9mm Freeze out

[J Galt]

Cameramonkey, you're an outlier. The proverbial "almost no one" that actually changed their behavior. I'm honored to be in the same post as you!

 

[GIJEW]

I too am alarmed at the sudden jump in 9mm. I luckily bought a case just before covid hit. However, it’s not enough to shoot and practice nearly as much as I had planned. Even the 22lr I use is hard to find and if you do it’s getting expensive

reloading is something I don’t tread into lightly. I’ve never been around it and am not eager to work with powder. Doesn’t mean I’ve marked it out, I just know how much capacity I have for new hobbies (none).

im coming to a crossroads. Do I go full in and reload or just scale back the amount I shoot because either way is now too expensive.

Reloaders also have the same issue of maintaining stocks--but of components--and when demand gets crazy, the manufacturers are USING their primers, powder, and bullets, instead of selling them. If you want to really go "off grid" and remain unaffected by periodic shortages, you need to get a flintlock, cast lead balls, and find a source of salt-peter.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Reloaders also have the same issue of maintaining stocks--but of components--and when demand gets crazy, the manufacturers are USING their primers, powder, and bullets, instead of selling them. If you want to really go "off grid" and remain unaffected by periodic shortages, you need to get a flintlock, cast lead balls, and find a source of salt-peter.

OR . . . and hear me out, we could buy it cheap and stack it deep.

 

[Cameramonkey]

OR . . . and hear me out, we could buy it cheap and stack it deep.

Yep. When the skies darken and wind begins to whip is not the time to try to go buy your plywood, batteries, and other hurricane supplies.

And back to this side of the analogy, its already starting to rain.

 

[judgecrater]

Just try to find it, and when you do it's overpriced and they kill you with shipping fees.

We go through this every single election year and after every big shooting and some people never learn. Shortages will happen time after time.
A year ago gun manufactures and ammo stores had trouble giving away their wares. Did you buy then? No you waited till now.

 

[judgecrater]

I have seen you posting about this several times - seems like some just can't learn! I also have stated this when ammo and firearms were dirt cheap. Like you I have no worries about running out of any caliber ammo I regularly shoot. If some that are complaining now would have given up their regular Starbucks or other non-essential costs, they could have bought some bulk ammo and put some back for these times.

I just wonder how many will change when this is over (which may be awhile) and purchase in bulk when it is available and cheap? From what I have seen probably not a large percentage!

I am afraid you are right. We go through this cycle over and over. A year ago when PSA was nearly giving away 22LR I purchase 10,000 rounds. Same with reloading supplies.

 

[JAL]

. . .
How long does it take for mfr to gear up for demand?
. . .

Manufacturers don't have excess manufacturing capacity laying about unused. It's called "waste" - of facility floor spaced - of unused manufacturing lines that must be maintained - of people laying about waiting for dramatically increased demand like the Maytag Repairman. Welcome to "Lean Manufacturing" in which a manufacturer only has and maintains the space, machines and personnel required for their normal demand, running it 24/7 at as close to about 95% capacity as possible - to allow for planned preventive maintenance and the very rare (hopefully never if preventive is done right) unplanned corrective maintenance. There is a predictable and stable consumption rate, until events like the Floyd riots occur. Manufacturers cannot make a business case to spend capital investment to temporarily increase capacity, and then liquidate it all afterward. Too expensive. They'd never get their investment back out much less turn a profit on it (called return on investment, aka ROI). They'd lose money doing it.

This is precisely what occurred with toilet paper. People blamed it on China. TP isn't made in China; its volume per unit price makes it much too expensive to ship across the Pacific to North America. It's made domestically in factories running at 90-95% capacity 24/7. Create a massive run on TP? You're going to have a massive shortage on store shelves. Zero excess capacity to swallow the enormously larger demand.

Went to the local Rural King - near zero pistols, a few revolvers - and near zero ammunition. No shotguns except a couple single shot .410's. A few rifles, but zero AR-15 platform. Not only is there a dearth of ammo of any common type, there's a dearth of firearms.

John

 

[jolly rancher]

I feel sorry for the new shooters who in this year's climate of uncertainty decide that owning at these one firearm is a prudent course of action. They finally jump off the fence or in some case climb over the fence after being strictly opposed to firearms ownership for years. They go to the local Rural King gun counter which in the past was well stocked both with firearms / ammunition and find very little. They finally decided what to purchase and then are surprised by the all of the hoops they have to jump through to be able to walkout the door with their purchase. All they know is what they have gleamed from social and main stream media which is buying a firearm is not much harder then buying a loaf of bread.
Then come the part about finding defensive and practice ammo, they scrounge around and come up with maybe 50 or so rounds of defensive ammo and 50 to 100 rounds of practice ammo. Now the part where things get real, if they are prudent they go to a range for the first time anddiscover that shooting and hitting with any firearm (especially a pistol) is nothing like in a video game or what they see on TV. Take heart newbie but practice and training take time and money. To the rest of you who have been active in the shooting sports since Sandy Hook (remember the close to two year drought) there is little excuse not to be prepared.

 

[Leadeye]

Meh, if I run out of 9mm I'll just shoot another caliber.

 

[HoughMade]

OR . . . and hear me out, we could buy it cheap and stack it deep.

By the end of the first week I owned a 9mm pistol, I also owned several thousand rounds of various types from various manufacturers. I thought everyone did this.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Meh, if I run out of 9mm I'll just shoot another caliber.

7.62x25 still seems to be plentiful. And actually it's a pretty capable round. It's just that the firearms that shoot it are less than ideal.

 

[shibumiseeker]

By the end of the first week I owned a 9mm pistol, I also owned several thousand rounds of various types from various manufacturers. I thought everyone did this.

I bought 50k primers at one point when a dealer was selling them at $9/k shipped about 8-10 years ago. That was ONE of my buys. I reload 300BLK for about 3-4 cents a round because I cast my own boolits and make my cases from .223 that has neck splits and bought powder and primer cheap IN BETWEEN shortages where prices jumped 10 fold. I can shoot several magazines of .22lr a day for the rest of my projected life and not buy a single round. I have a PCP air rifle that shoots 230gr .45 boolits I've cast that I refill using a hand pump which quit literally costs me so little to shoot I can't even calculate it (way less than a penny a round) because I catch the lead in a bullet trap.

Every time I bought a new caliber, reloading dies were also purchased.

Did I do all of this because I am rich? Nope. Because I am cheap. I don't earn a lot of money, but like with every consumable item, buy it cheap and stack it deep. I used to buy a little extra of stuff when I bought and windfall money got dumped into a pile to wait for deals on bulk. Now I'm old enough that I'm only occasionally buying replacement stuff and will just shoot up my stock over the next 20-30 years. I have zero sympathy for people who had an opportunity last year to stock up when stuff was plentiful, and I'll have zero sympathy for those same folks whining now when six months or a year from now when prices drop again who fail to learn.

 

[jglevyjr]

I've had no problem at all loading all the 9mm ammo I want (Dillon 550b). Source: Bobcat Armament, Shelbyville IN.

 

[gmcttr]

By the end of the first week I owned a 9mm pistol, I also owned several thousand rounds of various types from various manufacturers. I thought everyone did this.

Earlier this year I picked up several cases/flats of 12ga before I had decided which shotgun to get.

 

[nonobaddog]

What’s the point in trying to get all into 9mm technology when there’s no ammo to be had? Are we getting starved out? How long does it take for mfr to gear up for demand? At what point do shooters abandon 9mm for more available ammo?

New 9mm technology? I hope they are finally going to take my suggestions and make cartridges using bacon instead of brass. It would be so nice to be able to pick up some hot pieces of bacon and nibble at the range.

 

[ashby koss]

New 9mm technology? I hope they are finally going to take my suggestions and make cartridges using bacon instead of brass. It would be so nice to be able to pick up some hot pieces of bacon and nibble at the range.

bacon 12ga. More bacon.

 

[Lee11b]

Diversity.... life gives you no lemons, drink iced tea. Can't find 9mm, buy a 40 or 45....bigger holes and a little more bang!!!!!

 

[rjsone]

Sportsman’s Guide now has Gen 5 Glock 19s in stock.

 

[rjsone]

Sportsman’s Guide now has Gen 5 Glock 19s in stock.

Aaand they’re gone.

 

[JettaKnight]

Welp. 9mm is dead.


Y'all can drop off all your worthless 9mm handguns at my house.