Gun Enthusiasts Predict Ammo Shortage Turns to Surplus

[Dappleganger]

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Gun enthusiasts say a national ammunition shortage may be coming to an end.

Ammo prices skyrocketed during an uncertain future for gun control.

It drove many to stock up.

"I just wish I was selling shelves or closets because I'm sure a lot of them have collapsed already from putting all the ammo up there," said Raymond Wallac.

But Raymond Wallac, the "R" of RM&D Enterprises, isn't into shelving. He's into guns and all the accessories and ammunition that come with them.

Business has been good. With a new administration came uncertainty about the future of gun control, driving gun owners to stock up on ammo.

"The rumors started that it was hard to find and they went out and bought all the ammunition and the rumor came true," Wallac explained.

But the fear is over, according to Michael Schoenberger, with the North Florida Gun Show, who says the shortage is on its way out.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=163179&catid=3

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Good news--that black muslin president didn't steal our guns after all!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

At least .380 has dropped down to normal pricing.

[aikoaiko]

1. Fortunately very few wackadoo gun control bills or proposals have even seen the light of day

... since the President took office.

If only we saw rhetoric from our side (the President and key legislators) to match the abandonment and avoidance of wackadoo gun control bills.

[pipoman]

2. Yep, I have restocked

some of what I normally like to keep around..waiting to see if a glut occurs driving the prices into the basement before I do any serious stocking up again.

[Callisto32]

3. Black Muslin for President, please!

Hell, it would do a better job than the last couple of jokers.

[TheCowsCameHome]

4. Great idea for an A&E series.

[X_Digger]

5. Still can't get .380 at wally-world.

Had to pick up some FN "9mm short" from Cabelas at a sucky price.

[Pavulon]

6. Yay. 9.99 per hundred of 9mm is about right(nt)

[Callisto32]

13. DANG

Where are you getting that kind of deal?

[Pavulon]

15. In the past regretfully.. Do remember white box 9mm

at 9.99 a hundred at wally world. Now it is 9.99 for 50.

[Bold Lib]

7. Yes, I'm very glad that President Obama did not act on his pledge to reinstate the expired Assault

Weapons Ban and make it permanent. That, coupled with his voting record in Illinois did not bode well for those that respect the 2nd Amendment. Maybe Bill Clinton had a long talk with him about it.

[slackmaster]

8. The Clinton Administration's restrictions on importing firearms are still in effect...

...and are causing problems importing some historic, obsolete, collectible US military weapons from South Korea.

US opposes Seoul’s bid to sell old rifles

The U.S. government is opposing Korea’s bid to sell thousands of aging U.S. combat rifles to American gun collectors.

By Jung Sung-ki

The U.S. government opposed South Korea’s bid to sell hundreds of thousands of aging U.S. combat rifles to American gun collectors, a senior government official said Thursday.

The ministry announced the plan last September as part of efforts to boost its defense budget, saying the export of the M1 Garand and carbine rifles would start by the end of 2009.

The U.S. administration put the brakes on the plan, citing “problems” that could be caused by the importation of the rifles....

...“The U.S. insisted that imports of the aging rifles could cause problems such as firearm accidents. It was also worried the weapons could be smuggled to terrorists, gangs or other people with bad intentions,” the official told The Korea Times.

Frankly I'd love to see gang-bangers picking each other off at 400 yards with M1 Garands. ;-)

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/08/205_71329.html

[SteveM]

9. I stocked up 3 yrs. ago: prices then are STILL lower than now...

prices and availability -- even during the shortage -- for common rounds like .270 WIN and .38 SP went up somewhat, but were not too bad and were certainly available. Much of the shortage seemed focused on certain rounds like the .380.

I noted in a post about a week ago that the rise in gun purchases took a steady trend upward starting in 2006. Most people at that time would have guessed "Obama" was part of a Caribbean island chain. There may be other "forces" at work than Muslim presidents and what not.

[PavePusher]

10. As for .380...

That was also the period when it was "discovered" to be a great round for very concealable self-defense guns (a number of new models of which were just hitting the market), and it's popularity literally exploded. I think we're seeing the plateau effect starting.

[Ready4Change]

11. So Obama gave the firearm industry a big boost.

He came into office and the guns business has never been better. People are buying up ammo, many are buying their first weapons, or adding to collections. All while, contrary to fears, the ability to own a firearm is being strengthened in places like DC and Chicago via Supreme Court rulings, and Obama hasn't done anything to subvert that.

Seems to me that Obama is one of the best things to happen to the firearm industry in recent years.

[X_Digger]

12. True, but the shortage started earlier..

Late 2008 / 2009 saw a lot of "assault weapons" disappearing, and ammo in their corresponding calibers.

2003 saw some calibers disappearing off the shelves slowly (some say manufacturers shifted production to US military calibers for Iraq and Afghanistan)..

Then in 2005, after Katrina, after Rita, after Wilma, after river floods, after wildfires, folks saw how little they could depend on the police in the event of a natural disaster, and added ammo to their disaster preparedness kits.

[Euromutt]

18. Speaking for myself, I beat the rush

I bought my (locally made) AR in the summer of 2008, before Obama had even clinched the nomination. Very simply, I figured the Democrats were going to end up with control of Congress and the White House, which (while generally a welcome development) made it a distinct possibility that something like Carolyn McCarthy's HB1022 might get signed into law. So I grabbed the opportunity while I still could, and ended up beating the rush by several months. Getting hold of a spare bolt was major PITA, though.

[MicaelS]

14. I sure hope so....

Trying to find anyone selling Speer Gold Dot .45 ACP 230 grain JHP is nest to impossible. 185 grain, yep, but no 230 grain.

[Euromutt]

16. Have you considered Black Hills?

Black Hills .45 ACP 230-gr JHPs actually use Speer bullets, though the round is loaded slightly less hot than the Gold Dot (muzzle velocity/energy is 850 fps/368 ft.lbs against 890 fps/404 ft.lbs for the Gold Dot, though Black Hills also does a +P with 950 fps/460 ft.lbs), and it doesn't come with, the snazzy nickel-plated cartridge case, but if it's specifically the bullet you're after, it's a decent alternative.

[MicaelS]

17. I did know that, thanks for the info...

I'll look into it.