The hoarding isn't quite over.....

[chuckybrown]

So this morning I happen to be near an Academy a little before 8 AM, and I need a plastic ammo box for my upcoming flight.

I pull up, and see three guys in line. I see ammo on the counter. Cool.

So, I stand there for fifteen minutes or so listening to the small talk.

Doors open at 8, and the guys in front of me each get a box of .22, & one guy gets a box of .223. I'm up, and I get a box of .22. One. Heading to the ranch tonight, and I'll go after some turtles.

I make my way to the ammo aisle to pick up that ammo box for my upcoming trip. One of the guys in line behind me comes up the aisle and looks at the .17 ammo. He promptly pulls every box off the shelf. Probably 20 boxes. As he is walking off someone asks the clerk "hey, you guys have any .17"? The hoarder says "NOT NOW" in a rather boastful tone. Clerk asks "you got it all"? "HE __ YEA. WHY NOT?" Mr. Hoarder responds.

Really? I just don't get it. I doubt very seriously that this gent was going to shoot that much .17.

Maybe soon this will all calm down...and the guys that can't make the 8:00 AM run can find ammo too.

I know, free market, first in line, blah, blah, blah....but at some point......

My .02. That's all.

[EEllis]

I think you have to have ammo in the original box when flying.

[jmorris]

I think you have to have ammo in the original bow when flying.

Southwest rules.

The ammunition may be placed in the same container as the firearm and must be securely packed in cardboard (fiber), wood, or metal boxes, or other packaging specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition.
....
Magazines or clips containing ammunition must be securely packaged (placed in another small box or in a secure cutout in the carrying case, in order to protect the primer of the ammunition).
Make sure guns are unloaded and definitely never transport a gun in your carryon baggage!
....
Loose ammunition or loose loaded magazines and/or clips are not allowed.

[J.J.]

This sort of stuff really irritates me!
BUT, as long as people buy it at the escalated prices it will continue!

As soon as these guys have trouble getting folks to buy it at all they will come off those prices!!

[JJVP]

The Academy I go to has a 3 box limit on ammo. Don't understand how they let him buy 20 boxes. Just because he loaded 20 boxes on his cart, does not mean he was allowed to buy it all. Did you see him pay for it?

[chuckybrown]

JJVP.....restriction is only on certain calibers......17 isn't among them....

[K.Mooneyham]

So this morning I happen to be near an Academy a little before 8 AM, and I need a plastic ammo box for my upcoming flight.

I pull up, and see three guys in line. I see ammo on the counter. Cool.

So, I stand there for fifteen minutes or so listening to the small talk.

Doors open at 8, and the guys in front of me each get a box of .22, & one guy gets a box of .223. I'm up, and I get a box of .22. One. Heading to the ranch tonight, and I'll go after some turtles.

I make my way to the ammo aisle to pick up that ammo box for my upcoming trip. One of the guys in line behind me comes up the aisle and looks at the .17 ammo. He promptly pulls every box off the shelf. Probably 20 boxes. As he is walking off someone asks the clerk "hey, you guys have any .17"? The hoarder says "NOT NOW" in a rather boastful tone. Clerk asks "you got it all"? "HE __ YEA. WHY NOT?" Mr. Hoarder responds.

Really? I just don't get it. I doubt very seriously that this gent was going to shoot that much .17.

Maybe soon this will all calm down...and the guys that can't make the 8:00 AM run can find ammo too.

I know, free market, first in line, blah, blah, blah....but at some point......

My .02. That's all.

Maybe a hoarder...and also, maybe it went straight onto some site such as Gunbroker at 3X what he paid for it...

[JJVP]

JJVP.....restriction is only on certain calibers......17 isn't among them....

That's not what the sign on my Academy says. Maybe different policy on yours.

[Donaldb]

The ammo shortage is a result of a “perfect storm” that includes increased demand from the flood of new shooters and the changing shooting habits of existing shooter, the increased demand caused by the very real attempts by the state and federal government to restrict ammo purchases/possession, increased world-wide tensions resulting in preparatory ammo purchases by numerous governments, the continued U.S. war footing (including a depletion of the National Reserve of ammo) that guarantees massive Government ammo purchases for the foreseeable future, the exhaustion of massive WW2 and Cold War surplus ammo caches in Europe the drastic increase in demand for baseline manufacturing commodities like lead and copper, necessary for ammunition production, from countries like China and India and probably a couple of factors I have totally overlooked.

Whenever I read that everything would be just ducky if we all only bought only what ammo we needed instead of a case, it reminds me of where that thinking comes from: Jeder nach seinen Fahighkeiten, jedem nach seinen Bedurfnissen!” (From each according to his ability, to each according to his need) That rollicking Karl Marx! Now we see posts from shooters who always picked up a single box of ammo at Wally-World on the way to the Saturday match now bitterly attack “hoarders” who have made this stupid practice impossible; other shooters who explain how they have refused to take up reloading because it is 1) expensive, 2) boring and 3) takes a lot of time and now those damn hoarder’s have ruined it for them.

My definition of a “hoarder” is someone who was smarter than you. Given the current vicious meme about ammo hoarders what does this tell us should the feces really hit the fan? How quickly do you think your neighbors, your friends, your relatives, will turn on you about the “hoarded” food in your basement, your “hoarded” medical supplies, that “Hoarded” Big Berkey water filter you bought to guarantee your family’s fresh water or the solar panels you’re “hoarding” on your roof? We are a nation of grasshoppers who like to tell ourselves we’re ants right up until the point that we’re tested on the very things that ants do. And keep in mind that a horde of locust can quite literally overwhelm a country.

For years I and many other people have talked about the necessity of taking responsibility for the safety of ourselves and those under our care. We have urged everyone to simply follow the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared!
For those of you bemoaning those damn ammo hoarders, what did you thin “Be Prepared!” actually meant?

[VMI77]

The ammo shortage is a result of a “perfect storm” that includes increased demand from the flood of new shooters and the changing shooting habits of existing shooter, the increased demand caused by the very real attempts by the state and federal government to restrict ammo purchases/possession, increased world-wide tensions resulting in preparatory ammo purchases by numerous governments, the continued U.S. war footing (including a depletion of the National Reserve of ammo) that guarantees massive Government ammo purchases for the foreseeable future, the exhaustion of massive WW2 and Cold War surplus ammo caches in Europe the drastic increase in demand for baseline manufacturing commodities like lead and copper, necessary for ammunition production, from countries like China and India and probably a couple of factors I have totally overlooked.

Whenever I read that everything would be just ducky if we all only bought only what ammo we needed instead of a case, it reminds me of where that thinking comes from: Jeder nach seinen Fahighkeiten, jedem nach seinen Bedurfnissen!” (From each according to his ability, to each according to his need) That rollicking Karl Marx! Now we see posts from shooters who always picked up a single box of ammo at Wally-World on the way to the Saturday match now bitterly attack “hoarders” who have made this stupid practice impossible; other shooters who explain how they have refused to take up reloading because it is 1) expensive, 2) boring and 3) takes a lot of time and now those darn hoarder’s have ruined it for them.

My definition of a “hoarder” is someone who was smarter than you. Given the current vicious meme about ammo hoarders what does this tell us should the feces really hit the fan? How quickly do you think your neighbors, your friends, your relatives, will turn on you about the “hoarded” food in your basement, your “hoarded” medical supplies, that “Hoarded” Big Berkey water filter you bought to guarantee your family’s fresh water or the solar panels you’re “hoarding” on your roof? We are a nation of grasshoppers who like to tell ourselves we’re ants right up until the point that we’re tested on the very things that ants do. And keep in mind that a horde of locust can quite literally overwhelm a country.

For years I and many other people have talked about the necessity of taking responsibility for the safety of ourselves and those under our care. We have urged everyone to simply follow the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared!
For those of you bemoaning those darn ammo hoarders, what did you thin “Be Prepared!” actually meant?

You're right on target. The same thing I told my wife: "hoarder" is a term the collectivists use to suggest that the distribution of wealth is "unfair," and that by someone having more, others must have less. The use of the term has been almost entirely a conditioning exercise to breed resentment of wealth accumulation and to create support for government action to redistribute wealth (goods) in time of crises --or, when the government claims there is a crisis. In a free market what the guy buying the 17 HMR really should be called is a "speculator." Sometimes speculators win, sometimes they lose. But if it is just speculators buying ammo, they'll only be selling to other speculators, and eventually the bubble will burst, and the last in will be wiped out. This kind of speculation can only mean two things: 1) those speculating believe prices will rise enough in the future to make a profit on resale; or 2) the prices they're paying in the stores are too low NOW (the actual market price is higher), making speculation possible.

[chuckybrown]

My definition of a “hoarder” is someone who was smarter than you.

Got it. Thanks for that.

....and I'm back quiet....

[karder]

Those guys are irritating, but they are their own worst enemies. They wait until there is a crises and buy anything they can get their hands on for whatever price is asked. I keep a very good stock of ammunition for all of my main calibers, 5.56, 5.7x28, .308, .45, .40, .9mm, 7.62x39, .22, 12 gauge. I have a safe just for my ammo. However, not one round was purchased during any ammo shortage. Now that supplies are normalizing, I recommend to everyone to watch for sales in calibers you need, and purchase in bulk. Keep a stock for range and a stock for emergency which you don't touch unless you need it. Buy what you feel you need while there is plenty and you won't be scrounging and getting gouged during times of crises. This president is going to take a second swing at us and ammo will disappear again, so be ready.

[Cedar Park Dad]

My definition of a “hoarder” is someone who was smarter than you.

Not nice that. I would counter another definition of a hoarder is a borderline insane person who spends all their time and money in the hope that something bad enough happens so they can justify their otherwise aberrant behavior. Unlike a hoarder I am not irrationally forced to buy into a bullet bubble. I can wait until it passes. But that would also not be nice and I'm not saying that.

For this topic though I'm not concerned about the hoarders. That's their deal-ok. I have a problem with flippers who are buying up the inventory and then scalping it. Thats an artificial inflation of the market.

[sunny beach]

I never pay more for second hand goods than suggested retail, even if it's NIB. If people want to buy from scalpers that's their choice but if they do, they sound pretty silly complaining about the price.

[K.Mooneyham]

I have no problem with retailers raising the price of ammunition due to the scarcity of it, not even prices at More-Expensive-than-Gold. So be it, they are likely paying more from the wholesellers and so they raise their prices to maintain their profits. And I have nothing to say about "hoarders" one way or the other, though I'm guessing a few folks have gotten to the silly level with the amount they have in their garages, etc. However, curse me for a "collectivist" if you want (though I am most certainly nothing of the sort), but its the "Gunbroker ammo crews" that I'm most irritated with. Call them "speculators", fine, call them whatever you want. But I'm not feathering their nests with my money. If they were simply trying to make a little extra on it, eh, whatever. That would be a market example because they would be earning money getting products from locations with stock to locations with scarcity. For example, the guys at the gun show are pricing their stuff higher than "normal", but still at a point that will result in the sale of the ammo. But these "buy it and stick it on Gunbroker" types are asking FAR over what that ammo is worth, even now, and that is evidenced by comparing it to places like More-Expensive-Than-Gold and the gun show prices. Its not a crime for these "ammo crews" to do this NOR DO I WANT IT TO BE A CRIME, so do NOT accuse me of "wanting a law against that": I DON'T. But, they are also creating ARTIFICIAL scarcity. REAL scarcity is caused by the increase in new owners, government purchases, law enforcement purchases, shortages in raw material, worry over future political shenanigans, etc., all the myriad of things that any market might experience. But buying it up, peddling it on "Gunbroker" a little at a time and pricing it out of the reach of almost everyone in the hopes of pulling big cash out of the pockets of the inexperience seems like a particularly deplorable action, and I hope they lose their shirts doing it. I feel about these guys the same way I feel about the government shutting down coal-fired plants just to make electricity more expensive to force people to "go green". I can't do anything about it, but I certainly don't have to like it.