I can remember a time when ammunition was cheap and plentiful. All I had to do was wander down to my local gun store and I could walk out with whatever I wanted (which was usually another full 440 round tin of 7.62x54r ammo). And then the dark times came, when people started enlisting the help of their family members to get around a “box per customer” limit on ammunition and it was probably cheaper to fly to Russia and liberate the ammunition myself than buy or order it . . .
Some blame increased firearms ownership for the increased demand, but the majority believe the prospects of a Chicago democrat in power prompted ammunition hoarding and caused the unpleasantness. Recently things seem to have settled down — ammunition prices are more reasonable, supply is almost matching demand, and the box per customer limit has been disappearing.
And then this happened, a sign appeared in a local Wal-Mart and was discovered by a Reddit reader re-instating the box per customer limit. With the election season fast approaching, are we about to see a renewed interest in ammunition hoarding? Will prices skyrocket once more? Will I ever see another factory box of .300 BLK? What do you think?
Walmart has had that notice up for a few years now. If you want more go somewhere else.
nothing screams the need for multiple shopping trips (and having to pass through all the sale crap) like “SHORTAGE”
I think chicken little gun owners are their own worst enemy on this one.
Obama was elected!
Obama might be elected again!
Run and git that there ammo before they take it away!
Agreed.
If anyone but ron paul wins the election there will be a shortage on pretty much everything. Now is the time to buy lead and gold. Im interested in seeing who agrees and disagrees. Im going back in my bunker and am going to try on my new aluminum foil hat
don’t forget your MRE’s
And once you’ve got your MREs, don’t forget your laxatives.
why buy MREs when you can get a whole years worth of dehydrated food? http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=11487214
Walmarts here in New East Germany don’t even sell fishing stuff let alone paintball, airsoft, or real guns. But we do still have the ability to get ammo shipped to our homes.
There’s gonna be enough people panic buying before election time even starts. Watch it happen next year. September rolls around, people start sending their kids back to school, and then suddenly everyone will have a collective “oh shit!” moment and go buy everything everywhere at the same time. Say goodbye to $120 tins of 5.45×39 with 1080 rounds each.
Walmarts around Houston have never had a decent stock of .40, but everything else seems to be stocked nearly full all the time. Then again, it’s about the same price to just go to an Academy, or any other sporting goods store. They almost always have everything in stock.
Actually the other day I was in wal-mart the only ammo they had was 9mm, .223, and a little bit of .45ACP. Pretty much the same as the last time they had a shortage. the shortage seems to effect those that use special or none service ammo more then people that use common ammunition.
Goddammit not again. The walmart in my county can’t even sell ammo (too close to DC i guess), so i have to go north to buy ammo and it has been a bit since i had to go this might prompt a sale from the center fire systems website (awesome prices).
One word: handloads.
Another word: online.
Well, I guess the question that begs asking, is how much ammo should I have minnimally on hand, per caliber?
More.
All of it.
It’s kind of like computers where what you need (memory, hard disk space, etc.) is twice what you have. For ammo, what you need is four times what you have, in case you have to stand off that zombie horde in the next few weeks. 🙂
I’d say 1,000 round for each caliber you have is a good place to start.
If by “start” you mean “have on hand in case you decide to go to the range.” then yes, that’s about what I take to the range.
Walmart makes you want to stock up on ammo with these silly signs, because they always have plenty of ammo to sell us.
Walmart gets people to start shouting the sky is falling and makes money off the ones who come in every day to buy their 6 item allotment of cheap Russian ammo. I saw it first hand when the Walmart in Bozeman instituted a 2 boxes per person policy.
I don’t know the date on that, but I’d bet they have a run on ammo in hunting season. 10 months of the year I only buy handgun and .22 ammo. Then October/Nov I go out and buy all the good stuff.
Funny how that is. I tend to shoot more throughout the year than I do during hunting season!
Speaking of, is that hunting trip still on at my place?
Lead prices went through the roof and it was blamed on the wars. Or the Chinese building nuke plants and mixing lead with concrete. Or companies hoarding tonnes of it. Take your pick.
I gave up trap shooting when it hit 8 dollars a box. I don’t shoot much because it’s really expensive. I go just enough to keep my skills up but that’s it/
cast your own bullets hand load your own ammo stock up on primers and powder
speaking of powder i recieved a reload mag the other day with a” powder special” if you buy 32 lbs….yes i said 32 lbs of powder they will ship for free …i was just picturing in my mind signing the ups tablet for the dvr and looking over his shoulder at a black suburban in the street with 2 guys with dark sunglasses staring at me….yep 32 lbs of powder…
Good advice whether you’re being sarcastic or not. Obama and the Dems hate guns no matter what kind of phony “pro-gun” spin they try and put out.
The Walmarts in my area have had this limit in place for a while now. It doesn’t really effect me now though. I used to buy 9 mm from them all the time when Federal 115 gr FMJ was only $10.47 for a box of 50. That was the cheapest stuff around without ordering in massive quantities online. Then they hiked the price up to $11.97 a box. Now, I don’t but anything there. The last time I was in there for anything was a good 5 months ago. I order online or buy at gun shows now. One of the ranges I frequent has cans of 1250 rounds each of cheap Pakistani 9 mm. The stuff is filthy as anything, but it it is non-corrosive and is not bi-metallic. I give my guns a good clean after each trip to the range anyway, so no problem.
The walmart near me has had the 100-round packs of Federal Premium 9mm for around 20 bucks a box the last few times I’ve been in. I would have bought some, but my assets haven’t been liquid enough to allow it.
dosen’t walmart take lay away now???
You guys still buy ammo at brick-and-mortar stores? I’m trying to remember the last time I did that.
Mail order, baby. Many of the on-line retailers will have it shipped the same day. Last time I ordered from CTD I placed my order on Tuesday afternoon and it was on my doorstep before the weekend.
Well, given prices, if I can get 9mm at Walmart for ~10.60 per 50, then it’s about a wash with ordering online, and loads more convenient. Sure I may have to hit their B&M a little bit more, but I have more options for payment, and I don’t have to worry about shipping (either in terms of cost, or potential damage and/or loss).
My Walmart doesnt have this sign. I have a friend that is a fellow 2A lover who also happens to be a Asst. Store Manager of one of the 4 Walmarts within 15 miles of me. He informed me a year ago, when it was hard to find ammo, that corporate instructs them to put up this sign whenever theyre regional supply warehouse runs low on stock or there may be a delay in getting their ammo order fulfilled. If you see this sign, it doesnt mean some big conspiracy, it just means that that particular Walmart might not be able to get their full order. Its just a way to try to keep ammo on the shelves for other customers.
I’ve seen these signs every time deer season rolls around the corner…I’m not worried…yet.
I have been keeping an eye on Bi-Mart as it seems to cheaper their for 9mm than most places here.Staying pretty consistent.