This Ammunition Shortage Sucks...

My wally world is out of ammo too.

Yesterday, I received 2 boxes of bullets that I ordered at the end of January.

After 3 weeks, I bitched out Grafs over a powder measure and then miraculously it shipped the next day.

Yeah, they SAY they are overwhelmed with orders, and I CAN believe it, but I think employee dysfunction has a lot to do with it. They ALL need to step it up about a half step faster.

Primers were purchased early in Feb. Still not here. Powder ordered last week. (Powder Inc. and Natches)

All of this stuff has been of the "target of opportunity " quality. When you stumble on it, you have to order it right then. Definitely NOT the next day or even in "a couple of hours".

It really is getting crazy! My neighbor came by and said the gun store was buying ammo from patrons because they couldn't get any and had nothing to fire on the range. He's gonna sell some of his surplus .45 and build store credit. Ask me if I wanted to, told him a gun no good without ammo. Is this the case everywhere? If so thats a little something to worry about.

My father (62 yrs) is amazed by the cost of .22LR. He stated in amazement that .22LR was $10 for 50 rounds. I told him that was around standard for GOOD .22LR ammo before, but when I looked, .22LR for Remington Gold Standard, (which I found is horrid at $5 a box), is not worth $10 a box of 500. I saw that CCI .22LR is going for $15 a box of 100 and was appalled.. Is it just hype that is driving up the price or is it the mandates that are being proposed that drive the price of ammo up?,

Let's face it, .22LR "may" not do much destruction, but do not forget:

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Where I live, there is no ammunition shortage and the price of ammunition has not increased since the Connecticut shooting. Then again, we have an ammunition plant about 30 miles from my house and some of the least restrictive gun laws in the country.

reply to post by Catalyst317

I tend to agree with the point you're making. It's probably better to have .22 LR than nothing at all, so if the ammo's available then it would be worth stocking up. Who knows? The direction things seem to be slowly heading in the US, eventually even .22 LR might be nigh on impossible to obtain.

Can't get any 22 shells around here unless you want to pay 24 bucks for a box of 50.

I just checked with Aimsurplus www.aimsurplus.com... and they have 223/5.56, 7.62x39 and .22 all seem available but prices have definitely increased.. 7.62x39 53grn @ $189.95 for 1080 rounds. I have not bought ammo for a long time for I spent the last couple of years buying a little every month. Centerfire systems and and Aimsurplus has had my business for several years.

Yesterday I had to buy reloads at retail price. The guy at the counter said one of their customers who does reloads was saving their asses because they were out of everything but shotgun shells. I bought 357 hollowpoint ammo... they had 3 boxes and the guy had just delivered it... sold all of them within the time I was at the store. WHen we were checking out in the gun dept the guy said that his reloader customer had told him he was doing hollowpoints only for him.. that if DHS needed them so do we.

I note wally has 12 guage shells 8 bucks a box...
is there a tool to open the shot shell, and isert a slug round?
How about a mold to pour in lead shot heat and pop out slug??
think of fun things you can cast into the slug...cement nails for construction.
teflon paint. sabot etc.

reply to post by darkstar57


You shouldn't need a tool beyond a knife. To insert a slug, you need to cut the top off the shell just below the crimped rim that is holding on either a flat plastic retaining cap or crimped cap. Remove the rim and plastic cap.

Pour the lead shot out. Leave the wadding in.

Insert the shotgun slug. For best results, use one that is self-stabilizing with rifling cut or molded into it.

Seal the slug around the edge of the shell with a small amount of superglue or epoxy. This is to keep moisture out when not in use.

You should be ready. Load up a shell. Take aim. Fire.

reply to post by allenidaho

aha. i thought someone would have thought this through better than myself. so still need a mould. i suspect one could mic a known slug round, go to home despot, get pipe with inner diameter equal or slightly larger than round, then set up a small production line.

reply to post by 727Sky


Just went on there site can couldn't find anything I needed....may have missed the window

That powder is supposed to be delivered tomorrow.

Primers are still lagging.

You just have to keep browsing all the sites you can stick in your favorites, and be ready to snatch something up...

This is pathetic.

It isn't DHS alone that creates this shortage of EVERYTHING.

Start emailing or calling ALL the manufacturers and get them to commit to sending 50% of production back into the open market.

I'm thinking that as soon as most people figure that they have enough, we will start finding more.

This "panicky" hoarding stuff is mostly the problem.

Email from Sierra, Hodgdon, and Alliant Powder is making that claim.

It's probably true. All claim that 65 to 80% of their production is for the regular market. (US)

I'll bet some of it doesn't even hit the shelf as the gougers are getting it and trying to double their money.

I've noticed that this particular issue is starting to remedy itself. I have finally been able to find my particular choice in (common) rifle calibers more readily available than it has been in a while. Walmart is finally stocking (as much as they can) more regularly and the local sporting goods shop (which managed to somehow provide through this shortage unscathed.... they must have had a massive stockpile already) is starting to stock reloading materials again...

I hope others can report a similar situation.... maybe we are starting to see the light at the end of this tunnel....

reply to post by Catalyst317


I was once told that .22 was the most deadly round in the world. I don't know about that, but I do know it's certainly the most underestimated.

To save some of the ammo you have/get, you could always look into gun-game video games. You could pick up an old console system and get all the gun titles, perhaps have a bunch of gun games for any newer console you might use, or build a custom emulator 'machine' (generally an arcade machine, although you could put the infrared receiver elements on a typical TV) and hook most of histories gun games all into it using a typical PC / monitor & a 'frontend' called "Hyperspin" (about the most awesome menu system one could ever hope for). The last option will cost some time and money, but should prove worth it, just for bragging rights alone.

This might sound childish to some people, but even tough guys I've seen play a gun game for about 20 minutes have their deltoids on fire. That's from 'toy' guns with no 'kick'. Take this little challenge, and then try to imagine running around all day with real, heavy, guns in a fire-ready position, out of necessity. So with all this you get gun-sim hand-eye coordination practice, endlessly, and some actual physical exorcize that would translate into real world benefit.

Gazrok: I saw a 'factoid' the other day that 'only' 12B rounds of ammo are produced here each year... so when Fatherland Tyranny goes and buys up 1B rounds in one fell swoop... nuff said.

My advice to everyone is look into surplus firearms. For those often overlooked oldies, see which ones you can get ammo right now for, for cheap. Buy 'too much', and also rest assured that you'll be able to get more during the next shortage ordeal. Of course these types you wont often expect to find this stuff lying around during SHTF, so over-stocking now is important to this tactic. You might be surprised though: you might just find military grade steelcore bullets in spamcan crates for the price of what normal bullets 'should' cost.

My local WalMarts are still empty except for about 3 types (and they are uncommon). I do have a hookup with a fairly local police supply shop, but even he isn't getting much in these days. He is selling more guns, but really relies on the ammo sales for more steady income (mostly for range use).

I need to get everyone in my house trained on each weapon, so I want to go to the range, and make sure everyone can fire off a good amount of shots and be comfortable with the different weapons. Until the ammo situation improves though, I'm kind of loathe to do so.

reply to post by Gazrok


Friend of mine who owns a gun range, sells ammo, reloads, and guns, plus rents guns to include full auto is having a dramatic drop off in business because of the ammo shortage. He now has to sell .22 in little plastic zip lock bags (50 rounds) due to the shortage. I had already cut back on 9mm, 45acp, and 223 but was still shooting some 7.62x39.....Now unless shooting feral pigs (which we have not done for awhile; mountain lion scared them away) the ammo I have waits for a better day...

Actually I could/should take the ammo to the range and sell it there but have you ever noticed that when you sell a gun or even ammo for that matter you usually regret it?

We are selling our house in the states and moving overseas (if the house ever sells) and I can not import any guns to the new country of residence so I have been selling...Allot of good memories out the door...and have regretted every sale. Such is life I suppose.

reply to post by 727Sky


I can't find .22 to save my life...and NO, I will not buy ammo online. That's a cash, in person buy only for me. Nothing to hide, but I don't like waving big signs saying RAID ME, RAID ME! either.....