Should stores ration ammo sales?

[SigNY]

First come first serve, If I get there first you get whats left ame as if you get there first I gets whats left.

That's how I feel about it. My gun shop limits it to 5 boxes a person. But since I live close enough to hit the place with a rock from my yard I just go everyday and buy what I need before I hit the range.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[mcp1810]

A few of people hoard ammo hoping to make a large profit when reselling it. It's like scalpers with extra tickets Selling at inflated prices. With ammo being scarce it could drive the price up.

If they want to make their big profits they are going to have to start liquidating some of their inventory soon. Both Black Hills and Hornady are expanding their production facilities and everyone is working extra shifts. The only way they can make their profits is for demand to keep out stripping supply.

Sooner or later they are going to either run out of money to keep buying at their current rate, or run out of room to keep it all. Either way demand drops. And with producers maxing out and some expanding that is going to mean a glut. Unless congress passes some of the laws these people were initially talking about there will be nothing to support the inflated prices. So, unless you believe that horrific legislation is actually going to happen the best thing to do is just bide your time. As long as demand keeps the prices up, the hoarders are paying a premium too. After peak demand breaks for .223 I would not be surprised to see it for three or four dollars a box again at Walmart. If I am right it is going to kind of suck to be the guy that bought 20,000 rounds of it at eight dollars a box.

Either way is ok with me. I am not even buying stuff bulk and am hand loading match grade .223 for less than $.025 a round.

You know what happens to scalpers if nobody buys theirs tickets? They lose their assets! Nothing I enjoy more than walking up to the stadium just before kick off and seeing the guys trying to unload them for half face value just to try to get something out of them.

[Rexster]

I am of mixed feelings on this, so I did not vote either way. I think it depends on the situation. A normal dealer should probably not limit quantities, in a free enterprise system, but then, who could blame him for letting his price be set to reflect demand? That is only right. When folks are buying at retail, to resell at gouging prices, then the retailer should, rightly, raise his price to discourage that, and keep the profit where it rightfully belongs.

OTOH, I visited a law enforcement distributor Friday, who sells only to LE, and limits duty handgun ammo to 100 rounds every thirty days, and handgun FMJ practice ammo to 200 rounds every thirty days. The price? About $24.00 per fifty rounds of .40 Gold Dots! (FMJ is much cheaper.) This is while retail gun shops are selling the same load for $26.00 to $31.00 per twenty-round box. I see the limit as entirely reasonable, to keep "enterprising" LEOs from buying out the whole stock, and flipping the ammo at a gun show, more than doubling their money. (And, possibly, violating the law, if sporting ammo is supposed to sold with the FET built into the price; I don't think the FET is assessed on LE-packaged ammo.)

This does make it a bit more complicated for a guy who wants to run a couple of hundred rounds of a duty load through a pistol, before trusting it to feed OK. But, since this dealer is holding the line on price, and not gouging, he is performing a valuable customer service, in exchange for that limitation. That, too, is free enterprise.

Edited to add: Yes, I bought my limit, and in 30+ days will return and limit-out again. I need to function-test a new pistol. No PMs begging for ammo, please!

[kpw]

If you're not getting the ammo you need, you're either not trying hard enough or you're looking in the wrong place....

Finding it isn't always the hard part, although it is a lot tougher these days. Paying a 50-100% or more is what bugs me. I'm happy to see most shops haven't around here but I'll remember the ones that have. As for the guys doing a little profiteering, I'll wait it out.