Where is all the ammo?

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This is the First year with my concealed carry and my newly built AR-15 which was a blast to build I would recommend building your own rifle to anyone getting into the AR. My problem is acquiring the ammo I want. Am I in a unique period where ammo is hard to get, or is this a recent problem. With my 9mm range ammo is plentiful without a doubt but I have been trying to acquire some HST 9mm for carrying and I cant believe how hard it's been to locate? Why HST? I've watched a lot of videos and it seems like a superior ammo. I'll leave it at that. And now with my AR complete 5.56 ammo seems to be my new hurdle. Can it really be so hard to keeps ammo in stock? Seriously, are manufacturers having a problem making it fast enough? I just don't get it. I don't even own a 22 LR but it's like a common joke at the store about not being able to get it. The shelves are bare. Is this a massachusetts thing or a supply issue?
Just wondering,
thanks,
jim
 
Ammo availability comes and goes and the prices are subject to supply and demand. I won't get into all of the reasons that cause shortages other than this. Any time there is a newsworthy shooting or talk of legislation, people panic and prices skyrocket. My advice is: shoot a few calibres. Buy whatever is plentiful and reasonable at the time. Wait for things to cool down and then buy whatever else is plentiful. Having said that, I have no problem locating 5.56 or .22lr as of late.
 
Hoarding is a problem with some calibers; we are our own worst enemies. I recently spoke to a co worker who is an occasional shooter. He bemoaned the price and availability of 22 rim fire. He then went on to mention that he visited local sporting goods and gun stores on a regular basis to check on price an availability and also make a "few" purchases. He then bragged that he had amassed a small "arsenal" of rim fire ammo. I replied that I shoot a lot of rim fire due to my participation in local Steel Challenge matches but usually purchased this ammo on a monthly basis only. I then admitted that I am now buying in larger lots because hoarders are driving the price up and the supplies down. He didn't get the point or does not consider himself a "hoarder". One of our problems is that ammunition purchasing has become a hobby with these ***holes buying far more than they need.
 
Many guys hate Dick's and won't shop there, however, they do have a lot of most everything in Hanover, MA store as of last night.
 
Found several 300 round packs of cci at dicks Saugus. Added them to my pile.

How much were they?

To the OP, HST isn't hard to find, do you mean it's too expensive? Just take a road trip up to Riley's, stop by Shooters Outpost and Collectable on the way, you'll find everything you need at good prices (I usually just go to Rileys, they seem the cheapest).
 
IMHO availability is much improved. Picked up a couple cheap American Eagle 5.56 bulk packs at Wally World this week. I saw others had done the same at the NES shoot yesterday. LGS had bulk 22LR. It's not the worst time to find ammo.
 
What you might be running into in your general area ( for the record if I want a specific ammo I mail order) is that shops are regulated on the amount of ammo they can have per fire codes and the local chief can be a bugger and restrict that amount as he sees fit. This could lead to not filling a order until they are almost outPlus for the most part Walmart and Dicks has the cheap ammo covered in MA. Specialty ammo unless its a fast mover in a LGS is not a big money maker. Ask the LGS owner to order what you want. If he cant get what you want move on.
 
Ah, how sweet that green tip looks. I won't bother asking who shipped it to you. Unless you wanna private message me and make me very happy.
Thanks,
jim
 
Ah, how sweet that green tip looks. I won't bother asking who shipped it to you. Unless you wanna private message me and make me very happy.
Thanks,
jim

I wouldn't post how much it cost either.

Doesn't take much Googling to put two and two together and figure out who the vendor is.
 
Go Green OP, and find the latest sightings of ammo and pricing in the members section.
Only a fraction of what this site offers to Green Members...

~Matt
 
this is what i got in the mail. :D

Have you shot alot of PMC offerings ? Im just wondering the cost between the different varieties and accuracy. I bought PMC bronze several years ago and it shot well.
I notice now they have the Xtac line but one is K which is the 62gn green tip and the other is 5.56X 55gn FMJBT anyone test accuracy between the two?
 
Collectables (aka 619 DW) in Merrimack NH will almost certainly have .223 by the case for good prices (probably the cheapest you'll find in the area).

If you can, go to Riley's LE shop behind the main store (but only open M-F business hours, no evenings) for HST in 50 rd boxes. Unsure if they have them in the retail store.

It's been a number of months since I've been up at either shop, so no idea what they have today but they always had good stuff at reasonable prices.

Problem with HST is that retail shops only carry 20 rd boxes for 50 rd prices. LE shops carry the 50 rd boxes for almost the same price as retail 20 rd boxes.
 
Collectables (aka 619 DW) in Merrimack NH will almost certainly have .223 by the case for good prices (probably the cheapest you'll find in the area).

If you can, go to Riley's LE shop behind the main store (but only open M-F business hours, no evenings) for HST in 50 rd boxes. Unsure if they have them in the retail store.

It's been a number of months since I've been up at either shop, so no idea what they have today but they always had good stuff at reasonable prices.

Problem with HST is that retail shops only carry 20 rd boxes for 50 rd prices. LE shops carry the 50 rd boxes for almost the same price as retail 20 rd boxes.

Been to Rileys many times, never thought to check that LE store, great tip!

You guys think HST is necessary for .45 ACP or ball is good enough?
 
Been to Rileys many times, never thought to check that LE store, great tip!

You guys think HST is necessary for .45 ACP or ball is good enough?

HST for all my carry guns, including my 1911.

BTW: Only been in the LE store one time, as every other time I've been up there have been "off hours" for that store. Only because I was on vacation in NH did I have the opportunity to stop there.
 
My Wal Mart's ammo cabinet is jammed and I mean jammed full of all kinds of ammo!! Last time I was there two days ago I counted 17 different types of .223 ammo! From at least 9 different manufactures. All of it was WAY over priced. No one is buying it. There is no room for anymore ammo in the case! Plenty of 9, 45, 40, .223, 300wm, etc. Of course no .22lr. I don't know for sure but my money is on the manufactures not building 22lr in any meaningful way. Before Newtown 22lr was the entire top shelf. 10's of thousands of rounds on the shelf, not to mention whats out back. I go to wm many times a month and haven't seen a 350 or a 555 or a brick of 22 since nt?? I would further speculate the manufactures have taken their 22lr tooling and converted it to build the more lucrative center fire ammo? I don't believe people are buying the 22 ammo we think they are. People would have to be amassing 10k rounds or more each to keep this shortage going. The number of ammo buyers in MA has increased but not to the level necessary to perpetuate this shortage?? We have what? 300,000 ltc holders in MA? If all of them bought 10k rounds of 22lr that would be 30,000,000,000 rounds? That's what, one months output from one manufacturer? That means 1 or 2 years combined output from all manufactures the entire US gun owners desire for 22lr will be filled? Do the math? IMHO there's something else afoot. And it smells.
 
If you cant find what you want you are not looking hard enough. The only stuff that is still a little difficult to find is 22 but it is available if you keep your eyes open. Walmart usually has a lot of 556 and 223 and 9 priced fairly cheap.
 
Back to the original question, there is a plethora of ammo out there now compared to a couple years ago and even up through a good bit of last year.

So enjoy it, it can get a lot worse.

Specific ammo has always been hit or miss as almost everything is produced in runs and sort of comes in and out. Also most stores stock what ever they are getting the best deal on and think they can sell, which may not match what you were looking for.
 
My Wal Mart's ammo cabinet is jammed and I mean jammed full of all kinds of ammo!! Last time I was there two days ago I counted 17 different types of .223 ammo! From at least 9 different manufactures. All of it was WAY over priced. No one is buying it. There is no room for anymore ammo in the case! Plenty of 9, 45, 40, .223, 300wm, etc. Of course no .22lr. I don't know for sure but my money is on the manufactures not building 22lr in any meaningful way. Before Newtown 22lr was the entire top shelf. 10's of thousands of rounds on the shelf, not to mention whats out back. I go to wm many times a month and haven't seen a 350 or a 555 or a brick of 22 since nt?? I would further speculate the manufactures have taken their 22lr tooling and converted it to build the more lucrative center fire ammo? I don't believe people are buying the 22 ammo we think they are. People would have to be amassing 10k rounds or more each to keep this shortage going. The number of ammo buyers in MA has increased but not to the level necessary to perpetuate this shortage?? We have what? 300,000 ltc holders in MA? If all of them bought 10k rounds of 22lr that would be 30,000,000,000 rounds? That's what, one months output from one manufacturer? That means 1 or 2 years combined output from all manufactures the entire US gun owners desire for 22lr will be filled? Do the math? IMHO there's something else afoot. And it smells.

Better buy what you can now before Hitlery gets elected and the hoarding epidemic begins again.
 
I usually have about 500 - 800 rounds of 22 and up to 1000 rounds of 9mm. That lasts me for 3-4 weeks. and buy again when I am down to 100 rounds.
I have friends who tell me that they have 40,000 + rounds of ammo. Just amazing.
That being said, this year is much better than last year
 
He didn't get the point or does not consider himself a "hoarder". One of our problems is that ammunition purchasing has become a hobby with these ***holes buying far more than they need.

Last I looked, we still lived in America where if we want something we can buy it whether we need it or not. I am sure that the .gov would love to restrict how many cartridges we can have. It kind of sucks that a fellow shooter would want to though... [hmmm]
 
He didn't get the point or does not consider himself a "hoarder". One of our problems is that ammunition purchasing has become a hobby with these ***holes buying far more than they need.
It's only hoarding when someone else does it. When you do it, it's prudent inventory management.

Do you buy a stock hoping it goes up, so sell on you think is going to go down, to someone else hoping to stick them with the lost profit, or loss, when the value changes? Conceptually, that is not much different than buying ammo you think will go up in price or become scarce (which is just another form of going up in price).
 
I usually have about 500 - 800 rounds of 22 and up to 1000 rounds of 9mm. That lasts me for 3-4 weeks. and buy again when I am down to 100 rounds.
I have friends who tell me that they have 40,000 + rounds of ammo. Just amazing.
That being said, this year is much better than last year

As a teenager I was always a bit amazed at how many of my fellow classmates would buy $1.00-2.00 worth of gas at a time (back when cars got 12-16mpg and gas was ~$0.35/gal)! I always filled it up. I couldn't be bothered wasting time and gas in line at the pumps more often than necessary. Likewise I don't buy toilet paper or paper towels one roll at a time either!! [rofl]

In decent weather my Wife could easily go thru 800 rds of .22 in a month (2 outings) and I'd go thru probably 400 rds of CF handgun, perhaps another 200 rds of .22 and 100-200 rds of CF rifle easily. I don't go ammo shopping on my way to the range!! When ammo was plentiful and Four Seasons was running case-lot sales, I was buying a case (it was 1000 rds back then) of CF ammo at a time, frequently of multiple calibers.

Not amazing at all. I have 25 different caliber guns (a C&R FFL will lead you there in a hurry [laugh]), so a total of 40K rds isn't much of a stretch at all.

Those that shop on the way to the range each time are welcome to operate that way if it pleases them. If I want to head to the range, I want everything I need within arm's reach on the way out the door.

YMMV
 
I usually have about 500 - 800 rounds of 22 and up to 1000 rounds of 9mm. That lasts me for 3-4 weeks. and buy again when I am down to 100 rounds.
I have friends who tell me that they have 40,000 + rounds of ammo. Just amazing.
That being said, this year is much better than last year

Yikes. I'd be in panic mode at <1k rounds, never mind 100. What would you do if, God forbid, a school gets shot up tomorrow or some other b.s.?
 
This is the First year with my concealed carry and my newly built AR-15 which was a blast to build I would recommend building your own rifle to anyone getting into the AR. My problem is acquiring the ammo I want. Am I in a unique period where ammo is hard to get, or is this a recent problem. With my 9mm range ammo is plentiful without a doubt but I have been trying to acquire some HST 9mm for carrying and I cant believe how hard it's been to locate? Why HST? I've watched a lot of videos and it seems like a superior ammo. I'll leave it at that. And now with my AR complete 5.56 ammo seems to be my new hurdle. Can it really be so hard to keeps ammo in stock? Seriously, are manufacturers having a problem making it fast enough? I just don't get it. I don't even own a 22 LR but it's like a common joke at the store about not being able to get it. The shelves are bare. Is this a massachusetts thing or a supply issue?
Just wondering,
thanks,
jim


Northeast arms in Peabody has 50 round boxes of HST in 9mm and 45acp
 
As a teenager I was always a bit amazed at how many of my fellow classmates would buy $1.00-2.00 worth of gas at a time (back when cars got 12-16mpg and gas was ~$0.35/gal)! I always filled it up. I couldn't be bothered wasting time and gas in line at the pumps more often than necessary. Likewise I don't buy toilet paper or paper towels one roll at a time either!! [rofl]

In decent weather my Wife could easily go thru 800 rds of .22 in a month (2 outings) and I'd go thru probably 400 rds of CF handgun, perhaps another 200 rds of .22 and 100-200 rds of CF rifle easily. I don't go ammo shopping on my way to the range!! When ammo was plentiful and Four Seasons was running case-lot sales, I was buying a case (it was 1000 rds back then) of CF ammo at a time, frequently of multiple calibers.

Not amazing at all. I have 25 different caliber guns (a C&R FFL will lead you there in a hurry [laugh]), so a total of 40K rds isn't much of a stretch at all.

Those that shop on the way to the range each time are welcome to operate that way if it pleases them. If I want to head to the range, I want everything I need within arm's reach on the way out the door.

YMMV

I stop on the way home to at least try and replace what I just went through at the range, usually I end up with picking up more than I shot though. [laugh]
 
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