Guns, guns, guns! C'mon Sal..the tigers are playing...tonight!

[nathanm]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090313_11_A1_ARuger442781

What on earth is up with people? I can understand buying rifles with pistol grips and scopes or other weapons that might fall under the idiotic definition of "assault weapons," but seriously, why are people stocking up on pistols and small arms ammunition to the point of it being difficult to find .38 ammo in Oklahoma of all places?

Is there some idiotic right wing radio figure claiming that Obama is going to outlaw all firearms or something?

[Wilbur]

Some ammo shortage issues are related to the Afghan/Iraq war.  The military is getting most of it, causing shortages in the US.  Even police departments were/are having problems getting ammo for their officers.

[Chicken Little]

Bill Maher mentioned the ammo shortage in Oklahoma a couple of times on his show last night.

[nathanm]

Some ammo shortage issues are related to the Afghan/Iraq war.  The military is getting most of it, causing shortages in the US.  Even police departments were/are having problems getting ammo for their officers.

Does the military use .38 ammo for anything? I thought they mostly used .45 and 5.56mm, although I don't really know.

[RipTout]

Bill Maher mentioned the ammo shortage in Oklahoma a couple of times on his show last night.

He sucks!

[Hoss]

He sucks!

Yet again, another nugget of intelligence spews forth!

But this does come from someone who infers Chris Medlock may be the next Paul Harvey....

[MH2010]

Does the military use .38 ammo for anything? I thought they mostly used .45 and 5.56mm, although I don't really know.

The military mainly uses 9mm and 5.56mm ammo. However, they are using so much of it, ammo manufacturers are having to make much more of it than normal.  As a result, other calibers are being made less causing a shortage of all calibers.  It's all made from the same things.

[nathanm]

The military mainly uses 9mm and 5.56mm ammo. However, they are using so much of it, ammo manufacturers are having to make much more of it than normal. 

I hadn't thought of that. Makes sense.

I'm sure there's plenty of brass and lead in the world, but if all the manufacturers are making 9mm and 5.56mm ammo, the availability of raw materials doesn't matter much.

[cannon_fodder]

A five-fold problem:

1) Military production. 

The military does not use .38 for anything.  They use a TON of 5.56mm (NATO .223), a good deal of 9mm, some .30 cal, .338, and a good bit of .50 cal.  However, they have used the stockpiles of ammo that were left over from the cold war  up and are relying on new production at this point.  Hence, production lines that normally produced for the civilian market (at .38 for instance) have gone to military production.

With the capacity for the civilian market it is doubtful we could have met our own demand for ammunition.

2) Another reason is Russia.  Ammo was really cheap for a while because the Eastern Block was repackaging ammo and selling it as surplus.  Notably 7.62 x 39mm but other cartridges as well.   Likewise, the ammo factories in Russia converted to the manufacture of recreational rounds int he US since the Soviets were no longer guaranteeing purchases and the West would pay more.

The stockpiles are gone and Russia is buying ammo again.  Less supply of any caliber effects the supply of other calibers.   This took much of the cheap sporting ammo off the market (7.62 x 39mm was 10 cents a round in the 90's, today at Academy sports or Dong's you'll pay 45 cents a round).

3) Obama.

Under Clinton there were attempts to ban weapons and make ammo more difficult to get.  Even discussions of requiring people to registered to purchase ammo.  Obama has had much of the same rhetoric, or at very least the perception of wanting to do the same.

Like any market, perception is as important as reality.  Since Ammo has been somewhat scarce for a while, this essentially created a run on the banks.

4) Wack jobs.

The 4th element is right wing nuts who think Obama will usher in the end of the world.  We will need ammo to fend of the Mexicans and the US Government.  Personally I think this is a small percent of the market, but I have to admit they are out there.

5) Commodity prices

For a while commodity prices had a real effect on ammo.  Even the price of lead went way up.  Brass was expensive and the chemicals for the propellants went up too.  More expensive product = less inventory. 
- - -

Personally, I had a chance to buy bulk 7.62mm Russian ammo a couple months back and jumped at it.  I wish I had spent all my 401K money buying firearms and ammunition in 2006.  My money would have been well invested!

[nathanm]

I heard on the radio yesterday one component of the issue. Dong's was running an ad that stated that the government was going to outlaw guns entirely, so you'd better come to Dong's on Admiral and buy a couple of guns and all the ammo you can get your hands on.

I hadn't heard it before, hence my confusion.