Is this how it's going to be for .22LR owners?

[Jeepergeo]

22LR is pretty widely availabe on line at a reasonable cost with plinking ammo in the $0.06 to $0.08 per round range. Add shipping and that raises the cost to maybe $0.07 to $0.10 per round...but free shipping offers are out there, so watch for them.

Supplies are getting better in stores too.

All those toothless opportunists are now sitting on huge stores of 22LR that they can't sell and even some of them are starting to drop prices....but I refuse to buy from them at any price.

 

[DPris]

Rep for Fed & CCI says they're still backordered, but "Things are getting better for us", and they've added two new rimfire lines, one of which is a dedicated suppressor load.
I think things are coming back.

Prices will never revert to pre-Obama levels, but availability's increasing & prices should be going down somewhat.
Denis

 

[basicblur]

Rep for Fed & CCI says they're still backordered...

Don't forget - a lot of these orders may also be "phantom" orders, as has happened with certain firearm makers / models.

Fer example - when a certain model of firearm was impossible to get, many shops (I know our local shop did) place an order with every one of their suppliers in an effort to get them. Matter of fact, Ruger stopped taking orders once because they knew a lot of the orders they were receiving were phantom orders.

If one, maybe two suppliers were to get in a shipment of said firearms and ship them to the dealer, the dealer would then cancel his order with the rest of his suppliers as he had what he wanted on the way (and those cancelled orders are your phantom orders).

I suspect the same thing is going on with 22 ammo. I know our local shop is accepting any and everything 22 (he's finally started balking at some of the high priced target loads) from any and every distributor he deals with.

If all of them came through on the orders he had in with them, he wouldn't know what to do with all that ammo!

'Course, it ain't gonna happen exactly like that, but it might be close.

The cancellation of phantom orders may be just one incident in the perfect storm AFA the shortage ending / prices coming back down.

And for you folks that think 10 to 12 cents a round is the new normal, you need to revise your shopping strategy!

 

[FROGO207]

For those of you that are worrying about storing that .22 ammo and it going bad just invest in some real USGI type steel ammo cans with intact seals. Throw in a desiccant pack and label the outside with contents. Then resist the urge to open it to look (and let more moisture in). Then when you want to use it in distant future times open it and shoot away. FWIW I have boxes of .22 ammo (RP in the red/green box) from the 40's-50's my grand father had that shoot OK today. We just shot one of his single shot Savage .22 rifles with a partial box of that original ammo (recently taken from the rafters of his unheated workshop) at a family get together for the nostalgia (and bragging rights to best target shot).

 

[berettaprofessor]

The Alaskan; When my ammo runs out, the guns go on Craigslist. Done. In my view, buying/owning a 22LR gun is like buying a junk bond.

Well, Sir, when you get to that point, please let me know. I'd like first crack at whatever you consider a firearm "junk bond". Sometimes those "junk bonds" crash and other times you hit the lottery.

and I've got plenty of 22LR hanging around.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

How long does 22 ammo last..?
I shot up a box of Winchester 22 that was at least 18 years old. it was a table prize at a FNRA dinner in Tulsa in the late(ish) 90's.
All went "bang" and, after zeroing in the scope, all hit the target. That box, along with others, has been on a shelf in my basement since I moved here over 15 years ago.

 

[Jesse H]

My next gun purchase will likely be a Sparrow .22 can and a bolt action rifle for it. I've been able to acquire about 4k rounds of .22 in the past year for about 5 to 6 cents a round at Walmart.

I'm not trying hard but I do check everytime I'm at the store.

 

[basicblur]

My next gun purchase will likely be a Sparrow .22 can ...

I'm sure you've done your research(?), but be aware of "first round pop" if that's important to you.

I have both the AAC Element 2 and a couple of SS Sparrows (one black, one White Sparrow) and the AAC Element 2 is both quieter (no first round pop) and smaller / lighter than the Sparrow, but the Sparrow will probably go many more rounds before it needs cleaning.

The Sparrow has no first round pop when used on a rifle, but does have one if used on a pistol. The AAC Element 2 has no first round pop no matter what you use it on.

A friend of mine bought a Huntertown Guardian, and darn if it doesn't have a two round pop!

Iff'n that's important to ya...

 

[kimberkid]

When people stop hoarding in excess of a half million rounds just because they can get to the stores before anyone with jobs can,then the prices will start to come back down.

That's what I've been telling Walmart and all the other big box stores for at least the last year and a half ... If they say anything it just something along the lines of "Well, we have a 3-box limit and that's all we can do".

 

[JTHunter]

The Winchester Wildcat (LRN) bricks I bought in 1999 cost $9.99/500.

Haven't seen it since 2002.

About 14 months ago, a LGS had 1400 rd. buckets of Remington Goldens for $65. Didn't have any more until 3 weeks ago - at $95!!

Gander Mt. just opened a store in this area 3 months ago. They had Winchester bulkpaks for: $23/333; $15/222, $35/555 and I stocked up then. That's why I passed on the 1400 bucket even though it was a better price per round.

ONE of two local Walmarts had the Win. 222 bulks for $13 recently with a limit of 3, which was all they had on the shelf. I only got 2, but that was the first .22LR ammo I had seen in either of these 2 stores since the fall of 2013. They haven't had any since.

Here's another ammo search site besides http://www.gunbot.net.
It's called Brass Badger and it lets you change the ZIP code and checks local stores. http://brassbadger.com/

Good luck!

 

[danez71]

6 cents each for 50 Rd - Federal Game-Shok .22 LR 38 Gr CPHP


http://www.ammomenllc.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=124&cPath=3#xml




5.6 cents ea, for Federal AutoMatch .22 LR 40 gr SLD Rimfire Ammunition - 325/box

http://www.natchezss.com/federal-automatch-22-lr-40-gr-sld-rimfire-ammunition-325-box.html

With a shipping total of $16.60 for 2 boxes of 325 ea. to the west coast that works out to 8.2 cents.


No one should be more than mildly whining about 8.2 cents delivered to your door for quality 22lr.


My biggest complaint is that I cant find any locally.

 

[CoalTrain49]

Your first link is sold out or doesn't work.

I think you forgot the $28.50 charge for hazmat on the second link. To my door it works out to .13/rd with hazmat. In order to get a deal online you will have to order 50 lbs of ammo. Get some friends together, go through your gun club or wait for the good deals at Walmart or a new Cabelas opening.

Again the price seems to be leveling out at about .10-.12/rd. It won't go below that and you'll have a hard time finding any locally for awhile because retailers want their 100% markup if they can get it and they do.

Still to expensive for me.

 

[Pilot]

For the past two years I have been shooting more center fire ammo that I reload. I do have some .22, but just don't shoot as much. I do see more supply at "reasonable" prices so things must be loosening up a bit. Until the next prefabricated tragedy.

 

[danez71]

Your first link is sold out or doesn't work.

I think you forgot the $28.50 charge for hazmat on the second link. To my door it works out to .13/rd with hazmat. In order to get a deal online you will have to order 50 lbs of ammo. Get some friends together, go through your gun club or wait for the good deals at Walmart or a new Cabelas opening.

Again the price seems to be leveling out at about .10-.12/rd. It won't go below that and you'll have a hard time finding any locally for awhile because retailers want their 100% markup if they can get it and they do.

Still to expensive for me.

I did not forget as there is not an additional Hazmat fee. I took it all the way to the point of needing to enter a CC# - No additional fees were added.

Ive also order Blazers from them and nothing more than the 16.60 shipping fee was charged.

Also...

http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/prepare/packaging/guidelines/ammunition.html

Will I Pay An Additional Fee For Shipping Cartridges, Small Arms?
When shipping ORM-Ds or Limited Quantities of hazardous materials by UPS Ground within the 48 contiguous states, UPS Ground Intra-Oahu or Intra-Alaska, only the standard shipping charges apply. There are no "accessorial" or additional charges.

http://www.fedex.com/us/hazardous-materials/current-requirements/index.html

Limited Quantity Shipments Without Shipping Papers As of Jan. 1, 2011, DOT regulations allow shippers to ship Limited Quantity packages without any shipping papers. In this case, UNPOP is not required. However, the specific Limited Quantity Diamond Label must be applied to the package. Shipped via this method, the packages will not incur the hazardous materials surcharge. The shipper must select ORM-D under the Special Services option via FedEx electronic shipping solution for this type of shipment. This will be relabeled Limited Quantity in the future.

ETA

They are still available as og 8:37 AM PT

I just went back and entered a CC# and went all the way to 'confirm order/charges'.

Order Review


Federal AutoMatch .22 LR 40 gr SLD Rimfire Ammunition - 325/box

1 $18.36
Qty 2 $36.72
Natchez Catalog

Natchez Catalog
$0.00 1 $0.00


Subtotal: $36.72
Shipping (FedEx - Ground) $16.60
Grand Total: $53.32

That's 8.2 cents delivered to your door for quality 22lr ammo. No driving around. No frustration.

 

[JSH1]

I think you forgot the $28.50 charge for hazmat on the second link.

There is no hazmat fee for ammo. Ammo is not classified as an explosive, it can be shipped like anything else and delivered to to your door without a signature.

Again the price seems to be leveling out at about .10-.12/rd. It won't go below that and you'll have a hard time finding any locally for awhile because retailers want their 100% markup if they can get it and they do.

I haven't had an issue buying locally and have recently purchased 975 rounds of Federal AutoMatch at $0.06 per round (Could have bought more) and 600 rounds of Remington Golden Bullet for $0.08 per round (Dicks recently dropped the price from $0.10 per round to $0.08 and bumped the maximum purchase from 1 box to 3)

 

[larryh1108]

I don't think ammo requires hazmat fees.
Primers and powder, yes, complete ammo, no.

 

[susieqz]

no hazmat fees for 22lr.
ever.
shipping only n that goes down per round
if you buy 5-6 bricks.

 

[Elkins45]

A new range/gunshop opened down the street from where I work. They have bricks of Thunderbolts stacked five deep for $29 and bricks of Fiocci subsonic for $49. So things are definitely on the upswing.

On the other hand, I haven't seen a single round of 22 at Walmart since 2012.

 

[oneounceload]

I don't think ammo requires hazmat fees.
Primers and powder, yes, complete ammo, no.

Correct, even primed brass is not hazmat.

Ammo is not classified as an explosive

Correct, and neither is smokeless powder (black powder IS an explosive.) Smokeless powder is a flammable solid which is why it is considered a hazardous substance.

 

[Jurist]

22 rimfire ammo

I have not bought any 22 rimfire ammo in close to four years locally.All my ammo has come from the internet,when I find it I buy it,have not spent more than 10 cents a round by the brick,am now sitting on 12,000 +Federal 510,Winchester M-22,Federal Target Match.Be patient and search whenever you can its out there.

 

[huntsman]

They have bricks of Thunderbolts stacked five deep for $29

Ah yeah there's no way I'd ever pay that for that and that's probably why they're stacked 5 deep.

 

[exbrit49]

Count me out of the .22 debacle till pricing gets real.

Haven't fired a .22 in over 2 years. When the .22 dried up at the local stores I quit shooting .22s I reload all the common calibers from 9 mm to long 45 Colt and that's what I have been shooting.
I can reload the 380, 9mm. 38Sp and 357 at a lower cost than the current price for .22. So that's what I have been shooting.
Darned if I will pay 10 cents a round for .22. Yes I will be honest and admit that I miss the 22 plinking, it was always fun and sometimes a nice break from the bIgger calibers.
I haven't seen or purchased any ,22 since late 2012 and I still have about 4 bricks left. I will keep them but wont shoot them. Sound odd? Not really I am keeping them in case I decide to sell off all my .22 firearms. That way if I decide to leave the .22 arena I can let the purchaser have a few boxes of ammo to seal the deal.
I wrote a post several years ago about the hoarders and scalpers and got flamed for it. I look at the situation today and from what I read things are improving a little, but its still scarce. In fact I was in my LGS getting some Red dot and Unique when in comes a guy staggering with a fairly large box and proceeded to try to sell the large box of 22 ammo to the store, he gave the price and the owner told him to leave! He blamed the guy for the shortage and said that he would not participate in the scalpers game. I was really pleased to see this response.
Anyway, if the 22 situation does not get back to realistic availability and pricing by this time next year, I an going to be selling some real nice 22 pistols and rifles! Meantime I will continue shooting the larger caliber reloads. Heck I can shoot 45 Colt for 12 Cents a round. Thanks to a good relationship with my LGs I was able to obtain all the powder and primers I needed all the way through the acute shortage of reloading components. His shelves are now EXTREMELY well stocked and I have maintained my reloading components at their high pre 2012 levels.

 

[susieqz]

exbrit, please lemme know when you wanna sell.
in march i bot a 22/45. last week i bot a single 10. already had a marlin.
i shoot 300 rounds/week. no problems finding ammo online.
i love rimfire.
yeah, i pay $.10/round after shipping, but i don't have the chore of reloading, which i sure don't wanna do.
some people enjoy 22lr more than center fire.
me for one.

 

[Hondo 60]

Just keep watching, it's coming back very slowly.
Every couple of months I find 22lr at the store.

I currently have a couple of years supply.
Might not be exactly the brand & model I want, but it'll shoot.

One of my 22s is a Beretta 21A, that's REALLY picky about ammo.
It loves Fiocchi High Velocity.
That, I can't find, but that's the only one.

Lead bullets have been somewhat available.

 

[yugorpk]

This whole .22lr ammo shortage thing makes me happy I have my buckmark. That thing fires anything short of Colibri..