We are not too surprised to hear that the rumors about the government taking all the ammo are blown a little out of proportion. Despite huge efforts, there is escalating demand, there are shortages, and prices are soaring. The political climate we've endured over this past election is obvious, and the change of guard has many millions (see No. Ammo will come back. People never heard of quarantines and it scared them," Benoit said. How we got here is obvious to most industry observers. They and other companies are making all they can and the new Remington owners are adding at least one plant to meet the demand. It begins all of the way back at the mines for raw materials. Yet in many parts of the country, people are reporting encouraging signs boxes of hard-to-find calibers have been showing up again on store shelves. It simply seems there was a perfect storm for disaster on the ammo supply front with multiple factors . About one-fifth of these buyers were first-time purchasers, and the gun purchase trend continued until the end of 2021. Production facilities churning out loads with broad appeal for civilians and military and law enforcement the .223, 9mm, .45, and .308get priority for limited components and congested loading lines. The ammunition shortage of 2020 is staggering but manufacturers are putting out more ammo than ever before. The reality that you only hunt deer with Dad's .30-06 and shoot 150-grain silvertips may be coming to an end. I guess some folks may have wondered aloud why Hornady would continue to sell T-shirts during an ammo shortage, instead of concentrating on making ammunition. 9mm - These will be hit or miss, at the stores usually a miss. Early on, I bought 1000 rounds each of 9x19 and 5.56mm. He thinks the days of hoarding are over. Please keep that in mind while searching (and overpaying) for ammo. I know many of you, especially those new to firearms; have grown very frustrated by it. The tsunami of misinformation drowned out common . Tyler Freel. According to the New York Times, American gun buyers increased from 5.3% in 2019 to 6.5% in 2020 (17 million buyers). That uneasiness has led to the next reason . But it sure would be nice if all ammo prices werent perpetually on the rise, wouldnt it? Recall in the early days of the Covid-19 lockdowns how crazy we all were for toilet paper? Best is once the craziness subsides, buy a box or so every now and then so as to keep a small stockpile and consider using an airsoft or pellet gun around the house for sight alignment and trigger control practice. Morehouse notes that pre-pandemic, he sold 500-packs of .22 long rifle ammo for $20. Our new gun owners are a factor, but hoarding may be a bigger concern. . The compact variant measures 53.2x10x10 inches and weighs in at 80 pounds. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. We choose to play the long game and keep our price structure consistent, but these things cause dealers to pass along their increased costs, which raises prices to consumers.. Outfitter is by far the beefiest selection. Im interviewing the head of another big ammo manufacturer next week so let me know any questions that didnt get answered in this one. Considering that every loaded round of ammunition consists of four basic partshull or cartridge, primer, propellent, and projectilethen the compounding problem of component availability becomes easier to recognize. Another day it might be absorbing a jump in the commodity price of copper, the metal that Barnes, as a pioneer in the non-lead ammunition movement, requires for many of its products. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (CT). [comment from reader who asked me to post for him] Great article Emily, which helps defuse all the conspiracy theories. So, if a box of 9mm ammo retails at $25, but people are willing to pay $50, then thats what its worth. The simple answer demand. The current bullet shortage is due to ripple effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors discussed below: Gun buyers must undergo a background check when buying guns from a licensed firearms dealer. If you have the capital right now to get into a premium loader, its a pretty quick return on the investment.. Have you lost your mind?. Note. It's all foriegn ammo Russian or Turkish. Also, you might want to skip hunting trips until ammo supplies return to normal. Hornady also addresses some of the rumors around the ammunition shortage; assuring customers that there isn't a government conspiracy to buy up ammo and keep it off the civilian market. With COVID challenges, costs have gone up and prices have increased, but, at the manufacturer level that is maybe 10-15 percent. The consistent message: Dont buy more ammo than you need!. Gun . If we got a box, we sold it for maybe twice what it was worth pre-Covid. said that is not true. Ammunition maker Hornady saw their biggest sales month ever in March, and marketing director Neil Davies called it a "watershed . Nosler also loads for the Grendel now. The shortage in ammo should not be a mystery to anyone. We appreciate your patience. However, for me, its not enough to just own firearms, I want everyone to enjoy shooting and become proficient. [The problem] is actually a massive increase in demand, on an unprecedented scale. Why is There an Ammo Shortage? The Lock-N-Load Light Strip adds light to the bench. Its the same for all of us in manufacturing. Headquartered in Shreveport, Sports South is Americas largest sporting goods distributor, handling a large percentage of all ammunition sold. Im not prepared to tell anyone how much ammunition should be on hand for home and personal defense, or to attain and maintain proficiency. 7.6239 - 122 gr FMJ - WOLF - 1000 Rounds/20 Rounds - Best Budget Ammo. Of course, inflation and scarcity have driven up the price of most consumer goods, from refrigerators to baseball gloves to eggs, but the $21 billion gun and ammunition industry in the U.S. has grown 5.6 percent annually since 2018, according to business analysts. "Again, it's the law of supply and demand." You might see some extremely minor variation, but it was no more than the standard deviations you might see from lot to lot in just about any factory ammunition.. But Hornady and other ammo makers are doing all they can to make ammo as fast as they can. Also the manufacturers are producing pistols with shorter trigger reaches such as the Sig 365 that better fit them to smaller hands. Lets examine these. The ammo shortage has been a blast for several firearm manufacturers. Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Another day it might be negotiating terms with the distributors who put boxes of the companys bullets on the shelves of retailers like Morehouse. Shooters hoarded ammunition not only out of concern for personal protection in unsettled civil society, but also as a sort of hard currency; in case the economy collapsed they could always trade ammunition for food and services. Most sectors of the American economy, from restaurants to aviation, are pinched between erratic supply and uncertain demand, both of which are further confounded by inflation. Recreational and practical applications abound with these .22 caliber handguns. Facing off in a handgun challenge featuring the smallest professional-grade enclosed red dot sight on the market, Eric and Tom put the Acro P-2 to the distance test by doing a walk-back challenge. Distributors and manufacturers are being approached by dealers and opportunists offering to pay more in order to get extra and to get priority in allocation. All the other 12-13 smaller ammo manufactures such as Fort Scott Munitions, Black Hills, PMC, Lake City etc. The 15-grain bullet is a real rocket, blistering along at 3,300 ft/s from the 24" test barrel. Even though Obama never passed any significant gun control laws, firearm manufacturers still could not keep up with the spike in demand, leading to ammo shortages. Colt Model 1861 Special Musket: What's Its Value? There are a number of reasons for the ammo shortage. Since that time, Hornady has invested in more employees, shifts, and enhanced machines. Others are dependent on global supply chains that have been stressed with Covid-related closures, spiking transportation prices, and unexpected events like the war in Ukraine that has consumed a shocking percentage of the worlds munitions and components. I know the basis for the claim, says one ammunition manufacturer. Wanting ammo when you cant buy it except at inflated prices from certain nefarious sources is really frustrating. And of course this years flavor is the 7mm PRC, which was the talk of last months SHOT Show in Las Vegas, where I conducted many of these interviews. In previous events, the supply of mainstay hunting rounds was a little strained, but you could still find something to hunt with. We'll all remember 2020 for COVID-19, as well as the volatile presidential election. But if thats what your business relies on, then you find a way to make it work. The ammo shortage has been so dramatic with empty shelves and online stores that some people believe the manufacturers are holding back supply to increase prices and take advantage of people. I had peoplecustomers Ive known for 30 yearscome into the store and tell me that they had 50,000 primers, but they were looking to buy more, says Morehouse. Put it this way, we cant hire enough people quickly enough.. Current Ammo Situation. For example, the average velocity of a 9mm 115 Grain bullet is around 1,200 FT/S, while the 115 Grain .38 Super is over 1,400 FT/S. Hornady Ammo Shortage: 'Doing Everything We Can'. Id guess .30/06 has doubled in price, but if youre talking premium factory loads, its a three-fold increase, and its really not going down.. Best Solutions To The Ammo Shortage. Currently, the U.S. government has implemented sanctions that restrict the importation of Russian ammunition. I see this as a good thing: Millions more voting-age Americans exercising their Second Amendment freedoms. All projectiles ship in 50-round boxes. The industry has done a pretty good job; estimates are that every manufacturer is up 30 to 50 percent. //CRO classes for Join Our Inner Circle popup Were in reaction mode, just trying to keep up with changing situations almost on a daily basis, says Michael Painter, director of marketing and product management for Barnes Bullets. And now they buy whatever is there. Note that this data does not cover people who got guns without undergoing a background check, such as through gifts and gun ownership transfers. I didnt receive it, so in 2021 they said I should back up my order, just to make sure I was in line. One of the ways that American brands are getting byand one of the more closely kept secrets of the ammunition industryis that competing manufacturers frequently trade components in order to keep their production lines moving. Maybe not all loads. An unprecedented number of new gun owners have joined our ranks. The demand for ammo and reloading supplies continues to skyrocket. The executive of one ammo brand even asked me if I could help broker primer sales from other sources for this story. According to an FBI report, the background checks performed in 2020 and 2021 surpassed each previous year by over 10 million. Truthfully, the process for building a new ammo plant could take months or even years. Alex Robinson Winchester's military contract brings up an important point for larger ammunition manufacturers like Federal, Remington, and Hornady amid the ammo shortage: their production is split between civilian consumers like you and me . Jasons grandfather started the bullet company in 1949. Thats just not manageable for most small retailers. You could still find something to hunt with it this way, we cant hire enough people enough. Like morehouse ammo shortage has been a blast for several firearm manufacturers U.S. government has sanctions... 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