Cheap .22 ammo - from the past

[df06]

Myself and my brothers always got a brick or two of 22LR ammo for Christmas. We were 12-16 years old at that time, mid 60s.
Today, our parents would likely be put in jail for giving us such hazardous gifts.

 

[Infiltrator]

My Old Ammo

Just thought I would share some of my old ammunition photos. You can right click on each picture open in a new window to get a closeup view of each one. I would like to know how old this ammunition is if anyone knows the manufacturing date of this stuff.

500 Rounds Wildcat 22 Box was bought for $12.70 U.S. at the local GunShop here in Ohio.


The Price Tag on the Box says it all. I remember the guy trying to sell me the taped up 2 Box deal and I told him to just sell me the 500 round box and we'll call it a day. Wow that was a long time ago


And I'm not sure where I got these from. But they came with a cute little plastic case that housed the bullets.


I took 20 rounds of these today and pulled out the ole Savage 64F with 10 rounds of each and loaded up the mags. That ole' .22 ripped through those 20 rounds in no time flat. Just wanted to see if they were still good. Cycled right through the Semi-Auto like nobodies business. I had forgotten how much fun it was to plink with that ole' .22

 

[s&wchad]

I like old ammo!

Me too!

Me three!

 

[Budnjax]

"cheap" items back then were less affordable than today

in the 60's the average household income was a bit above $5000, minimum wage was $1.60, which is what my first job paid. Of course, my rent was only $45/m and I could buy a decent dinner for $1. My first gun purchase back then was a like new Colt 38 Super for $85 (I was told I way overpaid for that). One could buy a new S&W model 60 revolver for $85. In the mid 70's I worked for a big gun distributor; a S&W 29 in a wooden presentation box with all the bells and whistles was $152.50, a new Browning Citori was $252 and you could buy all the 30-06 Lake City you wanted at the gun club for $1 per 20 rounds. But, figuring in the rate of inflation that 85 cent box of .22 ammo would be over $10 today, the model 60 I mentioned would be around $1000. Today we have many guns available that hadn't even been thought of in "the good old days" and many others that are much better built than back then (better steel, computer-controlled machining, etc)....so, keep things in context when pining for "good old day" prices--many of us didn't buy those gems back then because we couldn't afford those prices!

 

[CatboatWilly]

WOW !
You guys really bring back some old memories and it's a testament to how attitudes have changed over the years. I used to live in the outer reaches of the county and went to school some 15 miles away where the was a hardware store that sold ammo. I'd buy my .22 ammo on my lunch hour at the hardware store - stuff it in my book bag - take it to school and finish the rest of my school day - and take the bus home. Then, go shooting after school. I was about 13 years old. I can't imagine what would happen if a kid did that today.

I wonder what changed the attitudes ?

 

[raljr1]

I remember the late 60's still buying 22 ammo for 50 cents a box. Dad would not let us have the magazine for the Remington 22. We had to load one at a time....that way there was no "ammo burning"

 

[rburg]

One could buy a new S&W model 60 revolver for $85.

Actually, no you couldn't. You couldn't even find one to look at. Even in the 1970s they were scarce as hens teeth. About 1971 there came a banging on my front door. It was really late, like maybe 1 AM. So I got up to look and it was Mike Lemon, the cop from across the hall. He needed money and fast. No, not to bail anyone out of jail. Of course I was married (broke) but I had money in the bank. We were up early the next morning and standing outside the bank when it opened. I withdrew the $100 he wanted for his carry gun and we were off to see his brother. He kept the gun for the present time. Got to his brothers house ( a county deputy) and he paid him his $150 plus the $100 I'd given him and took his then never before seen Treasury Special, a short barrel M66. We'd never seen a long barrel one, either. Not even at a gun show, and we frequented the OGCA in Columbus.

So it was one of those deals where everyone was happy. He got a M66 to carry off duty. I got the M60. OK momma wasn't too thrilled at the bank account getting skinnier.

Along the way Ole Lemon up and croaked on us (maybe 10 years ago). Of course I still had that M60. So I did the right thing, I gave it away. Oldest son wanted it. He and Mike were great buddies, or as good as a 20 something year old guy can be with a 1 year old. Not funny. One day I realized my kid had never had strawberry pie. Momma was at work and I immediately took the kid across the hall to confess the problem. He was up in a flash and we hiked down the hill, across the road and over the next hill. And yes, he liked the strawberry pie. A lot. Friends who share such things are in short supply.

 

[scattershot]

I was going to call you on this but had to do some research first. I didn't think 7-Eleven went back far enough to have been around when .22 LR sold for $.35, but the company dates back to 1927 so it is more than possible.

OP thinks $.85 .22s are old, I remember being upset when the price went UP to $.75 back in the '60s.

Yeah, I was using 7/11 as a generic term, it was actually Cabell's Minit Market, but I didn't think anyone would know what I was talking about. This was in Dallas, early 60's.

 

[GF]

Late to the thread but I'll add a box of rimfires and a cheap 'ol revolver to shoot 'em in!

GF

 

[weatherby]

a store I go to that is all he sells

 

[ArchAngelCD]

When I was younger if I could scrape up the money to buy a box of 22 shells I wouldn't take long to shoot them. I just couldn't afford to save any ammo. To tell the truth, if I thought back then the ammo would be worth money in the future to a collector I might have made an effort to put some aside but who really knew?

 

[thebeamanater107]

When I was younger if I could scrape up the money to buy a box of 22 shells I wouldn't take long to shoot them. I just couldn't afford to save any ammo. To tell the truth, if I thought back then the ammo would be worth money in the future to a collector I might have made an effort to put some aside but who really knew?

If I could save a box of hornady z-max (zombie killers) for about a hundred years I would. I know 50 years from now I'll be old and grey and I'll find a box of those and have to have it.

the original point and click interface, by Smith and Wesson

 

[Walter Rego]

Not exactly a .22 rimfire, but I recently bought a box of .22 Remington Centerfire Magnum ammo, also known as .22 Jet that had a $6.50 price sticker on it. I paid almost 10X that price for the ammo.

 

[yardboy]

A very charming thread.

 

[Frank46]

Back in the late 60's after I got out of the navy there was this little sporting good store off jamaica ave in Jamaica ny that had tons of old enfields, mausers, and all the old mil surp ammo you could wish for. All loose and stored in old wood ammo crates. Prices were cheap, usually ten bucks @100 for 8mm mauser, 303 british, and 7.65 argentine mauser. There was a place in NYC you could get lake city non corrosive ball for ten bucks a hundred. Used to shoot at the old brookhaven range on long island way before it was closed due to complaints when housing developements started going up. Lotta fun and quite a few friends ago. Frank

 

[K1500]

Just thought I would share some of my old ammunition photos. You can right click on each picture open in a new window to get a closeup view of each one. I would like to know how old this ammunition is if anyone knows the manufacturing date of this stuff.

500 Rounds Wildcat 22 Box was bought for $12.70 U.S. at the local GunShop here in Ohio.


The Price Tag on the Box says it all. I remember the guy trying to sell me the taped up 2 Box deal and I told him to just sell me the 500 round box and we'll call it a day. Wow that was a long time ago


And I'm not sure where I got these from. But they came with a cute little plastic case that housed the bullets.


I took 20 rounds of these today and pulled out the ole Savage 64F with 10 rounds of each and loaded up the mags. That ole' .22 ripped through those 20 rounds in no time flat. Just wanted to see if they were still good. Cycled right through the Semi-Auto like nobodies business. I had forgotten how much fun it was to plink with that ole' .22

Not that old. In fact, I think it is the youngest ammo on this thread. I don't know the date, but that packaging was available fairly recently. Most certainly in the last 15 years, and perhaps more recent than that.

 

[commonwealth109]

How about recent past?

I'd like to just go back 1 year in the past, where I could get 2000 rounds of Winchester M-22 ammo for $89 at Wal-Mart! And any day of any week it was there!

 

[brucev]

I remember $.10 Cokes... and phone calls. I remember eating at the Krystal for less than $1.00 total. I remember. I also remember my first job paid $1.80/hr. In those days my tuition was $606/quarter. And my church paid me $25/week. So... I didn't buy a whole lot of extras. After gas for the car and school and books, etc., there just wasn't a lot of money left for anything. Nowadays I intensely dislike paying $30/brick (when it can be found) for .22 LR ammunition. But, at least my churches pay a little more than $25/wk.!!!

 

[df06]

Interesting, the good old days. In the mid 60s, I was making $1.25 an hour working hard for a farmer. I shot a lot of .22 rimfires those days and they cost me 1/2 hours wages or so.
Glad that the ammo does not cost me 1/2 hours of todays wages.

 

[sophie]

Great post on old .22 ammo and some cool old boxes. The shame of it all is I usually threw away my old boxes when they were empty. Isn't it strange how we used to throw away all that stuff and in later years we go looking for it again. Guess we get nostalgic and like to see what we used to have.

The picture I posted is not old by any means but how long has it been since CCI Stingers was $1.47 for a box of 50 and CCI .22 Mag Shotshell was $2.50 for a box of 20. Over 30 years for sure.

Thanks for posting all the old .22 ammo boxes. I have some but I sure like to see them.