.380 Ammo

[chraland51]

This has probably been discussed before, what why is .380 ammo in apparent very short supply? I know that all calibres are in short supply, but .380 seems to be the most difficult to get right now.

 

[dice dealer]

Most manufactures remington winchester so on .
only tool up to produce .380 0nce a year , they may run for a month straight but only once a year since .380 is 9MM short it is produced on the same line.

and with the military taking up most of the 9MM produced they havent done this run in about 14 months now and with the introduction of the LCP and other .380 caliber guns along with EVERYONE wanting to now CC since the election ....bla bla yadda yadda ....get the picture

 

[cosermann]

It's a supply and demand thing caused by the relatively recent popularity of some of the 380 pocket pistols (i.e. Kel-Tec, Ruger, etc.), many recent first-time gun owners since the election buying 380 acp pistols (this is an educated guess on my part), and the general "stocking up" phenomenon since the election. All this has put pressure on the supply of 380 acp which isn't manufactured in the same quantities as 9mm/45acp/40S&W/357 mag/38 spl/and 44 magnum are.

 

[farmboy365]

just got back from the fort and I stoped by H&H firearms (how I am not a fan of)they had a rack full of .380 for 22.95 a box had to be 25+ boxs of 50 I could not beleave it.just a heads up for 380 shoppers

 

[Dyerbill]

380 and 9mm seem to be the most popular calibers in self defense and 22lr for fun. I can find all the 40s&w, 223 or 38 I want; 357 is out there but pricey. I have a Bersa thunder cc in 380 and a Kel-tec p3at but we'll just have to wait till the gouging is over.

 

[cosermann]

380 ACP is not one of the two most poplar calibers for self defense. None of the data support this; mfg numbers, sales numbers, counts of spent brass on ranges, surveys on this forum, etc.

It is a question of the balance of supply vs. demand. For example, TWICE as much 9 mm is mfg than any other centerfire pistol cartridge whereas .380 acp is down on the list at number 6 to 8 of the top handgun cartridges. It's a dynamic equillibrium here folks. Just because you can't find .380 doesn't mean it's all that popular IF (and this is true) it's not manufactured in the same quantities as other loads.

 

[cosermann]

Following up on my own post here. Another factor to consider is that .380's are the kind of gun that is often "carried a lot and shot a little." That complicates figuring out what's going on a bit. In the end, we're just guessing.