Is recreational shooting pretty much a thing of the past?

[GF]

With 2013 winding down and ammo still expensive when available at all, do you think we'll ever see a time again when we can burn up a brick of 22's or 500 rnds of 223 as a normal day at the range?

When centerfire ammo is at least .50 a pop and rimfire is at .10 or higher when you can find it, it's impossible for me to shoot as much as I used to.
My nieces & nephew & I used to shoot a brick of 22's every weekend. Now we shoot clays because shotgun shells are the easiest (and cheapest) to find and stock up on.

I know the reloaders will say I should just start (or shoulda' already) rolling my own but that's not what I'm asking.

Will we ever see again a wide selection of ammunition at prices & quantity that a workin' man can afford to buy and shoot ?

GF

 

[rwsmith]

I've seen prices and availability......

I've seen prices and availability get much better in the last month or so. However, I doubt that we will see price and availability that we have enjoyed in the past. I know that if there is a major foul up like Sandy Hook (not if but when) things will be very difficult for a long time.

 

[redlevel]

I can afford to shoot .22 lr at $40 per brick easier than I could fifty years ago at $5.00 per brick.

 

[Stevens]

It would be interesting to know why prices are high or ammo is scarce.
Is there more demmand now are people still stocking up/hoarding.
Have the manufacturers shifted to other products or calibers, have new Gov't. regulations been imposed on them. Have the costs of raw materials brass lead and powder gone up that much?
Thre is usually a reason for increases or decreases in supply and/or price.
Any ideas?
Steve W

 

[shouldazagged]

Don't know, but I sure can't even practice now. My handguns are .38 Specials, and it's not to be found anywhere I shop. It cost $35 for the one box of fifty 158 grain LRN I found. I can't possibly afford to get into reloading, so for now it's dry firing only.

I hope it levels out, but it's hard to be optimistic. My retirement income isn't near enough for today's prices and availability.

 

[CatSnipah]

I've been purchasing 9 mm ammo at prices much lower than what you suggest for months. Professional reloads as low as $0.32 or $0.33 per round shipped.

New production can also be found for $0.38-0.44 per round, if you use internet search tools or sites dedicated to organizing such info.

Even 223 is coming down.

My wife and I don't have kids, by choice, and focus on our careers and our hobbies, so financially, we budget for having fun, even if it costs a bit more than it once did.

For us, we shoot, recreationally, 2-3 times per month, most months. We'll go through anywhere from 200-600 rounds in a session, depending on how much work we want to do on specific things, or how many different firearms we choose to "play with" on days we're just chillaxing. The most we've ever done in one afternoon was probably 500 rounds of various calibers (mostly 9 mm & 223, with 45 LC coming in 3rd).

 

[Jinglebob]

I compare it to bowling. I used to bowl when the cost per game was around .50 cents and a quarter to rent shoes. Today the prices are anywhere from $5 to $10 per game, provided you can find a bowling alley still in business. Add in an extra $3 or $4 dollars to rent shoes and all of a sudden it stops being affordable entertainment for the workingman and his family.

Once the price rises it will continue to remain at or near that level, even to the detriment of the business in the long run.

 

[wildenout]

I think if you are able to re-load it isn't! and I try to go biweekly and use at least 50 rounds in each gun. Though it can be a bit pricey, and I don't really think it's recreation as much as to keep my skills up.

 

[blujax01]

Well if a fellow could be satisfied sniper firing his .22LR one round at a time (a Winchester 67 can still be had for $200) instead of spraying 500 rounds an hour, a brick would go a long way.

A real long way...

 

[Bushmaster1911]

Since 2013 rolled in I've picked up 5 new guns, all but one in 9mm. I have a lot of ammo for 9mm and have been finding it pretty reliably and it's often affordable, in the $14 - $17 range for 50 ct new. My 1911's are sitting in my safe awaiting 45 ammo to come back to earth. I continue to shoot as often as I ever have. I'll give up and change a lot of things in my lifestyle before I ever give up shooting.

I have a new grand son I'll meet for the first time at Christmas. My goals in life have changed over time. Right now I have just one. I want to live long enough to take my new grand son shooting tin cans and maybe a squirrel or two.

 

[CatSnipah]

Well if a fellow could be satisfied sniper firing his .22LR one round at a time (a Winchester 67 can still be had for $200) instead of spraying 500 rounds an hour, a brick would go a long way.

A real long way...

I like my 1938 Winchester 67-22 (handed down by my grandfather). Makes 250 rounds last a lot longer!

 

[Fishslayer]

It's "ammo day" tomorrow & I'll be heading over at oh dark thirty with my lawn chair & dog. They have 1 1K round bulk box of M-22 Winchester 40gr solids & I mean to have it!

Gonna cost me $68/1K though. Wasn't long ago I would have sneered at that price but both my Ruger bottom feeders seem to love the stuff and $34/500 is about as good as I'm gonna do without driving 20+ miles down the hill to wait in line with a bunch of d'bag ammo flippers and MAYBE get my 3 boxes of .22.

And it's money in the bank. If I needed to I could get $80/K almost instantaneously.

I was in Wally's today and they had plenty of cheap .223 & x39 if you don't mind steel cases.

 

[redlevel]

Well if a fellow could be satisfied sniper firing his .22LR one round at a time (a Winchester 67 can still be had for $200) instead of spraying 500 rounds an hour, a brick would go a long way.

A real long way...

A brick lasts a whole lot longer when shooting a lever action, too. And a K-22 or Model 63 really stretches a box of 50 when compared to a semi-auto of most any kind.

 

[Hillbilly77]

My local stores have been well stocked on pretty much everything for several weeks now.

.357 target ammo and .22LR is still hit and miss, but it's available frequently.

My local Wal-Mart is only charging about $1.50 - $2.00 more per box for 9MM, .40S&W, .45ACP, etc. than a year ago, and they've had thousands of rounds on hand lately.
Even .22LR has been available for 4-5 cents per round. They had CCI Mini Mags for 7 cents per round, but that's the most expensive I've seen .22 ammo.

 

[dcxplant]

Man, I wish! (sort of…)

Where I live the gun shops are still busy. Indoor ranges are backed up, and ammo while still high, is available and flying out the doors.

I think there was a pent-up demand by stubborn types like me not willing to pay .15c a round for .22 and darn near a buck a shot for anything bigger than .38!

I'm back in business, and gearing up for some steel matches after not shooting for many months. There is a minimum level of ammo I'm not willing to go below…. and a maximum price I'm willing to pay.

As some has said, shooting a non-semi auto is what I did. I burned up some .22 of my private stash, but I did that with my Ruger Single Six.22 and a SW 617. It was just as fun point shooting stuff as it is blazing away with a 30 rd stick in the old 10/22. Well, fun enough anyway! Improved my hand-eye shooting that's for sure.

 

[Gunslinger808]

With encroachment and urban sprawl, I see Golf course type set ups.

 

[Hendel]

Will we ever see again a wide selection of ammunition at prices & quantity that a workin' man can afford to buy and shoot ?

GF

Probably not. I reload and long for the day of buying 500 cast bullets for around $15.00, not $50.00. And that was only 10 years ago. Used to pay $10.00 for a brick of primers, not $36.00.....

I don't buy factory ammo, but do see the prices. I think of it like gasoline. Who would have thought that we'd be excited when gas gets in the low $3.00 range?

Ammo will only go up. It may plateau, but the day will come when we get excited when it is "only" a $1.00 a round for 9mm range fodder.

 

[TheBigC1234]

I have seen much more availability and more normal prices lately. The only ammo limits I have seen have been on .22lr.

But I haven't shot in so long (because of prices/lack of availability) That anytime I get my hands on some .22 or 9mm I end up shooting it all! Which is good but would like to have some extra!

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Midway is taking backorders on .22LR

$200/4000 Fed American Eagle
$300/5000 CCI MiniMag
$59/1400 Rem Golden Bullet

Lots of others.

 

[BTHG]

Midway is taking backorders on .22LR

$200/4000 Fed American Eagle
$300/5000 CCI MiniMag
$59/1400 Rem Golden Bullet

Lots of others.

That mini mag price seems high - local shop is cheaper than that. That's all my Browning uses so fairly up on prices.