What has the current ammunition shortage taught you?

[MrWolf]

I learned a long time ago that LIFE does not care if I am ready or not. I happen to be well stocked for my needs. I know I have dies and such that I have not used yet but grabbed them when I thought they were a good deal. I just picked up a Ruger 57 yesterday. No ammo available but I did grab some once fired brass and dies. From what I have read it is a pain to load for with the proprietary coating on brass. Was I foolish for buying stuff when I did? My Father keeps telling me to sell as I could make a small fortune. Could, but then what do I use? Everyone is different with different tolerance levels. Anywho. Good luck folks. Merry Christmas!

[Blanket]

it obviously has not taught some anything

[Petrol & Powder]

What has the current ammunition shortage taught you?

It didn't teach me anything but it reaffirmed what I already knew.

[MOA]

Nothing. I learned my lessons back in the early eighties. Not so much due to politics but due to powder manufacturing plant explosions. Started putting stuff aside a bit at a time. Always going to be something.

[Brass&Lead]

What has the current ammunition shortage taught you?

There are even more people that I though who do not understand why you need to prepare for life.

The ones just getting on the firearm bandwagon are having a tough time. Good for them! Hopefully they learn from it – probably not.

As will all things in life buy it cheap and stack it deep!

[Gewehr-Guy]

The next hurdle we may face with ammo shortages after new buyers and Covid related disruptions, is possible import restrictions,raw commodity price increases, and more shipping and storage regulations. I doubt we will ever see the 2018 bargain prices again.
Plan accordingly.

[Froogal]

It has taught me that when you live a good 100 miles away from any large city, there will never be any ammo or reloading components available to me.

[remy3424]

Personally? Nothing I didn't learn from prior shortages. But reading here has shown me that some folks won't learn but from bitter first hand experience, despite advice from those who have gone through the pain already. And I had my opinions reinforced about human greed, panic and hoarding.

I do feel for the brand new reloaders who had no chance to learn and those truly strapped for cash who had no resources to spare on stocking up. These last folks I might help out. The ones who could have been ready but weren't? Well, bluntly put, will they learn without the sting if somebody bails them out?

Again, not the time for new reloaders to try to get into this. They will have to wait this one out. And those who are cash-strapped, maybe shooting isn't something they need to do in this environment. This is a hobby, what you spend your discretionary money on, hobbies are not for folks who are "cash-strapped"....my non-essential activities cease when I don't have money for it. Go to the library and check out a book or the interenet, lots to learn there. There are always choices we need to make, everyone's situation is different....and so the choices should be different also.

If you like to shoot and have the funds to do it (and are on this fourm), this "shortage" is of little consequence to you.

[WebMonkey]

it has taught me:

if i have enough 'stuff' already, i'm a dirty rotten hoarder.
if i buy anything during a shortage, for any reason whatsoever, i'm a dirty rotten sheeple.
if i sell anything for a price other than what the buyer wants me to sell it for, i'm a dirty rotten price gouger.
if i decide, rather than the government/social justice, where to send my charitable gifts, i'm a dirty rotten hater.

it's like i don't live in a free country or something.

i'd like a refund on my life altering service in the army please.
that whole 'defend the constitution' thing didn't work out.

[dverna]

it has taught me:

if i have enough 'stuff' already, i'm a dirty rotten hoarder.
if i buy anything during a shortage, for any reason whatsoever, i'm a dirty rotten sheeple.
if i sell anything for a price other than what the buyer wants me to sell it for, i'm a dirty rotten price gouger.
if i decide, rather than the government/social justice, where to send my charitable gifts, i'm a dirty rotten hater.

it's like i don't live in a free country or something.

i'd like a refund on my life altering service in the army please.
that whole 'defend the constitution' thing didn't work out.

If it wasn't true...it would be funny. But you are not far off the mark.

On a slightly different vein..
I saw a car food line on TV. People "struggling to feed their families". Noticed all the cars were in really good shape...then I saw an Audi...then Mercedes SUV...WTH!!!

Then the little devil that sits on my left shoulder asked me, "Do you think they wasted all their money buying ammunition from the greedy hoarders" The voice of reason on my right shoulder answered back, "No, they are too smart to do that, they pissed it away on TP...ever heard of a TP drive?"

[Ed K]

"What has the current ammunition shortage taught you?"

Once again reminded me of the economy of handloading (aside from load customization, etc.). Looking around at the panic and the price being paid by the public per squeeze of the trigger, I quickly hammered out a mental picture of what we as handloaders pay. Really the brass and the boolit are the most expensive components which we recover/recycle/scrounge, etc. The primer and powder are comparatively cheap (with admittedly a decent range on powder whether the round is a 38 wadcutter or 300 Win mag hunting load). So even though there is no inventory problem, I'm at the LGS chatting it up with the owner and instead of walking out without buying anything and since they were in stock I placed a box of primers on the counter @ $50. Outrageous some here may say! Well, the average price of my primer inventory is about $20-25/thousand. So I just willingly bumped my price by 2-3 cents per magnum pistol round? Yes and remember: the public was paying at least $1/shot before the pandemic! Now it's anybody's guess if they can even find it!

[dtknowles]

it has taught me:

if i have enough 'stuff' already, i'm a dirty rotten hoarder.
if i buy anything during a shortage, for any reason whatsoever, i'm a dirty rotten sheeple.
if i sell anything for a price other than what the buyer wants me to sell it for, i'm a dirty rotten price gouger.
if i decide, rather than the government/social justice, where to send my charitable gifts, i'm a dirty rotten hater.

it's like i don't live in a free country or something.

i'd like a refund on my life altering service in the army please.
that whole 'defend the constitution' thing didn't work out.

I think, you might think this over again. If people are free to criticize you or agree with you then you have successfully defended the constitution. What is the phrase so often used? "I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to the death, your right to say it. -- Voltaire (1694-1778)"

Tim

[ShooterAZ]

It just showed me that history repeats itself. Over and over again with the components, at each and every election cycle it seems. If you are complacent in these tumultuous times, you will most certainly get caught short on your supplies. I'm not suggesting that people horde beforehand, but just put away what you think you might need for the rest of your lives! Sadly, it's not going to be getting any better any time soon. This one's gonna be a real doosie I'm afraid.

[bob208]

has not taught me any thing . l long ago I belonged to a organization that who believed in be prepared .

[dtknowles]

"What has the current ammunition shortage taught you?"

Once again reminded me of the economy of handloading (aside from load customization, etc.). Looking around at the panic and the price being paid by the public per squeeze of the trigger, I quickly hammered out a mental picture of what we as handloaders pay. Really the brass and the boolit are the most expensive components which we recover/recycle/scrounge, etc. The primer and powder are comparatively cheap (with admittedly a decent range on powder whether the round is a 38 wadcutter or 300 Win mag hunting load). So even though there is no inventory problem, I'm at the LGS chatting it up with the owner and instead of walking out without buying anything and since they were in stock I placed a box of primers on the counter @ $50. Outrageous some here may say! Well, the average price of my primer inventory is about $20-25/thousand. So I just willingly bumped my price by 2-3 cents per magnum pistol round? Yes and remember: the public was paying at least $1/shot before the pandemic! Now it's anybody's guess if they can even find it!

I think you are not evaluating cost of a powder charge and brass right. A 300 win mag uses a 70 gr. powder charge of powders not often found in multi pound jugs. That powder charge used to cost about 25 cents. Brass for 300 win mag even if you paid a dollar a piece and only got 4 uses from each piece of brass would cost 25 cents. For some loads/cartridges bullets are most expensive but powder is the next greatest expense, brass and primers much less so. Casting bullets flips this on its head but I doubt that 300 win mag. gets a lot of cast bullets.

Tim

[Evoken]

This shortage has taught me that it was both a crummy and great time to start casting my own boolits. I've been kicking it around for awhile now and started collecting things just about prepandemic. Started casting in august and found things I needed to be in short supply.
It has also taught me that I am clearly smarter than the average bear (not by much though, haha). When I added a caliber I immediately added dies and some components. Never loaded much 9mm due to it's cheap availability. I ran some just to know I can. Now guess what, I have 9mm shells when most people can't find it, so there. They all laughed at me, why have the tools to load 9mm it's everywhere they said. Who's laughing now suckers! Although I don't shoot much 9mm....

Ken

[daengmei]

when you live a good 100 miles away from any large city, there will never be any ammo or reloading components available to me

22lr is the only round I have purchased locally and I live just south of Knob Creek Ky. You seem to know the keyboard so why didn't you order what you needed when it was available? Duh.

But you have a lifetime supply....I don't understand.

[Jniedbalski]

I wasent worried at all at first. I have plenty of primers led,molds, powder . Then I went looking for my primers. Only found around 150 sp and 100 sr.I was really worded. Then I thought well maybe I didint have as many as I thought because I just loaded around 3000 sp rounds and 700 lp 45 and 500 223. Well then I found my stash. Forgot where I put them. Got enuf of all the primers sp sr lp Lr .

[Jniedbalski]

I wasent worried at all at first. I have plenty of primers led,molds, powder . Then I went looking for my primers. Only found around 150 sp and 100 sr.I was really worded. Then I thought well maybe I didint have as many as I thought by because I just loaded around 3000 sp rounds and 700 lp 45 and 500 223. Well then I found my stash. Forgot where I put them. Got enuf of all the primers sp sr lp Lr . Now every body I know that loads is asking to buy some off me

[cas]

That people are stupid and never learn and the "we" are our worst enemy.

Every one of the countless "this local walmart had shotgun shells", "Mid south has primers", "Midway has 9mm" posts that hits the internet does nothing but make the panic worse, but people won't stop making them.