243 Ammo Shortage - The ammunition shortage that started the global pandemic in 2020 left many hunters with empty rifles and shotguns last hunting season - or at least with a less than ideal load that probably cost three times what it did before. During the lockout, it's almost impossible to find even common loads like .30-30 soft points or 20 gauge slugs, and when they are found, the price tag is often painful. Fortunately, the U.S. ammunition shortage and the ugliness that accompanies it seem to be largely behind us—mostly.
"The last two years have seen a lot of price increases, so hunters are paying more for their ammunition than they were before the pandemic started." -Roy Hill, Brownells
243 Ammo Shortage
Although there is currently no shortage of ammunition supplies, the availability of ammunition is far from what it used to be.
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Pre-pandemic hunters could usually go to a big box outdoor retailer the day before the season opener and pick up two boxes of the .300 Win Mag load that best suited their rifle. Nowadays, many hunters settle for what they get in the big chains.
While things are getting better in 2020, buying ammo isn't like it was in the days before the pandemic.
"I know I have a hard time finding common ammo, like 6.5 Creedmoor, at the Cabela's near my house," Mark Oliva said.
. He is the managing director of public affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade organization representing the firearms and ammunition industry. "But a lot of the smaller retailers in the area have it on their shelves. I think it's just that the big-box retailers tend to be a magnet for a lot of ammunition buyers, so it goes fast."
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Roy Hill, the senior brand communications manager for Brownells, a major online retailer of firearms and ammunition, attests to the improved availability for Internet shoppers.
"After the last two years of scarcity, we've seen more traditional hunting cartridges come back into stock, and availability should be even better this fall," Hill said.
Some hunters have to settle for using loads that aren't exactly what they want or what their rifle likes best.
"Today Brownells has over 140 different types of rifle ammunition in stock. There are 5 different loads for the .30-06 in stock, for a specific example," he said.
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"I think where you struggle is for people who shoot some of the newer stuff, like 6mm Creedmoor, 6mm ARC, .300 PRC ammo. Those specific calibers are still difficult," Oliva said.
The increased availability of ammunition is certainly good news for hunters across the country. But the hunters still have to dig into their pockets to pay for it.
"The last two years have seen a lot of price increases, so hunters are paying more for their ammunition than they were before the pandemic started," Hill said.
Although a box of .30-06 hunting ammunition can cost more than hunters are used to, prices fell slightly since last year.
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Prices for more readily available ammunition have dropped slightly, but many specialty hunting loads are still expensive.
"I like to use 5.56 as a gauge type. Before the pandemic, we were looking at 5.56 worth about 33 cents a round. During the height of the pandemic, I kept a prairie dog hunting on my AR in Montana, and it gave me about cost a buck a round Now we're in the 40 to 45 cent range so it's still high where it is.
Over the past two years, ammunition makers have had to step up their production game as consumer demand spikes after the 2020 shitshow. Cocktail of panic that sends civilians scrambling for ammunition. Additional supply chain disruptions disrupt manufacturing backlogs across the board, making it more difficult to put ammunition on shelves.
"Manufacturers are making more efforts to meet demand," Oliva said. "Remington Ammunition in Arkansas runs three shifts around the clock, which increases their production capacity. Earlier this year I had the opportunity to walk through the federal factory in Minnesota for the same thing. They move around the clock to put out as many bullets of all calibers and all gauges as they could.
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In early September, Federal announced that they had broken ground for a new raw materials facility on their property in Anoka, Minnesota. With the ability to keep raw materials close to their manufacturing center, the project will help improve the company's production efficiency.
"It's not easy to put a shovel in the dirt and build a new factory, but we see that these ammunition manufacturers are trying to increase production as much as possible," said Oliva.
Although prices remain higher than before the pandemic, seeing them fall to almost reasonable levels is a refreshing trend. Unfortunately, Oliva doesn't think we'll see ammo prices as low as we enjoyed before the shortage.
The production and prices of ammunition depend on the markets that govern the necessary raw materials. If the supply chain of materials is interrupted or slowed, ammunition shortages can occur, as shooters have seen.
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"I think some of the supply chain issues that affect other markets also affect the ammunition industry," Oliva explained. "The price of goods has increased due to reduced availability of some of the goods. This includes lead, copper and gunpowder. The cost of all components has increased. Shipping costs and storage costs have all increased. All of this is included in the cost of including what you and I pay in the store. Those are some of the reasons that will continue to raise prices to where they have been."
Oliva and Hill advise hunters to stock up on their favorite hunting loads now before rifle season begins.
"If you find a good deal on ammo, you know, jump on it when you can," Oliva said.
Alice Jones Webb is an FRA staff writer, lifelong hunter, accomplished shooter, and mother of four future outdoor enthusiasts. He grew up slinging bullets and broadheads at Virginia whitetails, turkeys, and game birds, but his favorite hunting experience was chasing bull elk in the Colorado backcountry. Not one to sit still and look pretty, Alice is also a self-defense instructor and competitive archer. She now lives in rural North Carolina with her children, non-hunting husband, and a well-stocked box refrigerator. The Great Ammunition Shortage of 2022 will never go away. You may have a hard time finding ammunition for your handgun, rifle or shotgun this year. The reasons for the shortage are wide-ranging, from supply bottlenecks to copper shortages to the war in Ukraine. The best solution is to make your own balls.
Will There Be Hunting Ammo This Season?
People are buying more guns, and there are more new gun owners. In 2020, 20 percent of American gun buyers have never purchased a firearm. Thirty-nine percent of people recently surveyed in the United States own at least one handgun, rifle or shotgun, according to the General Social Survey, and FBI background checks track a 41 percent increase in gun ownership from 2019 to 2020. 8.4 million new owners. These gun owners need ammunition. So, the demand side of the equation is easy to see.
The supply of ammunition is also a concern. People are stockpiling rounds during the Covid-19 pandemic amid panic over dwindling supplies. The import of ammunition decreased by 34 percent during the worst days of the quarantine in 2020. There were times during the pandemic when the production of weapons and ammunition stopped. Gun owners noticed this shortage in the storage of firearms and ammunition.
There was also a loss of supply when ammunition manufacturer Remington went bankrupt. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in 2018, and again in 2020. It was difficult for Remington to produce enough ammunition to keep up with demand until it straightened out its operations and sold itself to Vista Outdoors.
Several factors aggravated the pipeline of imported ammunition. These include sanctions against Russia, which restrict exports from that country. Ammunition restrictions imposed by China and other countries further tighten supplies.
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Less publicized is a global shortage of copper, a key input in the manufacture of ammunition. Ammo makers must compete for copper supplies with electric vehicle makers and the US Mint, among others.
Brandon Maddox, the CEO of Silencer Central, wrote a blog post on March 15 documenting the calibers that are the hardest to come by.
30-30 Winchester rounds can be hard to find for owners of lever-action "Old West" rifles. You can pay more than a dollar a round - maybe even two dollars. There are slim pickings in .308 Winchester coveted by deer hunters. Maddox says it's better to buy .40 Smith & Wesson pistol ammo online,
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