Why The Great Ammo Shortage Won't Go Away In 2022

Above, the Albuquerque Cabela's ammo shelves last week. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Last week, I stopped in Cabela's in Albuquerque while I was in town for a dental appointment. 

While in Cabela's, I went over to the firearms department to see what ammunition they had available. To put it mildly, it was pretty slim pickings.

The ammo calibers they had available were for firearms I don' have. They did have some 9mm ammo, but they weren't hollowpoint bullets, which is what I prefer. If I can't buy what I want, I'll just wait and save my money.

Fortunately, I have plenty of ammo for my firearms, but I am always on the lookout for deals.

According to a December article in 1945, the 2021 ammunition shortage is expected to drag on into 2022. After what I saw at Cabela's, I believe it.

They wrote:

Why Ammo Shortages Could Last Through Next Year: Hunting season may be over in much of the country, but that doesn’t mean the hunt for ammunition has ended. In fact, the demand for ammunition is actually expected to remain high throughout much of next year, which will translate to higher prices – considerably higher prices. It will just cost more to shoot.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearms industry’s trade association, has estimated the prices for ammunition are 200 to 300 percent higher than compared to recent years. That certainly tracks with media reports.

What we should be doing is to just buy what we need and not hoard. That will help to ease the ammo shortage. The 2020 toilet paper shortage should be a good lesson in this.

To read the full article, go here.