380 ammunition

[dogbaron]

Does anyone have any idea why 380 ammo is in such short supply?

 

[charliepapa]

Does anyone have any idea why 380 ammo is in such short supply?

Do you need some? I still have a little right around the corner...

 

[Kraut]

Does anyone have any idea why 380 ammo is in such short supply?

Partly because .380 pistols have become incredibly popular. Despite the magazines asserting that Ruger's LCP started the wave (they all apparently, mysteriously forgot all about any Kel-Tecs they saw/handled/tested/reported on), since the P3AT came along getting bigger than the P32 (which sold alot anyway), people have been gobbling up, and companies breaking their backs coming out with, new, tiny .380s. If I'm not mistaken, NAA bumped their Guardian up to .380 after the P3AT came out, now aside from Ruger they have Kahr, Sig (aside from the larger .380 they had before), Taurus, the Micro Eagle (IMI or whatever they're called now), Diamondback...any others I'm forgetting?

 

[Richard in LA]

I think it has also been mentioned that ammo manufacturers use the same tooling for 9mm as .380, and they have to shut down 9mm production and swap out to make .380. Since people were buying 9mm in record breaking quantities, they didn't mess with swapping quite so often.

FWIW, Cabelas has 50 round boxes of brass cased FMJ .380 ammo for under $17/box. they had a LOT of it on the shelf the other day when I was in there.

 

[Sin-ster]

To add to what Richard said, the production of .380 is seasonal (according to my reading/research/conversations), so there is a set period of release as opposed to a steady stream. With the ammo scare, hoarding became an issue for all calibers. Coupled with the rise in popularity of the compact autopistols in .380, you get a lot of demand for a short supply, which is gobbled up the minute it hits the shelves.

While .223/5.56, 9mm and .45 are no longer difficult to locate (for me, anyway) in stores, the .380 I see is fewer and far between, and vastly overpriced. I've yet to see decent .38 either, although I did stock up on some online and barely ever shoot it. You don't have to worry about competition from me-- I make my girlfriend shoot a 9mm/.38, and CC fullsized myself.

 

[JustinB]

Donnovans had a sign in front not that long ago saying they had .380 in stock.