.22 ammo price question

[mrbladedude]

Hey guys. I've been searching for the bulk pack of .22 ammo LR. I finally found it. I can get 500 rounds for $40. That works out to 8 cents a round if I'm correct.

Is that a good price?

I remember Walmart used to sell the 550 bulk pack and that went for $20 or less I believe but lately they are out of stock.

Should I jump on this?

 

[Midwest]

Unless you can do better elsewhere, or are willing to wait a couple more months...then jump on it....

 

[Agsalaska]

I would say that is probably very close to the average sale price. It may be a tick high but it is available. It is certainly not out of line.

 

[12Pump]

My opinion is a bit different. I think prices like that are a rip-off, especially compared to what they used to be. I know, I know--it doesn't matter what they used to be, what matters is what it is now. But keep in mind that when (I'm being optimistic) stocks of .22 are back on the shelves as normal, prices will be normalized again--back to less than $20 for 550 of Federal Champion bulk pack at Walmart.

Bottom line: Buy them for $40 if you really want them and don't already have any. Then make them last. Just don't start stockpiling at this price.

 

[Agsalaska]

My opinion is a bit different. I think prices like that are a rip-off, especially compared to what they used to be. I know, I know--it doesn't matter what they used to be, what matters is what it is now. But keep in mind that when (I'm being optimistic) stocks of .22 are back on the shelves as normal, prices will be normalized again--back to less than $20 for 550 of Federal Champion bulk pack at Walmart.

Bottom line: Buy them for $40 if you really want them and don't already have any. Then make them last. Just don't start stockpiling at this price.

You are making the assumption that the prices are not normalized at $40. Although you did say you were being optimistic.

I agree with the last statement. I would buy at $40 if I had none. I would probably buy at $30 to stock excess. If the shortage continues into next year I would probably buy at $40 to stock up. The only problem is at that point it could be $50.

 

[12Pump]

You are making the assumption that the prices are not normalized at $40. Although you did say you were being optimistic.

I agree with the last statement. I would buy at $40 if I had none. I would probably buy at $30 to stock excess. If the shortage continues into next year I would probably buy at $40 to stock up. The only problem is at that point it could be $50.

True. But I've been reading posts where people are saying ammo is reappearing back on the store shelves lately, which is what gives me some optimism. If it continues, prices should come down, same as the shortage of AR rifles caused their prices to skyrocket during the Obanic (Obama Panic). Now that they are back on shelves in increasing numbers, prices are back down. Just got my first one for $750 used about a month ago.

 

[Shawnpatrick]

I got a box of 525 for $23 two weeks ago at Bass Pro Shops in Grapevine. That is slightly higher than what I think it should cost. If I had none I would pay $40. If I had enough for a few weeks I would pass.

I also found 22 shorts for $3.18/50 at Walmart last week. It's the first .22 of any any size I've seen in stock at Walmart since December.

 

[Schwing]

A few weeks ago I was able to pick up a box of 550 Remington (not my favorite but...) for $23 including tax. This was at a Cal Ranch store... where I will be shopping out of loyalty because they don't gouge.

 

[ZVP]

Went to a gun show here in central Calif and the going price for most any brand of lr was 10 cents a piece! No matter what size box you bought!
What a shame that such n underpowered round would go for such robbery prices!
Well almost everyone has a .22 and if it's your on;y gun, they are gonna rape you for the ammo for it!
What's happening to the Country I fought to defend?
BPDave

 

[Grassman]

I just recently bought two 550 boxes for $21.99 each, that works out to about .04 cents a round.

 

[Queen_of_Thunder]

Yes ammo is appearing on shelves in parts of the Country but still MIA in others parts of the country. In my area the only thing limited at my local Academy is 22lr. Those limits are 2 each, be it 50 round boxes or 550 count boxes.Prices are still extremely high with 45acp WWB going for $49.99, Blazer aluminum 158grain 38spl is going for $34.99 a box of 50. I hope prices will fall but I doubt they will. Too many new shooters and not enough production.

 

[harveydane]

Cheapest Ive seen online is currently 8 cents a round. Only way to beat that right now is to find a good deal in stores. The prices are still slowly dropping from the trending Ive been following.

 

[primalmu]

I remember when 500 round bricks were under $10. I wouldn't be surprised if soon $40/500 round brick is the norm, though that may be due to the falling value of the dollar rather than an increase in the price of ammo.

 

[Reloadron]

Hey guys. I've been searching for the bulk pack of .22 ammo LR. I finally found it. I can get 500 rounds for $40. That works out to 8 cents a round if I'm correct.

Is that a good price?

I remember Walmart used to sell the 550 bulk pack and that went for $20 or less I believe but lately they are out of stock.

Should I jump on this?

You do not mention the specific 22 LR?

For example Remington Golden Bullets .22 LR, 38 Grain, HP Sub Sonic, Per 50 from Cabelas run about $3.99 a box so 500 would run you about $40. Currently in stock.

Remington Thunderbolts (cheap bulk 22 LR) from Midway (when in stock) run about $21 for a 500 count brick.

Locally at Gander Mountain (who are typically high priced) they have on the shelves the Remington 525 round count Golden Bullets in 36 grain Hollow Point for $25, and those are in stock.

Remington being just an example. But it becomes hard to say if $40 is a good price for 500 rounds of 22 LR without knowing which type. In the case of Remington Thunderbolts the $40 price would suck while in the case of Winchester Super-X High Velocity Ammunition 22 Long Rifle 40 Grain Lead Hollow Point Power-Point Box of 500 (10 Boxes of 50) while $40 isn't great, it isn't that bad either.

So what's the flavor?

Ron

 

[jcwit]

Being as I can still buy today SK Match ammo for the same price ($70.00 a brick of 500)as I did way back years before this madness started I believe the price of U.S. plinking ammo will also come down.

Little rimfire ammo made here in the U.S. is true target grade.

 

[StrutStopper]

I've paid $40 for CCI SV. Normally, it was between 27 on sale to 35 or so, always a bit high. I hate getting ripped, but $40 isn't that high to get out shooting as opposed to waiting forever to wait for more reasonable prices.

 

[alsaqr]

The Academy store in Lawton, OK often has .22 long rifle ammunition at or near prices in effect two years ago. i've picked up bricks of Winchester Expert for $20 and change + tax. Lately Academy has had a pletntiful stock of .22 short ammo. The Lawton Wal-Marts don't often have .22 ammunition in stock: When they do the prices are close to pre-panic.

 

[Desert Duck]

Schwing....

Thanks for Cal Ranch tip

 

[X-JaVeN-X]

If you have a walmart near you and know when they put their ammo out, then use the trick that I just learned yesterday (thanks to someone posting it on this forum)

Go to http://www.ammo-can.net/

That is a apparently a site that can show you recent received ammo stock at your walmart. If your walmart is like mine and only puts out their ammo stock every morning at 7:00am, then it's pretty easy to use. I haven't seen .22lr ammo in months prior to today. I checked that website yesterday, and it said my walmart received winchester .22lr bulk packs later yesterday evening, so I figured I'd go out there at 6:30 this morning and be there first for the 7:00am ammo, and sure enough, there was a case of the exact ammo that the website said they received. So, I was able to get 2 500rnd bricks (my wife and I each got one) @ $24.97 a brick (which is right at $0.05 a round).

That is what I will be doing until this craziness passes. You can't beat Walmart's price around here, and now I have a way to see what they have in stock without standing and waiting every morning (which I don't have the luxury to do).

 

[12Pump]

Last time I was at Scheels, they actually had 2 different boxes of ammo. Both were .22 blanks. I'm not sure why whatever company it was that made them decided that people were looking to buy those. Maybe Scheels just got tired of having a completely empty .22 ammo case, and just wanted to occupy it with something that would stick around.

 

[jrdolall]

Last summer I bought 10k rounds of Blazer 22 ammo at $18.99 plus tax which came to $.04 per round. I bought it at Barrow Automotive in Butler GA.
In December I bought 10,000 rounds of Armscor Precision 22 from Grafs for the same price including shipping. This was when the panic started before everyone realized that 22 was going to be an issue. Had I realized it I would have bought 50,000 rounds.
Since that time I have not seen a SINGLE brick of "plinking" 22 ammo though I have seen some sub-sonics. I bought a bunch of 22 shorts earlier this year at a decent price but of course they only work in my bolt guns.

I have seen 22 bricks for $35 to $40 online fairly regularly over the past two months with a limit of one so the shipping made it closer to $50 per brick.
If I were almost out then sure I would buy a brick at pretty much any price but I wouldn't buy more than that. I expect that the price will normalize closer to the $20-$25 range assuming no new "assault rifle" attacks any time soon.

The retailers and manufacturers will charge whatever the market will bear and they are selling out at $40 so that IS the new price. It's not gouging, it's just good business. Component costs and manufacturing costs have NOT doubled in the past year so this is a demand driven price increase. In normal situations(and we all know this isn't exactly normal) the "demand exceeds" situation will continue as long as consumers are willing to pay the price. Unless manufacturers restrict their production we will eventually(nobody has the magic ball to know when eventually will be) see competition among retailers and manufacturers that will drive the price back down. It has already happened in a big way on AR rifles and ammo and it will happen on 22 ammo.

I am down to less than 6k rounds of bulk 22 ammo but shooting has fallen off as deer season has started now. If prices don't get back to $25 by Christmas then I will need to expand my price range and buy at whatever the market is.

 

[Sniper66]

Here in NE Kansas, there is still very little 22LR on the shelves. Cabela's gets product in, but the cheaper bulk ammo sells in the first 30 minutes. The CCI boxes of 100 MiniMag lasts a bit longer at $8. My local Walmart hasn't seen ammo in a year that has lasted longer than 15 minutes. Found a box of Remington 325 rounds the other day at a LGS for $40, no thanks. Few years ago, a LGS in southern Missouri was going out of business and selling standard velocity Target .22 for $10. My brother bought 30 bricks and I thought he was silly for buying so much. Guess who's laughing now!!

 

[340PD]

My local Walmart is selling .22lr at just under 6¢. I have been buying it all year at that price on a spotty, but increasingly more frequent, basis.

 

[mrbladedude]

The ammocan website does not work for me. It shoes my local walmart has the ammo in stock and then I will call them up and they say sorry they have none. This happens about 3 or 4 times a week.

What makes you guys think that ammo will decrease in price and go back to the norm? If stores are selling it for $40 per 550 rounds of .22 LR and people are buying it all up, then why would they lower it back down to $20?

 

[Cee Zee]

I bought a 325 box for about 7 cents a round recently. The price will come down. Competition will drive the price down when the threat of new gun laws is over IMO. That will likely happen after the mid-term election in a year. I'm hoping prices come down before then but I'm still picking up a box here and there for better prices than $40 a brick of bulk.

Little rimfire ammo made here in the U.S. is true target grade.

There certainly is some target grade ammo made in the US. The best ammo I've ever shot is made in the USA. Federal Gold Medal Ultra Match ain't cheap but none of the top match ammo is. It's been better than any of the high grade stuff I've shot and I don't know of any top grade ammo I haven't tried.