences even to the point of stealing a Presidential election. They just want to ensure that we do not have ammunition when they do their final assault. That is what Hitler did: you could keep your firearms but you had to turn in your ammunition.
For now, keep calm and practice dry firing.
David DeGerolamo
Ammo And Primer Shortages Continue Into 2021
Readers have been well informed about multiple shortages of ammunition and firearms in the last year due to a massive demand pull from frightened Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest in cities around the US, and the prospect of an anti-gun Biden administration. Now another shortage has materialized: the lack of bullet primers, which is the device responsible for initiating the propellant combustion that pushes the bullet out of the barrel.
Besides the ammo shortage of last year, reloading components, like primers, and reloading tools, have become scarce.
“Primers are tough for reloaders to find, too, as more and more of them are being used in making factory ammo,” said gun website Wide Open Spaces.
Ask the simple question, why could they keep up with ammo & component demand during WW2 but not now? Think about it……
Well, I’m thinking about it. Maybe they are keeping up. Maybe the government, with our tax dollars, is buying it up and stockpiling. Maybe that’s why we can only buy limit 2 per customer on line. Maybe that is a good temporary stopgap for the government before taxing or coming to get it. But also, what actually is available, is making a huge profit for a lot of people. All you have to do is go on line to see it. And, the smart (make that opportunists) threw everything on gunbroker where they can get 3+ times what they would have gotten in store. I keep watch daily and when any place on line resupplies it is gone in less than 2 hours. And that’s at 3 times the reasonable price because of the demand.
I can appreciate your point. Now factor in all the off shore companies that continue to provide ammo, components and firearms to this country. It would appear that we have more going on here. If we factor in the labor shortage in all markets, extended shipping times and cost, along with a host of other middleman issues we could formulate the argument it is labor, supply,corporate greed and government regulation.
I think folks should be looking for a meaningful work-around. It is not only the firearms industry that is having this issue. Look at farming, metals, lumber, building trades, retail stores, auto manufacturers, medicine, energy and all the other mom and pop businesses.
My personal opinion is this crap is getting real serious folks. I think a better question would be when will we reach a SHTF moment and whom do we thank, “sar’c”, for taking us there?
The crash of 2008 was a wake up call for me, ammo was reasonably priced then.
Butler’s pawn got what tyrant Xpellets you need to stay free. Main street Forest City NC . Buy some silver from Miss Betty’s coin shop in there. Tell her Josh in overalls sent you.
I’ve stock piled a nice amount over the last 10 months of various calibers you just have to know where to look!
I have a Native American FFL dealer buddy who’s in his late 40s early 50s. They yanked his FFL and shut him down because when he was 16 in HS he got drunk and was driving (if I recall). No further crime than that. Anyhow, after all these years that was the excuse to shut him down.
He sued got it back and now he can’t find ammo either. No one is selling their guns so even used firearms sales are shut down.
I stopped buying from FFLs. I won’t buy anything online either. It’s strictly cash P/P.
Too many asshats monitoring sales and conversations.
I keep seeing allegations of “the government interfering with/buying all the Ammo” but never any evidence to prove them.
Any Takers?
What I’m seeing in my AO is that Dealers (large and small) get Ammo, people who go there Every Day looking for Ammo Buy it Up within Hours, and then put it Online to re-sell at 3x the Price. Two local shops discovered this, and have been attempting to Identify them, and then Ban them from their Stores.
If the government was buying it all up I believe someone, somewhere either in gov. or in the ammo industry would provide details.
Here’s some simple math. The ammo industry has, at least until recently, the capacity to produce roughly ten billion rounds per year. That capacity MIGHT have increased recently…too soon to know. However the ten billion per year number is a decent estimate. And it’s a lot of ammo. During the PEAK of World War II the ammo capacity of the US reached a bit over twenty billion rounds per year. So for America to have half of that during what is ostensibly a peaceful period is a pretty good manufacturing base.
Now….for some math. There are approximately 330 million people in the US…Not counting the MILLIONS here illegally. Divide 10 billion by 330 million and you get about 100. That’s it….only 100 rounds of ammo PER PERSON PER YEAR. Now if only ten percent of Americans are actually into the shooting sports that is only a thousand rounds per year. Which for some shooters can be described as a “fun afternoon at the range”.
Now we probably import as much ammo from places like Italy (Fiocchi) and the Philipines (Armscor) so at ten percent of America being shooters with 20 billion rounds made or imported per year and you get 2K rounds per shooter per year. NOT A LOT OF AMMO in the grand scheme of things.
Then along comes 2020, Clown World and the insanity we have all witnessed. Everyone panics and starts panic buying…..hand sanitizer, toilet paper…..AMMUNITION. Small wonder that supply vanishes and prices go through the roof. The only real question to be asked is now twofold. Will demand diminish so supply increases and prices moderate…. and will the commies now in power decree no more ammo imports, no more internet ammo sales…no more ammo sales at all…..the list of criminal possibilities they may engage in is long and diverse. Any one of which could make ammo availability a dim memory for most.
If I knew the answer I’d be rich….but smart money says the left WILL do SOMETHING to make the situation worse.
Oops…my math was off. Ten billion divided by 330 million is only THIRTY. Not one hundred. So even LESS available ammo per person.
My small-town police department is behind on two years worth of ammo orders…500k rounds, and no ETA from the manufacturer. Those of us who are attending a 2-day red dot pistol class next month have been told that we will likely have to supply our own ammo, and be reimbursed by the PD when the shipments eventually arrive.
Been told, supply is somewhat steady, locally.
Sportsman guide has been getting some. Prices are up. This is not 1984 when you could buy a box of 500 for $8-10.00 of the end shelf of any random isle, at Big R or tractor supply etc.