Thread: Cartridge and Rifle Camberings Availability.

Originally Posted by -BW-

I’m not sure if the ‘there is no shortage’ sentiment is to say that things are as they have always been... but one would have to ask.. why are most of the retailers out of stock of so much of their components and product? Why are components selling at a 200% markup on the auction sites? One would have to surmise that things are indeed not normal, and that many shelves are bereft of their normal quantities of stock.

Greetings @-BW-,
There is a very simple answer. PANIC BUYING IN THE US. It has been well documented and is driven by the US election cycle. The current one started in the US in early 2000 when it started to look possible that Tump may lose the election later that year. Manufacturers keep production steady to keep costs down and profits up and concentrate on the high profit lines as they know that every boom ends in a bust. As the panic slows down shelves are restocked but at the end of the supply chain we are the last to see this happen. Local stockpiling by firearms users to ensure their supply and hoarding by some make things worse. It really is that simple. Things should ease through this year and into next depending on the US Mid Term results but expect the cycle to return in early 2024.
Regards Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings @-BW-,
There is a very simple answer. PANIC BUYING IN THE US. It has been well documented and is driven by the US election cycle. The current one started in the US in early 2000 when it started to look possible that Tump may lose the election later that year. Manufacturers keep production steady to keep costs down and profits up and concentrate on the high profit lines as they know that every boom ends in a bust. As the panic slows down shelves are restocked but at the end of the supply chain we are the last to see this happen. Local stockpiling by firearms users to ensure their supply and hoarding by some make things worse. It really is that simple. Things should ease through this year and into next depending on the US Mid Term results but expect the cycle to return in early 2024.
Regards Grandpamac.

The very large armaments contracts issued for tender by the US govt are having an enormous impact on public supply. These contracts must be a financial windfall to manufacturers with the Ukraine 'aid' package now around $80 Billion, this is on top of the huge expansion in armament procurement. Tenders can be viewed online. Even in this link https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12040 listed is 59,000,000 rounds of small arms ammo.
Tenders issued by day: https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings @-BW-,
There is a very simple answer. PANIC BUYING IN THE US. It has been well documented and is driven by the US election cycle. The current one started in the US in early 2000 when it started to look possible that Tump may lose the election later that year. Manufacturers keep production steady to keep costs down and profits up and concentrate on the high profit lines as they know that every boom ends in a bust. As the panic slows down shelves are restocked but at the end of the supply chain we are the last to see this happen. Local stockpiling by firearms users to ensure their supply and hoarding by some make things worse. It really is that simple. Things should ease through this year and into next depending on the US Mid Term results but expect the cycle to return in early 2024.
Regards Grandpamac.

Indeed.

The 'why' posed in my comment was not to say why is there a shortage but more to state if there exists a sentiment of ''there is no shortage'' then why are the shelves empty. As I believe that yes indeed, there does exist a shortage, the scale of which is mostly subjective but we don't have access to stock we have in the past.