Only Limited Ammo Availability At This Time

Okay, so things aren't quite that dire out there just yet, but it's definitely heading in that direction. Let me explain …

A few days ago I wrote a post about my experience in the local sporting goods store, Sportsman's Warehouse, where I attempted to pick up some ammo I was low on. There were already certain types of ammunition that were all but sold out but there was still some around that allowed me to make up for it in different calibers.

Later on, over the course of a few days, I looked online just to see how the market was moving so I could eventually write about it. Well, I'm sad to say that I'm able to write this article sooner than I had hoped.

If you were to go to any of the major online ammunition retailers, like Lucky Gunner, Ammo Supply Warehouse, Ammo.com, or many of the others, they're sold out of the popular calibers like 9mm, .223/5.56, and .22lr.

I was really hoping we'd be able to make it a bit further than this, and the ammunition that is out there is beginning to be price gouged. I left a tab open on my browser last night on a 9mm bulk product that was one price, and woke up to find a price increase of more than 36% after hitting the refresh button.

There are a couple things to keep in mind, here. First, there is still ammo available if you know where to look. Check the small mom and pop gun stores in your area if you fee like braving the streets.

Second, check AmmoSeek.com to see current prices. Now, I will say that they're having a hard time updating that website to keep up with out of stock products, but this is the absolute BEST website out there for comparing ammo prices for online purchases.

What do I do if my chosen self-defense ammo is out of stock?

Here's what I'm recommending: If you own guns in other calibers that you don't usually carry or use for self-defense that you know for a fact function, buy ammo for them if you can. My personal thought, is that it's better to have more ammo than you need.

For example, if your primary carry guns are all in 9mm but you also own pistols in 380, 38, 357 mag, 40, or 45 ACP — you may still be able to find ammunition for those calibers at this moment. If you're low, having some ammo even in off calibers, is better than none.

This is important because the truth of the matter is that nobody knows how long this is going to last. Nobody knows how long shelves will be bare, and nobody knows how long the ammo shortage will be, if at all. I say it like that because the ammunition manufacturers were supposedly sitting on massive supplies after prepping for a Hillary Clinton presidency.

So, I'm sure there is ammo out there, we just can't buy it yet and we don't know when things will return to normal.

And, there's a good chance that whatever you have now is all you'll have in the future. I'm, as of right now, ceasing my gun reviews because I burn up ammo quick when I do them.

My goal here isn't to cause alarm, but to show you that alarm is already out there among many people and to say that ammo won't be getting easier to find, any time soon, except under very narrow circumstances.

Leave your thoughts on this in the comments below.