Will they ever be able to keep up

[wade234]

I wonder if manufactures will ever be able to restock. Browsing sites looking for random stuff and EVERYTHING is sold out. Down to springs and screws to guns. I am worried that they will just give up on making some stuff and focus on when they can get the most $$ for or what is considered legally safe to produce.

 

[Just5Guy]

Guns, Parts, Accessories are no different than any other business. Parts will continue to be manufactured as long as the demand is there (and they are legal to produce). Manufacturing processes and work shifts will be modified to attempt to keep up with Supply and Demand. Eventually supply will be rebuilt, demand will fall, and with it prices.

It's not the first time an industry has experienced a demand larger than anticipated

 

[wade234]

I work in computers and software vendors discontinue support for products all the time to make you buy new. I hope they don't go that route leaving us with guns we are afraid to shoot causing them to need replacement parts that they don't make anymore. I have an early 1990's era S&W handgun and because it was not popular good luck finding parts.

 

[magnumpi]

Panic buyers are eventually gonna run out of money or when no ban happens this stuff will come back to normal. Things may even get cheaper because all these people that bought up everything will be flooding the market.

 

[NickZac]

Panic buyers are eventually gonna run out of money or when no ban happens this stuff will come back to normal. Things may even get cheaper because all these people that bought up everything will be flooding the market.

This is my thought. The market cannot be sustained by people paying $2 PER SHOT for premium LE Grade JHPs IN 9MM unless shooters were to sell body organs to go to the range. If you owned an MP5, you could shoot away your mortgage in half an hour!

I think we will see an eventual flood, which is why I've refused to pay much beyond 15-20% more than I would have without the madness. Makers will ramp up production just like with any other market. They see more people buying, they see more to sell, they increase production. Eventually people don't buy quite as much, or at least not as high. The supply finally recovers and companies now have rotating stock from multiple companies giving shooters options. This gives buyers more flexibility and eventually prices come down and sales/promotions begin again. It's worth noting that I do not think ammo will EVER be quite as cheap as it was before, but that is mainly due to the cost of materials and that companies have sold all old stock they have purchased/produced for less. It's worth noting that larger scale production wouldn't have a complete bottoming out because more people are getting into shooting than ever before, so I think it will be more a leveling than a complete fall-out.

Of course, the course of legislation can impact this and states that get legislation restrictive on ammo would be exempt from this. The probability of more federal legislation seems low though, and with more and more people joining the hobby, a stronger base to protect the 2A is built.

I am also curious to see what happens if ARs arent regulated.

 

[erwos]

Things may even get cheaper because all these people that bought up everything will be flooding the market.

I've never seen that happen. Availability might get better, but that's about it.

 

[Just5Guy]

I am also curious to see what happens if ARs arent regulated.

$500 AR's from those just trying to recover some cost. Bad for them, good for those of us who didn't panic buy $2K AR's.

 

[DoubleTap007]

I do wonder how far reaching the ammo issue is. I see that the online sources have dried up, but I'm wondering about Walmart and Bass Pro's, etc, in other states.

 

[Gundahar]

Honestly ammo was getting very tight before the scare, more people were getting into shooting than had in decades, or even ever before. Supply lines were creaking and straining, this just broke it.


Gundahar

 

[NickZac]

$500 AR's from those just trying to recover some cost. Bad for them, good for those of us who didn't panic buy $2K AR's.

That's what I am thinking. I'm watching people pay $1,000 for a RRA lower (and no, not a completed lower either) and thinking to myself that I'd rather just buy a Ruger .223, or a Rem 700 or Marlin or something along those lines and a case of ammo rather than pay THAT much.

I saw a RRA Entry Tac with optics go for 4 grand the other day...I could not bring myself to spend the money people are paying online unless I was getting a KAC SR or a nice custom build.

I do expect a fallout of oddball calibers. It seems people are purchasing them for intent I cannot understand beyond that of resale, which seems risky. I have to wonder what the person purchasing .32S&W, .440 Corbon, .45 GAP, .25 NAA, and .38 Short Colt in the same sitting is expecting to do once the panic is over.

 

[aemik]

Estate sales will be getting more interesting. A few years ago I scored a wrapped pallet of .22LR from an estate sale, some guy's wife was selling all of his hoarded stuff. All of our wives will eventually be selling this stuff off, I suspect. So let's all store it properly and put some information about where they can find current pricing on the boxes so they don't get fleeced...

 

[Schwabe]

Money will run out, just wait another two - three months and things will calm down (except maybe for tax refund money), in another 6 months or so they will not be able to sell anything because nobody has money left.

How many $2,000+ ARs will the regular Joe purchase?

 

[wade234]

Interesting spin on the situation. I plan on taking mine with me

Estate sales will be getting more interesting. A few years ago I scored a wrapped pallet of .22LR from an estate sale, some guy's wife was selling all of his hoarded stuff. All of our wives will eventually be selling this stuff off, I suspect. So let's all store it properly and put some information about where they can find current pricing on the boxes so they don't get fleeced...

 

[Just5Guy]

Estate sales will be getting more interesting. A few years ago I scored a wrapped pallet of .22LR from an estate sale, some guy's wife was selling all of his hoarded stuff. All of our wives will eventually be selling this stuff off, I suspect. So let's all store it properly and put some information about where they can find current pricing on the boxes so they don't get fleeced...

Just picked up ALL the ammo my grandfather had at the estate before the Estate Sale Company could come in and bother with it.

 

[aemik]

A few crates of ammo would certainly spice up a viking funeral. I like it...

Interesting spin on the situation. I plan on taking mine with me

 

[Docster]

Guns, Parts, Accessories are no different than any other business. Parts will continue to be manufactured as long as the demand is there (and they are legal to produce). Manufacturing processes and work shifts will be modified to attempt to keep up with Supply and Demand. Eventually supply will be rebuilt, demand will fall, and with it prices.

It's not the first time an industry has experienced a demand larger than anticipated

This sums it all up, period. Everything else is just anxiety that's feeding the frenzy ......

 

[NickZac]

Remember that a lot of folks do have guns in these calibers.
Generally they would buy a box here and there online, when they need it.
If these people don't plan ahead, and online sales are restricted like the antis want, the people with oddball stuff and even some milsurps are screwed.
A lot of that stuff is really hard to find online, even in good times, and is almost impossible to find locally, and they are just planning ahead.
Some companies, like Remington, only make the oddballs once or twice a year due to demand for other calibers.
Back in 09 it took me a year and a half to find .38 S&W, looking constantly online.
I saw some pop up and grabbed it. 2 hours later it was sold out and the NO retailers had it in stock again, until a year later.

I've talked to a few sellers who told me that single buyers were purchasing multiple odd-ball calibers. If you have a gun for such calibers I could completely understand it, although I think these people purchased for resale. I assume your .38 S&W is probably not the primary gun you shoot and you use a different caliber for home defense. With the exception of maybe 10mm, it seems most of the unusual calibers in which people actively shoot them have other firearms chambered in more mass-produced calibers for practicality (and financial) reasons. When I worked for a local FFL, we had guys that would purchase cases of things like .38S&W, but if the price hit a certain threshold it seemed they just didn't buy as much and shot something else. Because of this I personally think the market for these rounds will behave differently than more common ones.

With that said, I imagine there are some people who do have them for defense, but they just don't shoot them. An old uncle of mine had a gun in .38 S&W which he did own for defense, but I don't think he shot it more than two times in a period of 5+ decades!