Have you ever had someone call you to give you alarming news that turned out to be completely unfounded? It's not much of an issue unless one acts on the news, spends a pile of money for instance, only to find out there was no real reason for it in the first place. It's happened to me a few times. Today was not one of them.
A mate of mine called today, a fellow who is not one to overstate things. This chap is ex-military, is frugal with words, doesn't like idle talk and when he speaks I listen.
He works at a gun shop and called to tell me about impending shortages on ammunition and ammunition-making components: Gun powder, projectiles, cases and primers. Considering they're the four components that combine to create ammunition, hereafter called a rounds, I took him seriously.
It was coincidental also that I spoke to a chap in America today on Discord who said similar things, and much worse actually. So, maybe there was something in it.
I rang another mate and posed the question; That guy is a gun dealer and not a day goes by that he's not on the phone or interwebs to America...He said the same thing. OK, I'm on board. I believe you.
Federal large rifle primers, Hornady Vmax 87gr projectiles and ADI 2209 gun powder ready to be turned into .243 rounds.
I shoot a lot and and can often be found making ammunition for rifle and handgun use. Hardly a week goes by in which I'm not doing one element of the process and my stock of ammunition is kept at acceptable levels for my needs. A shortage of components is not going to help that though and so I made some calls and grabbed some stuff.
I got two kilograms each of three different gun powders, 5,000 9mm projectiles, 1,000 6.5mm projectiles, 1,500 .243 projectiles, 5,000 small pistol primers and 3,000 large rifle primers. I have loads of empty brass so didn't get any.
It cost me...Well, let's just say it cost me a lot. It sort of sucked too because usually that cost would be spread over about a year or so...Hmm, I'm trusting you here that you'll not tell my wife Faith...She will not be well-pleased.
I'm happy as Larry though as I'll hopefully avoid any shortage-shenanigans that may come our way...I'm assuming it has something to do with the stockpiling that has been taking place in America for months and continues to this day. There's some rather disturbing rumblings bubbling to the surface out of America currently so it makes sense supply is slowing up I think.
Here's a couple .243 rounds ready for culling duties.
I don't know what's going on around the place, does anyone truly know? But I get the feeling something is brewing, and I'm not talking about beer. I know so many sheeple like the stick head in sand and ignore it strategy but that's not my style...I'm more interested in action.
For me...Well, I always have plenty of rounds made for the calibres of firearms I own. Enough for a year of shooting is the guidelines for an acceptable amount according to the government so that's how much I have. Like I said, I shoot a lot so have a lot.
I think today was a necessary thing and whilst people are trying to keep these purported shortages quiet I think it won't be long until shops are cleaned out. Just saying.
Anyway, I got my stuff and if there's shortages I'll be covered for this year and most of next year if my shooting operations are the same as my current operational tempo...And if there's no shortages then I'll probably not have to buy any more for a while or so.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised.
Be well
Discord: galenkp#9209
So many paper cuts.
The govern-cement military used to sell used brass.
Now, they cannot sell it into The US market, and instead ship it to China.
Gun stores, gun manufacturers, etc... are finding themselves deplatformed from monetary institutions. This is disruptive to the flow of goods, and has put a stranglehold on increasing production. You would think that any bank would look at the increasing sales and say, hell yeah, you can have a loan... but they are not.
And more regulations... that smell of just time wastement.
And all kinds of govern-cement agencies stock piling ammunition. Agencies that you didn't think would be armed. I expect to hear The US postal service to be ordering billions of rounds in upcoming news.
Gun ownership is being attacked from all sides.
Smart...Ship brass to China so they can make ammo and send it back when we're at war. Australia did that with the Japanese, pig iron, before World War Two...The Japanese sent it back...From their bombers.
Yeah, you know...I didn't think of the shortages from that perspective to be honest...Another form of control. Have your guns, but there's no ammo to run through them. Yep, that makes sense. Attack the manufacturer and before long there's no supply. It is a string case for casting one's own projectiles like @smithlabs does but still, powder, brass and projectiles become a problem. It's not a god sign I guess.
Thanks for opening up another train of though. Much appreciated.
!ENGAGE 25
ENGAGEtokens.Hey, @galenkp.
I don't have guns, so ammo or gun availability isn't something I have my ear to the ground on as readily as other things. I do have a text into a friend, @bbrewer, to see what he says.
Okay, he just confirmed it. Been going on for months, he says, the worst it's been. Which I remember it wasn't good for quite a bit of the Obama administration for one reason or another.
The pandemic has hit quite a few industries, some of which don't seem to be even that connected, like toilet paper, but people don't really need much to get going any more. There's been enough going on that FOMO and FUD is almost a way of life.
That said, I think this new round of stockpiling is the culmination of things. We just had an election where one party more or less controls the executive and legislative branches, and could by adding a couple of seats, swing the Supreme Court, too. That makes people really nervous because it's generally held that when liberals are in power, the guns are on the chopping block. They have to get through the second amendment to do it, though, but that doesn't mean they can't try to find other ways, through regulations or using a mass shooting incident.
The riots that took place last year—I'm talking about the ones where businesses got burned and private citizens were affected for months—certainly didn't help. Something else is on the horizon, though, and I think it's going to cause the most pain of all.
I don't know if you've heard of Harry Dent, but he's been trying to get people's attention now for years that a financial crisis the likes of which we've never seen is going to happen, and soon. He was predicting it to occur somewhere between 2017 and mid-2020. While some stuff did, not on the scale he's talking about. Basically, we'll look back on the Great Depression as good times.
All financial sectors will be hit. Even crypto (or at least BitCoin), and some won't recover. Meaning, the highs they've hit now won't be seen again for at least a generation, if then. Housing or real estate is the primary target. Bitcoin and crypto will come back, he says, but it will be a painful couple of years once this hits.
If/when all of that happens (I don't know when, but there's only so much quantitative easing central banks can do until it all flushes), it will be staggering. Dent is now predicting it will happen by April. Markets won't crash all at once, but once they get rolling, it will keep going well into 2023 (if it happens that quickly).
So, all of or any one of those things could be at play. Something is coming. It's just not, in my mind, civil war. At least not as a consequence of the so-called far right seizing the government. It might come after weeks/months of food, fuel, and energy shortages, though.
The question, as always is, when? And then, what to do about it, when virtually nothing is safe. Dent's saying hold 30 year Treasury bonds for two years. But he's also saying the dollar won't be around in 30 years, at least not as we know it now, so as I said, a lot could be happening in a relatively short period of time. Or not.
A bleak perspective Glen, but one I concur with. I started saying financial-apocalypse three years ago and whilst it hasn't been an instantaneous thing the signs are there...It's lie you say with the markets...One, then another and another...Gains momentum and then a freefall occurs. The same will happen in society Glen. In my opinion.
I remember @bbrewer, a bit of an outdoorsman if I recall, hunter, fisherman...Seems a legit dude and I'm not surprised he confirmed the shortages. It's a gun-control measure to some degree, the lack of supply, and also I guess I can't blame people for giving in to their FOMO.
Yes, a bleak picture and one I'm preparing around, attempting to mitigate (as much as possible) and working around. I htink it's just smart right?
Thanks for your excellent comment mate, as always.
!ENGAGE 25
Hey @galenkp and @glenalbrethsen! It's good to see you keep on keeping on. Take care in these troubled times my friends.
You too mate, interesting and troubling times, and a good set of circumstances in which to be a little more vigilant.
ENGAGEtokens.Crazy stuff here. I visited one of the local gun stores the other day and cause of the 'Rona he closed up shop until further notice. I went around to some local stores to see if I could even find some ammo to grab since my tiny box isn't enough but being on the border of a crazy liberal state like Mass, most of the places don't sell anything until you get 30 minutes into New Hampshire. My dads got a good amount of ammo and some of his friends do as well but you never want to rely on other people, if things get crazy, we need what we got and can't really spare anything.
Looking at some of the other comments, it's pretty brutal what these bastards are doing. They can't do what they want to the 2nd amendment but they can go after the manufacturers. I wonder if we could end up liberating some of the manufacturers with cryptocurrency? That would be a crazy turn of events!
Yep, I think the sitch you describe will only get worse in time until nothing is available...I suggest a phone call, phone payment and drive to pick up some freedom pills from New Hampshire. Take the better half and little E-dog and have a picnic on the way. Relying on someone else's stocks isn't advisable and sticking a few hundred under the bed may be all you need.
Circumnavigating the Second Amendment is something I'd imagine many are looking at right now, whole rooms of libtards (they need many to pool the brain cells.) It makes sense though, if their end-goal is to strangle the supply of ammunition and ammo-making components. A good way to render guns useless. I wonder how it'll play out...How the manufacturers will combat the situation.
!ENGAGE 15
ENGAGEtokens.HR127 Research it. It will take things to the next level.
I'll take a look.
I'm just stone cold sure it's coming your way. It's already evident right here, and won't take long to be a general condition. Ammo, all ammo, is going to be hard to come by for a while.
We get really hit in Yuma because we are right up against So Cal. We all know that nobody owns any guns in that progressive heaven, but they damn sure buy up a lot of ammo when it seems there might be a shortage.
My brother was here this weekend and he mentioned that 9mm and ,22 are getting really hard to find already. We stopped in a big gunshop here and dammed if it wasn't the case here too.
This place had no 9mm, .22, ,223, .38, .357 or .45 ammo at all on a Saturday morning. The rest was low.
I love the Hornady bullets, always have.
Yep, it's a problem. It seems like the ammunition is falling into a bottomless pit but we know, in reality, it's not so...It's being stockpiled for the future, whatever that may entail, or simple in fear of missing out. I don't know, but time will tell. @smithlabs was saying pawn shops are taking ammo as a pawn item the same as gold or silver? Crazy dude.
I think we'll see it here, shortages, and to be honest from what I know we already are to some degree. I have ample for a goodly amount of time but I know people will struggle to keep their supply up. People are already shooting less. Not me, other people.
Hornady projectiles are good...I like Sierra also.
!ENGAGE 25
I'm not so sure Pawn Shops in AZ CAN take Ammo as a pawn item. It has to do with how they resell stuff after the pawn is expired. Arizona doesn't care how much you have or how much you buy at one time, but they do care about making excess profit. :)
Seriously. You can buy 1000 round boxes of several calibers. Loose pack ammo.
It always boggles me that .22 LR ammo goes out of stock. They make and sell so much it's just amazing.
Of course, one year ago I'd have never believed there could be a months long toilet paper shortage, either.
You've hit the nail on the head with the last line.
Who would have thought huh?
It's a brave new world now, this new normal, we're in. New normal. More like the new abnormal. Wankers.
Ammo shortages, standing on X's, regulated as to how many can be in a certain place at one time, abuse of our civil rights, locked in houses, can't cross borders, proce-gouging, failing health systems, restrictions on the ability to work, no toilet paper on the shelves...Sounds a little like 1939 Nazi Germany.
Who would've thought.
And yet people accept it, go about trying to ignore it and pretend life is normal...All the while the financial apocalypse gains momentum.
ENGAGEtokens.One of my sister's just bought a Kel Tec 22 magnum, and could not find rounds for it in Tulsa. There's a million people living here oh, so you think there would be ammunition.
I had to give her some ammo, now I need to show her how to use it!
I have managed to buy 200 (9mm) rounds in the last six months. I refuse to pay a dollar a round for range ammo!
We have had 20,000,000 new guns purchased in the USA this last year, including 7,000,000 new gun to new gun owners. They have simply stripped the shelves to feed these new weapons. I have fortunately collected brass for decades. And have reloading gear that I use to develop proper loads for the tubes. Powder has doubled in cost going to $50 USD per pound. I decided that I would buy, until it was no longer available, then reload. The ammo manufacturers are running 24 / 7 trying to catch up....
:'(Wow, that's super-interesting. 20 million new guns? That's a lot more drain on the ammo stocks.
Interesting that you've only managed 200 9mm rounds in six months. I shot that last Saturday, and then some. They're asking a dollar a round? That's $1.31AUD. I make mine for 0.23c each and can get Sellier and Bellot for 0.46c. I'd not be paying $1.31 a round though, for sure. That's the reason I never let my stocks go down. I think we'll be struggling to get it soon.
I looked at the KELTEC CP-33 22LR only a week ago. $795 here. Nice really. I don't know much about the brand though. Any good?
I've carried their 380 for years, it never has misfired even once. Very accurate, hits 4 of ten on an 8 inch steel target at 100 yards, the rest are close enough to be a kill shot. I carry a 9mm as primary now.
This 22 magnum was about $500 USD. I really like the KSG from kel tec, want one!
♡♡♡♡Hmm, ok that's a hood wrap up for them. I'll do some more research.
Research is always best, saves problens later! But they are a good company, and I like their toys.
♡♡♡♡The problem is I can't play with one prior to buying so I have to perform some due diligence. :)
Sorry, here some stores have an internal range....
I try to take newbies to the range and let them try toys first, and get in some teaching too!
♡♡♡♡♡I've always liked Kel-Tec, have owned a couple over the years. I have a buddy that has a .22 win mag with big mags. It's really a serious piece of gear.
Another positive endorsement...Seems I need to research further as this could be a goodun.
We've been grabbing rounds as we see them here on the East Coast. It's hard to find and sort of saw it coming about a year or so ago. I first noticed it about 2 years ago when I found it next to impossible to find .30-30 rounds. I started grabbing what I could and a few family member did the same. Sometimes you can just smell the shenanigan's in the air.
Two years ago! [G-dog head shakes]
It's a problem and as per one of the other comments made on this post, just another attack at firearms ownership maybe? Restrict the flow of ammunition and components to the public and their guns will soon become useless? Hmm, seems a legit option though right?
Definitely real over here. Not sure how long it will last, but has been extremely difficult to find any Primers or popular powders online for months now. I've spent at least 2 hours a week or more searching for large pistol primers, and any one of three choice powders for the new .22-250. Even the dies were backordered and still waiting now a month later. I got lucky and was able to buy about 600 rounds of factory ammo in October, but not really happy with those results and the variance in consistency as I posted earlier. Was really excited to build up some handloads, but looks like will still be in holding pattern for awhile.
Same story, different voice.
I wonder Kris, have you been shooting less to accommodate the shortage? Have you changed the way you do business? I haven't to be honest, although for the first time am thinking, hmm, maybe I should only shoot a little this weekend. Conserve some ammunition
Have definitely cut back on some of the calibers where I feel limited. And have been restricted on the .22-250 where I would love to be handloading and shooting lots to build a load right now. Not enough available to even start my handloads!
It's annoying but probably worthwhile I'd say. One wouldn't want to be left short. I'll probably curb my hand-gunning for a little bit, maybe halve the amount I shoot.
I think there may have been a price increase in ammo here in Alaska. There has been much less quarry shooting than normal for our area, rather quiet actually which is kind of nice because they like to shoot at all hours even if it is dark, and cold.
Yes, I'm not surprised...Shortages and price-gouging seem to be synonymous.
when others may not!
I glanced over at the ammo shelf of one of the box stores we shop at today, and it was a little thin looking, but it is nice not to be woken up at 2am with the neighbor doing his moon shooting experiment or what ever, but you do need to be able to shoot in any light condition, so while annoying, it is understandable by me, not so much by my wife when it wakes her up.
Lol...Moon shooting experiment.
If I was woken by gunfire I'd be more worried about the gunfire than being woken. It's not a thing here, gunfire in the suburbs I mean. It usually means the outlaw bikie gangs are enforcing or some such thing.
Lots of hunters around here, and a few anti-government / pro-individual responsibility types. Outside of the Capital and the two largest cities people have a real "don't mess with me, and I won't mess with you" outlook.
!ENGAGE 25
I've always longed to go to Alaska. It just seems my sort of place. I'm still hoping to make it but only time will reveal if I do.
ENGAGEtokens.I read the opening statement and I was expecting the next line to say "someone hurt my wife so I blew their head off, now I'm hiding out in a cave in Cooberpedy"
😂
Pretty alarming that that many people have been stockpiling ammunition. However with the occurrences in America and COVID it did feel like the Zombie apocalyps was upon us.
Lol...Nah I'm a pacifist. Not really, but I'd not use a firearm for that job. A machete maybe.
There's a lot going in in America at the moment and the media are not reporting it all, or correctly. I am not privy to any inside information of course, just see what I see.
I am a sheeple, on an island where ammo supplies are of no great concern. Something could be brewing though, ah yes, my tea :D
English breakfast I should think. (Am I right?)
Hm, so you make ammunitions? That's interesting. Now I know what makes up an ammunition.
Stockpiling, you say. I have heard something is brewing too but without concrete information from reliable sources, best not to imagine stuff and just be prepared.
Lovely images of ammunitions. They look like jewelry to me! 😂
Yeah, I make the ammunition I shoot...I like being prepared and more self-reliant than the next person. I guess I see a lot of value in having skills that help a person sustain himself you know? Relying on others will almost certainly end in disappointment.
Nice
Thanks.
Oh. And one thing my brother and I did discuss is where we'd meet up if everything completely goes to shit. We've got two places picked. They're a long ways from here, but good if the world absolutely stops.
Sounds alarmist...But in reality I think it's simply smart to have some sort of secondary, even tertiary, options. So many are rooted in place when things happen, physically and emotionally, and I'm not sure that's a good thing to be honest. Meaning, action is better than none.
I don't think it's alarmist. We've had a couple of contingency plans all our lives. We have a couple of places both are familiar with water and game AND so remote that it becomes unlikely for anyone to be there, ever.
One is a piece of property that we own which might or might not have some rudimentary supplies stashed. And you have to be going there to end up there.
No, neither do I quite clearly. Others do though, and look upon those who like to be a little more prepared as weird which doesn't make sense...I mean, I see it as weird that people don't want to be prepared for adversity. I guess it's easier to stick one's head in the sand than take steps to mitigate risk. Ignorance is bliss they say...I say, ignorance is ignorant..
There's probably something going on, I feel like I should have stayed home a bit longer XD
Doesn't panic-buying to avoid shortages make shortages worse XP
Glad you got your supply sorted, at least I know you're sensible about what you would pre-stock up on ;D
Sensible about what I pre-stock up on...Bullets! 😆
Oh my you really prepared yourself for zombie apocalypse hihihi. I think it is better to have stuff in abundance rather than never enough. A good (secret) purchase!
Running out of stuff I use isn't my idea if preparing for stuff and so I have stuff to ensure I don't run out of stuff in the advent of stuff being required due to stuff happening that requires stuff.
It's 3am and I cant sleep, so I may have said stuff too many times in that sentence. Probably not though.
Ah the stuff we fill our life with....
Stuff is just stuff and some stuff can be stuffed into a cupboard and some stuff we stuff into the dark recess if our minds but other stuff is too important to be stuffed away. But yes, so much stuff.
I stuff some stuff and unstuffing can be painful so I can use other stuff to find an excuse to not unstuff my painful stuff.
Stuff can be painful stuff, and of course stuff can also be confusing stuff. It's just stuff though, and dealing with stuff is the only way to make sure stuff doesn't keep us down and affect life too negatively. Learn from the bad stuff, celebrate the good stuff and keep doing stuff to move one forward to the stuff we desire from life.
I couldn't have said it better
I am surprised that there weren't any shortages there yet, you should start mailing 9mm to the states! I hear people online are paying more than $2 a round. I followed a feeling and stocked up when I was stocking up on rubber gloves and toilet paper about this time a year ago! Then weeks later all the ammo and TP was gone off the shelves. I am glad because I haven't had to try to buy any during this nonsense. I have been trying to find a ruger redhawk and they are 100% sold out of the model I want online since last summer when I started looking.
Yeah, I should huh? I heard people are paying $1 for 9mm, but $2! That's insane. $2.62AUD! I should cash in.
Good to hear you have your stocks and planned ahead...It doesn't take much huh? Just some foresight.
In the event of an actual societal collapse I think most people are overly optimistic about how many rounds they would be able to get off before catching one too many. I was fortunate to hit the Walmart pretty hard when they stopped selling pistol ammo and it was all on sale. I started hording it during the last shortage! I am surprised you haven't had that there. Maybe not enough legal gun owners to buy it all up?
Yes, there's only about a million or so licensed firearms owners I think, and I'd say less than 30% have handguns, probably much less. So, there's not a huge drain on handgun ammunition. Having said that, the amount imported would be less also, in proportion with demand so shortages will still hit in some manner.
I got mine the other day so I'm all good. Some more will make it's way into my possession too shortly.
there was something like 5 million first time gun owners in America just in 2020 and they all want bullets. If they only get 100 each that's 500,000,000 rounds.
Yep, someone told me that only last week. Something like 7m new gun owners across 20m new guns. Crazy. But then, we have 25m people and you have something like 320m. Big difference.
I was watching a game show hosted by a British host the other day and guns came up and all the contestants had guns and he was like "Of course, we're in America!"