223 rifles a mistake to own?

As soon as the panic is over it will go back to normal. Just wait it out.

 

well, a different caliber would not really help

being that .22, 9mm, .223, x39, .308 are alll getting a run on them.

perhaps you just need to get reloading. lol

 

Sure, how about 7.62x39?

Consider reloading gear and components.

 

There is quite a bit of 270, 30-30 and other calibers still on the shelves. I have given some thought to at least having one rifle in one of the popular hunting calibers other than the 308 and 223. 243 comes to mind as covering both deer and varmints.

 

Not in my neck of the woods. Everything is gone. Last time I was at academy there wasn't anything. They had maybe a total of 300 rounds left. All assorted.

 

I loaded up on 22lr just before the panic. Cabelas still has some decent prices for future delivery. Looking like February or March. I have 100 rounds of 308 SP ordered that was supposed to be in stock and it is looking like Feb. I need brass so I can reload. Even bullets are showing up as out of stock. I still have 500+ .223 bullets to load. Right now I am working very slowly on 9mm.

 

And that is why you should be stocked up on ammo and components during the good times, so you won't get caught short in the bad times.

 

I picked this up two weeks ago on the internet, Federal MK318 MOD-0 5.56 62 Grain SOST (240 Rounds) In Stock! delivered to my front door in two days. I keep a few thousand rounds of 5.56 on hand at all times and regularly get a few hundred more, when the bug bites me. The wife used to hate that but these days, just shrugs.

Granted, since then, things have gotten scarcer and more expensive. Just keep hunting for it on the internet and have a card handy.

 

Just make up your mind to keep a thousand rounds (or more) on hand after things settle down. This buy up is a bubble. Once the bubble bursts all the ammo that is in demand now will be cheaper than ever. That's when you pick up a thousand rounds or so.

I'm just mad that I didn't stock up on some AR's a few months ago. This would be a great time to be selling a few!

 

You will have no trouble with the .223 if you use a bolt action or a single shot and reload.
cottontop

 

You are not going to combat any shortages by yourself. So you should just join. Lol. Plus it is cheaper to buy in bulk "in most cases"

I do buy about 500 rounds maybe 2 times a year. But the way I primarily grow my ammo stash is by picking up a box or 2 every time I go some wear that seals ammo. If I go to one of my LGS just to see what they have I at least walk out with a box of .22lr. Same for Walmart, bas pro, academy ext.....

 

The only way out that I see is to learn to chip your own flints (I think the word is 'knapp') and mix your own black powder. I'm to lazy for either.

There is a reason why .223/5.56 fly off the shelves. The tools, I mean weapons, are handy, accurate, fun to shoot, inexpensive (during normal times) to shoot and quite functional. Uncle taught many of us how to shoot them and that training has stuck.

'Step One'. Plan ahead.
'Step Two'. See 'Step One'.

I reload, have for 50 years and don't buy anyone's ammo. But consumables get bought up just like the finished product. I follow 'Step One', see above.

 

I was in Utah yesterday stopped in at Cabelas. They had plenty of ammo at regular prices. They were sold out of AR-15 rifles and large Mags.
The reloading tools were in short supply. Maybe people who depend on factory ammo will get the message. Learn to reload your own ammo.

 

The time to stock up is NOT when EVERYONE ELSE is doing it. Kind of like looking for generators and plywood as a hurricane is bearing down on you. Yeah stuff is in short supply, for those who did not already have plenty on hand. I feel ZERO need to buy guns and ammo right now, I have plenty of each.

 

There is no need to buy a "doomsday stash" in one trip to the store.

But if you're going to shoot 200 rounds this month, buy 400. Keep this up until you have a one year supply, and don't go below that.

Better yet, buy cases of 1000 online at a discount.

I no longer shoot as much as I did when I was younger, so 2000
rounds of 5.56 and 3000 of 9MM will last me a year. Therefore I try to keep 4000 of .223 and 6000 of 9mm on hand. Not all loaded ammo, but enough components to load that much.

I haven't bought ammo or components since the election. Since I have enough on hand, I leave the stuff in the store there for those who didn't prepare.