.22lr Federal on sale for $9: "Is this for a handgun?"

[searcher451]

Stopped by the local WallyWorld to pick up an assortment of stuff and of course gravitated to the guns and ammo section of the store, where all manner of shotgun loads were on sale in anticipation of the pending hunting season. I'm no longer a bird hunter, but the 550-round pack of Federal bulk .22lr caliber ammo caught my eye for $9 a box. (It's usually just shy of $13 in my neck of the woods.) So it looks like the new Ruger Charger will be getting another workout.

Of interest, however, was the question that was asked by the clerk at the checkout counter: "Is this for a handgun?" My response: "Maybe ... maybe not. Why does it matter?" Her reply: "It doesn't matter to me at all, but we are required to ask."

Not sure what that's about, and I'm not hinting that something sinister is afoot. Any thoughts?

 

[Bartkowski]

I believe you have to be 21 to purchase ammo for a handgun.

 

[jnyork]

I got that a while back. I just smiled and pointed out that is was for a rifle. "See here, it says right on the box, .22 Long RIFLE". Walked out with the ammo, still smiling.

PS, I'm 68, and show it.

 

[Armed 24/7]

That is a standard question for them to ask you at WallyWorld. Get this...if you say it is for a rifle, they will let you buy it at age 18. If you say that it is for a pistol, you have to be 21 to purchase it...go figure...Don't even try to explain to them that you actually have a rifle that shoots 9mm, .44mag, etc, because they still will not sell it to you if you are under 21...

 

[doubleh]

If I remember right, it is something to do with the gun control act of '68. It's been so long since I've been asked this anywhere I buy ammo that I had forgotten all about it. I buy quite a bit of bulk .22LR at WallyWorld (not Federal) and they just set on the counter and tell me the total cost.

 

[WayneConrad]

The machine makes them ask so that they don't sell handgun ammo to minors.

Nothing sinister afoot at Wal-Mart. Talk to your legiscritters about getting silly laws changed so that retailers will stop feeling the legal burden of playing Q&A.

 

[doc2rn]

I wonder how long it will take them here to bring the price down. Good call on the pick up @ $9 I would have bought another case.

 

[KiltedClaymore]

brings up a good question from me. i plan to buy myself a Puma lever gun in .45Colt for my 18th birthday (2 months 20-somethin' days!). another poster mentioned that even if you explain the .45 Colt is for a RIFLE, they wont sell to an 18 year old. anyone have experiance with this?

 

[ugaarguy]

I don't think wally world sells .45 Colt ammo. Go to any local gun store and tell them you're buying the ammo for your lever gun in .45 Colt and they'll sell it to you.

 

[22-rimfire]

I bought some 22LR ammo the other day at Walmart and of course they asked me the question... rifle or handgun. The funny thing is that they didn't ask me what the 40 S&W was for.

 

[545days]

They don't have to ask about the .40 because as far as they are concerned it is for a handgun. The scanner will tell the clerk to verify that you are over 21, they won't sell it to someone over 18 yet under 21. The question is for .22 cal because it is so commonly chambered for both, although the law it is based on is foolish.

Walmart could avoid the question alltogether if they simply sold .22 to people over 21, but I'm willing to bet that would be an unpopular idea here at the high road...

 

[bohicaconcepts]

I always tell them, neither: it for a machine gun.

I always tell them, neither: it is for a machine gun.

 

[Schmidlin]

i got asked this for my .38special ammo i bought from there. I was kind of thrown off, then i stupidly said handgun....geez so i had to pull my card out.

 

[Navy joe]

Yay, the weekly Wal-mart thread! The employees just plod along, if you gave them a .22 they'd probably load it backwards if at all possible. Expect little so you will only be a little disappointed. My only fun is buying ammo at 3am, that really pisses them off.

 

[Drgong]

If I got that question I would just say "machine gun"

 

[oklahoma caveman]

hah. i actually got in 1 heck of an argument with a very oppinianated walmart employee over this very thing. she asked pistol or rifle? i politly asked what difference it made. she said if was for pistol i had to be 21. i then asked what difference does it make? it is the same ammo afterall. if i can buy it 4 1 then y not 4 the other? this continued on 4 several minutes. finally i just paid for the ammo and left. seems like some ppl never understand.

i realize that it is corporate policy but she was actually arguing with me over what was right, personally i feel its none of there business, but i guess even walmart gota cover their ass anymore

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

The Wal-Mart I buy ammo at has a sweet lady in her 60s working the sporting goods counter. One day I bought five bricks of 22lr and she asked me the "question".

I told her "Machine gun, that's why I need so much" and she grinned, hit a key on the register, and sold me the ammo.

They are forced to ask the question by corporate policy, it doesn't make them stupid.

Since Justin isn't around, I'll let this run for a while. But let's keep in mind that Wal-Mart employees are people, just like us. Some are even members here at THR.

 

[Killian]

Neither pistol nor rifle. I eat two of them twice a day to keep the voices out!

 

[Sheldon]

I gotta think that was a local clearance or sale price....though I wouldn't complain if that is what it drops to nationwide. I'de have bought cases of the stuff if I were the original poster!!

 

[goon]

Their employees generally don't know what they're doing with guns and ammo because as hard as it may be for many of you to understand, most people don't know what they're doing with guns and ammo.
Even hunters often don't know what the hell they need. When I worked a gun counter for a hunting season I had a guy ask me if our gun store sold .204 Ruger ammunition. We did. He then asked if we had any 40 grain ammunition. He told me that he needed the heavier bullets because the ammunition he was using wasn't penetrating brush. He had been unable to get a deer with his .204.
Go figure.
Another guy came in with a No.4 Enfield. He had hacksawed the barrel off right behind the front sight so he could mount a scope without the sight interfering. The end of the muzzle looked almost like an AKM spoon shaped muzzle brake. Fortunately, he listened to our suggestion to allow our gunsmith to recrown it.
And another guy came in with a flintlock that he'd broken the frizzen on. He brought it in and flopped it up on the counter. I checked it and found that it still had a live load in the barrel. We were about one stupid act away from having a .50 caliber round ball go sailing out through the store. And we only found that out because we had the presence of mind to check. The owner had no idea that black powder was at all sensitive to shock.

Anyway, just remember that the door swings both ways.

 

[Loomis]

Just say "neither" and then go silent.

 

[hatchetbearer]

brings up a good question from me. i plan to buy myself a Puma lever gun in .45Colt for my 18th birthday (2 months 20-somethin' days!). another poster mentioned that even if you explain the .45 Colt is for a RIFLE, they wont sell to an 18 year old. anyone have experiance with this?

ah yes, I had similar troubles when I bought my 995 carbine. I was told I could be 18 to buy the rifle but I had to be 21 for them to legally sell me ammo other than the day I purchased said rifle. I bought 7k rounds of federal American eagle. still got about 2k left. I need to shoot more.

 

[esmith]

My brother couldn't buy .22 ammo when he was 20 because 22LR is chambered in handguns. His friend had to buy it. This was at walmart as well.

 

[Poor East Texan]

I just say rifle, it's so much easier that way!

 

[twoclones]

Twice this week I have bought 22lr and .38 spl ammo at Wal-mart and neither time was asked what it was for. However, at one store I picked it off the shelf and at the other, 8 miles away, it was in a locked cabinet behind the gun counter.