The Window is about to CLOSE. Get your guns and ammo NOW.

[iam4liberty]

This message brought to you by the 2020 Democratic Presidential candidates:

https://youtu.be/G0l-DCrttKs

[Bradbn4]

This message brought to you by the 2020 Democratic Presidential candidates:

https://youtu.be/G0l-DCrttKs

And why yes, they had a t-shirt all ready for it - maybe not this specific version....
https://spitefun.com/product/hell-yes-were-going-to-take-your-ar-15-beto-orourke-t-shirt/

[The Professor]

And. . . the window is now closed.

The Professor

[David in MN]

I'll say what I think I can. The rumor around Federal is talk of a General Dynamics purchase which isn't all too surprising being that they have already acquired ATK and have a strong presence in the area. Could be a slight blip in production but no big changes. Just a rumor worth what you paid for it.

That said the writing is on the wall that ammo sales are about to be radicalized. You're not going to drive to Walmart for your hunting load and make 5 other stops to get your handgun and sporting rifle ammo. Walmart will go from the #1 ammo retailer to zero.

This accidentally solves a long held business problem. People who shoot treat range ammo as a commodity. You'll be happy with Winchester white box 9mm and Federal XM193. Basically you go to Walmart and buy whatever's cheapest. Those days are gone.

But don't for a second think that Remington, Olin, and Vista don't want to sell direct to consumer and give you a case discount. If they could get a monthly subscription plan where you predict your monthly needs of 5.56 and 9mm because you shoot 3 gun and you know roughly how much you need. Presto the ammo companies know what the consumer wants and don't deal with Walmart (who I can attest will not share their sales and distribution data).

Go one step further and look at the catalogs of these ammo makers. Even at a Cabelas or Bass Pro you see maybe 5% of the options. As I write this my .308 scout gun is currently (safely locked) and loaded with Federal .308 150 grain Nosler ballistic tip meduim game ammo. You gonna find that off the shelf? Or did I need a Federal employee? This helps the boutique rounds you never found and helps makers that do custom stuff like a Hornady or Buffalo Bore.

This isn't far from reality. I'm sure any of the big ammo players would love to recommend for your rifle or pistol a cartridge for plinking, one for hunting, one for heavy wind, etc. And if direct to consumer comes around that's real easy.

Lots of change in store for this business.

[iam4liberty]

https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/craig-bannister/sold-out-arizona-gun-store-offers-beto-specials-ar15s-and-ak47s
‘SOLD OUT’: Arizona Gun Store Offers ‘Beto Specials’ on AR15s and AK47s

“I saw the comments that he made, and I was kinda like, ‘You know what: the Hell with this guy.’”

Boggs said O’Rourke’s made determined to sell more guns – even if it meant losing money on them. So, the next morning he announced his “Beto Specials” on AR15 and AK47 rifles on his store’s Facebook page:

Beto O'Rourke said "hell yes we're taking your AR's". Well Beto, we're discounting AR15's to such a low price that EVERY AMERICAN can afford one. How about the low low price of just $349.99? Yeah, that works. Available online only. Go to www.alphadogfirearmsaz.com and look for all our AR15 and AK47 deals under the BETO SPECIALS tab. Deals and discounts will be added fresh all day!

Alpha Dog Firearms was so overwhelmed with customers – selling 200 rifles in two hours – that Boggs had to post an afternoon update on Facebook:

[iam4liberty]

Sales are estimated to be up 10% vs YAGO.

https://freebeacon.com/issues/monthly-gun-sales-up-10-percent-since-last-september//
Monthly Gun Sales Up 10 Percent Since Last September
Dem proposals may be driving surge

The surge in sales comes as Democrats running in the 2020 presidential primary have floated a variety of new gun control schemes. Their proposals have ranged from nationwide gun licensing, to bans on the sale of certain rifles, to outright confiscation. This push for strict new gun laws may be behind the rise in sales.

[Stwood]

Sales are estimated to be up 10% vs YAGO.

 

[iam4liberty]

Beto calls for door-to-door confiscations of semi-auto firearms with "consequences" for Americans who exert their 2A rights.

https://freebeacon.com/issues/beto-says-he-would-send-cops-to-collect-peoples-guns/
Beto Says He Would Send Cops to Collect People’s Guns

[FreeLancer]

Beto calls for door-to-door confiscations of semi-auto firearms with "consequences" for Americans who exert their 2A rights.

How’s that working out for him?


I passed that sad sack in LAX 10 days ago, all by himself dragging his bag to the plane, nobody begging for selfies. 

[iam4liberty]

How’s that working out for him?

I passed that sad sack in LAX 10 days ago, all by himself dragging his bag to the plane, nobody begging for selfies.

Recent polling indicates that O'Rourke's unprecedented plan netted him zero added support. O'Rourke is currently polling under three percent, and has languished at the bottom of the pack for the past several months, despite this and other recent policy shifts.

And he hasnt qualified for fifth debate yet: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Democratic_Party_presidential_debates_and_forums#

[FreeLancer]

Exactly. 

[iam4liberty]

Your turn, Virginia. The 'Klan man' is coming.

https://bearingarms.com/cam-e/2019/11/07/virginians-flock-gun-stores-election-day-losses/
Virginians Flock To Gun Stores After Election Day Losses

gun owners are already reacting to the loss of the legislature and the upcoming onslaught of gun control bills. From AR-15’s to suppressors, residents are buying up pretty much everything Northam is hoping to ban.

[iam4liberty]

Estimated sales up again. +10% vs year ago.

https://freebeacon.com/issues/october-gun-sales-jump-10-percent-continuing-recent-rise/
October Gun Sales Jump 10 Percent, Continuing Recent Rise
Americans buying more guns as Democrats propose confiscation

[Carver]

Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears:
But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock.
Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.
So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found. 1Sa 13:19-22

Gun control is an ancient strategy, see how it turned out for the Philistines.

[iam4liberty]

Lots of reports of gun sales up over 30% and ammo in the 100s%.  It is being dubbed ammo-geddon. Many first time gun buyers on forums and they appear mostly of left political persuasion looking at ARs.  Could be a huge sea change happening driving over 50% of households to be owners.  For our local club we had double the numbers of new members we normally see in a month and talking with them a lot were Dems.

https://youtu.be/p780P4AYsXc

[Chemsoldier]

Been by Bass Pro and a LGS around here.

They were doing a brisk business.  Not post-Newtown levels, call it Christmas season busy. 

None that I saw were telegraphing "scared lefty."

I was there buying a lever gun which I intend to pimp out as a tactical rifle as a "shut in for COVID" hobby project.

CBI background checks normally are 30ish minutes, or a bit less.  They are running at a few hours now.  They spiked yesterday to over 12 hours but they apparently called in more folks at CBI and it quickly dipped back to a few hours.

Hello, by the way.

[iam4liberty]

Been by Bass Pro and a LGS around here.

They were doing a brisk business.  Not post-Newtown levels, call it Christmas season busy. 

None that I saw were telegraphing "scared lefty."

It may be localized to certain communities.  But lots of reports out of California of lines forming like this one in Culver City (http://retting.com/).  It will be interesting to watch as many who research find that they cant buy the most recommended  self defense firearms in their state.  if you look close you see a guy in the middle wearing a mask.

[David in MN]

Ammo was already tight. Uncle Sam just had a very large order. At least up here in Anoka. Bit of a perfect storm.

I hate to tell you but us commoners are the low man on the totem pole with respect to ammo companies. They put priority to government contracts because if they don't it's common knowledge the government stops asking them and goes to a competitor. And that's not limited to the American government. If you've got experience with manufacturing, just imagine a line tooled up to run police rounds for the Kuwaiti government. You're not going to break it down and retool for your bulk retail until the order is full.

For you weirdo caliber guys it's even worse (I'd never buy a gun in an oddball caliber  ). They get run "in-between" and cached in the plant until ordered. In a world that runs on 5.56 and 9mm your .300 Blackout is at the back of the line. If there's a run on the big guys you better believe it could be a while.

Just some background from a guy who knows a few people on the inside of the business. That's why a decent cache is so important. I don't have tens of thousands of rounds (not counting .22s) but I make sure I have a decent supply of all the ammo I need to use if it goes that way.

[FreeLancer]

The window for ammo pretty much already closed for me, out here in California, ten months ago.  2017 was the last year I could get ammunition shipped direct to my address, so I was motivated to seriously overextended myself all year long, right up to the bitter end. 

I was going to start buying reloading components this year, as those items can still be legally purchased and shipped direct to CA addresses, but have thus far spent the money on additional weapons, instead.

California's ammogeddon motivated me to spend a small fortune back then, and in January I reached the maximum capacity of my safe, so I'm done buying guns and ammo for the foreseeable future.

Last year I finally accumulated all the reloading components I could ever need for my various .44 wheel and lever guns, and today I'm going to spend the afternoon in the garage reorganizing that mess.

[Greekman]

guys, what is the reason for such buying? the upcoming election or the CoVID outbreak?

David, what is the actual availability of non-common cartridges at the moment.
If you have a 30-30, a 220 swift, and a 30 whelen, I do not think he goes through more than a few hundred per year, so two packs of 20 will be good for him.

Also what is the availability of non-common ammo in the pawn shops?

Being just curious...Kostas

[Chemsoldier]

guys, what is the reason for such buying? the upcoming election or the CoVID outbreak?

David, what is the actual availability of non-common cartridges at the moment.
If you have a 30-30, a 220 swift, and a 30 whelen, I do not think he goes through more than a few hundred per year, so two packs of 20 will be good for him.

Also what is the availability of non-common ammo in the pawn shops?

Being just curious...Kostas

COVID.

Americans have guns on the brain, so when we stock up it includes guns.  It isnt completely rational either.  Why buy tons of ammo? You gonna shoot everyone for blocks around? I aint going to the indoor range in this crisis to practice either.  Now it is easy for me to judge others since i have plenty of guns and ammo already, some of these folks are buy guns the same way a dude panic buy 10 pounds of flour and no yeast.

On the other hand, some IS rational. I bought a lever gun to tinker with in the idle moments caused by the outbreak.

[Greekman]

these i got...I will admit have watched my share of "stock ammo and how many magazines one needs" videos on YT (since i cannot make the same over here  )

and i see another reasoning behind stocking..One will need to stock for AFTER the fact. Where availability will be diminished. (if it goes that bad, there will be decreased production capacity quite a while after the COVID)
either it is 22L ammo , or surgical masks

[iam4liberty]

Here is some perspective.  It is almost like firearms are being treated like a talisman.  Other buyers are Asian Americans who fear being targetted.  Big opportunity to help these new owners learn to safely own and use firearms. 

https://amp.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article241164136.html
Gun and ammo sales surge in US with coronavirus fears. ‘Better safe than sorry’

Stores across the United States hardly can keep hand sanitizer and toilet paper on their shelves, and sales of guns, ammunition and tactical wear also have surged during the coronavirus pandemic, according to media reports.

The growing number of cases in the country has led people to buy guns for the first time, a California gun shop owner told KTVU-TV.

“People who tell me that they don’t like guns, but they’re here to begrudgingly buy one,” Gabriel Vaughn, owner of Sportsman’s Arms In Petaluma, told the TV station. “And if it makes somebody feel safe and they’re legal to own one, then sure.”

Sales on Ammo.com, an online ammunition store, were 68 percent greater from Feb. 23 to March 4 than they were the preceding 11 days, the company said in a press release. Residents in North Carolina and Georgia had the biggest increase in sales on the website.

Kevin Lim, who owns tactical gear retailer Bulletproof Zone, told BuzzFeed News his sales have jumped 50 to 100 percent.

“I think with the way things have escalated quite quickly around the world and in the U.S. in just the last couple of weeks, it’s very hard to tell what’s going to happen next, and I believe it is better to be safe than sorry,” Lim said. “That’s what our business is about, after all, keeping people safe.”
...
There has been a large uptick in gun sales among Asian Americans, Dennis Lin, owner of Gun Effects and Cloud 9 Fishing, told KABC. He said some Asian Americans are being targeted because of their race.

“Just people discriminating,” Lin told KABC. “We forget, we’re all people. We’re in America, we’re not in China.”
...
Most of the gun sales of Wade’s Eastside Guns in Bellevue, Washington, were by people of Asian descent, the store’s internet sales manager told The Trace. Sales at the store have increased sixfold since the pandemic began, Cole Gaughhran said.

“The main thing I’m hearing is that they don’t want to get jumped because of their race,” Gaughran told The Trace.

[FreeLancer]

My local weapons monger had guys lined up around the block on my way home tonight.

[David in MN]

I went to Fleet Farm (a Midwest company: name says it all for all things rural) and they had plenty of stock on all things. The gun counter was busier than a Monday morning would normally warrant but they had all the ammo you could want. Maybe a bias that those of us in the blue collar burbs have our guns kitted out already but they made displays of common calibers.

Greekman.... It's a weird phenomenon here in the states (where I live at least). In town you get the popular calibers. Out in the sticks the fishing lure shops all sell the oddball hunting rounds. So having a very strange caliber might not be good in town but out in the boonies you might just find it; especially if it's an "old-guy" caliber. Just the game you're playing.

[iam4liberty]

Maybe a bias that those of us in the blue collar burbs have our guns kitted out already but they made displays of common calibers.

Right now there is a huge divergence between CA/WA/CO/NY and the other states.  There is a near panic in those four states.  I spent all day in business conferences and to a person, everyone outside those states thought reactions are way overblown.  It was only people from those four who thought they werent.  Even people from nearby states like RI and NM thought the media was exagerating things.  So there is a big difference in corresponding behavior.

[Greekman]

you know google inc is the best spy of them all...tonight I had a suggested video in Yt about a gun shop in Vegas stripped clean.
I mean, on the shelves there were 2 22LR versions of the AK, and people would buy the last few of the DanielDefence ARs. And there were about 10 bolt actions.
FN 5.7x28 pistols and ammo were plentiful!

in my eyes it was worse than the obama scare

[Adam Campbell]

It's been 4 days since I placed my order with bulkammo.com and they have yet to ship the order. It's been about 8 days since I ordered a gallon of hand sanitizer gel and no shipping.

I'm not terribly worried about either order as I know these places are busy as all hell right now, but Amazon seems to be the only company actually shipping orders in a timely fashion right now.

And the day they officially shut down the country and suspend FedEx shipments, you're gonna be out all the money you spent waiting for weeks or months (potentially) for your orders to arrive.

I expected all of this when I placed some fairly significant online orders, but it's something to think about for anyone who decides to go online once the store shelves are completely wiped out.

[iam4liberty]

New York has decided to join the party.

https://nypost.com/2020/03/17/new-yorkers-flock-to-gun-stores-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/amp/
New Yorkers flock to gun stores amid coronavirus outbreak

New Yorkers spooked by the coronavirus outbreak — and the government’s reaction to it — are packing Long Island gun stores to stock up on firearms and ammo amid the chaotic situation across the state.

The demand for firearms at Coliseum Gun Traders Ltd in Nassau County was so high Tuesday that manager Kevin Romano said they’re only letting small groups of people into the store at a time.

“I think a lot of people feel their rights are being infringed upon, and they want to exercise their Second Amendment right before any possible gun restrictions are put in place,” Romano said at the Uniondale shop.
...
David Straus, 53, who lives in New York City, said he was there to buy a shotgun because he fears what people might do if their jobs are cut.

“I think it’s better to be safe than sorry. I don’t know what’s going to happen if things get worse and people don’t have jobs,” he said.

“I need to protect my family and my home. I’m a big believer in prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I hope to never have to use it,” he added.
...
“The problem is when you have the government getting involved in your daily life, closing stores and shutting down people’s opportunity to make money and feed their families, they begin not to respect each other’s borders,” said the man, who declined to give his name.

“You have to buy while supplies are high,” he said.

A 41-year-old Nassau County resident named Tony said he was also there to buy a shotgun “just as a precaution.”

“My preference from a self-defense perspective is a handgun, but the permit will take a long time, so I will buy a shotgun for the time being,” he said.

[Chemsoldier]

Been by Bass Pro and a LGS around here.

They were doing a brisk business.  Not post-Newtown levels, call it Christmas season busy. 

None that I saw were telegraphing "scared lefty."

I was there buying a lever gun which I intend to pimp out as a tactical rifle as a "shut in for COVID" hobby project.

CBI background checks normally are 30ish minutes, or a bit less.  They are running at a few hours now.  They spiked yesterday to over 12 hours but they apparently called in more folks at CBI and it quickly dipped back to a few hours.

Hello, by the way.

Gouge from a buddy is that Bass Pro here still has some guns but has been cleaned out of ammo.