# Walmart Ammo Availability (my story)



## labotomi (Feb 14, 2010)

FWIW...

This morning I had to make an early run to WalMart and as always took a stroll by the sporting goods section to have a look. I was surprised that they had several boxes of 9mm and .45 on the shelves. I spoke with the lady there, discussing things such as how often they get shipments, when they actually go on the shelves and what's going on to make ammo so scarce.

While this was going on, she said that over the last couple of weeks they had been getting in decent amounts of the rounds that had been non existent before. I asked about a few (9mm, .40, .45, .223, and .22 which is the the ones sold there that I would be interested in. She said that .223 was still rare, but the rest they had been getting in a couple of times a week. It was about the same amount they had gotten in before the panic, but it doesn't last as long on the shelves. The prior week they had gotten in 9mm, .40 and 22lr on Thursday morning and by the time she left on Friday evening, it was gone except a few boxes of 9mm.

I'm hoping this isn't temporary, but I'm also not counting on it.


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## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

Which Walmart would this be? The ones around here are barren. As usual.


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## labotomi (Feb 14, 2010)

Moulton Alabama.


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## smithwa3 (Feb 17, 2012)

Looking around a walmart in WA, I heard the sporting goods employees bragging about buying out the pistol ammo as it comes in. Is there a way to stop that?


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## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

Moulton? Really. Hmmmm. I haven't been able to find anything there lately.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

They said the same thing here.


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## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

smithwa3 said:


> Looking around a walmart in WA, I heard the sporting goods employees bragging about buying out the pistol ammo as it comes in. Is there a way to stop that?


yes tell the manager!!


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## oldvet (Jun 29, 2010)

smithwa3 said:


> Looking around a walmart in WA, I heard the sporting goods employees bragging about buying out the pistol ammo as it comes in. Is there a way to stop that?[/QUOTE
> 
> Unless Wally World has a policy against them doing it, and you can prove that they are buying it up, I don't see a whole lot that can be done about it. Just goes to show the lack of integrity and values that some folks have and just how sorry they are.
> 
> ...


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## labotomi (Feb 14, 2010)

8thDayStranger said:


> Moulton? Really. Hmmmm. I haven't been able to find anything there lately.


I picked up 3 boxes of .45, but that was what I needed most. The guy before me (she said he was there every morning) bought one 325 pack of 22lr and probably would have bought the other, but for some reason it had been emptied into a box and the lady was putting it back in the container.

She said it was just the past couple (or maybe few) weeks. I only check there when there's another reason I can't avoid the place.

This was around 8am and she said she was there at 7 when she worked. She was a little ticked that the night employees had been in the ammo shipment earlier. I didn't get the actual reason, but I took it to be that only those working sporting goods dealt with the ammo inventory. I think she said it was the first time it had happened.


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## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

Yeah I haven't been in there in two weeks. Maybe the craze has started to relax. Maybe I can ride out there this afternoon and get lucky. If not. Oh well. I just acquired a new source but don't know how reliable it is yet.


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## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

BTW Thanks for the heads up.


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## ras1219como (Jan 15, 2013)

I stopped by my Walmart early this morning as well. The shelves were bare of everything except for a few small boxes of .410 shells, and a handful of boxes each of 270 and 243. If I remember right there was also a couple boxes of 12 gauge. Everything else was gone.


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

Fiance was was going in to wal mart recently and a co worker was going in she helped him get some extra 9mm to beat the three box limit. He had been waiting for weeks to get some. I dunno if I feel the Wal mart employees buying what is available as being all that wrong. I mean sure they work there but they are also individual citizens of the US they just have an advantage because they work where the ammo is being sold. Betcha folks working at the factory and ware houses etc aren't feeling too much of the ammo pinch either. Just their good fortune to be where it's at. Same if a famine strikes the farmer will be well fed since he's right there where it comes out of the ground or off the hoof. Yeah it does irritate me when I can't get the ammo I want when I want but it is more a irritation with the situation that has caused the shortage than with those who beat me to the limited supply available. If I had the money and the opportunity I"d scoop up all including the last box of 40 ammo because it is a new caliber in the house and the one I have not had the opportunity to stock up with. And yeah I think if there was a disapointed face watching me pull the last one I"d be inclined to share just because for all my grousing I really have a soft heart. But for those not there when I"m there I'd not give a second thought they will not get any because I got the last of it. Thats just the way it works in a free society self imposed rationing is almost as silly as government enforced rationing when it comes to buying things on the free market. Just my thoughts on what I have read. And as to the OP I hope that is a sign that the supply is maybe starting to catch up with demand rather than demand is being quelled to match supply by reduction in ability of citizens to spend money. (Had to get my glass half empty in there somewhere  )


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## Padre (Oct 7, 2011)

smithwa3 said:


> Looking around a walmart in WA, I heard the sporting goods employees bragging about buying out the pistol ammo as it comes in. Is there a way to stop that?


Up here they have a three box limit on ammo because other gun stores were buying ammo at Walmart and then reselling it at a steep mark up.


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## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

Padre said:


> Up here they have a three box limit on ammo because other gun stores were buying ammo at Walmart and then reselling it at a steep mark up.


Same here. Some things were 1 box limits for a minute. Pawn store in town selling .22lr for 70 cents a round! And folks were buying it! I'd rather throw a rock at something than pay that.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Yeah if there was a food shortage and someone working on our farm needed it of course they would get it before the general public, if they were reselling it though I have been known to get a bit ornery 

I'm gonna have to pop into a Cabela's one of these days to see if they shipped their supplies down south, it is weird that there is still no signs of shortage here.


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## biobacon (Aug 20, 2012)

My place is just about restocked, except for 22LR. They even have powder back in stock, darn my need for waterproof boots or 4 more bottles would have came home with me in addition to the one I got for my best friend. On the plus side he called about an hour after I got his powder and told me or got a box of .223 for himself and a box of .22 for me. Heres to friends, decent people at Cabelas and to things slowly coming back.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Our walmart never really had much ta begin with. Lately, the shelves er dusty. I asked the lady there an she said they get very little if anythin right now. I generally buy my ammo at fleet farm an there outa everthin in popular sizes. They ain't had a 22 in there in weeks! Luckily I was buyin that before the big grab so got quite a bit on hand. There gettin lots a sh0tgun loads back in stock. Been buyin a bottle a bpowder ever now an again an build up my stock on that. Be one thin there weren't no real shortage on.

I hope it loosens up round here soon. Wanna do some practice but ain't gonna use up my supplies niether.


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## labotomi (Feb 14, 2010)

I haven't cut down on ammo purchases. I just swapped to what's available, such as the hunting rounds and shotgun shells. I know I'll never go through nearly as many of these as i would the cartridges that I use for practice and fun, but I'd be willing to bet that next hunting season there's going to be a shortage of 30-06, 7mag, 270 and 243.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

labotomi said:


> I didn't get the actual reason, but I took it to be that only those working sporting goods dealt with the ammo inventory.


During the '09 drought, a WM employee told me the same thing. I was there on a Sunday night and was told the ammo had come in but only the sporting goods dept. was allowed to open the cases and stock the shelves. That dept. is only covered until 10:00PM on Sunday.

We were at WM over the weekend and they had 12-15 100rd boxes of .223 with a 3 box limit. I don't use it so I didn't take notice of the price. Handgun rounds were not to be found.


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## Marcus (May 13, 2012)

In my local WM, the employees can buy ammo *after* the folks in line waiting for the nightly shipment get first choice.
Last week, I bought a box of 45ACP because one of the employees mentioned he was looking for some more. He wasn't working that night when it came in. I sold it to him for what I paid for it when he returned to work. +1 on getting on his good side.
Another employee on another night mentioned she wanted some 22LR for her son. She ended up getting 2 boxes because the regulars opted to pass over buying the 50 rnd boxes of it for something else.

I am mainly looking for just a few calibers and end up selling quite a bit of what I buy to friends, co-workers, and folks who check ammo availability regularly. I only charge what I paid for it since my main purpose in getting the ammo is to keep it away from the scalpers who sell it at gun shows. I can't stop the scalpers from waiting in line for 4-5 hours for the opportunity to buy an AR if one comes in, but I can damn sure keep them from grabbing all the ammo.


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

Geez here I see people buying 1000 round ammo cans of 223 rounds without even blinking at Walmart. Guess you need a better state... LOL


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## biobacon (Aug 20, 2012)

WELL about that powder I mentioned, yeahhh its about gone. One bottle of Reloader 19 left and none of the 10x, sure glad I got it for my friend when I did. Some guy behind the counter said he thought it might take up to two years to get back to pre crazy stock. The Columbus Dispatch even ran a front page story about ammo shortage today. They say that its people who buy a box now buying five and those that bought 5 are buying a case and we Got a Gander Mountain Gun center and the first Cabelas in Ohio in the last month alone taking a bunch of the Ohio stock. I was just happy it was a front page gun story that wasn't negative, wasn't positive, but wasn't negative ether. The story also said that flat out a lot more people were shooting in Ohio even before the Election and Sandy Hook. The guy at Dunhams in my town is allowed to buy one box from each truck but he has been giving it up to customers because he believes when the sells quarter turns the stores national HQ is going to jack up prices and he didn't say buy I think he wants to keep his customers. We shell see.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Had lunch at Walt-Mart today.

13 AR style rifles! A week ago they had none.

Ammo shelves had more until I noticed the pistol and rifle ammo was now supplemented with 12 gauge.

They have about 24 boxes of 30-06


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## catsraven (Jan 25, 2010)

I have a problem finding 30.30. Its almost impossible. :brickwall:


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## Marcus (May 13, 2012)

catsraven said:


> I have a problem finding 30.30. Its almost impossible. :brickwall:


We're getting it regular at the local WM. From my understanding, Academy & Cabella's have lifted the ammo restrictions in the DFW area *except* for 22 & 9MM.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Marcus said:


> We're getting it regular at the local WM. From my understanding, Academy & Cabella's have lifted the ammo restrictions in the DFW area *except* for 22 & 9MM.


I'm a little more than an hour away from DFW. Local Wally had one box of .38 Special last night and that was *IT*. Nothing else!! 
Must be the greater ******* population here.

Lordz, I sure hate to think I need to go to DFW to buy ammo!?!?!!?


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## Marcus (May 13, 2012)

LincTex said:


> Lordz, I sure hate to think I need to go to DFW to buy ammo!?!?!!?


Use the Wal Mart app (if you have a smartphone.) Otherwise, use their website and the F12 trick (it's on you tube.)

Also keep checking gunbot. Sportsman's Guide have .223 for $106 for 260 rounds. There's a $15 off coupon so it'd be ~$90.

What calibers are you needing?


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Marcus said:


> What calibers are you needing?


Oh, I don't "NEED" anything, really...... 

I just wanted to contribute "my part" to the shortage problem.


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