Ammunition

Shotgun shells, rifle cartridges and pistol rounds have been flying off the shelves with such speed at Houma Auto Parts, Calvin Prevost's gun store on Honduras Street, that the owner has taken to hiding what ammunition he can in the back so customers who buy a gun can leave at least with a single box of rounds.

With the ammo shortage showing little sign of improvement, many shooters are having to deviate from their preferred components. Here's a look at some of the best components from Gun Digest.

There is one thing that can be said of President Obama with certainty -- his election has had a phenomenal effect on gun sales.

Though the author never warmed to it, the .270 Winchester has plenty of reasons to prove its worth, not the least of which is its popularity.

Grab a phone book and call every gun shop across the Valley. You will probably hear the same thing. It's been nearly impossible to keep ammunition on their shelves.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is shedding light on the underlying causes of the ammo shortage. Will it get worse before it gets better?

Gun shops across the country are reporting a run on ammunition, a phenomenon apparently driven by fear that the Obama administration will increase taxes on bullets or enact new gun-control measures.

Hints and tips for better, safer, more accurate loads, ideas and suggestions you won't find in the average manual.

US House Representative Jason Chaffetz will run legislation that would keep the Department of Defense from destroying its used brass shells instead of selling them to resellers. Pictured are hundreds of used .223 brass casings.

An excerpt from the Cartridges of the World, 11th Edition Book, looking at cartridge dimensions and reloading data for the 8mm Mauser.

Walk into your local shooting emporium and ask why there is an ammo shortage, and you'll hear inane speculation coupled with a conspiracy theory or two. The reality is that the supply chain for ammunition is relatively inelastic, and is easily overwhelmed by a sudden jump in sales.

We're swamped all the time, said B & J Guns Sales Manager, Chris Powell. These people are not just buying one gun, they're buying multiple guns and plenty of ammo.

The big news for handloaders is the introduction by Hornady Manufacturing of so many new cartridges, or loads for previously difficult-to-obtain cartridges, ultimately resulting in more reloading die sets and components.

The army of shotshell reloaders grows daily - it's easy, simple, and you can save folding money!

The CTJ is a reduced-recoil, controlled-penetration tactical shotgun round that offers reduced ricochet hazard and is perfect for interior applications like home defense or tactical entry. And pardon the language, but damn does it make a hole.

My father always used to say, Buckshot makes a mess. I've adopted that philosophy when it comes to self-defense with a shotgun. When it comes to stopping the threat, and I mean right now, I'll happily make a mess. Bad guys deserve it.