Posted on 04/08/2013 8:39:36 AM PDT by servo1969
Amid the myriad questions and theories behind the ammunition shortage currently being experienced across the country, manufacturers have gone on the record to say they are producing as much as they can and are working to produce even more.
Hornady ammunition, makers of some of the most popular self-defense ammo for concealed carry applications, explained it this way: "We are producing as much as we can, much more than last year, which was a lot more than the year before, etc. No one wants to ship more during this time than we do."
The demand for Hornady's ammo is so great that they've "added presses, lathes, CNC equipment, [and] people and space." They are producing many popular items "24 hours a day" and "several hundred employees work overtime every week" to make as much ammo as possible.
Black Hills Ammunition president Jeff Hoffman is seeing the same demand Hornady is experiencing. He says the only ammo that isn't absolutely flying out the door are some of the rarer, larger caliber hunting rounds.
Supplies of 9mm, 45 acp, 40 S&W, and .223 are scarce in the marketplace, and where they can be found, they are being snatched up by desperate consumers as they are unloaded off trucks at stores like Wal-Mart & Gander Mountain.
So why the shortage? Ammo producers like Hornady say the cause isn't government orders but a "politically-induced buying panic." Although producers say they've seen buying panics in the past, nothing compares to what we're experiencing now.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
I have been paying a co worker to reload my 38 specials. Better than buying new.
For the third time in the last 20 months, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has denied a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) to ban lead in sporting equipment. On April 9, EPA notified CBD and a coalition of more than 100 other organizations that it has rejected their March 13 petition seeking “a complete ban on bullets and shot containing lead for use in hunting and shooting sports.” http://www.nrahuntersrights.org/Article.aspx?id=6400
Third time...it means they are trying real hard...
Exactly. Would be nice to connect with those paying $2/round so I could quintuple my investment!
Not just that, gougers are guying up all the stock and selling at huge markups on armslist, gunbroker, gun shows, and even some retailers. See CTD for example.
So where is all the .22LR and .380? Is it that those are not being manufactured so that producers can focus on other calibers or are those being bought up as soon as they are made? I find it hard to believe the government is buying .22Lr and .380.
Yep. But your local gouger will have plenty. Not a coincidence.
When the ammo bubble pops, and it will, it's going to be really loud...
According to some industry sources the industry expects that ammo shortages will ease in 5 to 9 months but in the future the base demand will be higher than in the past due to the influx of “large numbers of new gun owners”.
There have been a lot of numbers thown out on the number of new gun owners but I think a lot of them are way low. It might be a 50% increase over the last four years and I have many friends who have turned into gun owners in the last 4 years, many of them being the type that in the past would never own a gun.
As far as I know the EPA's hands are tied in regards to lead in ammo. That's the ONE thing that congress forbade that the EPA can do anything about.
Could be. I once read that .380 was a "seasaonal" round as the same equipment made other rounds of that caliber (.38, etc)
That or none. You are most likely correct, but . . . if you're wrong the hoarders will have made a good decision.
And to their credit WalMart has not jacked up the price on .22, or at least had not a couple weeks ago.
I received an almost priceless gift from a friend yesterday. Two boxes of .38.
You are right.
The only reason there is bread on the shelves every time you go to the store is because there is bread on the shelves every time you go to the store.
As soon as the supply is disrupted people will buy as much as they can when they can.
The shooting sports director of a Christian Camp I work with is very worried. They go through about 40,000 .22 longs every summer. He can’t get them.
I wish I could get some ...
Or failing that, some IMR 4895 ...
If you have enough to keep in practice until this November, with a bit of margin, you should relax and avoid these panic induced price increases.
Next year about this time there will be lots of cheap ammo.
I have enough for my SKS and shotgun to hold me over for a while. I’m looking to get a ruger 10/22 and will need some ammo for that, but not a lot right away.
But eventually people will just have all they need and the demand should slow down pretty fast. That’s when I’ll buy.
That’s what I’m thinking
I can’t figure out why there’s no .38/.44spl anywhere.
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