Ammo makers and retailers say the ammunition shortage that’s plagued the industry for over a year won’t resolve anytime soon.
An unexpected pandemic and civil unrest in 2020 kicked the supply issues off, but that was quickly followed by new policies enacted by President Biden that set off a second rush on the limited supply.
So, let’s take a look at the ammunition situation – talk about the domino effect that left the industry reeling, the impact of executive actions, and what the future holds for ammo.
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2020: COVID-19 & Civil Unrest
The early months of 2020 were unlike any modern Americans had experienced.
Hit with an unexpected pandemic followed by civil unrest and riots, consumers flocked to online and brick-and-mortar gun stores determined to stock up on guns and ammo.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation reported a massive influx of new gun owners in 2020, totaling 6.2 million. New shooters purchasing guns and ammunition caused a significant drop in supply.
(See what the top selling guns of 2020 were here.)
Ammo companies struggled to keep pace with surging demands for popular home defense and concealed carry calibers like 9mm, .45 ACP, and 5.56 NATO.
But coupled with lockdowns and temporary closures of factories due to COVID-19, manufacturers were forced to run at lower capacity despite ballooning sales.
The result?
A nationwide ammo shortage with empty shelves and skyrocketing prices.
Vista Outdoor — parent company to ammo brands like Federal and Speer, in addition to newly acquired Remington — reported a year’s worth of backlog on ammunition orders in November 2020.
“Consumer demand continues to outpace our ability to supply,” Vista Outdoor CEO Chris Metz said during an investor’s call.
Vista reported the 2020 ammunition orders totaled over $1 billion in sales in what the company termed “unprecedented.”
Critical Components Unavailable
In addition to spikes in demand and scaled manufacturing, the industry also underwent a lack of critical components, like primers.
This further impacted manufacturers’ ability to produce enough rounds to meet demands.
Lucky Gunner’s Jake Felde said the lack of primers had the greatest impact on small ammo makers and reloaders.
“That shortage is sidelining a lot of smaller boutique manufacturers. They may have projectiles, brass, and powder on hand but no primers,” Felde explained to Pew Pew Tactical in an email in 2020.
“That creates a situation where they can’t produce any cartridges, and their machines sit idle while demand for ammo rages on, creating frustration for everybody involved.
Russian Ammo Ban Squeezes the Industry Further
Adding fuel to an already uncertain ammo situation, the U.S. State Department placed new sanctions on Russia in 2021 – resulting in a ban on future imports of Russian firearms and ammunition.
In essence, the State Department prohibits U.S. retailers or manufacturers from bringing Russian guns and ammo over to the States.
So, this means things like steel-cased ammo, 7.62, 5.45, and other popular Russian exports are potentially on the chopping block.
Though U.S. importers knew this would be a possibility and thus secured ATF approval prior to the sanctions, approval only lasts two years. After that, without a reversal, Russian ammo will be a no-go in the states.
Kyle Reade, president of Arizona-based online ammunition retailer TrueShot Gun Club, explained that 30% of all ammunition coming into the U.S. is from Russia…so the impact of the sanctions will eventually be felt.
“We’ve got a math problem here. I don’t see Biden rescinding that executive order, and he’s got three more years [of his presidency]. The import license is valid for two more years; ergo, we are staring down a really big problem. You’ve got a 12-month gap with demand high.”
With an uncertain future, consumers once more rushed to grab ammo.
Online retailers told Pew Pew Tactical they noticed a significant increase in sales on 7.62×39 ammo to include brands like Barnaul, Red Army Standard, and Wolf.
Lucky Gunner’s Welsch told Pew Pew Tactical that after the public caught wind of the ban, the site saw “unprecedented levels of traffic” to their 7.62×39 caliber page.
“It’s the hottest we’ve ever seen the market specifically for Wolf and Tula ammo,” Welsch explained.”
To read more about the Russian ammo ban, catch up here.
When Will Things Stabilize?
Retailers and distributors have felt the crunch as they fight to stock rounds for customers…and that won’t let up anytime soon.
TrueShot Gun Club’s Reade told Pew Pew Tactical that the industry wouldn’t see things stabilize for a few years.
“I’ve talked to [major ammo maker], and without missing a beat, they said three years. We have a hostile administration to our industry, and they’re 12 months out to fill big box retail. Then we had the Russian import disaster…And demand is at an all-time high. Supply is still outpacing demand.” he explained.
The recent targeting of the gun industry with executive actions and Russian sanctions paired with rumors of President Biden signing the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty continues to drive consumers to stores.
Reade warned that if President Biden signs the deal, demand will spike again.
“We’ll see another huge spike, and you’re going to see prices skyrocket overnight,” he said.
Dave Kiwacka of BarnuaL said wholesale distributors also expect high sales volume to continue.
“If things calm down socially and politically, we may get to finally see what that new normal level of supply and demand looks like,” Kiwacka explained.
Until then, it’s all about the hunt.
“Consumers will need to check with local shops and online sites at least daily. Most of the time, when we see a live posting for ammo, it’s gone in minutes.”
Brownells — a lead retailer for firearms, parts, and ammo — experienced high volume sales that led to empty online shelves. An article from Pew Pew Tactical in July noted only 2% of handgun models and 3% of rifle models in stock.
The retailer said it’s fighting to restock, but current demand makes it tough to keep up.
“Brownells is constantly trying to get more ammo, but demand is so high for certain cartridges they sell out very quickly once they hit the website,” Roy Hill of Brownells told Pew Pew Tactical.
“I would suggest checking websites like Brownells.com frequently for the specific cartridges you’re looking for. A few times a day, hit a website and see if anything has come back into stock.”
Conclusion
With the shortage looming well beyond 2021, gun owners should continue to stay diligent and check online sites daily for ammo deals and availability.
In short, don’t sleep on any ammunition that pops up. It won’t last long.
For more info on gun sales amid COVID-19 check out some more articles:
- Gun Sales Pre and Post COVID
- Guns Bought During COVID & Protests 2020
- Hunting Increased Among COVID Shutdowns
- Guns, Ammo Shortage Causes Shifts in Buying Trends
What rounds have you had trouble buying? Let us know in the comments below. Also, try to grab some rounds at our recommendations for the Best Places to Buy Ammo Online.
104 Leave a Reply
There has been shortages year to year in ever administration for the past 20 years!. I agree this is like oil now, create high demand and then jack the prices. We can meet gun demands but, not ammo? That is suspicious. All this talk about making things in the USA and we buy 30% from the enemy? Why doesn’t the gun manufacturers make ammo instead of just owning stock in ammo? Where are the Chinese imports then? Didn’t they invent gunpowder?
it is not the democrats, it's the suppliers. They are price gouging you and no one wants to admit it, they'd rather point the finger at the politicians. That's more convenient and makes everyone feel better inside.
In hindsight, don't you feel silly?...
when the 1st ammo shortages occurred, it was mostly handgun and rimfire ammo. now, it's all ammo, especially hunting ammo. ammo for .270, 30.06 and unbelievably 30.30 are extremely hard to find now. I have a 300 RUM and there's very few boxes of ammo available in the USA and if you can find it be prepared to cough up an arm and a leg for it. I am hoping this won't last many more months. I was lucky enough to stockup on rimfire ammo, handgun ammo, AR ammo, shotgun ammo buying some bulk and some individual boxes until I had somewhat of an adequate supply. I haven't been doing much shooting lately because I don't know when I can re-supply. Looks like I'll have to get back into reloading again and it's an unstable market for supplies as well, but not as bad as the factory ammo supply.
Hello
I am in N.E. Az .. 2 yrs ago had a bunch off odds and ends of ammo None of it fit my gun, Now I have a chance to buy a few guns Cheap one is a 270 Rem.
wish I never let all that ammo go
silly me lol
Going into town 2morrow I will check to see what's there ..
and let ya all know ..
FJB
Az Rose
I have 300rum die, and at least 100 pleces of unfired, some factory primed brass. Interested? Reply.
Interested…where r u?
Near Wytheville, va.
I haven't been able to find 303 British the entire time. Last box I bought was 2019. 30.06 and 30.30 have been available each spring. Not near hunting season though.
Another lie about not being able to get firearms and ammo. That’s all the consumer gets.
I'm sick to death of this. Its so simple even a democrat gun owner can understand (well, maybe). All you democrats and some republicans voted for people who hate us and want to make us miserable. You alone are responsible for all these ridiculous shortages, not them, because you voted for them. Next year, '22, just avoid voting for any democrat. The sooner we get these bastards out of our government, the sooner we go back to 2019. But it wont happen as long as people remain stupid and arrogant about their vote. If this makes anyone mad, good. Everybody just sits around and complains about shortages, and then they go vote stupid again. Its time to wake up, not be woke. BTW, Jacki, you're a babe.
my main problem is finding .270 win. and .357 magnum for deer hunting. still have some left but in few years it may be gone. i know if really need it for a price can get it but most of the online places charge say 40 to 50 dollars for box of .357 mag shells, plus 18 to 20 dollars for shipping plus 3 percent using cc. this is completely ridiculous. its just not getting better. here in southeast missouri, some places like academy sports has some boxes of .22 lr, .40 caliber, 223, 308 but i either don't need that caliber or don't have that kind of gun. really a good way to take guns away from the american people.
I may be able to help. Respond!
Looks like I got into reloading at precisely the wrong time. I'm only interested in the ubiquitous .223 and 45 ACP. It's not just boxed ammo in these calibers that's not available but, as the article notes, the components like primers as well. I've been looking online for bullets, powder and primers just about every day.
I may be able to help. Reply
I focus on 9mm. In last few months, I've seen some light at end of tunnel. Availability increasing and I'm seeing prices drop from the ridiculous ($1 per round ) to 40 cents and under. Still high by past standards but the trend is there. Hopefully a good new year coming for all.
I don't get it. As of October 2021, there's plenty of ammo available, both online and in my local store. The shortage is over. Why post this article now?
In some places, ammo is still tough to find and with President Biden potentially signing the UN Arms Treaty, we could see another rush on ammo again.
In my area some ammo is still hard to find although I can buy really anything I want if I am willing to pay some os the ridiculous prices although the last 10 years I have treated ammo like gold or silver. I do not think it will go back down, high prices are here to stay Thanks to Ole Joe.
Best gun and ammo salesman is a sitting Democratic president. The gun and ammo makers love it. They just won't admit it.
The only ammo we buy these days is .22...our stash is okay, and if we want to blow up a few rounds of a larger caliber we do make sure the box is replaced before we do it...we see a fair amount of high priced ammo sitting on shelves, which is better than 9-10 months ago when absolutely nothing stayed on the shelf longer than 20 minutes after the store opened...some calibers are still very difficult to find, or afford...we all need things to be calm for a while to improve the situation...
The short version: let's go, Brandon!
Seems to me Vista Outdoors now has a monopoly on the primer supply by owning three former ammo makers (correct me if I'm wrong) Speer, CCI, Federal & now Remington? They won't have surplus primers until the demand for ammo makers using primers immediately subsides. Then they might put primers on shelves for reloaders to buy. Also noticed a lack of once-fired brass for sale & I know the govt agencies have not stopped range training, so where's the used stuff for sale?
Makes absolutely no sense. There is plenty of demand so they could ramp up production of all inputs with virtually no risk. I keep hearing the shortage will end this summer. Oddly specific. IDK what's really going on, but I don't like it.
Please give others a chance to buy.
Buy what you need to shoot for the month.
Please leave some for the other folks.
John Goetjen
"Buy what you need?" How?the shelves never have ammo. Literally never.
it makes plenty of sense-- they're trying to ramp up production, but supply chains have been heavily disrupted, so their raw materials have been hard to come by. it IS no risk for them, but ONLY if they have access to raw materials. oddly specific only seems odd because there are trade issues and supply predictions they're working from to make statements about this summer. it's not really rocket science.
I went to his website right after reading this. The only 2 9mm types actually in stock are prices at $1.65 a round and $2.00 a round.
Looks like the person understanding what is happening is also gouging the hell out of his own ammo sales.
Make a list and remember these clowns. Not. Another. Dime.
Thankful I bought when I did. My stepdad offered me 80 cents a round and I thought he was crazy. Didn't realize it was this scarce.
After reading the article, who or whom makes primers?
Nobody is making primers and delivering them to the reloading market. I have two major retailers that exited the reloading market due to ZERO availability.
What "High sales volume?" There is nothing on the shelves to sell! That's the misleading part of every one of these articles.
You simply can't sell, ammo that's not on the shelf!
Manufacturers are making it as fast as they can. It shows up in stores and is often sold before they can even put it on the shelves. So yes sales volume is high, just not as high as it could be if they had inventory.
Last statement may actually be incorrect. A portion of demand is driven by scarcity. Some people would buy less if they saw it in shelves everywhere and anticipated being able to buy whatever they want in the future. Thus I expect demand to remain high longer for many of us will stock up far more than we kept on hand before. Will take a while before any of us trust retailers to stock what we want. As soon as prices drop even a little, new shooters who have only seen high ammo prices will think it is a deal and buy. Repeat with every minuscule price drop until everybody thinks they’ve got enough.
Summer 2021 seems pretty optimistic. I am thinking the shortage will last till summer 2022 at a minimum, most likely summer 2023 if the antigunners lose in the 2022 midterms. Longer than that if they don't.
It'll last forever if the biden regime has anything to do with it.
The manufacturers of ammo and reloading components have always fallen short of meeting demand. Their claims of unanticipated demand due to the coronavirus are not believable because they have never met demand in past election years even when demand predictably increases. They are always short of demand. Every good company and industry knows, based on past experience, when demand for their products will increase. Nobody is that stupid. These companies lie when they say they had no idea that demand would increase because they always say that. They think we are ignorant enough to believe this every time they tell it to us. Perhaps the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Federal Trade Commission should investigate monopolistic practices and anti-trust violations! I no longer trust these manufacturers!
There does seem to be more 9mm available (the "benchmark" caliber) now....if you are willing to pay $.80/round. This is ridiculous. While component costs have gone up slightly for the ammo makers, this is 400% than 18 months ago. I think Vista Outdoor, now that they also own the Remington plant in Arkansas, is basically a domestic monopoly, and certainly acting like one; lots of doublespeak and bs, while they rake in record profits.
yea they dont put out the supplies and loose money then prices sky rocket to make up for the lack of money lost / we shouldnt have to pay for high prices for this because the higher hands screwed up and holding up sales and the cause of empty shelfs across the USA when the government lies this is what we get when the government screws up this is what we get its every f---king time it comes to election this is the bullshit we deal with and now they let this virus out to kill all of us off // dont they know that will only weaken our chances of winning a war if it ever happens // the old is passing away fast enough plus lots are get killed in wrecks / fires / surgeries / cancer / dont they see this whats going on what if the army turned on them and on our side and fight the government destroy the white house then what / its going to happen just wait and see // one day there will be no laws to follow thats when the people work together hang the law brakers we see / we make our own laws / rules run our own factories we stock the stores up we make sure people have what they need the factories are told to lie to us because the government threatened to shut them down if they didnt thats what i think is going on // we need to fight back and all this free money we are getting they are buying our life from us to be put in a casket they are paying us for our death row // right on GREG BARA
Wow. Just wow.
When Trump beat Hillary gun shows had pallets of ammo no one would buy. The first three years of Trump where hard on ammo makers and sellers, so they ramped down production and sellers liquidated and kept low stocks. Every store should raise there ammo prices to $2 per round for a month. Once the shelves get full again in a month they should drop it to a buck. Then after another month drop it to normal prices. The shortage would probably be over. It's the a holes who buy every round they can and dump it on GunBroker who are driving the shelve shortages... Not manufactures trying to jack up the price they are trying to limit the hoarding....
So the government's ridiculous decisions on gun bands and new laws have nothing to do with this
Bought a new Glock 21 at sportsman's warehouse today. Offered up 2 boxes of blazers. $29 each. Outrageous. That stuff was under $20 a box last year. Did get some primers there a few week's back. Just waiting for powder now.
Every country has primers but the usa
This is a manufactured shortage which soon will combine with gun control. They can produce 1 billion rounds a month. No way Americans have been buying 1 million rounds a month for over a year. I’m not buying it.
Except for the primers. That's the supply chain bottleneck. Like the article said, lots of ammo manufacturers have loads of bullets, brass, and powder lying around with machines un-used while they wait for more primers to come in. Now that Federal bought out Remington's ammo factories after Remington went bankrupt, hopefully they'll be able to start pumping out lots of primers.
Sean, civilians bought about 10 Billion rounds in 2012 and that's not far from 1 billion per month.
Yeah. Something is up. I think it's a little more then just new gun owners consuming. I heard powder wasn't being allowed on shore? Boat's could not unload due to the pandemic shit. Most powder is made overseas.
Why does every article I read, rap up with " if you see it buy it "? We need to hear a rational
voice that just encourages restraint. If we cut back on plinking, prices fall.
It's not plinking that is causing prices to soar - it's caused by hoarders stockpiling thousands of rounds and scalpers buying it out the second it hits the sales floor and then marking it up. The end result is, we get raped.
I think the ammo crunch is ever so slightly getting better...overpriced ammo is staying on the shelf, many gun owners have managed to acquire enough ammo to move themselves out of the panic buying zone, and supply seems to be up just a tick...example: we show up and get in line at big box sports store 25 minutes before opening today and bought 2 boxes each .38 special and .380...2 hrs later at a different store found some .22lr and .22wmr...this particular chain has a 2 box limit, and as un-american as that sounds, I absolutely believe the limits are helping, in a couple of different ways...
No one loves to shoot more than I, but why devote so much time ,energy and passion into hoarding. Let's wait this out. Dry fire, buy a better quality holster, read and read some more. Support your choice of gun rights group. And finally when you shoot ,make every round count and not worry about round count.
I think summer of 2022 is a more realistic best case scenario. At least for finding ammo at semi-reasonable prices.
We just had a gun show here in Fort Worth and as I walked it I was very thankful that I did not need ammo. The only thing I was a bit light on was 380 and I was able to trade a couple of boxes of 38s I didn't need to a friend who had quite a bit of 380 on hand
thanks for the update on fort worth
While I need ammo, I refuse to pay these prices. If we stop buying, prices will fall; its supply and demand. Please help stop this pricing frenzy!
I'm sorry to be the one to tell you but it doesn't work that way. Nobody's sorry you won't buy-they will.
You're too late for the party and because you didn't prepare you WILL pay stupid prices-or you won't be getting any.
Tough, ain't it?
If they ban 5.56 “assault weapons” 5.56 and 2.223 will be worth much more than the .80 cents a round asked now. Nothing else uses 5.56 except ARs.
The Mini 14, Ruger Ranch, The kel-tech folder, etc
We need ammo to cull the population of deer, rabbits and other game animals and vermin every year. Otherwise there is a population explosion which begs for disease and increase of predators such as coyotes. As well, livestock and crops suffer. Auto -deer accidents will increase. This is in addition to the suburbanites feeding deer and other animals every winter.
I wish that at least Shotgun ammo would hit the shelves at a reasonable price.
Beware of the new administration which aims at passing insane anti gun legislation.
We actually need more predators in North America. In our nations early ignorance of ecological systems, settlers decimated the predator populations which by nature’s own culling system had every species in a nice comfortable zone of population. We need to try to approach that pre-settlement predator level for our national forests and wilderness lands.
He's right, you know. Messing with the ecosystem chain won't do us any good. Here's a fine example cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/wolf-cull-endangered-caribou-western-canada-1.5650167
I read somewhere a few months back that in addition to the COVID, the civil unrest, and the new administration there are materials that come from China. Those materials are more expensive than ever. The article stated we may never return what we all remember as normal because of the tariffs on these materials. Didn't see that anywhere here. Is there any truth to that?
Where did you get all your pictures from?
saying the shortage of ammunition is due to all the new gun/ammo buyers is a little short sighted. Yes they are part of the surge in buying, but some long time gun owners are also adding to the demand and i have seen others taking advantage of the high prices buy selling off there OLD inventory. I have heard of individuals instead of having a large pantry instead having a ROOM full of ammo, reloading supplies, body armor, guns and gun parts prepping for a war. Little joe thinks he will disarm America. Instead he will start a war. Goliath was beheaded by David with a slingshot and we have millions of Davids and he is NO Goliath.
Does the crunch of that tinfoil hat ever get annoying?
"Does the crunch of that tinfoil hat ever get annoying?" No, but the drones can't see my body heat while I'm wearing it.
I should start a guns/ammo retailing business/site that simply takes a customer's order, gives him a number, and delivers the product in the order it was received. This simple innovation would put me past the retards that run the retail industry and make me rich.
Why should customers have to stand next to each other in the store (or virtually), braced to fight for the stock when it hits the shelves? We've had the technology to simply take peoples orders and serve them in the order they were received for centuries, but this is too much for firearm/ammo retailers.
This is a great idea. I have wondered that myself a few times.
Best argument I have heard in a long time. I completely agree. Some of these gun shops, and even the bigger outlets are in the stone age.
This is what happens when idiots jump on the bandwagon. What pisses me off is that not one year ago, many of the same people who are buying guns in record numbers were those Karens who said 'nobody needs assault weapons, think of the children', etc. When you think about it, little has actually changed. Before, they thought nobody should have gun, now they think nobody else should have guns. They STILL think only people they approve of should have guns or ammo they also approve of...more specifically, themselves. You know when all of this blows over, they'll be right back to supporting gun bans. Most Americans are never more than one major news story away from doing a 180 on any particular issue. As usual, they'll change their minds only after the damage has already been done.
OKAY, SUPPLY IS BAD BUT WHAT BURNS MY ASS IS THE PRICES THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE CHARGING A BOX OF 50 9MM ROUNDS AT $60.00. SOMETHING AT I PURCHASED FOT $12.00 BEFORE, making A PROFIT, ONETHING
SCREWING OVER PEOPLE IS ANOTHER.
That’s how capitalism works. Funny how everyone preaches how capitalism is the best thing ever until it affects them personally.
An often overlooked issue regarding supply and demand is "just in time" supply chain. Stock piling raw materials and finished product for either sales to individual customers or manufacturers costs money (sometime lots). Facilities, utilities, personnel, insurance, additional administrative costs things large quantities of powers/primers, security, loss through damage, lost/stolen, pilferage. That is far from a completely comprehensive list, but you get the idea.
Additionally, COVID is not just an U.S. issue, worldwide manufacture and production of raw materials are adversely affected. Transportation chain is slower. Shipment via ship are delayed for offloading once at the destination. Likewise for overland shipment.
I have on good authority that two of the multiple issues affecting commercial ammo supplies and primers for those who reload is lack of the raw materials to make the actual primer material that goes into the primer cup. The other is where is the highest profit margin item -- selling primers or loaded ammo? The answer is obvious
Its starting to feel like a conspiracy is afoot. Isn't there ammo outside the US that can be imported?
There's no conspiracy. Do you understand the simple principle of supply and demand. Or is that a conspiracy also?
Yes. It is the "conspiracy" that has caused the "supply and demand" problem.. I think most people that has been awake to what's going on in the US, would agree...
Was there a conspiracy on toilet paper last year?
No.
We couldn't wipe our bums because of one reason: IDIOTS PANIC BUYING AND HOARDING.
Your last comment is part of the reason for the shortage. " In short, don’t sleep on any ammunition that pops up. It won’t last long." Hoarding!
Exactly! Panic buying just makes this shortage last longer
Agreed. Price is also an issue, ammo won’t be cheap. Mfrs need to increase prices to reflec5 demand...people hoard when ammo is cheap.
Contrary to 70 million deplorables, the revolution is NOT imminent and cities are NOT being looted by hordes of indigents.
Exactly. I doubt the vast majority of the Murican public could find the energy to drag themselves from their couches to do much more than whine about imagined evils.
You may want to caution your readers about delivery related ammo theft. I'm not talking about a delivery stolen from your front porch, but deliveries stolen by FedEx and in some cases UPS or USPS. I recently had an empty box delivered by FedEx. The outer packaging was obviously ripped open and the inner box containing 500 rds of 308 was taken along with the invoice. All that was left was the packing material and the box was re-taped. Also the delivery person dropped the package off with no signature required. As I observed on the video, he was holding the package like a box of Kleenex. 500 rds. of ammo weighs close to thirty lbs. I have never received ammo with no signature required. I returned home within 15 minutes after watching the delivery on my door cam. I immediately reported the theft to FedEX. They requested invoices, photos, etc. as if they were going to investigate. They were just covering their ass to make sure I wasn't filing a false claim. Every package I have received from FedEx (non ammo or firearm related) has been damaged. I have returned several packages due to freight damage. Half the time the lazy ass would leave the package in front of my garage rather than on the porch. FedEx hires contract employees all year around and I question background checks, if any. In the future if you order anything of value, request a signature upon delivery, which didn't work for me and DO NOT USE FEDEX!
Must be a rough neighborhood. I’ve had ammo delivered w/o signature for years and recently a bit of 9mm and .45 w/o problems.
But it could well be that signature required will help in that the driver now knows the track starts with him...the package wasn’t loaded on the truck damaged!
I had a very similar experience .Ordered 8 boxes of ammo in may 2020.Fedex handed me a box weighing less than a pound. when I tried to question the weight he all but ran back to his truck .The ripped and re-taped box contained one box!
I called the company and they offered a refund. I said I would like the ammo, so they agreed and the next day I received the unwanted refund.
It was out of stock of course. 10 days later it was back at twice the price.
This was one of 3 experiences I had .My advice is to buy the insurance and pray.
My experience with FedEx "signature required" delivery was very bad. I ordered 4# of pistol powder to be delivered to my place of employment. The item tracking showed it being delivered, but nobody saw a delivery made. Our parts guy went to the business across the street and located the item, and was told the delivery guy just came in and dropped it off. Being a hazmat item, I suspect there may have been a law violated since it was supposed to be signed for by someone 18 or more years old. What really gets me is that later that day the tracking showed I had signed for the delivery! FedEx has their "Virtual Agent" or something like that, basically makes it hard if not impossible to talk to a live person. It is as if they don't care how bad their delivery people are.
Must be one of the 13% delivering to your home.
Best things I did in 2020
Bought a .22lr kit for my Glock and AR.
Dug up the Russian girls
There is another issue in play that was not covered in the article - Political Risk.
If the Democratic Party prevails in the Georgia run-offs, and assuming nothing changes with the Presidential Election, Democrats will have both houses of Congress and the White House. If so, and if Senate Democrats abandon the legislative filibuster, as they are likely to do, expect the party and the anti-gun lobby to go after ammunition as a back door to 2A infringement. Any tactic to try to dry up supply and make it harder/more expensive to purchase ammunition is on the table. Prices only will increase.
The easy way for the bad guys to back-door the 2A is to simply have the gov't buy up all the ammo. They kinda beta-tested this during Hussein's term. If past experience is any guide, the ammo industry will be fine with this; they increase capacity at a negligible rate no matter how high demand goes.
You may not shoot 5,000 rounds but ammo will have incredible value in a barter/trade situation. There's no such thing as too much ammo - especially if you got bulk on the cheap.
I got lots for cheap, but I know way too many people convinced they need 1000s of rounds to defend themselves. More likely that most Americans that just recently bought guns would accidentally shoot their own foot before hitting a target. I have been to the range and to too many tactical classes lately to be convinced otherwise. Look at all the holes in the floors, ceilings and wall and you will agree. Most people need a functioning gun and 10 rounds of ammo and will be fine.
Yes, but that is exactly why you need to put thousands of rounds down range to be proficient with those 10 rounds of self defense ammo.
Shooting is a perishable skill that you need to practice weekly, and many new shooters don't want to use the little bit of ammo they have to practice.
If you are serious about practice and training, 1000 rounds is not that much to have on hand, so it sucks out there for new folks who werent stocked up already to get that practice. At least there's dry fire training technology out there.
Tommy you are 100 percent correct. It take practice practice and more practice to get to the level some are at where 1 15 rd mag is plant for really any situation. So I do recommend new owners take a class and get to a range on the regular and become accurate with you carry weapon before they run around with it open or concealed.
It is near impossible to buy enough triple priced ammo to get decent practice. I haven't been able to buy 9mm ammo since March. Paying triple price just isn't practical. But I can't even find triple priced ammo to buy. We have one gun store and a Walmart locally. Walmart no longer sells pistol ammo or 5.56mm. I've been able to buy some .22 LR, and that is all I shoot anymore.
I stocked up on ammo early , but before I even got a reloading set up, I stocked reloading components. Not enough for the whole Biden administration, but enough to get through 2022. I hope by fall 2022 , more primers come on line. Between the bullshit ca ammo background checks and shortages every few years , reloading is the way to go. Always have 10k of 22lr. Just loaded my first 9mm this week and they were great!
Dry-firing is enough to preserve shooting skills.
I bought laser snap caps and targets to stay sharp. Only thing missing is the bang and recoil. Modern problems require modern solutions.
Well some shoot that much. I probably put 10,000 rounds or more down range a year. Mostly cheap bulk fly stuff but I also spend and get extra of my carry ammo and do some practice with it as well so I stay familiar with the higher recoil. Personally I recommend anyone who wishes to carry daily get out and shoot til ur comfortable with and accurate with your edc..
If people didn’t overreact about a “Civil War” and freak out all the other crazies out there might still be some ammo. Remember if there is a civil war you won’t be shooting 5,000 rounds.
No.....I might not be shooting 5K rounds but, I may be able to trade 3K of that 5K for food
and medicine.
Are you really going to give live ammo to someone? That's like giving money to a thief or terrorist to not hurt you.
No, actually it's not.....at all. It's called the 'Barter System.'