"Where's the Beef?"

[ReedG]

I think it's time for shooters, handloaders and hunters to start investigating what's going on with the supply of shooting supplies.

I just got off the phone with the owner of the largest gun shop in my area. He deals with the three largest distributors on the East Coast, has been in business since 1974, and is one of the most respected businessmen in the area. According to him, in the last week he has talked with the senior reps from his three distributors and they say they are getting nothing from the factories to sell.

It apparently isn't about hoarding. It isn't about supply and demand. According to all the major manufacturers, they are producing more product than ever with manufacturing lines running two and three shifts a day. Yet the distributors all say they can't get anything to sell. If, indeed, the factories are running full tilt, then that begs the question: WHERE IS THE STUFF?

I know some users on this forum are employed by/connected to some major manufacturers. If companies like Berger are making the same or larger number of bullets each week as they were last year, where are they? The distributors say they can't get any. Same for things like 22 LR ammo. If the factories are turning it out, where is it? Hornady, for example, is cutting back on the number of styles they produce. Where are the ones they are producing? Can't find an online dealer that has Hornady bullets for sale. How many 100s of millions of primers have to be produced before the distributors can get some to sell? If the manufacturers are producing but not supplying to the distributors, then who is getting them?

Lots of questions and not many answers that cut the mustard. This post isn't meant to be whining or finger-pointing -- the excuses I've been hearing since the first of the year don't hold water any more. The mania is pretty well over, the fear-factor has lessened tremendously. Now it's just about shooters and hunters wanting to enjoy the sport and the system of supply and demand has turned belly-up.

 

[ryanjay11]

The mania is pretty well over, the fear-factor has lessened tremendously.

The mania is not over. Certain products are still experiencing full blown hording. Rimfire ammo, primers, etc. never were in danger of being outlawed, but it became apparent that there was money to be made from buying up all the stock and inflating prices. There were several guys doing it on this forum. It is disgusting to see what some "folks" will do to fellow shooters in the name of a buck. We have seen the enemy and it is us.

 

[ReedG]

Ryan, I think there was a time when hoarding was the problem and I spoke out about the "ugly American" attitude of the hoarders. But hoarding of that type happens at the retail level and can only happen if dealers have something to sell. If there is hoarding going on now, it must be at the manufacturer level. Why? If they want the price to go up, just set a new price and say that from now on this is the price -- and sell.

 

[ryanjay11]

Don't quote me on this, but many manufactures in this industry produce runs of products for a given time and they retool before switching to another product. The supply they usually produce of a given product is enough to last a year, or until they run through their line and get back to making more. 3 years worth of sales in 10 months has a bigger impact than a short term event. This is the reason you are seeing announcements like Hornady's in today's bulletin. All companies are doing the same thing and likely won't make the same announcement after seeing the comments made. If everyone would just take a breath and stop aggressively screaming, "me, me, me!", we would all be better off.