how long should it take a store to get 123sst from hornady?

[hydrotech]

Before Christmas I went to Dunn's Sporting Goods In Peveley MO because they have a lot of reloading stuff. They did not have 123SST bullets but they told me they could order them if I paid for a box. The guy got on a computer and told me they were in stock if i wanted him to order them. I said ok. He took my number and said he would call me in a couple days when they came in and that he would leave them behind the checkout counter with my receipt. I never got a call so I called them last week. The guy who answered said oh yeah i remember ordering those....they are not here. I asked what the deal was and he said I don't know..maybe they came in and got put on the shelf and sold. So he ordered two more boxes. I called yesterday and still not in. Talked to a different guy and he said no we have not gotten any reloading stuff from hornady in a while....I said i ordered before christmas....so I'm wondering if I am getting the run around or if they really sold my bullets to someone else, or if they are backordered from hornady or something.

[bwaites]

Before Christmas I went to Dunn's Sporting Goods In Peveley MO because they have a lot of reloading stuff. They did not have 123SST bullets but they told me they could order them if I paid for a box. The guy got on a computer and told me they were in stock if i wanted him to order them. I said ok. He took my number and said he would call me in a couple days when they came in and that he would leave them behind the checkout counter with my receipt. I never got a call so I called them last week. The guy who answered said oh yeah i remember ordering those....they are not here. I asked what the deal was and he said I don't know..maybe they came in and got put on the shelf and sold. So he ordered two more boxes. I called yesterday and still not in. Talked to a different guy and he said no we have not gotten any reloading stuff from hornady in a while....I said i ordered before christmas....so I'm wondering if I am getting the run around or if they really sold my bullets to someone else, or if they are backordered from hornady or something.

It is almost certain they are not ordering direct from Hornady, but from a wholesaler. Wholesalers are notorious for not having up to date ordering systems. It typically takes 3-5 days for my FFL to get stuff he orders from his wholesaler, IF (big IF) the item is in stock. Lots of time high demand items are in stock, but someone else has already spoken for it, and it just hasn't been deleted from the stock system.

All of that said, sounds like you are getting the runaround!

[A.D.D. AR]

Hydro- both Midway USA and Cheaper than dirt show them in stock for about $31.00. Not my favorite places to order from, but if you're in a hurry...
-mike

[hydrotech]

not in a hurry I guess because if Dunns sporting goods gets them they only charged me $54 including tax for 2 boxes of 100 123 sst's.....ordering form miday I have to pay 62 dollars for two boxes then add tax and shipping = outrageous price. does anyone know if hornady is producing these fast enough to supply wholesalers then????

[Drifter]

...does anyone know if hornady is producing these fast enough to supply wholesalers then????

My guess is that many bullets are made in productions "runs", and are not continuously manufactured throughout the year. Hornady ceased production of many slower selling bullets (not the 123gr SST or A-max) in order to produce more high-demand items. It seems that demand continues to outpace supply for many popular bullets, and it's not just Hornady or the 6.5mm 123gr SST that's affected.

In general, I think that bullet manufacturers are still trying to catch up from the craziness of 2013. For example, the Nosler 129gr ABLR bullet was announced in 2012, with expected availability in early 2013, but we still haven't seen it. Berger increased production by 45% in 2013, but still couldn't keep up with demand, and have now reportedly doubled their machinery and manufacturing ability. And due to unpredictable availability, many people are still buying large quantities when they finally find what they're looking for.

[LRRPF52]

Yup. I just got back from SHOT, and I asked for samples of the 129gr ABLR over the phone and in-person from Nosler back at 2013 SHOT. They still didn't have anything for me this year. Last year, they had large pans of bullet samples for you to take. Not this year. Bullets are like gold.