Here’s a sign of the times, and it’s not pretty. As any fule kno, Georgia Arms is one of the biggest reloaders / sellers of “bulk” ammo, whether in minimum purchase requirements or else their “Canned Lightning” (ammo can) option. Well, here’s what I saw the last time I looked at their website, a couple days back:
That’s not three cases (their normal sales unit), but three boxes. Aaaargh.
From Chris Metz, CEO of Vista Outdoors (Federal, CCI, Speer and Remington) about ammo demand and shortages:
“Demand has been really strong across the board — any type or caliber of handgun ammo: small rifle, big rifle, hunting rifle, even rimfire — all of it really picked up. And we’re not seeing an end. We talk to a big database of users on a monthly basis, and one thing we’re noting is that what we call ‘heavy shooters’, those who shoot 10,000 rounds or more a year, a lot of them haven’t been purchasing. They’ve seen the frenzied activity and are holding back in hopes it’ll subside. Well, we all know what’s going to happen when they work through their stockpiles and, at some point, come back to the market. So no, we don’t foresee any slowdown in the market in 2021.”
I’m not quite in the group of heavy shooters Metz is talking about — I used to be, not that much anymore — but I know my weekly shooting trips have dwindled to about once every three weeks, and I’m shooting 50 rounds where once I used to burn through 100-150 rounds per session. I’m reduced to doing 30-minute dry-fire exercises each day — and how sucky is that.
Jason Hornady:
“You know which consumers are maddest? The ones who normally buy two boxes of deer ammo a year. They go into their local shops and can’t believe the shelves are bare.”
All the manufacturers are reporting not only worker fatigue but also machine stress, which is also problematic. There are even shortages of DOT-required spec shipping boxes, FFS, let alone primers and cases.
So all those years of nagging people about National Ammo Day sure taste sour in my mouth right now, because I get no joy whatsoever in saying “I told you so.”
National Ammo Day and The Nation Of Riflemen were noble concepts, but slightly short sighted in the face of changing and evolving times.
Riflemen should be reloaders. Given existing technologies, we should be pushing to make gun and ammo manufacturing into cottage industries. It would go a long way toward cutting these gun grabbing democrat and liberal shit heads off at the knees.
You’d really need to develop a new type of propellant and an ignition source that could be manufactured at home, reliably. You could cast bullets and re-use brass. But something has to make the rocket go.
You could make black powder, but primers would be difficult.
Sounds like a great time to become an ammo manufacturer.
Strong demand for as far as the eye can see.
What business doesn’t wish for that!
Components are barely more available. I will shortly have a need for 9mm ammo that I didn’t previously have. I was able to order once-fired brass from a local supplier (same outfit that has brass-case, boxer-primed 7.62×39 brass, as it happens) and bullets from MidwayUSA. It’s a good thing I already have some primers and powder (at least one of which ought to be suitable for the Europellet), as inventories are depleted everywhere.
On top of that, since this is a new-to-me caliber, I need reloading dies. Wherever you look, reloading dies for all but the most obscure chamberings are out of stock. Indications I’ve seen are that it could be until April or May before they’re back in stock anywhere.
The local shops seem to have most calibers in stock now – just at ludicrous prices. I take that as a good sign as once there is ammo on the shelves, prices will start to come down.
FWIW, I had to read carefully to make sure that it was boxes of 50 and not individual rounds. We’re probably a year away from bubble packed five round boxes.
I’ve been a virtual member of the Nation of Riflemen since it began, and I’ve been reloading even longer than that. My recent experience (as others have pointed out) is that ALL reloading supplies are as hard to find as factory ammo. Even if you have a good stock of brass, it is going to be next to impossible to find primers and powder.
That being said, I’d be interested in hearing if anyone has experience with any of the indoor laser practice systems that are on the market. LaserHIT, iTargetPro, iDryfire, etc. They all look very interesting as an upgraded alternative to dry fire practice, but I’m sure they have their drawbacks as well.
I have heard from several sources to expect a little price gouging from the manufactures. A little Gun shoppe I stopped into in Pendleton OR said the shortage is expected to last 6-8 years and prices to go up between 500-1000%. That’s barring any political shenanigans.
Now that’s a single opinion from one person so who knows. But components are getting tougher to get too. I was also told there was a primer factory that closed, and a big fire in an Australian mine that produces a component in the powder.
Overall I dunno. But I paid $60 for a box of 500 22lr, because it was the first 22lr I have seen in months. All the milsurp has completely disappeared. That I do credit to political shenanigans.
Feel for you Kim; After the last shortage, I keep telling people to buy all then can, but response was won’t happen again. So from 50c/round for good surplus 208, and .30c/round for good surplus 556, to today’s.
Now I let them know, ammo’s still around, just have to pay the price.