Firearms Sales Slowing Due to No Ammo?

[Guest ThePunisher]

Maybe everybody has what they need for D-day!

[RobertNashville]

The market has been flooded. I expect pretty soon that everyone who wants an AR will have 3 or 4. Some people will be using them as tomato stakes in years to come.

I suspect that's true, at least for anyone who bought one (especially at inflated prices) and not because they really wanted or needed one but just because they were afraid they wouldn't be able to buy one later in case there ever came a time that they actually DID want on! 

[Smith]

I think there are a lot of factors in the slowing down and the lack of ammo seems to simply be the proverbial straw that breaks the camels back. It definitely impacts to buy or not to buy and some peoples choice on which gun they buy.

[JAB]

I don't know - maybe some sales are slowing down and others aren't?  Or maybe it is just the places I look?

 

I was in my favorite LGS the other day.  Now, admittedly, my favorite LGS (Farnsworth's in Vonore) isn't a very large place and, by standards of larger stores, may not have all that high a volume of stock under normal conditions but they usually have a little of everything.  Most often, there are at least a couple of things that catch my interest.

 

Anyhow, the other day I was mostly interested in seeing what single action revolvers might be there.  Strangely, even though there are generally a few in the case, last week there was nary a one.  Not even a rimfire Heritage Rough Rider.  In fact, it seemed to me that there were fewer revolvers in the case, in general.  He had 'plenty' of semiautos, by my reckoning.  From what I have seen, ammo for revolvers isn't any more plentiful than anything else.  Also, revolvers - especially single actions - aren't a major target of recently proposed gun type bans or capacity limits yet revolvers seem to keep selling well.  I wonder if the ammo situation has pushed people further toward reloading and if maybe (like me) some folks are willing to reload for revolvers but don't want to fool with reloading for semiautos.

Edited April 25, 2013 by JAB

[Smith]

I don't know - maybe some sales are slowing down and others aren't?  Or maybe it is just the places I look?

 

I was in my favorite LGS the other day.  Now, admittedly, my favorite LGS (Farnsworth's in Vonore) isn't a very large place and, by standards of larger stores, may not have all that high a volume of stock under normal conditions but they usually have a little of everything.  Most often, there are at least a couple of things that catch my interest.

 

Anyhow, the other day I was mostly interested in seeing what single action revolvers might be there.  Strangely, even though there are generally a few in the case, last week there was nary a one.  Not even a rimfire Heritage Rough Rider.  In fact, it seemed to me that there were fewer revolvers in the case, in general.  He had 'plenty' of semiautos, by my reckoning.  From what I have seen, ammo for revolvers isn't any more plentiful than anything else.  Also, revolvers - especially single actions - aren't a major target of recently proposed gun type bans or capacity limits yet revolvers seem to keep selling well.  I wonder if the ammo situation has pushed people further toward reloading and if maybe (like me) some folks are willing to reload for revolvers but don't want to fool with reloading for semiautos.

 

The revolver issue is due to manufactures putting all their resources towards the more in demand guns (polymer framed, "hi-cap" mag feed guns). They can make 5 polymer framed guns for every revolver. It will take some time to level back out.

[JAB]

The revolver issue is due to manufactures putting all their resources towards the more in demand guns (polymer framed, "hi-cap" mag feed guns). They can make 5 polymer framed guns for every revolver. It will take some time to level back out.

 

That makes sense in some cases, I guess, but that wouldn't explain why all the revolvers (including single actions) they had in stock, before - some of which were in there for months - would suddenly sell out.  It also wouldn't explain why they aren't getting any single actions or other revolvers as trade ins (traditionally, they would usually have at least a couple of single-actions that were used trade ins.)  With the bans/capacity limits that were being discussed, I would have thought people would be trading their old wheelguns and thumb busters on high cap semi-autos, just in case, figuring the revolvers would be around to replace, later, even if legislation did pass.  Instead, it is almost like this has made the single actions and all revolvers more popular.

 

Also, wouldn't revolvers and semiautos be made on different lines using at least some different equipment?  If the semiauto lines are already running and fully staffed then what benefit would there be to shutting down a revolver line?  Or do they operate like some ammo manufacturers where certain, less popular cartridges are only manufactured on a 'part time' basis on lines that usually run more popular ones?

 

For that matter, companies like Heritage (which was recently acquired by Taurus but, to my knowledge, remains a separate factory) and a few, other manufacturers of single action revolvers like Pietta, unless I am mistaken, don't even make semiautos.  Heck, some of them only make single action revolvers.  As they don't make semiautos then the 'they are concentrating on making semiautos' explanation doesn't work.

 

Then there are companies like Rossi (also a Taurus holding or whatever the correct term may be) that make double-action revolvers and a few long guns but no semiautos.  Why would Rossi revolvers become scarce?  You would think that, if anything, Rossi would ramp up revolver production.

 

I am not just talking about Farnsworth's, either.  Even places like Academy, etc. which normally stock revolvers from companies like Rossi, where semi-auto production shouldn't be an issue, haven't seemed to have as many, lately.

Edited April 25, 2013 by JAB

[Guest nra37922]

I'm not buying a gun I can't get ammo for.

Same here.  I would like to get a Mini-14 or AR but with no .223 ammo or paying 3x for it, I'll pass...

Edited April 25, 2013 by nra37922