The gun and ammo market has gone insane

[donny h]

Anybody else noticing this?

Here in Utah, ammunition is scarce. Folks are waiting for the delivery truck to arrive at my local Sportsmans Warehouse to buy up the ammo. They have no 12 guage or .45acp in the store right now. Instead of their usual 200 guns, they have 10.

The local walmart can't keep .22lr on the shelf, or 9mm, .45acp, and .40s&w.

Midway, Cheaper than Dirt, Ammoman, Sportsman Guide, and J&Gsales are mostly out of bulk ammo in all the popular calibers.

Cabelas has some bulk, prices are way up.

Some prices have tripled in the past year, or worse.

There is some bulk 7.62X39 out there, it's up 400%.

No one is accepting backorders on ammo.

These United States are out of .308 brass.

On to guns:

The shelves are empty around here. Private sales are plentiful, lot's of people hurting for cash are selling guns, but the shops can't get any for stock, what they do get goes right back out.

Even Glocks are getting harder to find.

Bushmaster has a 12-16 week at least waiting list, they're up to $1200.

Used values are going up: Norinco AK47s are going for around $600, more for Saiga shotguns and CETMEs. H&K 91s are approaching a value of 4K, early Colt ARs aren't too far behind that. Chinese SKS are going for around $400, Yugos $250.

Those have all at least doubled in the past year or two.




It's insane out there.












Me? I'm worried. I'm worried that things in general are far worse than they appear, which in itself ain't good. The gun/ammo thing isn't the disease, just a symptom.

I'm spending 6K this month on preparedness, I sincerely hope I'm overreacting
and in a few years I'll look back at this and laugh, that all my preps weren't needed and everything is just fine.

I really really do hope so, but do I think so?

Well...

I bought a one-year food supply today for $700:
http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_...tNameURL%5D%5D

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

[vthompson]

I am from West Virginia, and in my area things are basically the way that you just discribed. No ammo or what you do fnd is sky high and I haven't even thought about buying a gun ight now.
I am just thankful for the ammo that I already had on hand, but I think that my plinking days are over for a while. I have been geared more towards stocking up on canned goods and other groceries such as rice and beans.
I plan on putting out a larger garden this coming spring and we are hoping to double our canning quota of last year. I am real afraid that we are going to face some real tough times in the near future and a person better get what he can done.

[Sourdough]

donny h, I got worst new for you........your going to DIE.......it is just a matter of when. It is great to live in interesting times, better than boring times. Adapt and overcome.

[donny h]

II am just thankful for the ammo that I already had on hand, but I think that my plinking days are over for a while. I have been geared more towards stocking up on canned goods and other groceries such as rice and beans.

Yep, all of a sudden ammo is for hoarding, not shooting. Strange days.

Rice and beans are cheap and easy to store, they're a big part of my food storage. My local samsclub has 6-gallon buckets of wheat, and hand grinders are cheap.

[donny h]

donny h, I got worst new for you........your going to DIE.......it is just a matter of when.

That's not news.

It is great to live in interesting times, better than boring times. Adapt and overcome.

The times they are interesting, and not at all boring.















Boring times will sound pretty good about 5 days after the power goes off and the stores are closed (more like 5 hours in urban areas, 5 minutes in L.A.).

[Stairman]

Our local pawn shop sold over 300 guns in December.I just bought 11oo rounds of 22lr yesterday.Last two boxes at Walmart and empty shelves behind the counter for sure.Rumors of ammo prices quadrupelling with the new pres I suppose.America is well armed thats for sure.

[Pict]

I wouldn't worry too much about ammo and gun availability. I'm sure alot of what you are seeing is a result of just-in-time shipping and manufacturing. Ammo makers and distributers know how much product they move under normal conditions. They are only tooled up to make ammo at that rate. Likewise distributors know how much they move and only order at that rate. All of this is done to avoid the cost of storage and reduce shipping/handling cost. So crank it up and make more, again, they know how much they make under normal conditions and only order what they need from their suppliers. Once everyone is stocked up most people will stop buying ammo for a while and the shelves will fill up again. The shooting public essentially made a run on the bank. Mac

ETA - I seriously doubt that ammo from overseas will continue to flow as normal. That could be changed with an executive order. Chinese ammo dried up like that. No soup for you!

[crashdive123]

I haven't had any problem getting anything I've wanted. Have prices gone up? Sure they have for certain things. As demand goes up, so will the prices. Why has demand gone up? Lots of reasons, fear probably being near the top of the list.

@Donnie H - Think about your first post --- a years supply of food for $700 --- now that's cheap! (and always handy to have on hand).

[Sarge47]

All guns & Ammo prices are normal around here; one local chain is having a sale on guns & ammo. I'm buying my .22 ammo frm Wally-World at the same price it's always been, & they stay stocked up pretty good. I think it's possible that your local merchants are playing on the public's fears.

[RBB]

Local ammo prices are up (and have been headed that way for a while). Availability of guns and ammo is normal here.

Went to Nevada last weekend. Walmart - the clerk in the gun department said he couldn't keep guns in stock - that when he got a shipment in - the guns were half gone by the end of the day. He said people are buying who don't know anything about guns.

[Dennis]

Here in N.W. Arkansas ammo is scares and reloading supplies are slim and none. Not a big problem getting guns though

[Sourdough]

[QUOTE=donny h;97818]That's not news.
The times they are interesting, and not at all boring.QUOTE]

I am 62 years old, in 1965' my boss would allow me to trade paper money for real "Silver" coins. (Note: Some of us thought the end was near, War, Race riots, anti'war riots, drugs, cities burning).

In 1973 I moved 77 miles from the nearest human, Bought 100 ounce bars of silver, and had two cases of Dynamite, to blow the bridge over the Susitna River. (I was sure the EOTWAWKI was months away).

My point is that when I was 20'something I worried about the survivability of the next 50 years. At 62 I figure I can make it easy.

People take life to serious, When I look back, car crashes have killed more of my friends than war, starvation, bear bites, or ammo shortages all put together.

Which is why my car is a 4X4 GMC 5500 (10 ton) truck.

[doug1980]

Not sure if it's normal here but ammo is scares at Sportsmans and I went to Wal-Mart to buy some .40 but the two guys ahead of me bought them out.....2 pallets of em. Also at Sportsmans their handguns haven't been stocked for several weeks. Lucky for me I got mine already and I have a buddy who has over 1,000 rounds of .40 brass that he is going to reload for me. I'm not worried though just need the ammo to practice.

[sniperfx]

prices are about the same here, but amm is becoming a little short. thank god i have a good supplier!

[bulrush]

In 1973 I moved 77 miles from the nearest human, Bought 100 ounce bars of silver, and had two cases of Dynamite, to blow the bridge over the Susitna River. (I was sure the EOTWAWKI was months away).

Where did you say Hope was again? Are you near Halfway Island?

[donny h]

I wouldn't worry too much about ammo and gun availability. I'm sure alot of what you are seeing is a result of just-in-time shipping and manufacturing.

I have to disagree, the ammo shortage has been a problem since the summer of 07.

Demand has been outstripping supply for two years now and I think it's reached critical mass.

[donny h]

I think it's possible that your local merchants are playing on the public's fears.

The ammo shortage isn't local, it's nationwide, and in some calibers, wordwide.

Except for Illinois apparently, which is interesting because cops from Illinois were some of the first to speak out on this issue two years ago when it started.

If your local wally world is well stock with normally priced .40, .45acp, and 9mm I suggest you buy it all up and sell it to me for a nice markup.

[donny h]

I went to Wal-Mart to buy some .40 but the two guys ahead of me bought them out.....2 pallets of em.

Two guys buying two pallets of .40 cal, wow. Did they look like cops?



Like I said, the market's gone insane.

[doug1980]

Two guys buying two pallets of .40 cal, wow. Did they look like cops?



Like I said, the market's gone insane.

I don't think they were cops. Just some freaked out locals getting ready to Bug Out. Greedy if you ask me.

[donny h]

Just some freaked out locals getting ready to Bug Out.

It's sounds like me.

I'm not too greedy though, I'm shopping for a couple of cases but not a couple of pallets.