Great panic of 2020: Not the best time to have to start stocking up on a new caliber

I maintain a stash over over 1200 total 9mm in self defense and training about about the same for 45.

Only a few hundred combined .38 and .357 and maybe 500 .44 because I haven’t been shooting my revolvers a bunch. Then someone convinced me to snag my first AR, now I’m constantly monitoring my email for back in stock notification and stopping at every LGS I pass to try grab any available 223 and 556. Some of the stores around here are able to get guns again, so since they don’t need ammo only sales right now to keep cash flowing in they’re turning away anybody not buying a gun to go with their ammo so they can send every gun buyer out the door with at least a box of something.

Luckily a buddy hooked me up with a first rifle care package with a few mags and 120 or 150 rnds, then I’ve been able to get to a few hundred of 223 and 556 just hustling whenever I can spot it. Now I’m just monitoring my email for “back in stock” notifications. Midway and Brownells have gone for the longest time with almost nothing. Things pop up on Luckygunner but then go out of stock in a few minutes.

Gonna be a long election year. I’m glad I at least started stashing 9 an 45 last year.

 

Yup it sucks

even 30-30 is sold out and I never thought I would love to see that. Thankfully I snagged a case of federal fusion a month ago just cause I had a feeling.
I have enough 556 to hold me but range time is a no go
Only about 400 9mm and I have a new G17 to feed that I have not shot yet

good to go on 22 for while at 8000 rounds but good luck finding it

I have been wanting a lever action. 44 nag for awhile but will hold
Off since I can’t find ammo

 

I made it a necessity to never drop below 5K rounds for any one caliber after the last "scare". 2018 and 2019 were pretty decent years for ammo prices , and it was easy to get 1000 rounds of whatever for reasonable cost and sometimes free shipping.

 

Guys try ammoseek.com to see if you can find what you need.

 

10-15k combined of most common or your top 2-3 calibers.. 9mm, 45, 556, 308..Good times or bad!!!Then have the equipment/supplies to collect brass and reload for Up to another 50k+ rounds! Always keep at least 10k of 22LR tough to reload but the most versatile..! Always sucks when there is a run on 2A! But feels good when you can reload your own stash!

 

I dont feel so bad about stocking up over the last few years.

 

Yeah I’ve got a few hundred rounds of 9mm. I want to buy a .357 revolver but not sure if it’s a good idea to need a new caliber. Maybe I should just stick to 9mm

 

Ammo Search price comparison ammunition search engine.
https://www.ammosearch.com/

 

This definitely not the time to be buying ammo. 9mm is priced 4 times higher then this time last year and is damn near impossible to find. I bought a box of Speer 115gr fmj a couple weeks ago and it was $26 a box. Craziness. The combination of COVID and election has got it really screwed up. I wonder what people are doing with all the ammo because I don’t notice or hear about many new shooters at any of the places we go which is scary in itself. Now we have a ton of people that aren’t trained and don’t practice holding on to guns and ammo to do what with? Crazy world.

 

I have a friend with 11 million small pistol primers on order and he has been waiting since May. The manufacturing companies can not keep up. If you don’t have it already, you will need to wait or pay a super high price for what you want. The good news is that you have a few hundred rounds. Use the first ones to get a good zero. Then remember every modern day military shooter rolls with around three mags on their kit and one in the gun for a total of 120-150 rounds which is what you have. You won’t need any more than that in any situation you could find yourself in.

 

I also believe Covid and the election is contributing to the shortage. However I feel the “Defund the police” movement is having a much greater affect. Simply because the idea of smaller forces, cheaper equipment, and less intensive training scares the general public. And when people are scared they want to defend themselves especially those who already have firearms. Many cities and states are out crazing themselves with all these laws AGAINST law enforcement. How much abuse do these men and women have to take...the next few years are going to be tough to get anyone to become a cop. Therefore it comes down to sinking or swimming knowing many of our law enforcement institutions are being handicapped. I personally feel that I am not the only person that thinks this way. Additionally many people aren’t going to vocalize their concerns for fear of harsh retribution or ridicule from those that disagree... It really is scary times we live in.

 

https://www.sportsmansoutdoorsupers...9mm-luger-9X19-parabellum-ammunition-for-sale

 

I find that most of those Ammo search sites are not all that reliable in actual use.
I can not tell you how many times I have tried to make orders or waited indefinitely for Ammo that will just never arrive for whatever reason.

I am sure they mean well and work with the most up to date info they can but it is just not something I have been able to rely on at all.

 

I spent a good part of a day looking for ammo and the sites that had it listed for sale at a good price I called to check real life inventory and none of them had it on the shelf. Not wasting anymore time on it for now I keep plenty anyway.

 

But you also know that you can be replenished when needed too mostly.
On top of not being able to find enough in general there is always the reality of being able to only carry a finite amount at any one time too.

 

So true. Large amounts of ammo is a great idea especially if you buy it at a low cost but if not stored right and cycled it can be a huge waste of money space and time. I agree with this 100% you can only carry so much I typically like to stock 1000 of each caliber and replenish when needed. Seems to be enough to continue the sport of shooting even at times like this. I will just do a restock when the prices and availability are in line.

 

Hey babe, carry this backpack of 5000 rounds of 308 while we bug out. Hahaha.

 

Plenty of 762x39 out there.

https://www.sgammo.com/catalog/rifle-ammo-sale/762x39-ammo

 

She better carry the water.

 

Ssssshhhhh.

 

Snagged this on a whim on GB just because it was there. I originally thought I’d take the pistol version but I really don’t think I’d have much use for an AR pistol besides what my 16 inch rife can do, so I had them add on an M4 stock option. Was kicking around putting on an 18 or 20 inch rifle caliber upper but then the light bulb went off. Why not put a pistol caliber upper on it, change the buffer, throw on a glock mag conversion. Make myself a pistol caliber carbine for about 550, give myself a little more flexibility for these ammo shortages.

 

I have a family of 5 and we all shoot, almost weekly. If I get down to a thousand rounds of .223 or 22lr, I'd be looking at being dry within 30 days. This market does have me a little nervous. I try to split up what we shoot, I'll typically shoot 7.62x39 because the rifle is too heavy for the family and it shoots at .20/round. I've been successful finding ammo online even these last couple weeks. I have 2,000 rounds of steel 7.62 on the way right now. Don't rely on the site notifications for restock, check continuously throughout the day. If you're looking to stock up in the future, I'd suggest investing in a 7.62x39 platform, hard to beat the price per round. Since I started shooting it 5 years ago, I've never had a round of TulAmmo not go bang or have a single failure of any kind for that matter

 

I'm more than well-stocked in ammo... but have started gathering more powder/brass/primers/etc... for reloading purposes.

It's a warm fuzzy feeling to know I can make my own ammo when many others are dependent on Walmart and the local fudd shop.

 

Interesting thread. I work at a range and gun store part time. We saw primers go from 2 cents to 17 cents overnight. All the ammo we make is burned off at the range. Box ammo is rare, but occasionally 9mm and. 40 can be found. 5.56 is patchy...either we have pallets or none. 7.62x39 is ok.. Same with X51. Revolver ammo is a unicorn we seldom pursue. Revolvers, Rifles, and hunting/Trap shotguns are in stock. ARs outside of 22LR are hard to find. Tactical shotguns are GONE. 12G loads are Gone. Some KS7s trickle in, occasionally a DP12. Some DA/SA and SA trickle in. Hollowpoints eh... Sometime. Texas called us for our off rosters! It's a wild time. Yes, we as a family have enough ammo, but anything under 5000 rounds mixed and I'm scouting.

 

Ammo prices are nuts, when covid was starting to kick off and was under the radar a bit I bought 2000rds of .223 to start piling a bit and they were at 32c a round, which at the time I thought was crazy. Now they're over 50c a round. My wife just got a CZ Scorpion and it's our first 9mm so I ordered 2000rds for that, and was shocked that the cheapest price online I could get was in the mid 30s per round. We mostly stick to shooting .22lr while ammo is insane, we have around 10k rounds to play with of that at least.

I keep thinking stuff will someday get cheaper, but everyone must have the same idea as me because every time there's a new law, or politician, or shortage I buy more ammo or guns and that shit happens so often that the prices never have time to relax. Should probably go buy a few more suppressors while I think about it lol

 

In a few months I have gone from being satisfied with a few pistols to buying a complete AR lower receiver on a whim just to throw in the 3rd safe I just bought next to the complete AR and 2 other pistols I just bought until I figure out what I feel like doing with it.

 

Academy in my area (Katy,TX) has consistently had 9mm in stock, but it’s all FMJ and 3-box limit. But still available. Plenty bird shot and .22lr also. FWIW

 

My local store down the street continues to be able to hand me everything I ask for, 9, 45, 556, 38, 357, 223. I can’t Figure out how except some stores seem to have better distributers than others. The real SHTF moment for me will come when THEY tell me they can’t get something anymore.