22lr vs 38 special wadcutters?

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Shrinkmd

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I haven't looked at 22lr since before the election. I am shocked. It looks like bulk pack 22lr is about $40 to $50 per thousand. Maybe there are better deals out there, but oh my. Once you have 38 special cases you can make up a batch of 148 gr wadcutters (buying all components, no casting) for maybe $80. I know that is more, plus the time involved, but for $20 difference per case, wouldn't you rather shoot 38 special?

I know that reloading is still more, plus the equipment, but wow 22lr is not the bargain it used to be. Or is it, since new 45 crappy Wolf is selling for $320 a case at AIM and its out of stock anyway. Would you rather put Wolf through a 45 or shoot CCI Standard Velocity out of a target 22? At least one will be accurate!

Why have one hobby when you can have two?

Unfortunately, I need to trim my 38 Special brass pile so the crimps are more uniform next time.

Resize, then trim right? Then I can just run the batch through the press without the sizing/decap die in and then just reprime and keep on rolling?
 
Yep, with all the ammo shortage going on atm, there's bound to be a few that will jack up the prices and say you must wear it or go without.
Just find someone else thats not trying to take advantage of the current climate, to unjustly inflate their prices.

Most rimfire ammo has been obseleted many many decades ago, the 22lr rimfire has remained with us for so long, mostly due to it being a low cost small round.
 
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My bad. I also haven't been Walmart ammo shopping in a while. Next time I'm near one in America, I will.

I'm still totally enamored with the idea of reloading at this point, however. Does it grow old?
 
I'm still totally enamored with the idea of reloading at this point, however. Does it grow old?

It doesn't grow old for me. I've only been reloading about a year and a half. (Sometime next month I'll probably pass the 12,000 round mark.) The more I reload, the more I enjoy it. Sure am glad that I bought a "poor boy" setup and plunged into it headlong. Reloading is absolutely wonderful. :D

CP
 
Our wally world WAS at $13.47/550 but raised the price to $15.49/550 even though there are NONE on the shelf! Our Academy is $15.90/525 but at the register they will try to hold you up for $16.00...........Our local "gun shop" has the nerve to mark the Remington 500 bricks at $26.00! Kinda makes you question just what is going on as 2 yrs. ago I was buying bricks for $6.00....
 
Clarify: Bulk Pak Quantity?

The OP wrote:
It looks like bulk pack 22lr is about $40 to $50 per thousand.

If you're actually finding THOUSAND round paks, that's a little high, but not that bad.

The bulk paks others are talking about are the 500 or 550 round paks for <$20. Double that 500 round box and you're near the $40 the OP described.

If, however, the OP typoed and meant 500 round bulk paks, then sir, you are being taken to the cleaners.

Q
 
DJW where on earth did you buy bricks of 22 ammo at $6 per box this century?? The cheapest I saw was 12-13 dollars. Now you can't find any at wally world and the others are way too expensive. Oh well looks like we'll all have to start shooting bb guns, that is can you still find projectiles for them??
 
KMART DynaPoint at $29.99

Well, kids, this is what we get for not working harder on our elected officials.

Here in Minnesoviet (where we elect bad comedians to the senate :eek:) bulk packs haven't been available for some time. I've found a couple of 'em in the last couple of months and they were flying off the shelves. Just for fun, I went to KMart last week, and sure, they had a small bunch of Wincherster Dyanpoint bulk packs for.... $29.99 :what: Walmart here hasn't had bulk packs for six months, so the $13.47 per pack isn't really relevant, is it?:fire:

Not a bad excuse to get into reloading - but I haven't seen primers for six months, either. :cuss: I don't think this will look 'normal again' anymore than air travel looks normal since 9/11 - if and when the supply side of the equation gets better, I doubt we'll ever see prices down to where they were before. :cuss:
 
Encoreman;
2 years ago our Academy stores had Federal 510 Bricks of 500 for $5.99.......all day every day! if you don't believe me just ask my wife who waited patiently each time we went shopping for t-shirts and other casual clothes and I had to buy at least 2 bricks to keep my personal stock up to date. too bad I didn't buy a ton more. getting pricey to shoot my .22............I can reload .38 hbwc (with components I have on hand) for less than I can versus the current price of .22 rimfire. glad I learned during the "crisis" of 1994 that components and such need to be stockpiled deep..........
Best, Dave
 
DJW
Looks like I'm not the only one who stocked up after 94, guess a few of us learned our leason from the Dumocrats. Keep you powder dry and shoot straight. David
 
David;
Glad you got the message then and have kept up your inventory. Seems like many new gun owners are learning this lesson the hard way. Every time it looks like the gates are opening folks swoop down and buy all the primers and ammo off the shelves. Guess it will take some time for supply to finally reach levels where demand will not wipe it out in a flash.
Yes, keep your head and favor center. We may be in for a bumpy ride.
Best, Dave
 
Two years ago Federal Bulk Packs were $9.99 in all the local stores. Before they went above $14 a brick I bought ~25 bricks a little at a time when I had the money. I'm talking about the no longer available Federal #714 Champion Target ammo. I'm glad I did because I am able to shoot when most people can't find .22 ammo anywhere. I haven't seen a bulk pack in the stores around here in a long while and I really don't want to pay $20/500 when they are around. I hope the prices come down before I get low on .22 ammo.
 
Dear Shrinkmd,

Not long after I got into reloading, I started casting my own .38 special bullets from used wheel weights. It's an interesting process, not very difficult, and helps get that reloaded .38 price right down there at the .22lr price. By my calculations, the bullet casting gear paid for itself after about round 1500.

LBS
 
"...so the crimps are more uniform..." No crimping is required on a .38 WC. A crimp is detrimental to accuracy.
"...Does it grow old?..." Nope. Ammo tailored to the firearm will never grow old.
 
"...so the crimps are more uniform..." No crimping is required on a .38 WC. A crimp is detrimental to accuracy.

i think it is easier to say "crimp" than -"running the loaded case through the crimp die to remove the belling"
 
Geez - the last time I bought .22, I paid $99 for a case. A case is 25 boxes of 250 for a total of 6,250 rounds. (Was a B&%$# to carry out of the gun show with 25,000 209 primers and no handtruck). I'm still shooting from those cases. This was the basic Remington stuff - works great
 
I do miss the old days of $0.79/box Winchester Wildcat from Roses Department Store. Of course back then I was so poor I couldn't take advantage and buy in bulk, the most I ever bought at a time was a brick, and I was lucky if 500 rounds lasted a weekend. Often I just bought two or three boxes at a time.

As for .38 Special, its not that cheap since I'm not a caster, but its costing me about $4 or a little less per box (50 rounds, 158 grain RNL or SWC).
 
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