Prior to the election and Sandy Hook, many of the majors were already 3-6 months backordered. Sandy Hook cleared the shelves, but I still beleive a lot of that was hoarding and profiteering. I have some inside information from a many of the 2nd and 3rd tier suppliers that I deal with or have access to.
Factory ammo from the majors...don't expect the backlog to end until at LEAST 2014 and even then it might not clear. Magazines are starting to show up sporadically, but we won't have pre Sandy Hook stock levels in the LGS until at least a few more months. AR parts...some are coming back into the pipeline slowly. Some high end production is shifting from the lower profit or higher end parts to the mass market and less expensive parts.
Some of the custom builders have shifted their workforce to completing and shipping complete lowers with the plan that they will catch up on uppers later in the year. While some have hired non-essential staff, there does not appear to be a lot of invetment into skilled labor nor machinery.
You have to understand that there are several tiers in the industry as well and there are some major companies behind the scenes that most people would not recognize that make magazines, parts etc. The priming compound production is maxed out and has been for several years now.
The other tiers...Mil and LE orders have increased and they are getting filled first. There are certain groups that are getitng supplied as normal as well either due to advertising or prior agreements.
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