Went to Wallyworld early this morning for some lacquer thinner to paint up a fender for a buddy. He wants acrylic lacquer, and I didn't have enough thinner on hand to do the job and the clean up. Anyway, while I was standing in line a few old guys (in their 60s/70s) rolled up in their SUVs and trucks and got in line waiting for the doors to open. Overhearing their conversation, it turns out that these dolts were "ammo hoarders". They canvass WalMart stores in a particular area and then buy up all the cheap 22LR (and some other calibers) to hoard and resell on the Web.
I struck up a conversation with one of the guys and feigned ignorance on ammo knowledge, and he gave me this huge lecture on how this group of guys do this two times a week in different locations across Northern Virginia. They and other members of "their team" (who go to other Walmart locations) buy every round of 22LR in the store when it opens, and then move on to other stores within that geographic area. By 9:00 AM they have cleaned out 5-10 Walmarts within a 20 mile radius. They then meet up for coffee and split the booty evenly among the team members, who then re-sell the stuff on the net for a profit. According to the guy I was talking to, they've been doing this for years.
You wonder why we had a 22LR ammo shortage for so long? It's jerks like this that are the main problem. No conspiracies, no manufacturing problems and no profiteering by the manufactures, but simply an artificial feeding frenzy created and based on political rumor and fueled by pure greed. These guys are some of the sorriest a$$holes I've met in a long time. They're probably all retired, and judging by their vehicles, doing financially very well in their retirement. The ammo hoarding and reselling business must be very good. I only hope that with 22LR stocks and prices coming back to realistic levels, these guys are sitting on huge stockpiles of expensive inventory and are forced to sell at a loss. I truly have a disdain for all the people in this group.