“You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you might find
You get what you need” …The Rolling Stones
No truer words were ever set to music – especially when they are applied to an ironic dilemma many gun enthusiasts now face. Amid record profits in the gun industry, shooters of many disciplines find little solace in the unrelenting, upbeat news. Competitive shooters, hunters, and plinkers everywhere are not able to get what they want.
Be it normally common .22 caliber rimfire, highly popular .223, or widely used 9mm or .40 caliber ammo, it’s rare as gold, and in some cases, just as expensive.
Costs that have increased rather steadily over the years have now ballooned overnight. For example, a few years ago .22 rimfire bricks of 500 rounds were available for under $10; more recently the cost had doubled; but now, if you can find run-of-the mill .22 rimfire bricks, entrepreneurs are extracting $60 from willing suckers.
With few exceptions, handloaders are faring no better. Cartridge components have dried up, as well.
And, if you’ve considered an end-run strategy like making your own bullets, you better have bought your molds a year ago. It’s understood that such advice is as useful as when fishermen find out they should have been out yesterday. We’ve all been there.
Without getting into conspiracy theories, the facts are now staring us in our collective, bewildered faces. Yet, industry sentiment from insiders was explained by the folks at Brownell’s (www.brownells.com) February 25th of 2012 this way:
“During the SHOT Show we began to hear rumblings that ammunition was heating up and that scarcity would likely be a concern as the year progressed. This has begun to manifest itself in major ways already. A few examples: A great friend of ours reported: “Just returned from all the buyer-group shows and they were crazy busy. It’s starting to look like 2009 over again; we’ve been overwhelmed since December 1st. If it continues at this pace, we are going to see some major holes in inventory. The ammo guys are talking about shortages in .223 already . . . here we go again.”
The notice went on this way, “Quantities of .223 and 5.56 that seemed to manufacturers at the SHOT Show like they should have plenty for the year are depleted already. Another great friend of ours had an entire warehouse of 5.56 go out in one purchase order!”
If shooters were not paying attention a year ago, they have no choice but to second-guess their decisions, or lack thereof, or empty their wallets.
However, recent reports indicate that Nevada Senator, Harry Reid is not even close to having enough support to bring Senator Feinstein’s gun-grabbing measures to a vote. The news will begin to reduce consumer panic to a more level-headed strategy of stockpiling, as supplies follow suit in a slow rebound.
Make your list and keep your eyes open and get what you need when you can.
But, beyond necessity, patient people will be able to get what they want, although it will take time to catch up with demand.
Much like the Great Depression taught life lessons to a previous generation, this is our wake-up call.
If you were caught off guard, you’ll not want to miss next week’s tips and techniques for the self-sufficient among us.
