Am I part of the problem?

For those who enjoy shooting, it makes more sense to "overpay" (a relative term subject to interpretation) and have it than to bellyache about prices and do without.
 
I was into a regular buying pattern myself, but realized that at current shooting consumption, I have way more of every caliber than I will shoot the rest of my life.
 
I know a group of people that shoot quality .22 target rifles at 100 yards on any given Saturday. Many of them are not able to use quality target ammo because it is simply not available. The well-heeled guys send their rifle off to Lapua for testing and are then allowed to purchase a case (500 boxes) of ammo that performs the best in their particular rifle. When your into that game where a VooDoo .22 single shot costs $2K plus a 50X Nightforce at about equal value paying $20+ for a box of .22 ammo is of little consequence. I used to shoot the match with an older Anschutz 54 and $12 a box Eley Match, won a few but just got outgunned. Its a real triumph when one of the older guys wins the match with an old Model 52 Winchester that is as old as he is, basically because he can read the wind better. In most cases with .22 target rifles its all about the ammo and reading the wind, nice equipment does help. We had one guy would use an old re-barreled Martini single shot and beat them at their game, mostly due to his experience with wind.
 
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I know a group of people that shoot quality .22 target rifles at 100 yards on any given Saturday. Many of them are not able to use quality target ammo because it is simply not available. The well-heeled guys send their rifle off to Lapua for testing and are then allowed to purchase a case (500 boxes) of ammo that performs the best in their particular rifle. When your into that game where a VooDoo .22 single shot costs $2K plus a 50X Nightforce at about equal value paying $20+ for a box of .22 ammo is of little consequence. I used to shoot the match with an older Anschutz 54 and $12 a box Eley Match, won a few but just got outgunned. Its a real triumph when one of the older guys wins the match with an old Model 52 Winchester that is as old as he is, basically because he can read the wind better. In most cases with .22 target rifles its all about the ammo and reading the wind, nice equipment does help. We had one guy would use an old re-barreled Martini single shot and beat them at their game, mostly due to his experience with wind.

I played that game for a while. Then thought why....... So now I just shoot against myself and talk to friends at the range.
 
Ammo is becoming like gold, and guns, prices keep going up, occasional dips but never loses alot of ground, it will never be worthless, and probably will be like currency at some point, able to trade a little bit for necessities.
 
I still honestly think primers powder and most hunting ammo are at their low price points. Farmers and ranchers are paying ridiculous prices for hunting ammo at auctions... most auctions with reloading supplies of any worthwhile amount bringing high prices...esp LRPs and large rifle types of powder. If anyone here is part of the "problem" we all are if we want to shoot in the future. Inflation is going to drive prices ever higher
 
I have several handguns in .22 LR that mirror their full sized and larger caliber brothers. I can shoot a couple of boxes of that and not feel guilty about the cost of the ammo. I also have numerous .22 LR rifles that I can practice with and again not feel guilty about the ammo used. Powder and primers are not a problem as of now, a friend and I bought from estate sales at very low prices before all this started.
 
Just think where we were 4 years ago. If you weren't "buying it cheap, and stacking it deep" then you were soon in for a rude surprise.

Even though prices are higher than they were then (my 9mm target ammo from then averaged to 16 cents per round, and it is now about 26 cents per round), it is conceivable that prices will skyrocket in the New Year.

The time to buy is now. In fact, the time to buy is always now.
 
Just had to move some stuff around in one of my gun rooms. I collect spotting scope and needed some space. Had to move a bunch of .22LR to make some space.
 
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As my grandmother used to say (although modified slightly to sound more redneck), "eat it while it's there, cause if it ain't there you ain't eating it".
 

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