No real shortages locally it seems

[Graybeard]

I had to take Faye for her doctor appointment today so on the way back home we dropped into a local gun shop to check out their inventory situation. So many folks have been talking of the shortages they are facing at their local gun stores so I thought I'd see how it is locally. This was my first visit to a gun store this year.

I walked around looking at ammo and reloading supplies and he appeared to be well stocked. The owner Richard is a long time shotgunner so naturally his stock of wingshooting supplies was piled high. He had dozens of cases of shotgun shells in all gauges and various shot sizes and plenty of reloading components to include primers.

His stock of powder was about like it always has been he has never been one to stock huge amounts of powder at least not out in the store tho he might have more in the warehouse area I didn't ask. I did ask about primers tho as I saw not so many other than for shotguns and he said the only item he's really having a problem getting is small rifle primers that other than those he is getting all the primers he needs.

When we moved over to the gun counter it sure was stocked with about all he had room to display and really more than should be on display as he probably had at least 100 or more long guns more than he had holes for in the barrel support racks. His handgun counters were as full as could be without stacking guns on top of guns. I'd say he has a thousand or more firearms on display easily.

I asked about ARs as I noticed he had quite a few on display to include some complete lowers. He said he had a total of 130+ ARs in stock at this time.

If there was a shortage of anything in the store it was not really obvious from a walk thru and the ONLY two items he mentioned when I questioned him about it was small rifle primers and .380 handgun ammo. He has both in stock however and limits customers to one box of .380 ammo per visit.

[Sourdough]

That's what I noticed when I was down in Florida.  Except instead of .380s it was .38spl.

Entirely different here in Alaska.  Few ARs here, and as soon as one comes in it is snatched up.  ARs have become very popular with varmint hunters, which is really growing here.  There is lots of guns on the shelves, just not the popular ones.

Small Rifle Primers are also few and far between, as is powder.  Shipping is our problem that is bottlenecking our supplies.  Since we don't have a railroad from the lower 48, everything has to come up by barge.  The maximum that can be shipped per barge is 400lbs of powder and ammo.  That's not much when it has to supply the entire state.  Small gun dealers and stores are doing OK, their supply is trickling in.  It's the big box stores that are not being supplied since they all have the same local supplier, that is having trouble getting shipments on the barges.   

[Tunaman]

I actually lucked into some primers today. All that the sgop had was 500 each of Large rifle and Large mag rifle, so I picked up a couple of hundred of each and left the rest for someone else. These were the first primers that I have seen in a few months. Maybe things are starting to straighten out.

[victorcharlie]

Maybe, if you got cash, you can get primers?  I mean, if a retail chain is operating on credit, and needs terms, then maybe the manufactures are shipping to those who can pay cash up front rather than taking the risk of getting paid.  Some of the large chains may be over extended with the primer manufactures already.

This probably doesn't apply just to primers but most durable goods?

Cash is king right now.

I have no proof of this, just thinking through the keyboard.

[powderman]

I've waited 5 weeks for some 22LRHPS in Federal bulk pack, walmart has no bulk pack 22 of any brand and very little pistol ammo. POWDERMAN. 

[Mohawk]

  Went to "Cabelas" Saturday south of Austin in Buda and all handgun ammo was limited to two boxes per customer. Very little was left, under 250 rounds total. I grabbed the last two boxes of .38 Special "Buffalo Bore" 158gr. SWCHP they had, $54 for 40 rnds. The guy at the gun counter said the last shipment was only 24 hours old and almost sold out already.

[flintlock]

The problem I have seen here in the Piedmont of NC is that you can find ammo but it may not be what your gun prefers...My Glock 23 prefers the 155gr hp Winchester Silvertips, haven't seen any on shelves in over a year...My .357 prefers the 125 hp Federal Classic, can't find those either...

[Foxxtrot]

What were the prices like? 

Seems that they are much higher and people are starting to balk at buying at a 50% increase from six months ago when they were normal. Supply and demand still seem to work in our United States.

[slim rem 7]

 here in albemarle i know the lady at wally well.. she said the thing to do is get there early in the morning.. they restock at night an
 any 38, .380 an most deer rnds an such are gone by afternoon....
 personally i think america is stocking up for a possible rumble..
 its been way to long for supplier not to have caught up by now..jmo slim

[nw_hunter]

My local gun shops have plenty of shotgun shells and lots of rifles and shotguns. The problem is finding ammo for rimfire and center fire. About the only 22 ammo you can find here is the more expensive match ammo and the garbage Remington thunderbolts, or Federal American eagle. My local discount store only received 10 bricks of the junk thunderbolts last week, and even they were gone in a couple of hours.

The prices have really climbed too! If this is just a problem of panic buying, there will be some good prices on ammo when the scare is over. I'm still not convinced this is the only reason for the shortage.

[Graybeard]

What were the prices like? 

Seems that they are much higher and people are starting to balk at buying at a 50% increase from six months ago when they were normal. Supply and demand still seem to work in our United States.

If that was directed to me prices on ammo and reloading components was nearing the ridiculous level in my opinion. Power was almost $10 a pound more than I was paying a year or two ago. Ammo has almost doubled in price in many cases. Gun prices seemed to be holding fairly steady.

[rockbilly]

I was out and about early this morning to get a haircut, afterwards I made two stores, same story as before, the only primers available were shotgun, limited amounts of powder ( nothing I could use) and the prices are still out of site,  One dealer said he was getting a shipment of primers within the next few days but was going to limit sales to 200 per customer.  He had a few boxes of pistol ammo, no 9mm, no .357 sig, and only one box of premimum .45.

One shop had a few guns, and a very good selection of pistols, mostly Glock, Khar, Springfiels, FN and Tarus.  There were very few Colts, Smiths, etc.  He had two ARs on the shelve, and several bolt action guns of every caliber,  The other dealer was packing for a gun show this week-end, he said he didn't have but 10-12 guns in the shop that belonged to him but had several on consignment.

There are still plenty of guns on Auctionarms and Gunbrokers but they seem awful high to me, it makes me wonder who is paying the high prices for ammo and reloading supplies sold on the sites, I think I will start collecting rocks be4fore I pay $75. for a 1000 small pistol primers.

[bubba]

My local guy I deal with has plenty of stuff on the shelves.  I was there Monday night and purchased 500 large rifle primers for 3 dollars a hundred same as they were before the big scare. He is seeing some unknowns coming in looking for large quantities.  He is limiting sales to them.  He has all of the suppplies out of sight and will only sell 200 at a time to his not regular customers.  A pound of 4895 was 19.95, so I grabbed two of those too.  He has a large selecton of guns and ammo also.  I guess there is an advantage to living in the frozen north other than staying in shape shoveling snow all winter.