Here in central PA-
"Black" rifles are around, but not in the numbers or prices of before. Common hunting rifles are widely available, as are most common handguns.
.22's are available at fairly normal prices in the small, local gunshops. Same with most handgun and rifle calibers, though .223 and to a lesser extent, 9mm and 308 are harder to find in the economical FMJ loadings.
Reloading components are widely available at the small shops. In the past few weeks I picked up large rifle and pistol, as well as small rifle primers at $31.00 per thousand. Powder at about $20.00 per lbs. Bullets are available for all calibers, both locally, and at the larger on line retailers, but in high demand calibers like .224 and .308, bulk practice bullets are hard to find, so you might have to purchase something different and possibly more expensive to re-load with, say a box of .308 150 grain soft points at $26.00 as apposed to a box of 150 grain FMJ bullets at $20.00.
Seems the worst places to find stuff are the gun shows, where the prices are ridiculous, and the big shops like Walmart, Gander or Dicks, where stock is sold out as fast as it comes in. I would spend a lot more time checking out the small mom and pop gunshops, or browsing the on-line retailers looking for components, and be willing to try a different powder or bullet if need be. Sites like Gunbroker offer availability of almost any gun you might be interested in, though expect to pay more then in the past for high demand items like AR's. The key is to be willing to search, both locally, and on the net for what you want, and be willing to compromise to an extent at times. The old days of just walking into your local shop and being able to find anything you want are over. I think some of the shortages are regionally based as well.
Larry
