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Ammunition shortage winding down soon?

I also recognize the decision to stop selling firearms of any kind in the "Dick's" stores lies primarily at the feet of the relatively new CEO/CFO. If I were a stock holder in "Dick's", I'd be raising hell about it since the sporting arms department has to be a major contributor to the bottom line.
 
Don't think the ammo shortage is going away anytime soon. Went to shop I go to and there wasn't any pistol ammo and what was left you where allowed 1 box, so I got one box of 308 and a 20 rds magazine for my m1a. It was a Springfield brand and was 20.00 cheaper then if you bought it from Springfield
 
With an ongoing 18-24 month backlog that keeps getting pushed further out every day, the current ammo situation isn't ending anytime in the foreseeable future.
I’m trying to be optimistic. I’ve seen the power of the industrial machine. There is money to be made!! It feels like companies are figuring how to protect their employees from COVID. They are certainly going to add shifts and expand. Employees seem hard to find, at least around where I live. This, however, is driving wages up (don‘t need no stinkin’ gov mandate....just make good jobs plentiful). Companies will look for efficiencies and make capital improvements. They’d be foolish not to try and capture as much of this money as quick as they can. A bird in the hand.......
Look how quick industry got ventilators and vaccines produced. History did not provide confidence that what was done, could actually have been done. We will be pleasantly surprised......eventually.
Anecdotally, it does feel like I’m seeing more ammo available more often than just a few months ago.
I check Bulk Ammo almost daily as my litmus test to the industry (might be a flawed metric). They went from no 9mm items available to steel case to 1 steel and 1 brass to several brass to about 8 or 9 items consistently in for a few weeks. Was able to buy several hundred 223 rds at $.90/rd....ouch.....but better then OOS several weeks prior....actually had a few places to feel that pain from. IMO the situation will improve exponentially.
or....
Say it often enough to enough people and you’ll believe it and be able to sleep.😂😂😂
 
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Ammo shortage IS NOT WINDING DOWN........my shops have little to no ammo.....no .22lr period in my area, none......7 different stores....nothing.....guns have also went up, G19 $650.00.....G44 $515.00.....simply outrageous. One is selling guns....but no ammo to shoot, my guess it’s people who already had ammo stocked are the ones buying guns around my area.

Yeah - I've been shopping parts for an AR build, and everything, if you can find it, is at least double what it was a year ago. Firearms are definitely higher, maybe not as much as ammo, but higher than it should be.

The local gun shops (not the chains) here have ammo, but limits on how much you can buy. The one I frequent is not gouging in my opinion, as they are only about 3x the pre-COVID price on practice ammo, and just a little higher than before on carry ammo. I paid $25 for 50 rounds of 9mm Blazer Brass, and $28 for 25 rounds of Hornady XTP +P and Hornady Critical Duty. The Blazer Brass was high - the Hornady carry ammo was not. Go figure.
 
The LGS can get ammo. My LGS keeps it in the back. If you buy a gun he will sell you some at a reasonable price. Practice and self defense ammo but only if a regular and good customer and if you have bought a gun. Same for his gun range. While $29 for a 50 round box of 9mm is not great he will have it to shoot at the range for you. Surprisingly no .22 available.
 
The LGS can get ammo. My LGS keeps it in the back. If you buy a gun he will sell you some at a reasonable price. Practice and self defense ammo but only if a regular and good customer and if you have bought a gun. Same for his gun range. While $29 for a 50 round box of 9mm is not great he will have it to shoot at the range for you. Surprisingly no .22 available.
I went to the lgs that I use alot and have bought several tools and safe but I can get just one box, so I bought one and a Springfield magazine for my M1A at 20.00 less then if I bought it from Springfield. May go back and get another one
 
I’m trying to be optimistic. I’ve seen the power of the industrial machine. There is money to be made!! It feels like companies are figuring how to protect their employees from COVID. They are certainly going to add shifts and expand. Employees seem hard to find, at least around where I live. This, however, is driving wages up (don‘t need no stinkin’ gov mandate....just make good jobs plentiful). Companies will look for efficiencies and make capital improvements. They’d be foolish not to try and capture as much of this money as quick as they can. A bird in the hand.......
Look how quick industry got ventilators and vaccines produced. History did not provide confidence that what was done, could actually have been done. We will be pleasantly surprised......eventually.
Anecdotally, it does feel like I’m seeing more ammo available more often than just a few months ago.
I check Bulk Ammo almost daily as my litmus test to the industry (might be a flawed metric). They went from no 9mm items available to steel case to 1 steel and 1 brass to several brass to about 8 or 9 items consistently in for a few weeks. Was able to buy several hundred 223 rds at $.90/rd....ouch.....but better then OOS several weeks prior....actually had a few places to feel that pain from. IMO the situation will improve exponentially.
or....
Say it often enough to enough people and you’ll believe it and be able to sleep.😂😂😂

There's a whole different supply chain when it comes to making ammo, vs masks.

There are only 4 plants in the US that makes primers, and lead smelters in the US anymore. Metals need to be mined & processed.

Most powders are made overseas.

Every major plant making ammo is running 24/7, and small scale ammo manufacturers are limited to what primers, bullets, brass they can get.

Ammo may be found but it's based on prior production orders, and major manufacturers are rationing shipments vs the full orders to spread things around.

My .02
 
There's a whole different supply chain when it comes to making ammo, vs masks.

There are only 4 plants in the US that makes primers, and lead smelters in the US anymore. Metals need to be mined & processed.

Most powders are made overseas.

Every major plant making ammo is running 24/7, and small scale ammo manufacturers are limited to what primers, bullets, brass they can get.

Ammo may be found but it's based on prior production orders, and major manufacturers are rationing shipments vs the full orders to spread things around.

My .02
Do we have lead smelters in the U.S. anymore? I thought that all went overseas. From my conversations with some ammo manufacturers it's the primers that are holding everything up.
 
There's a whole different supply chain when it comes to making ammo, vs masks.

There are only 4 plants in the US that makes primers, and lead smelters in the US anymore. Metals need to be mined & processed.

Most powders are made overseas.

Every major plant making ammo is running 24/7, and small scale ammo manufacturers are limited to what primers, bullets, brass they can get.

Ammo may be found but it's based on prior production orders, and major manufacturers are rationing shipments vs the full orders to spread things around.

My .02
I hear ya. I agree. Many product streams have limitations. I'm just being optimistic that everyone in this unique supply chain is in it, mostly, for the money. I have to believe they are going to move heaven and earth to make more money, faster. I doubt they used to run full 24/7 operations. That's the first step. With that comes efficiencies to increase throughput, that might not have been needed as badly before. Each step of the process will have to improve and they will. Improvements will add sales and dollars to the coffers, allowing capital investments. That's why I think recovery will appear exponential. To continue with cliches, money talks and bull$h!t walks. THEN, we'll have a ton of capacity chasing a dwindling demand (eventually) and prices will be better than before.
But....alas...I'm not an economist, armorer or even a very good shot....just an optimist.
 
I'm sorry to say it, but ammo shortages are not winding down, but rather gearing up. we will not be out from under the current manufacturing backlogs before the Biden/Harris EO's and legislation start to roll out of the White House. The new administration has already stated that a first order of business will be to stop the importation of ammunition and ammo components from overseas, and to pass a bill that prohibits "online" ammunition sales.

With just those two actions alone, Ammunition availability will dry to near zero and the prices will make today's high costs look like the good 'ol days.
 
Do we have lead smelters in the U.S. anymore? I thought that all went overseas. From my conversations with some ammo manufacturers it's the primers that are holding everything up.

The last lead smelter in the US closed shop during the Obama administration. They did so due to the fact that O's EPA kept slapping them with more and more burdensome regulations, that basically made it impossible to operate with a profit.

It is my understanding that the US now gets most of its lead from Mexico and the copper for brass is coming from South Africa.
 
I just got back from my local Academy. For the first time in my life, they shelves were bare of 12 and 20 gauge birdshot. There were several small boxes of 28 gauge shells, but this was the only ammo in the entire store. The ammo shortage is just beginning and will not be winding down for some time.
 
At my local Academy they have NO ammo of any kind on the shelves. Not even any shotgun shells. Only 3 firearms in the display case, and not a sales person in sight. Is there really a shortage, or just people buying it up at every chance they get? Can't say I would blame them. If I got the chance I would probably hoard a little myself. Haven't shot in months because I don't want to shoot up what little I have.
 
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