Advantages/Disadvantages

[gunnut]

No problem with ammo in Atlanta. 2 gun stores with in 10 miles have 450B ammo. Both are doing there best to get uppers and complete guns. But, they say demand is high and their distributors can't keep up.

[Hoot]

Hoot -- Cabelas in Rogers and Owatanna always has 450B ammo. I was also in Mitchell last week and they had it there too. I hit all three of those stores last week and they all had ammo. Most counter folks that I speak with say they will order, but only stock items that move quickly.
I have never seen ammo in Gander. Even if they did -- it would be twice as much as anyone else. They are rapists!

You're certainly right about GM and prices, not that Cabela's is for people on a budget either. Almost all of the stores I contacted offered to order it, but none I contacted had it in stock back in late January early February, not even the Bushmaster official reps. Perhaps since the S.H.O.T. show they have had a change of heart, but much to my frustration, I got a lot of "sorry man" back then. Capra's offered to order a 20" upper for me and IIRC they still have me down as interested in one, whenever they manage to get some. I should call Jerry and cancel now that I think of it.

Point being, not all states have the same opportunities where firearm and ammo availability is concerned. If I were not a reloader, I probably would not buy locally anyway. As no doubt you already know, most places in Minnesota charge MSRP for just about anything firearms related. When Academy Sports was selling the Stevens/Savage model 200s for $199 all across the south, local stores were still selling them for almost twice as much. Now if DPMS had taken up the 45 Pro design and made the 450 instead of Bushmaster, I'm sure they'd be all over the place here. DPMS shows up at even the smallest of our local gun shows. FWIW, 458S and 50B rifles were also non-existent locally at the same time. Could have been the post-Christmas draw-down.

All of that having been said, I would concur that the 450B is the way to go, all points considered. I mainly chose it for the potential to have the least recoil, believe it or not. You can't get 200 gr FTX's for the 458S or 50B and yeah, the 50AE case was IMHO a poor starting point.

Hoot

[bushmeister]

You have to be careful with anecdotal information.
In Minnesota, there are almost a million hunters and probably more fishermen. We have:
2 Cabelas
1 Bass Pro Shops
13 Gander Mountain
7 Dick's Sporting Goods
Nationally Recognized Ahlman's and Sportsmens Guide
and many many local shops.
Guess how many carry the 450B? Zero. (I called every one in early February)
Guess how many have ammo for it? One. (Ditto)
Last weekend, I went to the state's largest attended gun show at the State Fair Grounds Colosseum in St. Paul. Somewhere between 100 and 200 tables, which is big by Minnesota standards. Thousands of firearms. Hundreds of ARs. Guess how many 450Bs were there? Zero.
At the Bushmaster web site, I looked up every authorized rep they have in Minnesota and called every one of them. Yep, Zero. Some did not even know what I was talking about, which was par for the course with the big chain stores I mentioned above. One fellow had heard of the R15 variant.

So, If I were writing the FAQ, I'd say they are rarer than Hen's Teeth and not doing well. And, by local standards, I'd be correct.

Food for Thought...
Hoot

Great point Hoot, I didn't even consider regional shortages... In all fairness, Did you happen to check 458 availability while you were at those locations?

[Hoot]

Great point Hoot, I didn't even consider regional shortages... In all fairness, Did you happen to check 458 availability while you were at those locations?

Yes, same scenario. Around these parts, having an AR in 308 or 6.8 is considered exotic At the gun show last Saturday, everyone was hoo-ing and hah-ing around a 7.62x39 variant on one of the tables like those natives in an old tarzan movie, having seen a cigarette lighter for the first time. This is where the fashion industry comes to see what is no longer in vogue.
Hoot

[BayouBob]

Gander in Little Rock and Texarkana used to regularly stock it but haven't had any in 6 months or so. They may be getting bought out as fast as they get it in. Twice I have seen guys in there cleaning the shelves of the harder to find AR caliber ammo like 6.8 spc and 6.5 Creedmore. Said they were buying it to mark it up and sell it on gunbroker. With what Gander has done with its ammo prices in the past year those guys probably aren't making any money on that scheme any more. It did kind of aggravate me that the gun dept. manager standing next to the "limit on ammo" sign new what they were doing but never batted an eye when he rung them up.

[rugger16]

Local gun shop in Springdale has it in-stock. However I think I am the only one buying it. I buy a box at a time and when I pick up their last box on Wednesday I am going to ask them if they are going to get anymore. I think I have bought six boxes from them in the past month so I have to assume that it is moving faster than some of the other large caliber stuff they have.

Other than that we don't really have any other good sources for ammo around here since sportsmans whorehouse closed other than wal-mart. Academy is finally putting in a store but isn't scheduled to be done until the end of summer.

Going to the big Tulsa gun show in the next couple of weeks so I am hoping to pick up a few boxes there too.

[wildcatter]

Hey Rugger, when you go over to Tulsa, get a general read on the guns too, might help in a non-objective way to gage the availability. So far it seems that Minnesota either has a problem or there is heavy buying..t

[Siringo]

I would think that states with the most purchases would be those that have hog hunting.

[2zero6]

2 of the 6-8 shops I vist weekly keep plenty in stock so no shortage here. Funny thing is both shops are within 5 miles of eachother as the crow flies. Keep in mind it is only a 20 mile Area in either direction that I usually stay in.

[rugger16]

I will do that, I went to the November show as well, and all I was able to find was one ammo table with some 450B. I really expect to find a lot more this time. Hoping to actually find some of that remington stuff too.