Walmart -- In the Middle of Pennsylvania

[Heavyopp 167]

I was out in Muncy Pa this weekend working on a winter project. Got done a little early today so I decided to see 1st hand how bad the ammo supply was at Walmart.

 

This walmart is located at the Buckhorn exit, off rt 80, #232 Right around Bloomsburg.

 

It was a little disturbing to see the ammo shelves. Bare -- Had some 30-06 and .270 win and thats about it --

 

They had more of an assortment of shotgun shells -- all 12 gauge

 

The disturbing part was, How many people where there looking for ammo -- I stood at the cabinet for about 4 minutes, making sure I didn't miss a bulk pack of .22's and at least 7 others stopped by to check. The ones that spoke -- all looking for .22 rimfire

 

It's gonna be a long summer -- I thought I had a decent supply of .22 bulk packs, Now I'm not so sure

[Underdog 1,316]

In our heartland, there is more to this ammunition shortage. Something else is going on besides the mad rush to the stores. This are certainly a contributing factor, but I fear only part of it. It just seems like the industry could gear up to meet the demand much better than it is doing. So, why isn't it?

 

This doesn't feel the same as what happened in 2008-2009. The Government claims it is buying up bulk ammunition to keep costs down, but it is buying it up to create an ammo shortage, and/or it knows in the near future that ammunition will not be available. This shortage will eventually shut down many of the distributors, ranges, etc. that rely on the sale and use of ammunition. New regulations will be put in place with too many hoops for new places to open up, and financial institutions controlled by the government won't provide loans, etc. to the capitalists that would emerge.

 

Given the fact that our government and its international friends, through their actions, have all-but outwardly stated that they are actively working toward disarmament of the people, we should be conserving what ammunition we have! It's gonna be a long hard spring, summer, and then of course the fall followed by a long, hard winter of discontent.

[Night Prowler 0]

Gun control without legislation.

[Candide 0]

Guys, they are making ammo as fast as they can. We bought everything. Even the stuff that was warehoused. Basically a years worth of ammo in a month.

 

The machines can only run so fast. Even if they said, hey lets buy some more machines to increase production capacity how long do you think it will take to get those machines? It's not like the machines just have to be bought and set up. They have to be manufactured. Could be 6 months from ordering one until its built,delivered, and set up.

 

They also have to fulfill current contracts, then allot the rest of the time to ammo for us. How long do you think it takes to manufacture all that ammo that was bought? Its going to be awhile.

[mipafox 436]

The disturbing part was, How many people where there looking for ammo --  I stood at the cabinet for about 4 minutes, making sure I didn't miss a bulk pack of .22's and at least 7 others stopped by to check.  The ones that spoke -- all looking for .22 rimfire

 

 

Ammo zombies, AKA "Shamblers." Yeah, it's not pretty. I try to stay away from the ammo section.

 

<p>

In our heartland, there is more to this ammunition shortage. Something else is going on besides the mad rush to the stores. This are certainly a contributing factor, but I fear only part of it. It just seems like the industry could gear up to meet the demand much better than it is doing. So, why isn't it?

 

 

It took them 2 years starting 2008, why do you think they should be able to do it in two months in 2013? It's going to take a couple years to get completely back to normal.

[Babyface Finster 45]

Guys, they are making ammo as fast as they can. We bought everything. Even the stuff that was warehoused. Basically a years worth of ammo in a month.

 

The machines can only run so fast. Even if they said, hey lets buy some more machines to increase production capacity how long do you think it will take to get those machines? It's not like the machines just have to be bought and set up. They have to be manufactured. Could be 6 months from ordering one until its built,delivered, and set up.

 

They also have to fulfill current contracts, then allot the rest of the time to ammo for us. How long do you think it takes to manufacture all that ammo that was bought? Its going to be awhile.

 

All true. Also, there is an assumption that when there is a shortage of something that the manufacturer automatically tries to increase capacity. Not so.

 

Increases of capacity can cost an exorbitant amount of money. A single new machine can be over a million dollars. New employees require training which costs money. Building expansions are expensive and often cause a disruption in business. Etc.

 

If the ammo manufacturers believe (like I do) that this shortage is temporary, they would be foolish to increase capacity.

[spacemanvic 0]

Im in SW PA, Bloomsburg is considered the eastern part of PA LOL.

 

That said, I do some work for an LGS. Ammo is on short supply for at least 6 months, 9months for powder, bullets, primer and brass. Brass has become expensive of late. At one point, 22LR was in short supply from GA to PA. At a small though very busy LGS in rural PA, there is a sign for 22LR bulk that reads: One box per Family per week. The price for the CCI bulk box is now up to $31.00 for 550ct. The pistol shelves are bare, as are the racks that held ARs. Shotguns and muzzle loaders are in good supply. Been eying an model 320 Security pump for about $220, but Ive been holding on to the cash for folding money/ammo money when it becomes available.

 

The local Walmart has bare shelves, one or two boxes here and there. All PD ammo is gone, no 22LR. Shotgun shells are starting to go down, as are 30-30 stocks. The shortage is all over ladies and gentlemen.

[svt3183 14]

DE walmart is the same...BARE

[Heavyopp 167]

Im in SW PA, Bloomsburg is considered the eastern part of PA LOL.

 

 

 

It sure doesn't seem like it when your driving there but you're right -- It's only 2 hours into PA for me and definitely on the eastern half of the state --- Still no ammo

[jdubsss 0]

If nothing else this taught me a lesson I wish I would have learned earlier... when ammo is finally available at a reasonable price I'll be sure to have MUCH MORE than I need should SHTF for every caliber of gun I have. Pretty much a basic and I fk'd up this time. Never again.

[mipafox 436]

If nothing else this taught me a lesson I wish I would have learned earlier... when ammo is finally available at a reasonable price I'll be sure to have MUCH MORE than I need should SHTF for every caliber of gun I have.  Pretty much a basic and I fk'd up this time.  Never again.

 

Everybody says 1000 rounds per front line gun but I think it's more like 3-4,000.  And I have more.

 

1000 rounds for shooting

 

1000 rounds for shooting while looking and waiting for ammo deals

 

1000 to never shoot but have around

 

1000 rounds Restricted for Government Use Only

[Zell959 40]

The shortage is pretty much entirely explainable by exponential growth in demand. Pre-crisis, most gun owner's ammo buying habbits fell in 1 of 4 general categories

 

1) Regularly buys ammo by the case for the purposes of stockpiling or maintaining supply for high-volume shooting pursuits (Competition, training, etc)

2) Regularly buys ammo by the box or periodically buys by the case for the purposes of stockpiling or maintianing supply for moderate-volume of shooting

3) Regularly buys small amouts of ammo for shooting at the range, but generally shoots what they buy and doesn't keep much ammo on hand at a given time.

4) Seldom buys ammo and only goes to the range a few times a year, if at all.

 

I won't claim to know exactly what percent of gun owners fall into what category, but I'd be shocked if more than 1/3 of owners had the buying habits of those in category 1 or 2. I'd also be shocked if those in groups 1 & 2 accounted for anything less than 60% of total civilian ammunition sales. I.E., I believe the majority of pre-crisis ammunition supply levels represented an equiplibrium where the majority of gun owners weren't buying all that much ammo.

 

Now, things have changed and virtually all gun owners have the level of buying interest that was previously limited to the minority of category 1 & 2 buyers. That's an absolute explosion of demand from a numbers standpoint. Think about it this way: Many owners previously content to just have two boxes of 9mm on hand are looking to buy a case or more whenever ammo becomes available, which is a 1,000%+ increase in their demand for ammo. And that level of increase in demand is not uncommon at all. It's virtually impossible to adequately maintain the supply of ANYTHING with those kinds of spikes in purchasing habits.

[mipafox 436]

I think Zell is right on the money.

[GRIZ 2,842]

Panic buying that creates a shortage is not new. Johnny Carson created a toilet paper shortage by telling one joke in the early 70s. That lasted a month or so. There was the primer shortage that lasted about a year when Clinton was elected.

 

Convince people that they need something and won't be able to get it and you'll sell out. This is nothing new. This applies to everything and is is a PR person's dream. In 1964, Ford dealers had 6-12 months of orders with cash deposits for the new Mustang and people didn't even know what the car looked like. This is a car and not needed to sustain life. This just illustrates what people will do.

 

Zell is correct. I guess people who felt they were prepared need to reassess their situations.

[mipafox 436]

This is why there should be tax on people that don't keep enough ammo around. It costs all of us. Have Obama pass that.

[va_bank 0]

Convince people that they need something and won't be able to get it and you'll sell out.

 

+1.

 

I really don't think the government is buying all the ammo and stashing it in some warehouse just for the purpose of us not getting any. All the non-military calibers are gone too.