cyphertext
US Veteran
I agree. I buy for me, for my son, for the Boy Scout troop, friends who may need a box...
Why Can’t I Find .22 LR Ammunition?!?!?
- Thread starter Backlighting
- Start date
I agree. I buy for me, for my son, for the Boy Scout troop, friends who may need a box...
memphisjim1
US Veteran
From my perspective, it's something of a manufactured crisis. Whatever the causes, we're told there's a shortage so the panic buying mentality kicks in and seems to have become a self-perpetuating cycle. I know the four local Walmarts in my immediate area always put their stock out by 7:30 a.m. Each store has it's corps of loyal "waiters" who buy their limits and turn right around to deliver to a couple of local gun stores, who then add their markup. We've all seen the seemingly unlimited supplies for sale on the auction sites at the hideously hyper inflated prices. The good news there is that lots of the gouge artists are seeing their lots go unbid on, so that may be a good omen for the near future. Inevitably, supply will catch up with demand...just get ready for permanently "adjusted upward" prices. The gougers have proved the market will absorb higher prices and the MBAs at the manufacturers are duly noting it.
Gunbot for 22LR: GunBot 22lr rimfire ammo
My $.02 worth to add are that the art of marksmanship is about as dead as the Bill of Rights. There is no reason for anyone to go thru a 550 round box of .22lr or any ammo in a single range session. For what? Blasting? Oh yeah, that's great, but then dont complain when there is no ammo to be found. Dad's, in most every case you are to blame here. Leave the 25 round mag at home and just bring the 10 rounder if you have a 10/22 and only load 5 at a time. Teach your kids how to shoot, they already know how to do mag dumps courtesy of hollywood and their video games.
Here's my suggestion: Take 50 rounds of the ammo caliber of your choice and shoot ten (10) 5 shot groups while focusing on the principles of marksmanship. You may actual improve your shooting ability and not blow thru a ridiculous amount of ammo. I have often gone to the range with 20-30 rounds of .308 and spent more than 2 hours. The quality of my shots were far more important and gratifying than the quantity of lead thrown down range.
Here's my suggestion: Take 50 rounds of the ammo caliber of your choice and shoot ten (10) 5 shot groups while focusing on the principles of marksmanship. You may actual improve your shooting ability and not blow thru a ridiculous amount of ammo. I have often gone to the range with 20-30 rounds of .308 and spent more than 2 hours. The quality of my shots were far more important and gratifying than the quantity of lead thrown down range.
After what I found out today thats not an option unless its a Midway,Cabelas or known firm. Several of these websites are owned by the same company. We have been had.
cyphertext
US Veteran
If you are spending more than 2 hours with only 30 rounds, you aren't shooting. That is 4 minutes between shots... ya, I don't think so... I go to the range to shoot, not stand around. My son and I will easily shoot a brick between us in an afternoon. Go to an Appleseed shoot and you will go through that much ammo as well. Pretty sure they are working on marksmanship there.
Aannd we have a winner.
I thought the crux of this argument was that "it is for the children" in order to "teach them proper marksmanship".
I guess I incorrectly assumed that after a time, father and son would graduate to purchasing center fire ammunition of a caliber more suited to real guns.
A Crossman .20 caliber air rifle costs less than $200, shoots 800 fps and 500 rounds of ammo is about $5-$8.
So, the cost of blasting .22 went from whatever 500 rounds used to cost to whatever they cost now. Big deal.
There are viable alternatives, either price-wise or skill-wise.
Nothing is obsolete if it can still put one in the 10 ring . . .
Dezfan
Member
And the beat goes on....
I've got enough 22LR to last me and my son and our circle of friends for a good looooooong time.
Bought a large portion of it during the panic.
How you ask?
I used the Walmart app, then I got up early and stood in line at Walmart, I used Gunbot, I used Brass Badger, I used Ammo Seek, I used my local shooting forum, I used my local FB shooting page, I placed adds on Craigslist and traded for ammo, etc...
I confronted the issue and got creative!
Stop complaining about not having 22LR! Figure out a way to become one of those who have ammo!
I've got enough 22LR to last me and my son and our circle of friends for a good looooooong time.
Bought a large portion of it during the panic.
How you ask?
I used the Walmart app, then I got up early and stood in line at Walmart, I used Gunbot, I used Brass Badger, I used Ammo Seek, I used my local shooting forum, I used my local FB shooting page, I placed adds on Craigslist and traded for ammo, etc...
I confronted the issue and got creative!
Stop complaining about not having 22LR! Figure out a way to become one of those who have ammo!
cyphertext
US Veteran
Not sure if serious... I consider a .22lr a "real gun". Why would we move to a larger caliber when practicing marksmanship. I pay less than $.06 per round for .22lr. Is there a centerfire round that can be had at that price? We have an AR, but at $.40 per round or more, mainly use that for hunting, not shooting paper.
Our range does not have an air rifle line and we don't have anywhere to shoot that. With a good .22 air rifle, you need a good backstop. The wood privacy fence doesn't cut it, as the pellets can go through.
So, the cost of blasting .22 went from whatever 500 rounds used to cost to whatever they cost now. Big deal.
There are viable alternatives, either price-wise or skill-wise.
Still not sure how shooting 250 rounds in a day at the range is considered "blasting"... Start out shooting pistols, move down to rifles...
An afternoon at sporting clays will use 250 to 300 shotgun shells per person... Is that "blasting" too?
Not something one can do? It's already been done. Who do you think makes .22 ammo?
jw mathews
Member
My nearest Wal-Mart is in a neighboring municipality about eight miles from my home. That store has a 3-box limit on 22 and nothing in stock during the daytime when I happen to be in that area. I do not choose to get up early & be there when the store opens on the chance that some ammo might be available.
Dealer net prices for 500-round bricks of many types of 22rf ammo range from $20-30. There are brands (British Eley et al) and types (match target, etc) that cost more. Prices from 4-6 cents per round reflect today's prices of material & labor, which have increased due to inflation over several decades. (I can remember when 22s cost a penny a round.)
I agree that there are people buying all they're allowed and re-selling at at gun shows, etc, but I choose not to patronize such people. I don't choose to pay $65 a brick, so am doing without.
One post above mentions the idea that new shooters can be "turned off" due to unavailability & expense of ammo. This is a valid point, imo, and perhaps should be of concern to the GUN manufacturers. After all, if people cannot buy 22LR ammo, why buy a gun chambered for that caliber?
Several major gun manufacturers (& importers) currently offer handguns & rifles chambered for 22LR. One of these (Remington) also manufactures ammo. It is obviously in Remington's interest to have some amount of 22 ammo available.
The manufacturer of Winchester rifles is now part of FN, with no financial conection to the maker of Winchester brand ammo. Domestically, the new Hi-Standard firm in TX, Marlin, Savage, S&W and Ruger make guns chambered for 22LR, and there are US firms importing foreign-made 22s as well. Maybe they could get together & start a factory to make 22s. (Each could own a percentage of the new ammo company, thus avoiding any problem of "monopoly" or running afoul of anti-trust laws.) As long as the product is of good quality & priced (reasonably) to make a profit for the manufacturer, I think it might be feasible.
The "pure" ammo companies (CCI, Federal, Winchester et al) will continue to make their more profitable cf ammo, of course. Imo, the siruation will not improve as long as the consumer market continues to tolerate price-gouging resellers. The ammo shortage may well affect sales of 22-caliber firearms, if that has not already happened.
Dealer net prices for 500-round bricks of many types of 22rf ammo range from $20-30. There are brands (British Eley et al) and types (match target, etc) that cost more. Prices from 4-6 cents per round reflect today's prices of material & labor, which have increased due to inflation over several decades. (I can remember when 22s cost a penny a round.)
I agree that there are people buying all they're allowed and re-selling at at gun shows, etc, but I choose not to patronize such people. I don't choose to pay $65 a brick, so am doing without.
One post above mentions the idea that new shooters can be "turned off" due to unavailability & expense of ammo. This is a valid point, imo, and perhaps should be of concern to the GUN manufacturers. After all, if people cannot buy 22LR ammo, why buy a gun chambered for that caliber?
Several major gun manufacturers (& importers) currently offer handguns & rifles chambered for 22LR. One of these (Remington) also manufactures ammo. It is obviously in Remington's interest to have some amount of 22 ammo available.
The manufacturer of Winchester rifles is now part of FN, with no financial conection to the maker of Winchester brand ammo. Domestically, the new Hi-Standard firm in TX, Marlin, Savage, S&W and Ruger make guns chambered for 22LR, and there are US firms importing foreign-made 22s as well. Maybe they could get together & start a factory to make 22s. (Each could own a percentage of the new ammo company, thus avoiding any problem of "monopoly" or running afoul of anti-trust laws.) As long as the product is of good quality & priced (reasonably) to make a profit for the manufacturer, I think it might be feasible.
The "pure" ammo companies (CCI, Federal, Winchester et al) will continue to make their more profitable cf ammo, of course. Imo, the siruation will not improve as long as the consumer market continues to tolerate price-gouging resellers. The ammo shortage may well affect sales of 22-caliber firearms, if that has not already happened.
I suppose your idea of marksmanship and mine differ. To be honest, shooting 250 rounds of anything in a range trip becomes downright boring. But, if I were to feel the need, I have a back yard and a BB gun...
And every range I've been to allows air rifles to be used on the same firing line as the .22's because that's what a lot of NCAA, ROTC, CMP and NRA teams use.
And when you shoot an afternoon of clays, you put 300 rounds down the pipe?? Really?!
Shoot what you shoot, it's none of my business. My point is that those complaining about the cost or availability of one particular caliber of ammo do have viable alternatives and don't have to envision scenarios that place the blame on others for their predicament.
cyphertext
US Veteran
I suppose your idea of marksmanship and mine differ. To be honest, shooting 250 rounds of anything in a range trip becomes downright boring. But, if I were to feel the need, I have a back yard and a BB gun...
And every range I've been to allows air rifles to be used on the same firing line as the .22's because that's what a lot of NCAA, ROTC, CMP and NRA teams use.
And when you shoot an afternoon of clays, you put 300 rounds down the pipe?? Really?!
Shoot what you shoot, it's none of my business. My point is that those complaining about the cost or availability of one particular caliber of ammo do have viable alternatives and don't have to envision scenarios that place the blame on others for their predicament.
It is not that hard to use 250 rounds each. We start off with pistol. We both have cowboy style single action revolvers with loading gate. Not any blasting there.
Next bring out the rifles. Start at the 25 yd line. Shoot for groups and sight in. Then we will play a few rounds of Battleship, with the battleship targets, at 25 yards. The targets on the ships are about a 3/4" circle... we are shooting open sights.
Move down to the 50 yard line. Shoot a few there. No more battleship, as I can't see the circle at that distance. Then, depending on which range we went to, we might hang battleship targets at 100 yards and shoot with the scoped 17 hmr, or we might go over to the metal silhouette bay and shoot there.
Those are the days we take only .22lr to the range. Obviously, if we take other guns, we don't shoot as much .22lr. But more "blasting away" takes place out at our lease with the AR-15 and the SKS, than any day at the range. The range does not allow mag dumps, but the private land does.
Go to shoot clays, and 300 shells is just 3 rounds. At a minimum, we will shoot 2 rounds, plus a round of skeet or wobble trap as a warm up.
Last edited:
ChattanoogaPhil
Member
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2009
- Messages
- 14,601
- Reaction score
- 20,622
For recreational shooting I buy what a like to shoot, not what I get bored with quick.
For those who chose recreational shooting as an inexpensive hobby maybe they ought to rethink it and take up knitting.
These three are among my favorite recreational suppressed rimfire guns to shoot and I have never become bored regardless of the number of rounds I might shoot during a range visit.... which will often exceed the limits expressed in this thread.
Savage FV-SR
Ruger MarkIII 4'' barrel
S&W M&P 15-22
For those who chose recreational shooting as an inexpensive hobby maybe they ought to rethink it and take up knitting.
These three are among my favorite recreational suppressed rimfire guns to shoot and I have never become bored regardless of the number of rounds I might shoot during a range visit.... which will often exceed the limits expressed in this thread.
Savage FV-SR
Ruger MarkIII 4'' barrel
S&W M&P 15-22
Last edited:
Steve in Vermont
Member
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2011
- Messages
- 1,969
- Reaction score
- 1,379
No problem here. That's assuming you want to pay $ 79.95 for a bulk box of Federals, plus tax, at our LGS. At Midway that same box is $ 20.99, but of course their out of stock. Now that's what I call markup.
For recreational shooting I buy what a like to shoot, not what I get bored with quick.
For those who chose recreational shooting as an inexpensive hobby maybe they ought to rethink it and take up knitting.
These three are among my favorite recreational suppressed rimfire guns to shoot and I have never become bored regardless of the number of rounds I might shoot during a range visit.... which will often exceed the limits expressed in this thread.
Savage FV-SR
Ruger MarkIII 4'' barrel
S&W M&P 15-22
I see you don't knit
NJM15
Member
Dicks doesn't dissapoint
Manage to pick up ,22's almost every week at Dicks picked up 2 100 rd packs of Rem Goldens for 10.00 each
Manage to pick up ,22's almost every week at Dicks picked up 2 100 rd packs of Rem Goldens for 10.00 each
cyphertext
US Veteran
Manage to pick up ,22's almost every week at Dicks picked up 2 100 rd packs of Rem Goldens for 10.00 each
I would be disappointed... $.10 per round for Golden Bullet is way too high. In the bulk boxes, they are about $.04 per round... that plastic case is awfully expensive!
