Why is 9mm ammo so scarce

While there is a shortage on shelves, there is more ammunition being shipped today than ever before. Manufacturers are operating at above-normal capacities and doing everything they can to supply retailers. There are a lot of rumors right now about ammunition and components not making their way to retail that are just not true.

There are also resellers outside of our customer base who will always try to take advantage of pricing in times of high demand. We are proud to employ thousands of Americans across the country who work hard to make and ship products for hunters, shooters, reloaders and those who protect our communities.

The health of our workforce during the pandemic is critical and we are proud to have kept running safely as an essential American business. Where did all the rumors of lowered production come from? It is easy to feel like production is down.

This pandemic has done its best to shut down the workforce in our country, in pretty much every sector. With that being the case, it is easy to facilitate rumors that the lack of ammo on the shelf was due to lowered production because of the pandemic. Like Federal, Hornady is running at maximum capacity — manufacturing, producing and shipping ammunition to retailers every day. You can only put so much corn in a field. We only have so many strokes we can get out of machines and hours out of employees.

Are we increasing capacity? Yeah, of course. But you don't build your business around these kinds of events. Seems simple, right? Manufacturing is not without hiccups; there have been COVID-required quarantines, causing plant and production line shutdowns. This applies to almost all industries, and there are ripple effects.

Few ammunition brands manufacture all four components of a metallic cartridge primer, case, propellant and projectile. When one component runs short, product is delayed. Despite the challenges, by expanding production and adding new suppliers, ammunition production is up and is exceeding by millions of cartridges the quantities produced in previous years.

And yet, shelves remain empty, and prices are skyrocketing to stupid levels. Must be a grand plan, right? The simple answer — demand. No industry can be prepared for a sudden, unprecedented, exponential increase in demand. Even if manufacturers had seen this coming, preparation would have meant storing vast inventory — a very costly measure.

Then, when demand returns to near-normalcy, the manufacturers would have to scale back, preferably without closing doors or cutting jobs. As well, manufacturers and dealers alike risk getting stuck with excess inventory that will need to be sold quickly and probably at a loss. Hunting buddy Gordon Marsh, a storefront and e-commerce retailer, tried patiently to explain some of this to me on a recent deer hunt. The industry has done a pretty good job; estimates are that every manufacturer is up 30 to 50 percent.

The reality is: No one can afford to have an extra, idle factory sitting around waiting for these scenarios. We get all kinds of nasty comments about how we should stop making T-shirts and make more ammo. Despite huge efforts, there is escalating demand, there are shortages, and prices are soaring. Demand and shortages go together. There is a finite supply, which developed to meet typical demand. Public concern is a major factor.

An unprecedented number of new gun owners have joined our ranks. Well, that was toilet paper, gun owners have been dealing with that non stop for nearly two years.

The truth behind empty shelves at gun stores and in the sporting goods section of some box stores is complex and there are several reasons. Oliva speaks with authority on the subject. The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry.

During due to the reorganization and breakup of the longtime gun and ammo giant, the assembly lines to produce Remington ammo were idled and it was a big chuck of cartridges which were not getting made. Chance Cook August 25, at pm. Leave a Reply. Recent Posts. Share Tweet. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Do not sell my personal information. Close Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website.

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