If you’ve been to a sporting goods store recently, you’ve more than likely noticed the fact that almost all major ammo is gone. Especially the shotgun shells. Some might be lucky to find a random box of 12 gauge target loads, or 20 gauge 4 shot, but there aren’t a whole lot of waterfowl loads stocked up on the shelves. While this isn’t usually uncommon this time of year, most hunters usually can still find a box or case of shells to buy so they can be prepared come hunting season. This year, people are searching high and low for any sort of ammunition they can find.
Why is this the case? While there are many people with lots of different theories, the reality is, there has become a higher demand for ammunition than what stores and manufacturers are able to keep up with. With the chaos from the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have started purchasing ammo in bulk. Most of your common loads such as .22, 9MM, and the like. While the demand for those bullets has been extremely high, the demand for stores to get in steel shot for us waterfowlers has been low, so the volume being brought into stores has been lower than usual. That, in turn, has led to what few amounts of shells are placed on the shelves being bought up even quicker than usual.
The reality is with 8,000,000 new gun owners in 2020, ammo companies are having a hard time keeping up with the demand that has drastically increased. This doesn’t just affect the shotgun shell side of things. Popular big game rounds are about as rare to come by as anything. Another problem people are facing is the struggle with material. The prices of almost everything from steel to the elements needed to create powder have nearly doubled in cost. Which makes it harder to get the materials in, build the product, and get it shipped. When the cost of anything goes up, it slows down the process of getting into the consumer’s hands.
Some people believe that there are people buying ammunition in bulk, to then flip at higher prices. While there might be some people doing this, it (mostly) isn’t true. The reality is, it’s simply become harder to create a product that now costs more to manufacture, and then get it to the consumer base that has sky-rocketed by almost 40%.
The biggest fear had by most is- will this affect my hunting season? While there isn’t any definitive answer yet, it does sound like companies are making an effort to make sure that ammo is sent out as fast as they can make it. This, obviously, includes steel shot. The only problem that hunters could run into, is themselves. Remember the toilet paper? There was plenty to go around, but people bought it off the shelves as fast as it was stocked. That’s currently a major part of the problem with the ammo shortage right now. So do yourself, and everyone else a favor once that steel shot comes back on the shelves-
DON’T PANIC; DON’T HOARD.
Buy what you need. Purchase a case to get you through a season (maybe even two if you’re that horrible of a shot, or do that much hunting) and then buy anything more as needed. If waterfowlers start to panic and hoard the shells they find as fast as they can, the problem becomes cyclical. The demand stays high, the cost will grow higher, and it will be a long time before there becomes a steady stock of shells to buy at your stores.
The ammo shortage right now is a real thing. It’s something to be mindful of. Don’t buy into the conspiracies. Understand that ammo is being produced as fast as it can, and it’s also being purchased at the same rate. If you need a certain cartridge, shell, or load, be vigilant, but don’t buy every box if you don’t absolutely need them. That only keeps this dilemma running longer. Buy what’s needed, and let the problem sort itself out as supplies and demands begin to balance themselves out.
