.380 ACP ammo, where has it all gone?

Originally posted by invisibleman11
dude i went to four differnet stores yesterday and all 12ga. 223. 22. 9mm .45 and 5.67 were all gone. ive never seen anything like it

We have one store here that is getting it from overseas sources
by the pallet, and there levels are staying low as ppl from out
of state are driving in and buying it to replenish their STORES.

You might be able to get some ammo from them.

Name is outdoor America, and they are on the web.

.380 is $9.99 a box for federal.

.380 ACP ammo for sale online

Good Luck !



[edit on 26-2-2009 by Ex_MislTech]

Why oh why are people still buying ammunition from stores?

Buy it ONLINE !!

It's cheaper, easier, and you get exactly what you want, when you want it, and in the amount that you want it.

www.ammoman.com

www.ammunitiontogo.com

www.cheaperthandirt.com

and the list goes on and on.

reply to post by maddogron


TRY DILLONS in ARIZONA

Originally posted by Binder
To the Anonynous poster talking about .380 revolver "criminal guns". Dude or dudette, try to have a small bit of knowledge before speaking on a subject.

Thank you for saving me the trouble of spazzing out. Any time I see felon criminal and gun in the same sentence it usually makes my head spin. I saw felons stocking up on music downloads and copied movie dvd's

reply to post by Plasma applicator


My pleasure, anytime! Criminals also stock up on bump keys, crowbars, carborundum wheels, tin snips, and bolt cutters yet they are readily available, and super easy to get at any hardware store, on the cheap even. Go buy an old SKS, AK-47, or a nice AR-15, and it's a "criminal gun", and you have to fill out a ton of paperwork that lets big brother keep an eye on you. Sometimes the stupidity makes my head hurt.

I am brand new proud gun owner. This past weekend, I picked up a S&W 9mm and a Ruger .357 at a nearby gun show. I was most definitely in the market for some sort of AK, but apparently my target price of $300 - $400 is severely out-dated. Anyway, I left the show happy and itchy to try out my new purchases at a range. Great idea... but good luck to me trying to find ammunition. I've struck out in Ohio, PA, and NY. It's been nearly a week now, and the best I could do is two boxes of bullsh** .38 special in an aluminum jacket. Every store I've walked into has nothing but bare shelves in their ammo stocks and the three or four online shops all list *sold out* or *backorder.* I realize that supply and demand comes into play, but I also suspect that something is definitely up. If I can't get at least a box of each in the next couple of weeks, I hope that my life won't have to depend on those crap .38 rounds.

Originally posted by larphillips
If I can't get at least a box of each in the next couple of weeks, I hope that my life won't have to depend on those crap .38 rounds.

Don't sell the .38 Special short. It was the standard police round for many years and is quite capable. It just seems to be overshadowed by more 'sexy' calibres such as .357, .45ACP, 9mm etc.

The .357 Mag is a better option, but don't wet yourself if you're stuck with .38 for a while.

reply to post by PaddyInf



Good point. Some rounds are certainly better than others for self defense but there's still a lot of 'It's the archer more than the arrow' in there too. The .38 has done a good job over the years.

And while everyone is talking about .380's, I have one amongst other things and certainly wouldn't want to get shot with it either!

Yes I believe that the archer is more important than the arrow definitely. I've shot a lot of stuff with multiple calibers, and .380 ACP tears crap up just fine. I've seen .22 LR do horrific damage to prairie dogs, and ground squirrels.

I saw some at my Bass Pro last night. I know my range has some. Hit a gun show ASAP and load up. The clerk at Bass Pro actually told me there was a shortage and I didn't believe it until I saw this post.

I was amazed at how the pistols were nearly all gone. Academy Sports still has a good stock and so does some of my local gun shops. I think Bass Pro just has so many people through it's doors that they can't keep up with the demand.



[edit on 6-3-2009 by on_yur_6]

reply to post by Binder


I don't want to get too morbid on here but people shouldn't underestimate a .22 with hot loads either. It goes back to the archer thing in that most people have a lot better chance of hitting something with it too.

I have people who are unfamiliar with firearms ask me what kind of pistol to get and I always tell them to get a .22 first. They of course want a .45, .40 or, .357 so I tell them to just buy both. And on top of the sense it makes as far as using them, you might as well only get yelled at once for two guns and you have them both if you get shut off after that

reply to post by beezwaxes


Absolutely! on both points. I have a little .22 LR pocket gun. It only has a 2.5" barrel. I shoot CCI Stingers in it (1600FPS JHP). Even though it would never produce anything close to 1600 FPS out of such a short barrel, at point blank range the evulsion wound caused by expulsion gases would do more damage than the actual projectile. And isn't that the whole point of a pocket gun? Up close and personal. I guarantee a point blank wound from a short barrel hot .22 would look like damage from a big bore. At range a well placed shot would get R' done too. Yes you should buy all the guns you can in one haul if the misses is going to shut you down afterwards. Forgiveness is a much more common commodity than permission.

reply to post by Binder


You might want to look to more local gun shops or on the net. One of my co workers and i were speaking about this today. You can get the stuff you just have to know where. There has been a big run on amo and honestly ordering off the net is the best way to go. Sorry i don't have links to sites but im only going off what i was told. I'm in no way an expert around this.

I hope it helps, im purchaisng my first gun next week. So im only learning but know enough about whats going on to ask the right questions.

reply to post by lightinthedark33


Thanks light, I found some .380 for decent price I just have to wait a few weeks for it. I'm not good at patience.
If I may offer a few suggestions about buying a defense weapon. I am a native Texan, and was gifted my first gun at about 8 years old. Buying a gun is a lot like buying a car, get the one you like, and does what it needs to do too. If you are looking for a primary home defense weapon, in other words, it stays in the house all the time to protect property, life, and limb. May I suggest a good shotgun. It isn't as sexy as a pistol, I know, but versatile, powerful, and usually very easy to operate. Plus NOTHING, and I really mean nothing is as intimidating as the sound of a pump shotgun chambering a shell. That's usually all it takes to stop an intruder cold, just rack a round in it. If you are going to travel, or need/want more portable protection, then yes a pistol is the way to go. Per our discussion earlier in this thread, bigger is not always better though. Bottom line is this: Buy a gun you like, is comfortable to you, and that you will go shoot often. You should price the ammunition, and availability of the ammunition for the gun before you settle on one. A .50 cal. Desert Eagle is sweet, but I doubt you want to feed it. If you can't afford or get ammo for it you won't shoot it often. If you don't shoot it often, you won't be familiar with the tool you plan to use to save yourself when milliseconds count. So my advice in a nutshell is: Shoot lots of different guns, 12ga, 20ga, .410 shotguns, .380, 9mm, 40S&W, 45 ACP pistols, .223, .243, .270, 7mm etc... rifles. Enough to develop an affinity for something. The right gun will usually find you. You'll shoot one that just feels like an extension of your person, and if you can afford it, and the ammo, go for it. I have shot $2000 pistols, and thought "what a piece of crap!" , and I've shot $100 shotguns, and rifles that looked like crap, but shot like velvet, and hit dead on. Also don't listen to advice from some "Bubba" who says you have to get the biggest, most expensive piece of steel you can barely afford. Most of all ENJOY your purchase.

reply to post by Binder


well said

Ammunition is definitely getting harder to find. Besides the fact that fewer and fewer stores are carrying ammunition in the first place- the annointment of the BIG "O" has caused a big run on ammunition (and weapons in general). As everyone here knows. I'm having a hard time picking up 9mm ammunition in particular, with other calibers, I just have less of a selection than I used to. The hardest ammunition to find nowadays is the good stuff. I think the premium ammunition sells out first- a lot of what I can find is the cheap "factory reloaded" stuff.

I think the shortage of .380 ACP ammunition is directly related to the runaway popularity of the Ruger LCP pistol. The thing is a sensation, and is selling like crazy. I don't think there has been such a big hit on the handgun scene (among civilians) since the S&W 29 of "Dirty Harry" fame. Combine the popularity of the LCP with the run on ammunition in general, and you get shortages. .380 was never generally accepted as a defensive cartidge until the LCP came along, it was a relative "fringe caliber". There just weren't as many companies making it as there were more popular calibers such as 9mm, 40 S&W and .45 ACP. And the companies that were making it weren't making it in high volume. There are no "high-volume" shooters of .380- it's not used in any pistol sport that I'm aware of, and it's not a hunting cartridge. .380 is the type of ammunition that most buy a couple boxes of when they first buy their gun, and then never buy any more. So there wasn't a large inventory of the stuff laid by. The supply just hasn't had time to catch up to the caliber's sudden uptick in popularity. Give it time.

reply to post by moonwilson


I agree moon. The only ammo I had for my old .380 was tarnished from ages in the box. It is a small concealed carry gun, and doesn't get practised with much. So I decided to clean it, and shoot up the old ammo to make sure the darn thing still worked, and that I could still hit the broad side of a barn with it. It did, I can. Then I went to buy some fresh beans for it, and to my utter shock at the time, everyone was sold out of it. IMPOSSIBLE! I thought, it's just stinkin' old .380 Who buys up crap ton's of .380? Then I noticed the pistols ev eryone was buying, and it's not just the Ruger LCP (even though it is a nice pistol) they are buying up the Bursa Thunder, and Hi-Point .380 like their ain't no tomorrow. A buddy of mine owns a gun store, and joked to a customer that he would throw in a free .45 ACP for every 10 .380s he bought. I hope you're right about the supply catching up soon though. I don't exactly stock pile .380, but I like to keep a bit of everything on hand.

I hadn't been following the firearm market lately but was surprised to discover today that all the 380 ACP is sold out everywhere! I went to two gun shows and only found one vender with about 9 boxes selling at about $1.25/round and as I was thinking about it, an 80 year old man came up and bought all the boxes before I could even grab one box! So what's happening? I think the gun and ammo vendors are stirring up hysteria about coming civil turmoil causing people to react in fear and buying up guns and ammo. And, who's profiting from all this hysteria? The gun and ammo dealers and most of them are laughing all the way to the bank. The other thing I've noticed is that many of these gun and ammo dealers are a bunch of shysters, watch you receipts and charges closely, as I've been overcharged more than once. I think well funded people are trying to corner the market in specific arms and ammo by buying up everything, then they'll wait and return it to the market marked up several times. It's a devious market supply and demand trick. Gun enthusiasts are being screwed by the gun and ammo vendors- they not on your side, they're taking advantage of the buyers. My opinions are based on observations and on gun show experiences. Thoughts?

I agree with Ballena. Hysteria is driving people to do STUPID things. I was talking to a guy at my local Cabela's who told me a story that is pretty revealing: A man waits at the door until the store opens. Comes into the store with a shopping cart and proceeds to the ammunition section. In a sweeping motion, this guy pulls EVERY box of .380, .223, etc. in sight from the shelves. Another Cabela's employee sees this guy at a gun show selling the ammo for HUGELY INFLATED PRICES!!!

Eventually, all of this over-buying will lead to an excess supply (due to increased production to meet demand). Prices will then fall so low that all of the members of the Douche Platoon responsible for ripping people off will have to sell all of this ammo at a loss. Ah, sweet justice!

Time to take off the "tin-foil hats".