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ammunition discrimination?

MKEgal

MKEgal

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I'm very new to carrying, & have been pricing ammo at various stores.
So far, Fleet Farm has come in the lowest for target ammo, but their
policy of keeping it behind the gun counter annoys me.

There are about 40' of5-high shelves filled with every conceivable shotgun
cartridge, and some bullets (including 7mm & 8mm & some 22s), but since
they keep 9mm ammunition behind the counter, I have to go through a
clerk to get it. Why? "Because it's handgun ammunition."

And they don't even carry hollow points. When I asked about it, theclerk
looked at me with something resembling the expression I'd've used on a
pile of dog feces stuck to my shoe.

Is this a common practice, this segregating of certain sizes of ammo?



-
 
TFred

TFred

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I think so. All the local Walmarts around these parts now keep most of their ammo (long gun and handgun) under lock and key, except in the fall when there is too much shotgun ammo on the shelves to fit into the locked cabinets.

The local Gander Mountain moved just their handgun ammo behind the counter about a year ago. I asked, and they said that too much of it was walking out the door on its own.

Dicks Sporting Goods has always had most of their ammo behind the counter.

TFred
 
P

PT111

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With the markup on ammo for most stores it is hard to show a profit when the markup is 10% and two out of every ten boxes walks out the door. Some places will have the cheap ammo available for customers to pick off the shelves but the higher priced stuff behind the counter. Much harder to walk out with a box of shotgun shells in your pocket than a box of 9mm or .380.

We all complain about having to ask for stuff behind the counter but think about gas stations making 5 cents a gallon on gas and someone drives off without paying for a $50 tank of gas. It takes a lot of customers to makes up for that. There are a lot of high mark-up items in stores (100% on clothes normally) but guns, ammo and gas aren't included.
 
Alexcabbie

Alexcabbie

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I don't really mind having to go through a clerk to get ammo from behind the counter, just so long as there is a clerk to go through. At gun shops, no problem; but department stores are another story. I have gone to Wal-mart, waited 15 minutes and when a clerk appeared learned that the clerk with the key to the ammo storage was "at lunch".:banghead: Of course, since I had a loaded P.38 on my hip I just politely inquired when the clerk would be back ("in maybe one hour"); left and drove to Woodbridge and got the ammo at Dawson's.

(side note: next time I will wait. If you've never had the pleasure, driving Jeff Davis Highway in Woodbridge in either direction between 9AM and 8PM is MURDER. I'd rather take a beating than drive in Woodbridge on a weekday)
 
T

tekshogun

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TFred wrote:
I think so. All the local Walmarts around these parts now keep most of their ammo (long gun and handgun) under lock and key, except in the fall when there is too much shotgun ammo on the shelves to fit into the locked cabinets.

The local Gander Mountain moved just their handgun ammo behind the counter about a year ago. I asked, and they said that too much of it was walking out the door on its own.

Dicks Sporting Goods has always had most of their ammo behind the counter.

TFred
Click to expand...

Yeah, same here with our Gander Mtn. All the handgun ammo behind the counters, EVERYTHING else out on the shelves (including the expensive long rifle ammunition, that is just too funny).

Wal Mart, here in NC (at least the several where I live) keep the shotgun ammunition out on the shelves but some of it (the birdshot?) they keep behind the couner with the rifle and handgun ammo. Too funny.
 
Dreamer

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the local big gunshop here in Washington NC just did a remodel of their firearms section, and segregated their ammo too. It used to be in a display out on the floor and you could just pick your own, but now they've put it all behind a counter in an area that customers don't have access to...

I think may stores do this to cut down on theft. Most ammo comes in relatively small boxes, and BG's can easily pocket a few boxes of most handgun ammo if they wanted to. Since most ammo is a relatively "big-ticket" item as far as small items go (retail above $25), I think stores do this as an inventory control issue, to prevent loss.

The next time I'm in my local shop, I'll ask them about why they changed the location of their ammo...

However, Mackey's still has all their ammo out on open racks--it's like a ammo supermarket up there... :celebrate
 
S

scorpio_vette

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i don't have much choice in the matter. LOL the only place here that carries my ammo (9x18) is gander mountain or cabelas. and since cabelas is almost a 1hour drive for me, that pretty much limits me to gander mountain.

some of the gun ranges also carry my ammo, but are upwards to $10 more expensive than the retail stores.


for 12ga target shells, i find walmart to be the cheapest though. they have a box of 100 for i think $20 or $22.
 
T

Task Force 16

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There's also the age requirements for purchasing ammo.

The walmart stores I've been in have all the handgun and rifle ammo in locked cabinets, as well as small boxes of shotgun shells. I'm pretty sure it's a theft and age requirement issue.
 
kwikrnu

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Last time I went to Walmart to buy ammo I arrived 5 minutes before they shut down ammo sales. I waited a few minutes for someone to show up to the ammo counter. I called the store and told them I was in the sporting goods and no one was there selling ammo and I needed to buy some. No one came, I called again and now I had waited about 10 minutes. No one showed up. I went behind the counter and took the ammo I needed and walked up to the return desk and told them I needed to buy the ammo. One lady said they can't sell it to me because it was too late. They finally got a manager type down there and she sold me the ammo.
 
S

scorpio_vette

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Glock34 wrote:
ammoman.com     <  all you need to know :)
Click to expand...

holly crap. that website is $40-90 more expensive than a couple other sources that i've found. unless it's just for my ammo.

i have a hard time finding 9x18 locally, and the cheapest i've found so far online or locally is about $100 for 500, or $190-ish for 1,000 rounds.
 
GLOCK21GB

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scorpio_vette wrote:
Glock34 wrote:
ammoman.com < all you need to know :)
Click to expand...

holly crap. that website is $40-90 more expensive than a couple other sources that i've found. unless it's just for my ammo.

i have a hard time finding 9x18 locally, and the cheapest i've found so far online or locally is about $100 for 500, or $190-ish for 1,000 rounds.
Click to expand...
really ? please share your sources :)
 
S

scorpio_vette

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kwikrnu wrote:
ammoman is pretty cheap, but not the cheapest all of the time. Remember his price includes shipping.
Click to expand...


oh i wasn't aware that his prices INCLUDED shipping. that might make it a little closer than.


the website that i was looking at was ammunitiontogo.com
500 rounds starting at $98 and 1,000 rounds starting at $193. not sure how much shipping with them is.


and at the last gunshow i was at, i found a guy that sells bulk, and he quoted me $100 for 500 rounds. so i'm just assuming that 1,000 rounds would be even cheaper. i have his business card and was going to take a ride out to his place once i get a few bucks saved up again. i'd have to look for the card tomorrow, but i think it was by appointment only. no actual store front.
 
T

tekshogun

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scorpio_vette wrote:
i don't have much choice in the matter. LOL the only place here that carries my ammo (9x18) is gander mountain or cabelas. and since cabelas is almost a 1hour drive for me, that pretty much limits me to gander mountain.

some of the gun ranges also carry my ammo, but are upwards to $10 more expensive than the retail stores.


for 12ga target shells, i find walmart to be the cheapest though. they have a box of 100 for i think $20 or $22.
Click to expand...

9x18 eh? I guess I'm not surprised you can find that in Gander Mtn, they do like to sell C&R-type guns, I have seen some of the matching ammunition for some rifles such as 7mm and 8mm.

As for AmmoMan, I'm digging it already. I like their prices (note, whenever you see a price + DELIVERED, that means shipping is included, best way to do business in my opinion). I'm considering the 7.62x39 non-corrosive ammo, my SKS is HUNGRY.
 
Alexcabbie

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scorpio_vette wrote:
kwikrnu wrote:
ammoman is pretty cheap, but not the cheapest all of the time. Remember his price includes shipping.
Click to expand...


oh i wasn't aware that his prices INCLUDED shipping. that might make it a little closer than.


the website that i was looking at was ammunitiontogo.com
500 rounds starting at $98 and 1,000 rounds starting at $193. not sure how much shipping with them is.


and at the last gunshow i was at, i found a guy that sells bulk, and he quoted me $100 for 500 rounds. so i'm just assuming that 1,000 rounds would be even cheaper. i have his business card and was going to take a ride out to his place once i get a few bucks saved up again. i'd have to look for the card tomorrow, but i think it was by appointment only. no actual store front.
Click to expand...
Bulk what? His "custom" handloads? Beware gun-show folks selling their reloads as "bulk ammo". Bang, pop. KABOOM!
 
T

tekshogun

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Alexcabbie wrote:
scorpio_vette wrote:
kwikrnu wrote:
ammoman is pretty cheap, but not the cheapest all of the time. Remember his price includes shipping.
Click to expand...


oh i wasn't aware that his prices INCLUDED shipping. that might make it a little closer than.


the website that i was looking at was ammunitiontogo.com
500 rounds starting at $98 and 1,000 rounds starting at $193. not sure how much shipping with them is.


and at the last gunshow i was at, i found a guy that sells bulk, and he quoted me $100 for 500 rounds. so i'm just assuming that 1,000 rounds would be even cheaper. i have his business card and was going to take a ride out to his place once i get a few bucks saved up again. i'd have to look for the card tomorrow, but i think it was by appointment only. no actual store front.
Click to expand...
Bulk what?   His "custom" handloads?  Beware gun-show folks selling their reloads as "bulk ammo".    Bang, pop. KABOOM!
Click to expand...

Kabooms.... no good.
 
GLOCK21GB

GLOCK21GB

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tekshogun wrote:
Alexcabbie wrote:
scorpio_vette wrote:
kwikrnu wrote:
ammoman is pretty cheap, but not the cheapest all of the time. Remember his price includes shipping.
Click to expand...


oh i wasn't aware that his prices INCLUDED shipping. that might make it a little closer than.


the website that i was looking at was ammunitiontogo.com
500 rounds starting at $98 and 1,000 rounds starting at $193. not sure how much shipping with them is.


and at the last gunshow i was at, i found a guy that sells bulk, and he quoted me $100 for 500 rounds. so i'm just assuming that 1,000 rounds would be even cheaper. i have his business card and was going to take a ride out to his place once i get a few bucks saved up again. i'd have to look for the card tomorrow, but i think it was by appointment only. no actual store front.
Click to expand...
Bulk what? His "custom" handloads? Beware gun-show folks selling their reloads as "bulk ammo". Bang, pop. KABOOM!
Click to expand...

Kabooms.... no good.
Click to expand...
+ 1 . not good:uhoh:
 
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