Cheap .22 ammo - from the past

[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.

 

[chief38]

I've got three unopened bricks of VINTAGE .22's from the early to mid 60's I believe. Two are Remington and are in a lighter Seafoam Green and white box with red highlights and a brick of Winchester in a yellow box. The ammo was bought by my Dad and two are marked $6.99 / Brick while the Winchesters are unmarked. I am not planning on shooting them, but I would bet they will work just fine if needed.

 

[jfp357]

Bullets! Ammo! I love `em ! No matter what they cost or caliber.

 

[.455_Hunter]

It's not $0.89, but I was still buying 50 rds of Federal Lightning for $1.47 in late 2012 at Walmart.

I think the relative cost of ammo reached it lowest level in the late 90's to mid 2000s.

 

[jaysan60]

I remember picking up drink bottles and selling them for ammo money -- on a good day 22LR for the old Remington -- on a normal day, a small pack of BBs for the Daisy...