Backlighting
Member
Written by Sierra Bullets VP of Sales Matt Reams
Why Can?t I Find .22 LR Ammunition?!?!? | Sierra Bullets
Why Can?t I Find .22 LR Ammunition?!?!? | Sierra Bullets
Why Can’t I Find .22 LR Ammunition?!?!?
- Thread starter Backlighting
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Well the reason no one can find .22 LR ammo in my town, it's because theirs about a half dozen old guys who must be retired and have nothing better to do, who sit out at the Wal-Mart gun counter every single morning waiting for the restocking person to come out with a cart full of whatever ammo they have to put on the shelf.
I know for a fact that they go after the .22 LR, I was in there one morning (by coincidence, not for ammo) and out comes a woman with a cart with a case of Remington Golden Bullet 550 (or so) bulk packs. Well each of these guys grabs the maximum allowance of 3 boxes each, so even before the Wal-Mart people were able to put the ammo on the shelf that case was down to just 2 boxes! I can only imagine they both were sold withing the hour to someone else.
What I'm trying to say is people are doing this to themselves. It's a viscous circle. I'm all for being stocked up, but some people need to just relax and chill out and let the market catch back up!
I know for a fact that they go after the .22 LR, I was in there one morning (by coincidence, not for ammo) and out comes a woman with a cart with a case of Remington Golden Bullet 550 (or so) bulk packs. Well each of these guys grabs the maximum allowance of 3 boxes each, so even before the Wal-Mart people were able to put the ammo on the shelf that case was down to just 2 boxes! I can only imagine they both were sold withing the hour to someone else.
What I'm trying to say is people are doing this to themselves. It's a viscous circle. I'm all for being stocked up, but some people need to just relax and chill out and let the market catch back up!
First off your ability to count is bad. This ammo comes 10 to a case so if one buys the 3 box limit at a walmart three people will get 3 boxes and the fourth person gets one box. That leaves one box left not two. The real question to ask is the one you didn't ask and that is why did Walmart only get one case of 22lr. One single case of 22lr capable of only providing 4 people with ammo given their purchase limits.
Four people get ammo yet you and others blame those 4 people for the shortage. Its down right silly to blame 4 people.
What you need to be asking is: Why is Walmart only getting "ONE CASE" of 22 ammo.
ArchAngelCD
Moderator, SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
I have been saying this for a very long time and getting ridiculed for it. They say it's all supply and demand but there is no supply coming through the supply lines. Like so well said above, that is the real problem and the question that needs to be answered!
Harrison
US Veteran
I drove two counties over to Academy. All they had was a little bit of Federal pseudo target ammo at a really high price, with a limit of two box/50. I passed on it. The drought is ongoing.
hkcavalier
US Veteran
There was an interesting write-up about this in Shotgun News.
.22LR is not profitable for ammo makers. They make it to keep the lights on. Expanding production has fixed costs they won't recoup and it takes away from more profitable ammo production.
So don't hold your breath as long as there are scads of unemployed guys who decide their "business" is reselling ammo on Craigslist and at local gun shows.
.22LR is not profitable for ammo makers. They make it to keep the lights on. Expanding production has fixed costs they won't recoup and it takes away from more profitable ammo production.
So don't hold your breath as long as there are scads of unemployed guys who decide their "business" is reselling ammo on Craigslist and at local gun shows.
OP
Backlighting
Member
I have no beef with anyone making money by selling .22 bricks. They took the time, often waiting in line for a couple of hrs, used gas to get to a store & had the money get it. No one is forcing anyone to purchase it ( I don't). They're just vendors. That's how I look at it.
I do not know the profit margin on 22 lr, I do know that any company that would purchase space, machinery to "fix" the problem now, will be out of business when the market is finally saturated, 1-2 yrs down the road. You can not spend 1/2 million dollars to "fix" the problem now and have to turn off the unpaid machines 1-2 yrs from now. The people who planned ahead and are flush in 22 lr will weather the storm, others will have to pay the premium or go with out till the market settles. It will take time, to fill the shelves, satisfy the hoarders and take away the market from the gougers, until then whining and complaining will not help and becomes irritating. Be Safe,
cyphertext
US Veteran
Walmart and other big box retailers are still getting either the same amount or more ammo as they always have. That case of 10 bricks used to be all that was needed for restocking purposes. Plus, there are more Walmart stores than there were, say 3 years ago. So if Walmart buys 1 million rounds a year (made that number up), they have more stores to spread that among today, vs. 2 or 3 years ago.
When I worked at Academy nearly 10 years ago, cases of .22lr would go unopened and stored behind the counter. We would get a case or two a week, and there would still be almost that available on the shelf. Now when a retailer gets a case or two for restocking, it sells out in minutes, still leaving the shelf empty.
When I worked at Academy nearly 10 years ago, cases of .22lr would go unopened and stored behind the counter. We would get a case or two a week, and there would still be almost that available on the shelf. Now when a retailer gets a case or two for restocking, it sells out in minutes, still leaving the shelf empty.
Maybe in your area thats true but knowing gun shop owners and managers at Walmart and Academy in my area they all say the same thing. They are not getting the amount of ammo that they got in 2011 or 2012. They are as upset as we are because that is impacting their sales. Not something they are fond of.
THE PILGRIM
Member
Exactly as above, my Walmart puts out 22 ammo at 7 am and the same group of guys buy it all, every day. They must be reselling? Otherwise they would eventually have so much they wouldn't want to get down there by 7am.
You won't see many in our community ask that question because they have bought into the myth that 4 guys at walmart are buying all of the ammo and reselling it. A myth perpetrated by the manufactures and distributors to deflect the very criticism people are holding against their fellow firearm owners .
They ignore all of the new websites that have just sprang up that happen to have pallets of 22lr ammo to sell, imagine that, yet you find nothing at your local retailers. So you end up standing in line hours before a store opens in hopes of finding some 22lr ammo. Something is just not right.
cyphertext
US Veteran
Again, individual stores may not, but the organization as a whole is... They have more stores today than in 2011 or 2012, so same amount of ammo is being divided up between more stores.
I'm sure that they also give a bigger share to their stores where the sales are higher as well.
cyphertext
US Veteran
That is too high for bulk plinking ammo... still getting mine for $.06 per round.
hkcavalier
US Veteran
When it was 1/3rd that in November 2012?
You still see some deals for $20-$25 for a box of 500, they are not selling it at a loss so this is much closer to cost. This is the inexpensive plinking ammo of course. I'd pay more for Mini-Mags or Aguila Super Max since it cycles semi-autos much more consistently.
Brandon0413
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I hadn't bought any 22 ammo in a long time. But, for the past couple of months I've been really trying. On Saturdays I've been going to either an Academy (one that I know gets shipments in more often than others) right when it opens at 8am or Cabelas right when it opens at 9am. I work M-F, So Saturday is the only good day I can go. Also, the official in stock 22 thread finally worked out for me last week.
The academy, I'll actually call a few minutes after 8 to ask if they have any. If so, I'll jump in the car and drive over there and pick up 2 boxes of 50. This has worked out a few times. Cabelas doesn't always have some, but I was able to pick up a box of 300 cci mini mag hollow points a few weeks ago. And just this morning I got a 100 round box of cci standard velocity. I was about 3 minutes late and there were people lucky enough to grab a 500 round box of blazers. A guy offered to trade me as he said he had been getting a bunch lately, but I wanted the standard velocity for my mod-17. He said he'd been getting a lot of it lately, but his grandkids go through it really fast. Plus, I already had a 500 round box of blazers waiting on me thanks to the official in stock thread here.
The academy, I'll actually call a few minutes after 8 to ask if they have any. If so, I'll jump in the car and drive over there and pick up 2 boxes of 50. This has worked out a few times. Cabelas doesn't always have some, but I was able to pick up a box of 300 cci mini mag hollow points a few weeks ago. And just this morning I got a 100 round box of cci standard velocity. I was about 3 minutes late and there were people lucky enough to grab a 500 round box of blazers. A guy offered to trade me as he said he had been getting a bunch lately, but I wanted the standard velocity for my mod-17. He said he'd been getting a lot of it lately, but his grandkids go through it really fast. Plus, I already had a 500 round box of blazers waiting on me thanks to the official in stock thread here.
You use this same argument at the gas station?
Where? Share?! I've only been buying .22LR for a year and I've never paid below .10 cents per round.
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No. Its impossible to plat,permit,zone and construct enough stores to impact the situation given the time involved. Also manufactures are now running at full capacity which means more ammo is being produced today than 2011 and 2012. Not to mention foreign sources in the market.
buckshotshorty
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Ammunition companies claim they're running 24/7 to catch up,with demand, but I suspect that only a small amount of that time is dedicated to making .22 ammo. I just think there's more profit in center fire ammo; that is their prime interest.
