An interesting point of view. I didn't buy my Jet new, but rather got into the ownership thing pretty late, like 25 years ago. My purchase was kind of fun because I saw the gun, talked to the guy, then left to resume walking the show with my buddies. As we finished and were discussing walking out, I commented there was a gun I wanted to buy and I needed help carrying it all. One of our guys was always helpful and volunteered to help.
So I walked up to the vendor and made my final offer. My friend was in horror that I'd pay a full $700 for a 22 revolver. He didn't even value the 10 full boxes of ammo that came along with the gun. I have maybe fired 2 gun loads out of those boxes, preferring to burn reloads instead. I've never used the inserts, and just ignore the 22lr cylinder. If I want a rimfire, I bring one along.
But over the years I keep my eyes open for deals. At the OGCA show back in March I saw a half dozen boxes at $50 each. At the Lexington Kenny woods show there were boxes in that price range, and there were a few at the National Gun Day show in Louisville. Simply put, the ammo is available for anyone who wants it and is willing to pay. If you don't get out much and don't frequent the larger gun shows, I have no idea how you'd find ammo except online.
Everyone I know who owns one is also a reloader. Its such an easy round to load and the price is so cheap its crazy not to do so. One of our posters, Dave Keith, has solved the bullet problem by resizing .223 or .224 ammo down to .222. He just made a sizing die and has his grandson earn extra cash by doing it. You've got to listen closely to even tell mild reloads from full power factory ammo (that from 40 years ago, probably).
