Ammo at Wal-Mart???????

[oldred]

Something strange has happened this week and I am not sure what to make of it, I have several posts about the local Wal-Mart and the fact that the ammo stock on the shelves has been slowly increasing. Just a week ago I mentioned that CCI Maxi-Mag 22 WMR had not only remained in stock for the entire week but the supply had actually increased by the weekend, still no 22 LR but the lady behind the counter said it was lasting a day or two now instead of selling out in an hour or so. Most common pistol calibers and some rifle calibers were usually available every time I went by there in the last few weeks but this morning something was different! Early Sunday morning Wally World is the only thing open and my wife and I went by to do some early shopping while waiting for other stores to open so as usual I went back to the Sporting Goods Dept to check out ammo and any other goodies they might have but the ammo shelves were stripped bare this time! All they had was a few shotgun shells and ML supplies, that ammo shelf looked like it did a week after the panic began. I asked the guy behind the counter what had happened but he just shrugged it off and said sales had been good this week however Saturday is the day this store usually has the most stock (at least early in the day) and today is Sunday, this is the first time I have seen the shelves totally empty since this madness began.

[jmort]

Right, I'm seeing the same thing, improvement except for the .22 LR hoarder/gouger/weenies

[Love Life]

Things sell heavy from Christmas through approx. the end of May. People are maxing out cards for gifts followed by the tax return season. As the bills come due, and tax returns dry up, coupled with summer vacation season, less is bought. This allows supply to catch up.

What I see is supply from the manufacturers, and ammo from the speculators, hitting the market around the same time. In the fall as market demand and buying power has diminished, and the speculators try to dump their stock without taking a huge beating. Should be pretty legit.

Of course if a renewed push for gun control comes then all bets are off. Stockpile extra monies to take advantage of the market glut. You can already score SWEET deals on AR rifles and the AK variants.

[Swamp Man]

Something strange has happened this week and I am not sure what to make of it, I have several posts about the local Wal-Mart and the fact that the ammo stock on the shelves has been slowly increasing. Just a week ago I mentioned that CCI Maxi-Mag 22 WMR had not only remained in stock for the entire week but the supply had actually increased by the weekend, still no 22 LR but the lady behind the counter said it was lasting a day or two now instead of selling out in an hour or so. Most common pistol calibers and some rifle calibers were usually available every time I went by there in the last few weeks but this morning something was different! Early Sunday morning Wally World is the only thing open and my wife and I went by to do some early shopping while waiting for other stores to open so as usual I went back to the Sporting Goods Dept to check out ammo and any other goodies they might have but the ammo shelves were stripped bare this time! All they had was a few shotgun shells and ML supplies, that ammo shelf looked like it did a week after the panic began. I asked the guy behind the counter what had happened but he just shrugged it off and said sales had been good this week however Saturday is the day this store usually has the most stock (at least early in the day) and today is Sunday, this is the first time I have seen the shelves totally empty since this madness began.
Do you live in or near a town with a university? If so it's time for the students to return and lots of times their parents are with them for a few days getting them set up in the new apartments. If they see ammo on sell or haven't seen any in their area the parents will buy it as well as the students that area shooters.

[dragon813gt]

It's not a national trend. The ones by me have more than they've had in a very long time. As long as nothing else happens the supply will eventually catch up to the demand.

[WILCO]

My walmart is still void of any real ammuntion supplies.

[snoopy]

Around here, There really hasn't been too much of a shortage, on hunting ammo[ your basic calibers, 06, 270 , 3030 etc]. Handgun and 22, different story, but the last time I was at cabelas, shelves were well stocked with about everything except powder. Iwas at the local sporting goods store looking for some 38 special brass, I like to purchase from the small guy when I can, but jeezlouise 34.00 for 250 cases not even unprimed! I guess I'll do w/o cuz I aint giving it! I really don't understand the mindset of hoarding 10,000 rnds of 22, when is enough, enough?

[WilliamDahl]

I noticed quite a bit of .270 ammo the other day at WM. I reload my own ammo plus I don't have a .270, so it doesn't make a difference to me, but it's nice to see that there is *some* ammo starting to show up for those who don't reload.

[Thin Man]

Last week a friend was inside our Wal-Mart near the sporting goods counter when he heard a customer and clerk talking about 30/30 ammo. The store had one (1) box left and the customer looked it over, decided against the purchase, and handed the box back to the clerk. The box never made it back to the shelf. My friend asked to see it, and bought it without ever opening the box. As with many other calibers, 30/30 has been all but impossible to find locally, or pretty much anywhere in this region. Thus goes the way of the casual shooter who is neither a reloader nor boolit caster. Beyond that single box of 30/30, the store had no rimfire or any other rifle or handgun ammo, but did have a few odd shotshell choices.

[starnbar]

Around here it's hit or miss depending on the day and time rifle calibers are showing up 270 3006 243 22-250 257 Roberts and shotgun shells 12-20-410 but little 22 ammo.

[novalty]

Still seeing poor supply at my local Wally-world in Maine. Besides 22lr being hard to find, also haven't seen 357 Sig. on the shelf in months.

[SourMashII]

Both BlackSheep, and WalMart seem to have more and more selection every time I'm in, here in the Panhandle of ID.

Winchester .45ACP, $40/100 at Wally, and $59/100 for a handful of different flavors at BlackSheep.

Non-reloadable Tulare (steel case, or so I'm told) is $5/20 for .223, and $15/50 .45 ACP

[oldred]

The odd thing is I have been watching the ammo supply slowly improve for the last couple of months to the point where some RF ammo (22WMR) was not selling out between stocking times and the 22 LR was lasting a couple of days or more instead of only an hour or so, things were starting to look a lot better but then suddenly it was if someone just swept the shelves clean! Don't know what happened, perhaps just a local rumor started a mini "panic" or maybe as a buddy said it's just people getting ready for the fall hunting season but that hardly explains a run on pistol ammo.

[searcher4851]

The Walmart I shop at never ran out of 270 ammo. They always had a least a few boxes available. The last few visits, there has been more and more variety available. Not large quantities in anything but shotgun ammo, but more different calibers in small quantities. Saw the first 30-30 in many months this Saturday, along with 06, and 223. They had some 9mm and 45acp as well. Nothing in the 22LR category though.

[dakotashooter2]

The LGS and chains around here are seeing better supplies. They have had primers for several weeks with no real run on them and took the limit off. Powder selection is hit and miss but they usually get a couple cases of 5-6 different powders at a shot and it seems to last a couple weeks. Ammo is hit and miss but once they get some it isn't walking off the selves that fast. Prices did take a slight increase but not bad. They even have some .22 but I'm NOT paying .10 round....................

[oldred]

They even have some .22 but I'm NOT paying .10 round....................



Me neither,,,,,,,not YET anyway!

[tengaugetx]

Walmart here on the Texas side had no pistol ammo on Sunday Aug 3rd. They did have alot of .223 by various manufacturers and some 7.62x39 Tula. Went to the local Gander Mountain yesterday looking for a scope mount. They had more handgun ammo piled up behind the counter than I have seen anywhere since last fall. Went to Academy after that and they had several hundreds of rounds of 223 in several different brands but no hand gun ammo. They also had a carton of 22 shotshells.
It's definately starting to get a little better. The 233 stuff is more common than handgun ammo.
The couple small local shops I use for reloading supplies have been getting primers and some powders.

About this time next year it should be back to normal.

[HangFireW8]

Went to Wally world today, for the first time in months saw handgun ammo, 2 boxes of 380ACP (pass). 270 and 7Rem Mag still there. Still no 22LR, 9, 45, '06....

[Denver]

I bought a 325 round box of Federal Auto Match 22LR yesterday at the local Walmart. $20 and change with the tax. First time I've seen 22 ammo there since last fall I believe. Shot a 10 round group with it at 50 yds from my Winchester 69A. This ain't no target ammo. Shoots worse than the old Fed 550 bulk pack stuff. I've shot much better groups with just about all brands of the bulk pack ammo than this will do.

[oldred]

I can't help but wonder if the quality control at the ammo factories hasn't gone down the tubes in the effort to maximize production? Right now I can visualize the production managers being under a lot of pressure, especially at the 22 RF plants, to make mass production the top priority since they have customers begging for anything that will go "bang"! Maybe when this panic dies down the shelves could become stocked with junk?

[T-Dogg]

Local walmart and academy have been getting more and more in stock but - those prices! No way I'm paying 0.50+ per round for .223/9mm and other common calibers.
I did manage to find .38spl at regular price last week.

[quilbilly]

I was at Cabela's yesterday when I ran into a guy picking through the Hornaday brass (223) and complaining about price which was about $23 for 50. I told him that six isles over were boxes of 50 Hornaday loaded 223 ammo (55 gr JSP) for $28.99 or 60 cents a shot including tax. He rushed over and bought all 6 boxes after making several phone calls.

[remy3424]

The local WM has no handgun ammo and only about 8 boxes of rifle ammo...was in Minn 10 days ago or so and saw LOTS of primers & handgun ammo but not Varget, some of the other powders. The local Scheels has had 22LRs from time to time, they price them high enough that the hoarders won't be hoarding at those prices (about ten cents per rd), but they last for awhile on the shelf. I think they were only missing SR primers the last time I was in and looked. Lots of bullets on the shelves.