The Gun Counter

Just got back from Cabela's.

No, they had no 22 at all, and I overheard someone working there saying rimfire was still hard to come by and they were limiting quantities per customer to slow down the hoarders.

But they had lots of other stuff. 380 was plentiful, as was .38 special. And 9mm was available by the truckload. 9mm Blazer Brass was *marked down as overstock*. It was overflowing the shelves, and marked down to $12/50. IIRC, WWB was around $20/100.

I don't shoot 9mm. Right now I'm looking for .40, .357mag and .22lr and those were still thin.

Oh and rifle ammo was abundant in every caliber I though to look for, *except* 8mm. Which is the only one I have any use for right now, of course. Oh well.

Yeah, even 10mm is coming back around here. I had to do something out in Wasilla yesterday, and stopped at Sportsman's on spec. Not only did they have powder, they even had the two powders I most wanted to buy, though still with a 2 pound per sku limit per customer. I left with their last 2 pounds of Varget, and also 2 of AA1680, which is supposed to be the best powder for 7.62x39. Also 20 more rounds of 10mm XTP, just because.

Picking up some odds and ends at Walmart today, discovered that they have 100-rnd boxes of Federal 5.56 (55 gr. FMJ/BT) for 39.95. Oddly enough, a couple of them followed me home. Imagine my surprise!

Academy Sports, locally, is loaded with ammo in all the popular calibers, but .22LR is still problematic. Having said that I did pick up 200 rounds this week on one of my weekly checks. Yesterday the only thing they seemed to be short of was .40SW plinking ammo, although I did pick up 100 rounds of that.

Its becoming hunting season, so today I went to a local specialty store and found a box of 16 gauge steel shot. It was on the shelf, right next to the hen's teeth.

Yep, much improved selection on the shelf the range today. Apparently all priced as the "new normal" level. Ouch.

Glad I've got powder and primers.

Speaking of primers, what's the going rate per sleeve these days?

Hurm. Just checked T&T, price has gone up since the last time I bought them, but not as much as I feared - Fed large rifle are running a buck sixty a sleeve..

As for .22LR, Walmart is still flat out. The only bulk-packs that I've seen were old Remington bricks that sold for $55.00 apiece at auction, ($.11 per round). Our favorite pawn&gun had 50-round boxes (tin projectiles) for $4.00; after I bought two I considered going back to buy a thousand rounds for $80.00, but they were sold out the next day!

"New Normal Prices,....."

.22lr aside, the new normal isn't looking all that different from the old normal. Any differences seem like they can easily be accounted for by the general inflation we've experienced between then and now. (Just about everything is more expensive.)

Patting myself on the back for seeing the Sandy Hook news and getting on CMP site to place an 22LR order. That only took till April 2013 to deliver (6 months later).

Kicking myself on the backside for not ordering 2 or even 3 cases of 5000 at the time.

"I have friends in low places..." places low on 22LR inventory that is.

Academy has been able to stock 50 round boxes of .22LR, although not always CCI. I found a Federal 325 round nitrogen filled .22LR can for a decent price and bought it. Cabelas finally had 10mm 180 grain XTP's in stock, as well as Hornady .300 blackout/whisper supersonic and subsonic loadings. Finally!