Ammo rationing at Wal-Mart as panic buying sweeps US

The USA is suffering the most severe ammunition famine in living memory. Gun fanciers, fearing a Democrat crackdown on every American's right to pack heat, are clearing shelves at ammo shops and hoarding cartridges.

AP reports that the Remington Arms Company's factory in North Carolina is now working around the clock trying to supply insatiable demand for rifle, pistol and shotgun cartridges.

"We've had to add a fourth shift and go 24-7," Remington spokesman Al Russo told the news wire. "It's a phenomenon that I have not seen before in my 30 years in the business."

The shortages are so bad that retail globocorp Wal-Mart has been forced to introduce rationing at the ammo counter in many of its stores. Depending on calibre, customers may be limited to purchases of just 50 rounds at a time. Apparently, classic .45 ACP pistol ammunition is especially scarce - a fairly good indication that it is in fact conservative Middle America rather than, say, inner-city criminals buying up all the ammo*.

www.theregister.co.uk...

Well I hope everyone's been stocking up because it seems that pretty soon you may not be able to find ammo at all.

Prepare and be safe!

I was pretty taken aback when WalMart told me I could only buy one box of .22's a few weeks ago but dismissed it as big-box nonsense.

Then last week when my local gun shop staffed by folks Ive been doing business with on a fist name basis for a long while now refused me a case quantity sale and limited me to a couple of boxes.

I was kicking myself for not getting to the range as often as I used to and now I'm thinking it must have been fate keeping me from frivolously wasting my stock of ammo.

How is a competative shooter, one that counts on having the same "lot #" supposed to get enough of the same ammo to continue shooting tourneys.

I only have this problem with .22 cal the others can be reloaded and I prefer it that way, but you can't reload a .22

reply to post by warrenb


Picked up 2 boxes of .40 cal last week.

Didn't have a problem here in Utah.

I have been stocking up since last summer(election time), I took all the warnings seriously. And now, here on the central coast of California its been very hard to find any major calibers. I still go out at least once or twice a week in search of ammo. sometimes i am able to find a box of something here and there. But for the most part it is dry very dry. I feel for my brother who did not listen to me, he just got a new .45 and has not been able to really even fire it. He is sitting on a box of 100 jhp. Better than nothing I guess. My advice if you see your cal. ammo buy it, regardless of the cost. I have been buying high end ammo ($40 for a box of 25) because sometimes thats all thats left on shelves.

Same story in Ohio - ammo shortages everywhere. I was, and always have been, smart enough to have what I need on hand at any given time and immediately replenish every round the same day it is spent. I've also noticed a decrease in persons at the local ranges. I suspect people are reluctant to use ammo on practice when they have no idea whether or not they can replenish.

What nation needs to enact unpopular Gun Control legislation when you can just restrict the supply of Ammunition? After all, it's not guns that kill people, but bullets that kill people. Why would a Democratic controlled government worry about Guns if the Ammunition used in those Guns were unavailable?

Although, in all likelihood the Ammunition shortage is a contrived one by the manufacturers. They create artificial shortages to increase demand and buying frenzies, and neither the retailers nor the consumers bat a single eyelash when the manufacturers jack up the prices of their next shipment...and if the limited supplies they trickle out to the public sell out then they just repeat and rinse.

We have seen articles about Ammo shortages repeatedly over the course of the last 11 months. If the shortage wasn't contrived don't you think that the Ammo manufacturers would have ramped up production to meet this unprecedented demand so that they could capitalize on it and profit thereby?

Something is amiss, and it's either the fat wanting to get fatter or politicians working behind the scenes. Either way, the shortage isn't just consequential due to people hoarding.

Originally posted by fraterormus
What nation needs to enact unpopular Gun Control legislation when you can just restrict the supply of Ammunition? After all, it's not guns that kill people, but bullets that kill people. Why would a Democratic controlled government worry about Guns if the Ammunition used in those Guns were unavailable?

Although, in all likelihood the Ammunition shortage is a contrived one by the manufacturers. They create artificial shortages to increase demand and buying frenzies, and neither the retailers nor the consumers bat a single eyelash when the manufacturers jack up the prices of their next shipment...and if the limited supplies they trickle out to the public sell out then they just repeat and rinse.

We have seen articles about Ammo shortages repeatedly over the course of the last 11 months. If the shortage wasn't contrived don't you think that the Ammo manufacturers would have ramped up production to meet this unprecedented demand so that they could capitalize on it and profit thereby?

Something is amiss, and it's either the fat wanting to get fatter or politicians working behind the scenes. Either way, the shortage isn't just consequential due to people hoarding.

As someone who has first hand knowledge of what is happening in the "gun world" I can tell you that it is NOT a contrived shortage!
It started with the AK47 ammo about 2 YEARS before Obama was elected. Gun shop and Gun show rumors that there was to be a shortage of AK47 ammo CREATED the shortage!

Now what happened on election was a little different. People just outright panicked! I saw firsthand how Joe Six Pack would walk into a store and buy every single bullet of every single caliber that he shot.
Typically, panic buying like this subsides after a few months....but not this time. This time people are buying like their is a revolution on the horizon. If anything, that's your conspiracy right there!

We're months past the obama panic buying, this is still an issue because people are stocking up for survival, not politics. It seems quite a few people see trouble on the horizon.

I don't know what to say about buying ammo from walmart. You can still order 1000 round lots from cheaper than dirt and other online retailers. I've even noticed the bulk pricing has gotten better recently on some calibers, .223 was a big surprise but I'm not complaining.

I have plenty of ammo stocked up and packed for long term storage and can get as much range use ammo as I need. I think the problem with places like Walmart is because of the way they purchase stock. They order a year's worth ahead of time and demand huge discounts for buying in such large quantities. That model is not going to handle sudden and extended peaks of demand well.

CTD and other online sources have plenty of everything in lots as small as 10 rounds up to 1000 so maybe it's more about knowing where to shop?

After making 4-5 calls I came to the conclusion this is only a wall mart policy, not anyone elses!
Eleys exact words were give me your tax ID # and tell us how many cases you desire to own!

Me, being a resident of another country, I am wondering WHY you Americans are buying like crazy?

Is there some civil war coming to you dwelling or something similar? Preparing for what? I find it fascinating.

Please explain

reply to post by warrenb



Its mostly .45 I believe. I can't find much of it anywhere. But 7.62, .223 is pretty easy to get ahold of now, while it wasn't several months ago. I think the first rush was survivalist types. They bought up all the cheap rifle ammo...

Now its more conservatives as the article notes.

But criminals use .45 as well.

reply to post by bskivss3


I believe it is really fears of increased crime, civil war.

It could be also just some guys trying to practice shooting, but there's still short supply due to the initial rush just before, and several months after Obama came in office.

reply to post by bskivss3


hard to say really. people are afraid, really afraid, as long as ive been alive (27) ive never heard of this happening before... then again ive never been so afraid of my government before either... 9-11 definately changed things.. but not how "they" wanted it to..

There have been shortages around here for going on a year now. None of the big sporting goods stores can keep pistol caliber ammunition in stock. The gun stores have had limited supplies and limited they number of boxes can buy off and on since before the election. People have been stocking up. I've been stocking up alongside them. This is a message that politicians should be paying close attention to- but one I am afraid is being ignored.

One of these days, something is going to give, and it is going to get real bad, real fast. A civil war in the United States in this day and age would be a bloodbath beyond comprehension.

This is supposed to be easing up! A friend of mine in the industry told me that Israel had contracted with all the primer makers, and basically demanded so many primers that none of the manufacturers had any capacity left for retail sales! The limiting factor is Primers!

Therefore, even reloading will soon be difficult to accomplish!

According to my friend, some of the contracts expire at the end of this year, and the supply should come around, unless they enter new contracts, which seems very likely!

These guys create ammo right here in Georgia, they are at all the gunshows, and they have assured me that they can supply as much ammo as I need! I have heard a few people complain that the ammo is dirtier than brand name stuff, but I have never once had a misfire, so I don't mind cleaning a little more often!

www.georgia-arms.com...

good read, thanks for posting...
and I never thought differently, I always knew it was Middle America being silent but deadly as usual. Nothing new...
I just dont recall a time in our history where some crack pot didnt pop off a few rounds at someone important.. times have never been in more peral than now. all I can say is .Dont Tread On Me. and you guys just keep pushing , when we begin to push back, we will not stop till all bastions of this criminal enterprise is gone. so take it any way you want to take it. it is what is and it aint the same game no more. wouldnt you have to agree...?

[edit on 28-9-2009 by Anti-Evil]

For an outsider from the USA, livin in the UK,

I must say it seems stange to me to go to a supermarket like walmart or "asda" here and buy bullets.

Do you get points for them on your cards to like nectar or reward cards or two for one offers?

Is it like alcohol just sold openly in the shopping lines?

I suppose to that you can Ammo at 18? but no alcohol until 21? in Walmart.

Wow

I am not sure if it is a good thing or a bad thing having no Guns here if real political repression starts or state control.

Personally it is good whilst at least the illusion of freedom as long as you compy is the status quo...

An outsiders musings and thoughts.

Elf

reply to post by MischeviousElf


Not quite.. I really don't know if there are any regulations to it. Ive seen some places where they kept all their stuff behind the counter, and then some really cheap shotgun rounds over near the hunting stuff.

Then a lot of gun shops have it all behind the counter.

Then there is cabella's with about 6 rows of ammunition stocks laid out openly on shelves. (Half of their shotguns are on shelves, in the open near the counter.) But Cabella's is a HUGE store.

Most places don't sell ammunition. Although Walmart is one of those chains that does "everything" and they usually offer ammo at good prices. but the only one I've been to never carries anything I want.