9mm ammo availability

[Allen]

Is the availability of 9mm ammo getting any better? I've been unable to find any at our local Wal Mart since last fall, other than being one customer too late last week and missed the last 3 boxes of Federal 115 gr round nose ammo. I've been told by the clerks to be at the store very very early in the morning and get in line but so far haven't made it early enough. Not interested in getting a dozen boxes but would like to have 3-4 for a trip or two to the shooting range for final break-in on my new CM9.

[skiflydive]

I got 5 boxes of Blazer Brass a couple weeks ago from Natchez Shooters Supply.

[bassgunner]

lgs seem to have better supply than walmart. i can usually find some in one of the local small shops, but you will pay a little more.

[oncechance]

I have been finding most of my 9mm and .40 on gunbot.net. Good prices and I try to purchase from Cabelas since they offer the $5 shipping if you are a card holder.

[nate39]

Our Walmart has had 40 S&W, 9mm, and 308 off and on for a couple of weeks and I have been able to go into my local gun store and get 9mm for a while so it as to be better.

[dkmatthews]

From what I've seen, I agree that you're more likely to find 9mm in stock at your LGS than at wally-w0rld. I've also had good luck with SGammo.com, LuckyGunner.com, Ammo.net and Bulkammo.com.

I don't know if it will still be there by the time you read this, but Cabela's has 9mm Winchester white box for 16.99/box right now.

[b4uqzme]

My nearest WW seems to have bailed on all firearms stuff. No ammo. No guns. Few accessories. Others might not be so bad. With that said ammo supply is definitely improving here in NE Ohio. 9mm and 22lr are not always in stock everywhere but they are available somewhere. Better yet, gun prices are falling. Saw a new Ruger Mini14 for $750 yesterday = $200 below sticker. Plenty of used guns available too. Usually on clearance. Just find the right LGS. If things haven't loosened up in your area yet, I'm sure it will soon.

[QuackXP]

lgs seem to have better supply than walmart. i can usually find some in one of the local small shops, but you will pay a little more.


From what I've seen, I agree that you're more likely to find 9mm in stock at your LGS than at wally-w0rld. I've also had good luck with SGammo.com, LuckyGunner.com, Ammo.net and Bulkammo.com.

I don't know if it will still be there by the time you read this, but Cabela's has 9mm Winchester white box for 16.99/box right now.

There have been local LGS's in my neck of the woods that have been sending employees to buy all the Wal-Mart ammo to resell at the shop.

[b4uqzme]

There have been local LGS's in my neck of the woods that have been sending employees to buy all the Wal-Mart ammo to resell at the shop.

Odd that it varies by region or store. Only thing my LGS will find at WWorld are laundry baskets. They don't even staff the gun counter anymore.

[bxojr]

Based on what I've seen, it's definitely getting better. Still not to the point where you can walk into Walmart and grab a box or two whenever you want, but definitely better.

Ammo prices on gunbot.net have been steadily declining for a while. It used to be infrequent that you'd see anything below 40 cents a round, but now you can find stuff in the low 30s or even upper 20s pretty much all the time.

And I've seen 9mm ammo on the shelf in several gun stores recently -- not a lot, not particularly cheap, and not all the time, but it used to be it was never there at all.

[340pd]

I Live in MN and work at a local indoor range a couple of days per week. I am hearing from customers that everything but .22 rimfire is showing up on the shelves. I was in a local Walmart a week ago and they had a three box limit but I grabbed a couple of boxes of Tula just to keep in my locker in case a customer needed any extra. $10.38/bx. I just left the same store and they had lot's of .40 in 50 and 100 ct. bxs.

[Allen]

Glad to hear that someone is finding 9mm on the shelves. Someone told me that our local WM is selling Winchester White Box 100 rounds for $24.95, limit 3 boxes, when they are available. I did find some recently at a local pawn shop for $35 per 50 round box but didn't figure I was ready to pay that much of a premium yet.

[gmcjetpilot]

I bought with no real problem finding it on line or local for decent price:

-2000 FMJ RN copper plated bullets $168 = 0.084 round
-5000 small pistol primers $280 = 0.056 round
-2 lbs of Winchester 231 powder (about 3000 rounds) $45 = 0.015
-1000 clean blazer brass $50 = 0.05
-350 dirty range brass (free - Brass is reusable if you pick it up)
Cost me about 0.205 cents a round or $10.25 per box of 50.
My reloads are very high quality and I can control the load.

I bought my reloading gear in the last 6 months, about $350 total:
Press, Dies, Electronic Scale, Powder Measure, hand primer..... I already
owned calipers and micrometers.

Reloading is not for everyone. I find it enjoyable, often watching TV.
I have single stage press and do things in batches. The process is:

-Remove fired primer with Lee Hand Press and de-primer die
-Clean Case in ultasonic tank, rise, dry
(skip above step if starting with clean brass)
-Size Case (Press and Sizing Die)
-Install new primer (Lee Ego hand primer)
-Flair case to accept bullet (Press and flair die)
-Measure powder and fill case (Lee Perfect Measure & electronic scale)
-Seat Bullet (Press and bullet seating die)
-Crimp (Press and crimp die)
DONE. Results, compared to factory Winchester, Federal, Remington
accuracy is as good, excellent. Gun operation, reliability, is perfect.

How long does it take. Well with pre-prepped cleaned brass cases, bullets,
power "thrower", electronic scale, press and dies (with quick change
bushings) it takes me about an 50 minutes to flair, power, seat and crimp
50 rounds. I am not racing and check my work often, more than I need
to, but that is what I do. If I checked powered weight less (relying on the
volumetric powder measure) I could cut this time by 10 or 15 minutes.

How long does it take to prep dirty brass cases and prime them? Hard to
say but I will say 4 minutes for 50. Not very labor intensive, but it takes
time running the ultrasonic cleaner (or tumbler if you prefer). I can prime
50 cases in about 8 minutes (Love the Lee Ergo Hand Primer). I can size
the case in about 8 minutes, so total is about 20 minutes, and total start
to finish 60-70 mins per box of 50. I clean, prime, size large batches, but
only do the flair, powder, bullet seating and crimp in smaller batches. If I
feel like doing 10, 20 or 50 I do as much as I like and stop. It takes more
concentration and need to get into a groove. Eventually I have 100's of
rounds.

You can buy a fancy progressive press and do 1000 rounds an hour. For
how much I shoot this single stage press is perfect. I have about $350 in
my gear. I don't include the cost of gear in cost per round, it's a hobby,
tools have resale value, and having custom ammo, all I need, priceless.

Bottom line I don't look for Ammo anymore... I have all I need for now.

[Dsollars1800]

Gunbot.net has opened many options to me to out of state places over the last few months. Yes, you have to pay for shipping, but at least for us Kansans we don't seem to have to pay sales tax except for Cabellas as they have a store on the Kansas side of KC. I have 500 rounds being delivered Monday via UPS for $18 shipping. Local Walmarts have very little in any caliber, and I really don't want to go stand in line at 6:30 in the morning to be ready for the 7:00 ammo buying scrub.

Wish I knew more about Freedom Munitions, as they seem they seem to have the lowest prices right now for FMJ. But hard to plunk down the cash for 500 rounds without knowing about quality of ammo. Any experience out there using this ammo in PM9/CM9?

[bxojr]

Not in a Kahr, but I've shot at least 600 rounds of Freedom Munitions reloads through my M&P. Not a single malfunction of any kind.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[rmm911]

I have found that going to Walmart for ammo is a complete waste of time and I no longer do it. Maybe it's just me but availability online seems to be slowly improving.

[kerby9mm]

I was on Armslist yesterday and found 500 rounds of Remington 115 gr 9mm for $190. I met the guy today only 8 miles from where I live and got them. Maybe a little high but last time at the range I paid $22 for reloads of 50. At $19 a box I was happy to get them.

[nate39]

It seems that if you only buy a box or two you pay as much for shipping as for the ammo. If it is available locally you save some money.

[AJBert]

Just an FYI, Cabela's no longer has restrictions on center fire ammo. Rimfire still has the restrictions.

[Tomac]

Just an FYI, Cabela's no longer has restrictions on center fire ammo. Rimfire still has the restrictions.

That's interesting. My last two online orders for .380 were restricted to 5 boxes max.
Tomac

[yqtszhj]

I have found that going to Walmart for ammo is a complete waste of time and I no longer do it. Maybe it's just me but availability online seems to be slowly improving.

At my WM it's best to swing by on weekday mornings. I go by one on the way to work and stop in sometimes. You can find it but I agree it's an empty shelf more days than not.

[RRP]

In my area, things have gotten worse in the last two weeks; significantly worse.

[MW surveyor]

Went by the local Academy here in Houston Saturday afternoon at 1430. They had 22 lr in 50 round boxes, plenty of 9 mm (steel cased), 40 and 45 cal. Limit is one box per caliber. Bought some CCI standard velocity 22 lr to shoot in my Single Six.

I was kind of amazed to see ammo on Saturday afternoon!

[rmm911]

See attached. http://secure.campaigner.com/Campaigner/Public/t.show?5okfn--2wusg-jiw99d7&_v=2

[RogerP9fan]

If I could only find Speer Lawman. That's the good stuff.