I haven't bought any ammo through a retailer since the prices got out of hand. I have got some good deals from local private sales recently, and before the current situation, I had always bought ammo whenever I came across a deal, whether it was a couple of boxes or a couple of cases. I've built up a decent supply, at least for my needs.

Recently, a guy at work bought his first AR-15 and was pretty excited about it but was having a hard time finding ammo. He hasn't been shooting that long and only owns one other firearm which is a handgun. Anyway, I offered to sell him 200 rounds at pre-panic prices to at least let him get his new AR to a range and get it sighted in. He was very appreciative. After that, a couple of others asked if I'd sell them some ammo, but I just refused and didn't offer an explanation. They're long time shooters like me, and I barely know them. They were just looking to take advantage.

I have some non gun friends. He wanted to shoot before things got tight. So I’ve taken him. Lots of 22, couple boxes 9. Then things became what they are and he still wants to shoot but is clueless about the situation. Asked wife about a nice way to bring it up. So as a stopgap I have been watching prices and when 22 dipped into the 15 cents a round area I bought another case. Most expensive 22 I have ever bought. It keeps me in the 15k range though which if I swallow hard, I don’t mind letting him shoot some more without getting near my hard deck which is 5k of mini mags. If I get down to that, I’m done.

I don’t see myself shooting center fire at these prices. I will go to the big yearly PSA match I always go to up in PA but it’s 22 otherwise.

Luckily, I’m not a center fire snob. I don’t get all the benefit of practice through 22 but I get enough that I can live with myself.

It’s a 22 world out there right now. At least for me.

If he's a friend, just tell him, "Sorry, can't go shooting until ammo prices go down", most non-gun people have absolutely no idea about the price of ammo right now, even in good times....they probably think it only costs $2 to go shooting instead of $1.50/.22 magazine or $3 to shoot one mag out of a Glock 19 (which is probably over $4.50 now). You shoot a few mags and you're already at $20 and it's only been 10 minutes.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by pedropcola:
I have some non gun friends. He wanted to shoot before things got tight. So I’ve taken him. Lots of 22, couple boxes 9. Then things became what they are and he still wants to shoot but is clueless about the situation. Asked wife about a nice way to bring it up. /QUOTE]

Well, I guess I'm "that guy", then. I have a post in the Classifieds looking for a deal on some .380 ammo.

Then again, my situation is slightly different - I'm asking for a friend of the female persuasion, who just bought her first gun. And I'm only looking on her behalf so that we have enough to run a proper familiarization course on the pistol. And a little SD ammo to load up the mags and put them in the nightstand. She realizes that for ongoing training, she's on her own, ammo-wise.

I guess what I'm really doing is leveraging my knowledge and contacts to help a friend who's newly divorced, a little apprehensive about living alone for the first time in I guess 40 years, and yes- a little late to the party. Slightly different than a neckbeard or fud who refused to prepare and is now crying the blues...

Nothing wrong with that. Good news bad news is you will find a box or two but she won’t find enough to actually practice enough to be proficient most likely.

I know... and that bothers me. but I can only do so much.
I'm giving her an older TLR-3 that's been kicking around, and we're going to practice working with a light. Got a handful of snap caps to practice mag loading and tap-rack-shoot drills. Even made her a couple empty cases out of 9mm brass for stovepipe and FTE practice. Accuracy and trigger control are what I cannot do; dry firing just isn't the same as live firing.

I had a "buddy" who knows that I reload and also that I lucked into a case of Federal 9mm 9BP just as the pandemic lockdown started insist I sell him 250 rounds because were were friends. Now, if he had asked to buy a box or two it would have been fine. Since he demanded it, well, we are no longer speaking.

I'm with you. I have a coworker and a coworker's brother demanding 300blk ammo from me.

I've told them both I would sell it for current market prices and they balked.

I basically said, that's what it would cost me to replace it so just go buy it somewhere else.

Same with 5.56.

Now another coworker just bought a rifle and asked me where to find 5.56 ammo. He didn't ask me for any or demand any, so I sold him a case for what I bought it for.

I read about a guy who passed away recently who had 30,000 primers. Wow, 30,000 for one guy. No wonder there's a shortage.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
I have some non gun friends. He wanted to shoot before things got tight. So I’ve taken him. Lots of 22, couple boxes 9. Then things became what they are and he still wants to shoot but is clueless about the situation. Asked wife about a nice way to bring it up. So as a stopgap I have been watching prices and when 22 dipped into the 15 cents a round area I bought another case. Most expensive 22 I have ever bought. It keeps me in the 15k range though which if I swallow hard, I don’t mind letting him shoot some more without getting near my hard deck which is 5k of mini mags. If I get down to that, I’m done.

I don’t see myself shooting center fire at these prices. I will go to the big yearly PSA match I always go to up in PA but it’s 22 otherwise.

Luckily, I’m not a center fire snob. I don’t get all the benefit of practice through 22 but I get enough that I can live with myself.

It’s a 22 world out there right now. At least for me.

Tell him if he wants to shoot, he's gotta bring 100 rounds of 9mm (or whatever number) and you'll supply the .22.....tell him when he has it to call you and you'll go......once HE starts trying to buy it and sees for himself that there isn't any, he'll get the message.

quote:

Originally posted by lkdr1989:
they probably think it only costs $2 to go shooting instead of $1.50/.22 magazine or $3 to shoot one mag out of a Glock 19 (which is probably over $4.50 now). You shoot a few mags and you're already at $20 and it's only been 10 minutes.

You can't even get 9mm range ammo for 30cpr anymore at Academy, Cabela's/Bass Pro Shops, unless it's Russian steel case. Many or the ranges & gun stores I've been to are charging 80cpr for brass 9mm; therefore, the FMV cost of firing off a 15rd G19 mag is about $7.50-12.00 these days.

I sold my local gun guy 1000 rounds of 9mm at pre crazy prices but he does favors for me as well. I quit doing that for friends because the last time I gave a friend a screeming deal on a pistol he turned around and flipped it. Thanks buddy I could have done that.

I traded my favorite gun store owner all of my .40s&w and .357sig, about 3000 rds of factory fmj and jhp. He had literally nothing on the shelves otherwise. I got a great gun out of the deal and he had ammo to sell.

I'm still waiting for OP to offer me a deal on ammo. Radio silence so far, I can't understand why.

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
I read about a guy who passed away recently who had 30,000 primers. Wow, 30,000 for one guy. No wonder there's a shortage.

Are you joking, I can't tell.

That's not all that much. For some people that would be a lifetime's worth, for others, half a year's supply.

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
I read about a guy who passed away recently who had 30,000 primers. Wow, 30,000 for one guy. No wonder there's a shortage.

....Uh, I know and shoot with quite a few people who would call that a good start. Of course those are the people who still shoot every week and don't worry about the shortages.

When we got invited to watch the Super Bowl, a neighbor asked if he was correct thinking I make my own shotgun shells...I guess the guys house we were at has loose lips but I digress.

I admitted to making my own OObuck. He immediately tells me to sell him some.

“No” was the response. Told him I would keep out an eye for any for sale for him.

1. the lack of ammo has persisted since March of last year.
2. he’s had all tha time to hunt some up for himself
3. I’m not selling my hand loads to anyone
4. I’m not selling anyone any of my regular ammo
5. I haven’t been able to reload for anything due to lack of components (small pistol primers or 223 projectiles)

When the guy across the street bought a new gun to protect his family. He asked if I knew where to buy some, and when I explained the lack of ammo, he didn’t ask for anything...just was like, well will you keep an eye out for me?


So I went inside and gave him five rounds of OO buck-I told him this should keep him until he can find some. and told I’m to keep quiet about where he got it.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
I'm still waiting for OP to offer me a deal on ammo. Radio silence so far, I can't understand why.

I must have missed the request. What do you need?

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
I read about a guy who passed away recently who had 30,000 primers. Wow, 30,000 for one guy. No wonder there's a shortage.

....Uh, I know and shoot with quite a few people who would call that a good start. Of course those are the people who still shoot every week and don't worry about the shortages.

Yeah, when my uncle passed in '95, I found about 60 thousand in his reloading storage cabinet.

quote:

Originally posted by honestlou:

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
I'm still waiting for OP to offer me a deal on ammo. Radio silence so far, I can't understand why.

I must have missed the request. What do you need?

I guess I should have included the joking icon. I did not make any request, I was just being a smartass.

But thanks for asking, I appreciate that!