Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

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Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by bignose88 » 20 Aug 2020, 6:45 pm

So far this year with everything that is happening are we heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage? People from Ozziereviews to Shooting Stuff Australia are warning us saying that this Ammo shortage is ALREADY upon us and potentially long term. The Aussie and the world economy is up s**t creek and it's looking it may take many years to recover, people are saying we are in a ressesion and a growing minotiry are saying we are already in a depression. What doesn't help is that the Americans are stocking up on supplies which will cause the price to go up and that is assuming we can even get new stock into Australia. Everyone I have spoken with who own firearm stores are telling me things will only get worse especially for AMMO and Reloading/Powder etc.

What are your thoughts, are you stocking up?


God bless
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by TassieTiger » 20 Aug 2020, 6:50 pm

A LOT of Tas shops are out of powder and have no ETA. You can go on a waiting list and the few stores they have it are sharing 500g bottles between 2.
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by bigrich » 20 Aug 2020, 6:50 pm

it will become a problem if it becomes a "toilet paper" buying panic. i was talking to a fella who knows some yanks, and the amount of stuff like powder and projectiles their stockpiling is what drives any shortages . :roll:
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by TheFirearmEnthusiast » 20 Aug 2020, 7:19 pm

I may be completely wrong here

But I think we will be okay.....

Regarding the ammo for example;
- If there's more demand for ammo in the USA
- They will just employ more people, open up more outlets and produce more
I reckon they will match the supply with the demand
That makes sense to me for anyone who wants to grow their business and maximise profit

And with the Aussie dollar tanking
Well the American dollar will tank too anyway so

And back to the issue of the USA
It looks like the civil unrest is finally starting to slow down in the US now, which is good for us, it means people will stock up on ammo less in the states now
Less demand in USA = No ammo shortages for us here in AUS

And regarding corona virus
I don't know
I feel like everyone's over it
I feel like everyone has had enough hearing about it
I think people don't really care about the Virus anymore in the sense that I think that we're all used to it by now
I don't think people in the states will stock up on ammo due to the Corona Virus anymore
Coz we're all used to it now I think
There's no "panic" about it anymore
No panic = No panic buying

Again, I may be completely wrong here
But that's what my logic tells me ^
I think we will be okay
But maybe I'm just being too optimistic lol
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by Blr243 » 20 Aug 2020, 7:23 pm

I never really stocked up in a panic but I just did a bit too much reloading during covid and now I have what seems like a lifetime supply .....I heard that adi sent most of their powder to the states because that’s where the money Was ( demand ) ...so now us Aussies are short......there’s no way I’ll start panic buying while my shelves are crammed full ....and with covid restrictions at the ranges and in relation to hunting trips there’s no point having ammo u can’t use
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by bladeracer » 20 Aug 2020, 8:40 pm

bignose88 wrote:So far this year with everything that is happening are we heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage? People from Ozziereviews to Shooting Stuff Australia are warning us saying that this Ammo shortage is ALREADY upon us and potentially long term. The Aussie and the world economy is up s**t creek and it's looking it may take many years to recover, people are saying we are in a ressesion and a growing minotiry are saying we are already in a depression. What doesn't help is that the Americans are stocking up on supplies which will cause the price to go up and that is assuming we can even get new stock into Australia. Everyone I have spoken with who own firearm stores are telling me things will only get worse especially for AMMO and Reloading/Powder etc.

What are your thoughts, are you stocking up?

God bless


If you intend to go shooting sometime in the future, why would you wait until then to buy ammo? Buy ammo and components regularly, especially when it's on crazy specials, then you never have to wonder about shortages.
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by TheFirearmEnthusiast » 20 Aug 2020, 8:58 pm

bladeracer wrote:
bignose88 wrote:So far this year with everything that is happening are we heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage? People from Ozziereviews to Shooting Stuff Australia are warning us saying that this Ammo shortage is ALREADY upon us and potentially long term. The Aussie and the world economy is up s**t creek and it's looking it may take many years to recover, people are saying we are in a ressesion and a growing minotiry are saying we are already in a depression. What doesn't help is that the Americans are stocking up on supplies which will cause the price to go up and that is assuming we can even get new stock into Australia. Everyone I have spoken with who own firearm stores are telling me things will only get worse especially for AMMO and Reloading/Powder etc.

What are your thoughts, are you stocking up?

God bless


If you intend to go shooting sometime in the future, why would you wait until then to buy ammo? Buy ammo and components regularly, especially when it's on crazy specials, then you never have to wonder about shortages.

That's what I do BladeRacer
It puts my mind at ease to do it this way
:thumbsup:
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by marksman » 20 Aug 2020, 9:00 pm

l am usually stocked up anyway but l do believe there is going to be a shortage, hope not
prices have gone up considerably
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by rc42 » 20 Aug 2020, 9:58 pm

Australia is very different to the USA as we have fewer shooters and fewer places to shoot, especially with ranges not operating at full capacity. There's also no 'self defence' requirement so hoarding 9mm hollow points just doesn't happen. Wholesale stocks last much longer here, hopefully long enough to last till the next shipments come in but without access to the stock levels and sales data we're all just guessing.

For those that burn through a lot of ammo, I'd say get some extra soon and try to cut down usage a little, for occasional shooters it will most likely be OK although prices will be going up for a while and some brands/products are going to be gone for months to years as supplies are diverted to higher profit countries.

I recently got 3 cases of CCI Blazer 22LR, (15,000 rounds), sounds like a lot but I'm currently burning through a thousand rounds per week with pistol practice sessions, and you know what... It's awesome and so worth it, I love my new pistol, got to keep feeding it but I'll need more by Christmas.
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by rc42 » 20 Aug 2020, 10:17 pm

Quick addition about the current supply/demand

The ammo industry is based on just in time manufacturing with no big storage stockpiles other than what wholesalers usually have and the demand leap in the USA is extreme with so many new gun owners wanting ammo and established shooters wanting to stock up that a shortage was inevitable. In fact, the shortage itself drives even more demand as people want to have even more spare stock (think toilet paper)

Small ammo manufacturers can ramp up but the amount they produce is still globally insignificant, big manufacturers are tooled up to meet regular demand and can't add new machines or production lines easily (think months to years if they choose to invest) so can only increase production slightly, even if they go 24/7 and manage to double production it's not enough as current demand needs 10 times global production or more.

Prices will go up to slow demand (and boost profits) and increased production will eventually supply all of the demand but it could take years to do this.

Australia also had steady supplies being imported that matched demand and those supplies are now gone or will be greatly reduced as shipments divert elsewhere, demand is more likely to go up than down and whilst wholesalers currently have plenty it will be bought faster than it can be replaced so shortages and price increases have to happen.
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by wrenchman » 20 Aug 2020, 10:26 pm

here in the states i was looking for primers no one has any i even drove the hour to see if cabelas had any even powder is low.
i just need pistol primers seems like any thing for rifle or hand guns is out at least i can find 22 so s last time you could not find them.
its the blm antifa riots and police not helping becouse lib puke mayors have them stand down they have burned citys down.
on the good side still lots of shot gun stuff and i have lots of ammo i keep on hand i was at the hand gun range with my son last week they had none there was i lady there trying to get some 40 and could not find any.
I dont have a 40 so i didnt have any to sell or give becouse i would have times tike this pick up all your brass.
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by wanneroo » 20 Aug 2020, 11:25 pm

Is Australia heading for an ammo/reloading shortage? That's a big YES.

There are a couple of global factors in play:

1. Covid disrupted a lot of factories, especially in Europe. My understanding was some lost production for two months.
2. Most of the world's primers are made by a few companies, several of which got hammered by Covid. There is a general industry consensus above all else, primers are the hardest to source. You might get bullets, brass or powder, but getting the primers is the problem.
3. The world in general is in the middle of a dystopian nightmare that could potentially get worse. Whether tyrannical government, marxist mobs in the street or financial disruption and the associated fall out from that, people with guns know they are the last line of defense when Mad Max Thunderdome begins, so they will buy ammo more than usual.
4. We mainly have FBI background check data to go by, but in the USA in twenty years, gun sales every recent year are triple what they were in 2000. It's pretty clear in the USA this year that many of the buyers are first time owners. Probably on the order of over 20 million guns will be sold this year in the USA. Last I looked at stats, gun ownership in Australia is also higher than ever, so that is a lot of new guns to fuel.

Back during the glut on the market, I got a lot of great deals and I'm set. 9mm was down to $6.19 a box for Russian 9mm, about $7.50 a box for brass 9mm. Now it's $50-$60 a box if you can find it. All the common calibers are getting absorbed by the market very quickly. Primers are $100-$200 a thousand when usual price is $25-$35.
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by wanneroo » 20 Aug 2020, 11:33 pm

TheFirearmEnthusiast wrote:I may be completely wrong here

But I think we will be okay.....

Regarding the ammo for example;
- If there's more demand for ammo in the USA
- They will just employ more people, open up more outlets and produce more
I reckon they will match the supply with the demand
That makes sense to me for anyone who wants to grow their business and maximise profit

And with the Aussie dollar tanking
Well the American dollar will tank too anyway so

And back to the issue of the USA
It looks like the civil unrest is finally starting to slow down in the US now, which is good for us, it means people will stock up on ammo less in the states now
Less demand in USA = No ammo shortages for us here in AUS


Demand right now in the USA is massive and I see no letting up on that for a while. Based on my previous experience in 2013 after Sandy Hook, it took 18 months for supplies to normalize and then another year or two for low prices and deals and sales to become available. Based on everything going on, I don't think you will see normalized supplies for at least 18 months and perhaps longer.

Federal I heard is running their machinery 24 hours a day and I am sure other companies like CCI are doing the same. What I heard previously is that many of these companies are loath to add additional lines because when the inevitable glut happens they get burned. They'd rather make what they can and sell it into the market that way at inflated prices and make their profit that way.
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by wanneroo » 20 Aug 2020, 11:44 pm

Blr243 wrote:I never really stocked up in a panic but I just did a bit too much reloading during covid and now I have what seems like a lifetime supply .....I heard that adi sent most of their powder to the states because that’s where the money Was ( demand ) ...so now us Aussies are short......there’s no way I’ll start panic buying while my shelves are crammed full ....and with covid restrictions at the ranges and in relation to hunting trips there’s no point having ammo u can’t use


That's what you want to do, have many years of supply that you can shoot when you want and then perhaps down the road when prices are low, buy in bulk.

I bought a lot of ammo cheap and bought a lot of reloading supplies dirt cheap on some great deals. I can shoot for many years without any worry. At some point in 2023 or whatever when prices are low and I find a good deal on say bullets, I will buy many thousands.

Last year Speer bullets ran a 20% rebate. Midway USA had Speer bullets for 20% off on sale, plus free shipping and they gave me "birthday pricing" for my birthday which was another 10% off. Then after I got everything submitted the invoice to Speer for the 20% rebate. I bought A LOT of bullets. :lol: :lol:
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by boingk » 21 Aug 2020, 1:09 am

wanneroo wrote: Based on everything going on, I don't think you will see normalized supplies for at least 18 months and perhaps longer.

Federal I heard is running their machinery 24 hours a day and I am sure other companies like CCI are doing the same. They'd rather make what they can and sell it into the market that way at inflated prices and make their profit that way.


This. Its the 22 cal shortage all over again - remember that a few years back? Couldn't get rimfire rounds for love nor money as the doomsday preppers gobbled them all up. Insanity.

I can't blame the companies, you need the realestate as well as capital to make a line open. Why do that when you can just hire more employees and look good to the public while still turning a huge profit on your pre-existing equipment?

Things where I am aren't too crazy so I'm happy sitting on what I've got for the moment.

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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by Blr243 » 21 Aug 2020, 6:11 am

I never shoot at the range unless I have to check sights on a rifle ....generally I only shoot in the field so it takes a long time to burn up a supply .... I was looking fwd go hunting the wheat stubble just after harvest but can’t get to nsw to do so ....covid
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by in2anity » 21 Aug 2020, 7:49 am

buy your powder by the 4kg, and your projectiles by the thousand.
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by straightshooter » 21 Aug 2020, 8:36 am

I have mentioned it often enough on this and other forums.
A healthy stockpile of consumable components is a better investment than money in the bank.
I still have unopened boxes of projectiles bought in the 80's showing price tags of 12 or 15 dollars that now you would pay 60 or 70 dollars.
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by Blr243 » 21 Aug 2020, 8:45 am

Now that I have a 458 rifle to feed my most recent pack cost me 80 bucks for some flex tips so it’s accurate But not exactly a premium projectile and the box only contains 50
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by TheFirearmEnthusiast » 21 Aug 2020, 8:49 am

If we're gonna have ammo shortages and high prices for the next 24months or so

That is bad for the morale

Just when you thought 2020 couldn't get any worse lol.......
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by in2anity » 21 Aug 2020, 8:53 am

You've gotta love AR2206H. For positional style shooting, it works "well enough" in a lot of my bottleneck calibers; 204,223,3030,308,303. I therefore always buy it in the big bottles.
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by TassieTiger » 21 Aug 2020, 8:58 am

in2anity wrote:buy your powder by the 4kg, and your projectiles by the thousand.


No one in Tas will sell you 4kg bottles anymore - it’s 500g at a time or nothing and prices are now $75 a bottle ar2209
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by in2anity » 21 Aug 2020, 9:53 am

TassieTiger wrote:No one in Tas will sell you 4kg bottles anymore - it’s 500g at a time or nothing and prices are now $75 a bottle ar2209

Bugger. No good TT :unknown:
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by TassieTiger » 21 Aug 2020, 10:15 am

I only posted that in2 to show where Tas is.
I consider Tas almost like a precursor to remote Au, so if we are at this place, where 500g bottles are being shared Between 2 shooters, there could be a time approaching when outter suburban shops look to do the same...based on whAt everyone is posting - if you can stock up for reasonable prices, you probably should...
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by bigrich » 21 Aug 2020, 11:12 am

bladeracer wrote:
bignose88 wrote:So far this year with everything that is happening are we heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage? People from Ozziereviews to Shooting Stuff Australia are warning us saying that this Ammo shortage is ALREADY upon us and potentially long term. The Aussie and the world economy is up s**t creek and it's looking it may take many years to recover, people are saying we are in a ressesion and a growing minotiry are saying we are already in a depression. What doesn't help is that the Americans are stocking up on supplies which will cause the price to go up and that is assuming we can even get new stock into Australia. Everyone I have spoken with who own firearm stores are telling me things will only get worse especially for AMMO and Reloading/Powder etc.

What are your thoughts, are you stocking up?

God bless


If you intend to go shooting sometime in the future, why would you wait until then to buy ammo? Buy ammo and components regularly, especially when it's on crazy specials, then you never have to wonder about shortages.


+1 I buy up stuff when it’s discounted all the time. Makes shooting cheaper in the long run. Depends how much shooting you do as well. Which brings me to a question, does powder get “stale” or go off that it can affect your loads ?

:thumbsup:
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by Oldbloke » 21 Aug 2020, 11:47 am

Generally speaking powder is good for at least 25yrs provided storage is reasonable. Mainly storage is cool.. Search on this forum for more info.
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by Oldbloke » 21 Aug 2020, 11:51 am

in2anity wrote:You've gotta love AR2206H. For positional style shooting, it works "well enough" in a lot of my bottleneck calibers; 204,223,3030,308,303. I therefore always buy it in the big bottles.


Yes, AR2208 is great too. One powder does all. Lol
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by Tiger650 » 21 Aug 2020, 11:57 am

Last week looking for Sierra .224 / 55gn Blitzkings, local dealer advised nil stock locally and nil at distributor, delivery expected January but sounded a little sceptical re that.
About 6 weeks back I bought 1000 Hornady 55gn V-Max, sure hope the rifle likes them.
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by TassieTiger » 21 Aug 2020, 12:11 pm

I’ve been on waiting list for PPU brass in 300 plus a couple other brass calibre, from the known Brizzy store - since February and they still have no ETA.
Tikka .260 (Z5 5x25/52)
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Re: Is Australia heading for an AMMO/Reloading shortage?

Post by bignose88 » 21 Aug 2020, 12:21 pm

Search ''AMMO shortage USA'' and read some reports. Also go onto YouTube and watch what is currently happening in the USA and Europe. Things are VERY bad and personally I think it's only going to get worse both in America and here.

I was just at a local firearm store and they have some ammo... HOWEVER, once that is gone that's it for a VERY long time. Prices will rise as demand is high and stock is low. They told me that Powder will be hard to get for the foreseeable future, once powder is available it will be shipped to the USA.
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