News from Fargo.
Mike Price, general manager at Bill’s Gun Shop and Range, said their inventory is only a quarter full for guns and ammunition.
He said during the pandemic their shipments can’t keep up with sales.
A number of boxes of ammunition on orders that haven’t come in yet that I was expecting two weeks ago,” Price said.
During the past three months, every handgun safety class has been full.
“A large percentage of business that’s been coming in has been new gun owners,” he said.
The dramatic increase has been in tactical and defense style weapons.
“It could be the pandemic, it could be the fact that you see all of these protests going on, the movement to defund the police, etc.” Price said.
On top of the increase in defense weapons, North Dakota is seeing an earlier and bigger interest in hunting season.
[ … ]
Bill’s Gun Shop and Range have been able to keep up with hunting demand.
“It’s hard to tell, either way, but as of right now I don’t see any shortage of hunting ammunition,” Price said.
That’s basically what I’ve seen. Pistol ammunition is scarce as hen’s teeth, 5.56mm is just about like that, and there are plenty of nice bolt action guns for the same price as before, nice optics to be had, and plenty of 30-06, 7mm Magnum, 300 Win Mag, and 6.5mm Creedmoor.
I had always wanted to procure some more rather esoteric rounds like Buffalo Bore +P, personal defense, Double Tap pistol rounds, etc., as well as stock up on various brands of PD pistol rounds (instead of just buying lots of range rounds). They’re more expensive but serve a purpose.
If you can’t buy what you’ve always been buying, then buy what you’ve neglected.