I know the .22 shortage has been beat to death but looking at the broader impact on the industry and the sport, are we looking at the death knell of the most popular cartridge and firearm in history?

Consider: If you can't get ammo, then you can't sell guns. And, sooner or later, the gun makers will start making less of a product that they can't sell. Moreover, young shooters are typically trained on .22's.

Anecdotally, I used to see a lot of families at the range with dads teaching their kids with a youth .22 rifle. Now that's a vanishing sight.

My 2 local Wal-Marts have not had .22LR ammo for the past six months and the matching rifles aren't selling.

With the amount of .22 rimfires guns out there they will never go out of favor even if from today on they never made another new one!. Most any shooter has a couple or even just a homeower if they have only one gun it’s the double deuce.( My personal group is 3 rifles and 4 handguns)

The ammo bovine excrement we are now going through will be over and things will sort of return to normal with one exception. You will pay more for that ammo is we have proved how important those little things are and the manufactures and sellers are not dumb and will capitalize on it.

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

I guarantee that this is not a true statement. You may have not seen ammo on the shelf when you have visited, but they have received shipments of ammo.

Sheez...Rimfire is a member here...my heart skipped a beat!

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

[QUOTE=Whitens Moss;138016778] are we looking at the death knell of the most popular cartridge and firearm in history?

[QUOTE]

No.

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Georgia On My Mind

I think rimfire will be around long after some of the more exotic center fire calibers for both hand guns and long guns has gone the way of the gooney bird.

I'd bet that more .22lr, long and short is fired every day in this country than anything else. If you have ever lived or even visited in the country then you know that the .22 is indispensable for dozens of uses on the farm/ranch.

No, I think rim fire will be with us for the foreseeable future.

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Real men love cats!

Fear not, I'm still here!

There is no shortage, you can still buy all you can afford. It's just like coffee, toilet paper or any other commodity. They've got it and we don't, but if it's worth it to you, you can have all you want.

I still think this will even out, but we'll never see a penny a shot or $1.00 a gallon gas again.

I'm trying to wait it out, but I have grandkids and about 50 .22 rifles.

forgot you had a "d" at the end..whew!

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

LIKE!!!!!!!

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SWCA #2306
DAV in honor of POP

According to our hunting/fishing/sporting goods department manager, they get a couple of boxes of 50 22RF every month or six weeks. It is only in the past 6 months they got that much. The store went for well over a year with not 22RF whatsoever arriving. It seems like Waymart's in the NE and upper Midwestern part of the country is getting 22RF long before stores down here are.

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Can my S&W Mdl 10 shoot +P

I don't know as friends in different parts of the US say they're seeing some 22 as I have too. Even when it was at it's shortest supply my local gun shop had some but held it back for we regular customers. Not fair? no but so is life and being a good regular customer pays in times like this.
I won't get up early and go to the big box places and see if they have any ammo either. I did see this coming and stocked up beforehand anyhow as should we all have. Last time around I got short on .380 and had to pay big bucks from an outfit in Minnesota but my mistake too as I should have had more on hand.
Rimfire ammo must be a big money maker for ammo makers and sure they'll keep putting it out until the hoarders can't buy more and the gougers reselling can't make a profit. Once we're there these discussions will be done and lots of ammo on the shelves again or at least I hope so.

Rimfire was getting more and more difficult to find before the panic. This was because of the exploding interest in all the new rimfire replicas, particularly black rifles with 30rd mags dangling underneath.

No. Increasing popularity and demand are not usually considered a death knell for a sport or associated products. That said, I think there is a lull in gun sales due to the overwhelming demand during the panic and market saturation.

I'm thinking it's going to settle out at about 4-5 cents a round when it's all over.

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Dick

.22LR isn't dead and I think it will never die. Way too popular. With the current shortage we see boutique brands coming up that I would not have bought before. I paid a higher price, but can't complain. Nobody made me buy it, right?!

So all we need is patience...

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Jorge

My LGS has refused to "gouge," and sells at normal prices when he gets ammo. Of course, it doesn't last long, even though he rations it. He tells me that the manufacturers have NOT raised prices beyond the slight creep that has always existed. The big scare has increased the number of gun owners, and MORE GREATLY increased the number of ammo "hoarders." It will take a while before all the buyers are satisfied, but it will happen, not in a few months, but not many years at all.

Rimfire ain't going away.

Not sure about manufacturers. Prices at my distributors are great, stuff is just not available. Right now all I can get is RWS and Eley in 50rd boxes...

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Jorge

I havent read all the replys. What really caused the shortage? My take is all companys are in business to make money. I cant understand the shortage but at some point I have to believe ammo companys will produce .22`s. From what I read, thats where the money is. It would be insane if you have the capability to be making everything else when you could be selling all you could pump out in .22 LR`s.
At some point sanity has to take over. We have seen man made "shortages" all our lives, toilet paper, cranberries that happened on thanksgiving etc. I still have 40 year old .22`s to shoot up so I wont be part of the panic. When availability comes I will shoot the rest of them and replace them. People are sheep. We all want what we cant have. Probley many of us didnt bother shooting 22`s when they were available but when the rumors started everyone bought all they could find.

A lot of savvy gun stores have 22LR supplies "in the back" as it were, to sell to people buying firearms that chamber it.

You buy a 10/22 and you can buy a brick of 22LR to go with it. Easy peasy.

I've put away ALL my .22s for the time being due to my diminishing stash. I go to Walmart a couple of times every week to see what they have. I have not seen any .22s for at least 18 months. The only caliber I can count on them having (that I want) is .45, .380 and .40 S&W. I also check 3 other Walmarts in my area and always find the same situation. I love and support my LGSs but paying their asking price for .22s is just plain wrong!

I have a couple thousand rounds, mostly match and Velocitors. If I don't get to feeling well enough to shoot they'll be left to my wife, to buy a new house!

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Regards, Ron
USASA 1965/69

Academy Sports had some a few weeks ago and allowed me to buy 2 100 round boxes of CCI.

If you want to buy online check here for current availability from various sites.

GunBot 22lr rimfire ammo

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Corripe Cervisiam

Whenever I visited -- which was often -- never had any. In fact, there is what appears to be a permanent sign "No .22LR in stock today" posted on the ammo case. Yes, a few boxes have come in, I'm told -- limited to one to a customer -- but that was in the wee hours and the quantity was very little. No bricks, I was told, just 50-round packs.

I'm surprised the .22 rifle/handgun manufactures haven't worked out a deal with the big ammo makers where .22LR guns come with a certificate that allows the purchaser to purchase say 2,500 rnds of .22LR ammo. That'd be good for gun manufacturers, and perhaps a small added profit for the ammo makers to offer the deal to gun makers.

We get quite a lot of 22 every week we just can't keep up demand. We do keep some in the back so to speak to sell with a firearm.

How we are dealing with the shortage is we have an electronic list that we keep and when we get in ammo we just call the person and let them know we have ammo for them. It was the fairest way we thought to handle the problem. At this time we are about 4 months out.

CCI Mini-Mags are still the same now as a couple years ago as is Federal Automatch. The other bulk ammo not counting Remington has gone up maybe a dollar or two per box. But some other lines of 22 the dealer cost has gone up as much as $10 or $15 per brick. Ouch!

The rimfire makers are still making as much as ever and actually more. It will get better but it may be awhile.

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Mike
USMCR 84-87, USAF 87-07

I look anytime I am in a sporting goods store or walmart. My observations are that no one is selling bricks, only 50rd boxes one per customer and depending on what manufacturer and the store the boxes range from $6-$18 a box. With eley match being the highest. It's seems even harder to find 22 magnum. I have yet to see a box anywhere. I just hope this silliness ends soon, 50 rounds of 22 goes down range real quick especially if there is more than one person shooting. I am thankful that I had a little over 6000 rounds when all this nonsense started and have yet to buy any. But if I were to come across a reasonably priced brick I would scoop it up.

I've bought at least 3,000 rounds of .22 LR in the past 6 months at reasonable prices. That's a fraction of what I could have bought. You need to look beyond Walmart. Palmetto State Armory, Cabela's and other online sites have been good to me.

Check with the Mafia and the Israeli secret service.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

...or the U.S. government agencies

Okay, pray tell, just why is there a shortage. Personally, I think it was pretty much rumor that scared everyone into hoarding up. I just cant see any other believable reason. I really think its mob mentality that keeps it going. Come on, anyone here admit to buying 22 lr ammo when they normally wouldn't have bothered? I admit I have bought two single 50 round boxs when I seen the opportunity when I normally wouldn't have bought them.

The Cabela's near me has had 22 LR fairly regularly the past couple of months. Not every day but more often than not. Different box sizes and brands and price points. It tends to sell out within an hour of opening but sometimes lasts most of the day if the stock is sufficient due to a limit of two 50 round boxes or one of 100 or more per customer.

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John. SWCA #1586

Gander Mountain in Kingston, NY had every conceivable round in stock today, EXCEPT 22 LR. Bulk was available in all calibers, .38, 9mm, 40, 45 & 223/5.56, although a little pricey there was plenty.

Asked avOut 22 LR, they don't know when it's coming until it gets there. They do maintain a small quantity for those buying 22's at all times.

What Sip said ... Feller has to be careful what he types around here, as us older types is sensitive to what we reads.

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I'm with the banned ...

As far as I know there has not been a shortage of top quality .22LR target ammunition at all.
Eley Tenex is available to those willing to pay for it and the price is the same as three years ago.

As you move down the quality list from hi-grade to mid-grade you eventually get to the point where you see out-of-stock.

Eley Club is available I think but it’s about $8.00 a box.

My theory is that the hoarders and resellers are willing to stand in line a Walmart at 7:00am every morning in order to buy three boxes of Minimags hoping to double their money.
I suppose it keeps them off the streets.

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Ipsis Rebus Dictantitbus

My local Academy has been flush with 22lr. Since the last of June I've been able to walk in at any time of the day and find 22lr ammo on the shelf. Granted they still have limits but I can deal with that plus we are seeing more and more bulk too. Today they had federal 525 count boxes and 300 count CCI boxes for selections of Bulk. The bulk selections usually last most of the day. Lots of Aguila and CCI pistol match and a definite plus is 22mag is finally showing up more often then in the past. Its looking good. Our problem isn't 22lr ammo its getting 22lr guns like Henrys and Rugers.

But this is the slow part of the year I'm told but I still can't find a Henry Golden Boy in 22mag or a Ruger MKIII in any configuration.

The biggest problem is that the current mindset is to buy all that you can when you see it. People are buying quantities that they will not be able to use for years. Others are looking to sell at inflated prices at gun shows.

People that just want enough to use this weekend are out of luck.

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Corripe Cervisiam

I found 600 rounds the other day at Walmart. Right place, right time I guess.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

The once thought lowly .22 rimfire is not dead. It is not even sick. It is and remains supremely the premier firearms cartridge of all time up to and including today. The cost has increased driven by a combination of a weak dollar, high demand, and scalpers. There are other factors, but these three are primary. Maybe not soon but at some point reality will set in w/ pricing, supply, etc. It is unlikely we'll ever see $15/brick ammo again. But that's the way things go when the dollar declines and the value of commodities increases.

It is likely that the limited availability of ammunition has depressed the sale of .22 LR firearms. It's not unlike when 9mm and later .38 Special got scarce and expensive. It's no different than when folks parked their big trucks and cars when gas hit $4.46/gallon a few years ago. The number of miles driven declined. Business was affected in motels/hotels and vacation sites. People just couldn't afford to drive/travel all over the place. Now folks don't even whine when current gas prices ($3.80/gal.) are over a dollar higher than the prices that were protested just before the 2008 election. Reckon folks got used to it? Probably the same thing will happen w/ ammo prices.

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<><

My local gun shop has all the 22LR you can carry at $50 a brick of 500

my big concern is the cost of .357 ..... eeeeek! shudder...wow...$30 for 50 rounds

Not sure what the difference is . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

WalMart is getting some. Every time I go (time of day does not matter) there's 4-6 guys in the fishing tackle aisle (unobstructed view of the counter) "looking at stuff." As soon as the $25 bricks come in they clean them out to put on Craigslist or their table at the gunshow. They started marking them $100, then $85, $70, 60 and last show Jul 4th pretty much $50/ brick. And not many $50 bricks moving. Soon it won't be "profitable" to put in the time required to make this hustle. Then we'll get back to "normal." Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

In my safe resides a cap lock 12 ga with rudimentary sites and a rifled bore.
It's not a replica. It is a long arm from the era when it was the bleeding edge of firearms technology.
It did not vanish, and I don't have to re aquire it if the spirit moves me to dump a charge of black down that long dark pipe, shove a wad and shot down after it fit a cap and let the Thunder roll.

Likewise, those millions of 22s made since it's invention, will remain, just like the heirloom entrusted to me by my grandfather.
They will not starve to death, though they may be hungry for now.
Many who build the rifles, also load the ammo.
They know of the demand. At worst, they will reduce production of the guns till the ammo catches up.
It's their best selling caliber. So much so, they can't keep up.
Why axe something so successful as the 22?
it just won't happen.

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it just needs more voltage

If you do a web search with one of the various ammo search services, you will find plenty of 22LR out there. It isn't all $0.10 per round, but it's there.

Just because your local Walmart doesn't have it doesn't mean it isn't available.

I may have trouble finding 22s, but 45s, 38, 380, etc, etc; no problem. I handload, and cast my own bullets; I haven't run out of centerfire ammo for quite a while.

Don't know what planet you all are from, 22lr can be had at all LGS,Dicks sporting goods and walmart in upstate NY.

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George Jamison

If you have a computer, a credit card and a mailing address, there is absolutely no excuse not to have 22LR.

OFFICIAL (IN STOCK) 22LR AMMO THREAD

People that just want enough to use this weekend are out of touch.

Sorry.

Henry got behind when they were hit by Sandy. Maybe they are still not caught up? I think I saw the GB 22mag at Benton Shooters in Benton, TN a couple weeks ago.

Ruger threaded barrel models can be tough to find around here (suppressors are becoming more and more popular). Buds gun shop has a wide selection of Rugers including a couple threaded barrel. I wonder how much Internet sales are impacting availability at retail stores?

I see the black rifle replicas piling up around here.