Surprise (to me) - The Cost of .22 Ammo Has Gone Down ?

[P5 Guy]

I have not gone to a retail store looking for 22LR in years.
I did notice that the last gun show I went to there was piles of 22LR, shorts and longs too. I cannot remember seeing shorts or longs rimfire ammunition, ever, at a gun show. The prices ran from $0.09 to $0.15 a round for econo-pack stuff. Premium was more.

 

[alsaqr]

Today the Lawton, OK Academy store has a huge quantity of various brands of .22 LR ammunition. They had some .22 Short ammunition also. Federal and Winchester .22 LR ammo is priced at $2.49 per box of 50.

 

[Agsalaska]

There has been a continuous supply of 22lr in central Texas, San Antonio, and DFW for several months now. My guess is people who live in those areas who cannot seem to find any are not really looking or are stuck in one specific store. The Academy and Gander mountains in Killeen have quite the variety and do every time you go in. So do most Academys in San Antonio and DFW.


It still blows me away how so many people get so passionate about the price of ammo as if it is supposed to somehow act differently than any other goods on the market. Prices rise and fall, rise and fall, then rise, then fall. Nothing special or unique about ammo.

 

[jrdolall]

Academy in Montgomery had mounds of 22 LR earlier this week. All in 50 ct boxes from Velocitors to Blazer. I didn't look at prices but they certainly had plenty.

 

[Warp]

It still blows me away how so many people get so passionate about the price of ammo as if it is supposed to somehow act differently than any other goods on the market. Prices rise and fall, rise and fall, then rise, then fall. Nothing special or unique about ammo.

Most goods on the market don't fluctuate as wildy as ammo has the last few years.

Nothing I ever shop for or buy has swung up (and down, but mostly up) the way ammo has.

And it hasn't disappeared from store shelves for 3+ years at a time either.

 

[huntsman]

^ +1 these last few years have been surreal when it comes to ammo, I don't believe we had issues leading up to y2k. In the past it was lack of funds that kept me from buying now it's lack of product, this ain't America anymore.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

I was amazed somebody found Blazer! I haven't seen it in years. That bothers me because I do have a couple of .22's that like it. Other than that, I have noticed that both the overall supply is getting marginally better and the prices are coming down a little bit.

900F

 

[OldMac]

Academy in knoxville tn had stacks of 50 round boxes. Federal $2.19 and Blazer $2.69. Limit 2 boxes. I am okay with that. Metering it out ensures that it is there when you need it. That kills any incentive to pay scalpers and breaks the cycle.

 

[redneck2]

We have a chain called Dunham's. Couple weeks ago i bought two 325 bulk packs of Federal Auto Match for $21 each. They had 500 Thunderbolts for $26. He said they get one or two shipments a week. At that time they still had 8 left of the Federal and 28 of the Remington.

Dick's, Gander Mountain are also getting shipments. I'd try the other places before WM if that's an option.

I'm over 5k so I'm holding off for now.

 

[huntsman]

Dunham's is where I used to buy Thunderbolts for 99cents a box(50) on sale, just 7 or 8 years ago.

 

[P5 Guy]

Metering it out ensures that it is there when you need it. That kills any incentive to pay scalpers and breaks the cycle.

Unless the scalper has a big family.

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

Around my neck of the woods only one sporting goods store seems to have any. Blazer is running $4.95 per box of 50. CCI mini mags (when available) are $11.95 per 100. Just bought CCI Stingers yesterday for $8.99 per 50. Not a great price but it's better than no Stingers.

 

[JTHunter]

Here are 2 more online sites to look for ammo.
http://brassbadger.com/ - you can change the ZIP code to your area near the bottom of the left pane.
http://www.gunbot.net/ammo/rimfire/22lr - this is a direct link to their search for .22LR. Change it to "http://www.gunbot.net/ammo/" and it defaults to .17 HMR.

With one exception, I haven't seen .22 LR or Mag in either of the two local Wal-farts since the fall of 2013.

A Gander Mt. opened near here earlier this year and they had large quantities of Winchester bulk plated HPs for various prices. ~$14/222 (0.068/rd); ~$23/333 (0.069/rd); and ~$35/555 (0.063/rd).

Less than 2 months later, Walfart had the same 222 bulk for ~$11 (0.05/rd)!! And they have had NOTHING since when I've been in the stores.

Go figure.

 

[Dain Bramage]

I was just at my local Arlington, WA Walmart. Mentioned "no .22 again" to the clerk. He said that they had plenty, and pulled some out from under his locked, opaque counter. Said there was no buying limit. I bought two Winchester 333 rd packs for $.05 per round!

 

[AStone]

Yesterday at a local small gun shop, I bought 50 rds. of Blazer for $2.49 (got 4 boxes).

I got the same deal, but only 2 boxes, and it was because I bought a .22 rifle. (Click "22" in my sig line.) I added it to the 200 rounds I already had.

Will shoot 25 rnds of the new stuff next week, along with some of the CCI and other -- just to see what she likes best. That's what I want to buy next.

 

[jrdolall]

We went through 2k rounds this weekend so it better be available.

 

[Ruger Redhawk]

I went to Cabela's over the weekend that we had open last April here in North Carolina.

They had probably a dozen or so of the Remington Thunderbolts 500 rnd boxes for 33.95. They had a bunch of the Remington Golden Bullets in the 100 rnd plastic boxes way overpriced @ 9.99 per box. Buying it that way it's right @ 50.00 for 500 rnds . I got the 525 box of the Rem Golden Bullets for 25.99 last year when 22 LR was real hard to find.
They had several boxes of the Winchester which was the 325 or 333 rnd boxes for 19.99. They had some 50 rnd boxes of the CCI that I don't remember what they were asking for it. I want to say it was 4.99 for the 50 rnds.

They had some of the Federal 22LR 500 rnd 40 grain. I believe that was standard velocity and it was 34.99 a box. Needless to say I walked away. I refuse to pay these inflated prices plus I already have plenty of 22 ammo @ the house.
Thankfully the 22LR ammo crisis seems to be loosening up some. I like browsing through our local Cabela's store but they are way to proud of what they have.

 

[basicblur]

I was just at my local Arlington, WA Walmart. Mentioned "no .22 again" to the clerk. He said that they had plenty, and pulled some out from under his locked, opaque counter. Said there was no buying limit. I bought two Winchester 333 rd packs for $.05 per round!

Which (according to the home office in Bentonville) is against company policy.

The ammo is supposed to go from the truck to the locked cage in back, and then to the ammo case.

We've caught local workers more than once stashing ammo under the counter - in another town, I had the store manager looking for ammo they were supposed to have, and the first thing she did was go through all the locked drawers behind the counter, so she knew folks were going against company policy.

And for those folks that complain they haven't seen any ammo at their local Walmart in years, you probably have insiders at work.
There may be a few Walmarts not getting ammo for some reason, but I'd wager the VAST majority of those Walmarts have workers and their buddies intercepting 22 before it makes it to the shelves.

Word has gotten around in my area - everyone knows who the main culprit is, as I've crossed paths / seen him, his wife, and all his buddies at work numerous mornings.
From what I understand, he's doing the same thing at a couple of Walmarts in the next towns over.

I was in our local Walmart a while back, and just missed the 1,000 rd. boxes of Winchester M*22. I wasn't really in the market (but would have bought for buddies) and it was 2pm. I was incredulous that they had it on the shelf at 2pm, and told the gal she had upset somebody's apple cart - somebody was going to be really POed when they came in the next morning and found their ammo was gone!

She laughed and said she didn't care - she saw it in the cage in the back and put it out as soon as she found it. The way the conversation / her reactions were going, she obviously knew she was going against the local insiders.

Funny thing...that was the last time I've seen that gal at the store!?

 

[AStone]

^ That's an interesting post, right there.

 

[basicblur]

^ That's an interesting post, right there.

Once I found out what was going on, I did my research and learned how to beat the fellow buying out most / all our local Walmart's 22.

A few interesting moments from my experiences:
1. I beat the main flipper to the store one morning when I knew they had a shipment of Winchester M*22 (1,000 rds. / box, 3 box limit). Had it been anyone else, I would have shared, but knowing what this fellow was doing, I took 'em all.
2. When the employee (who lives near / is buddies with the flipper) saw me first in line, she sheepishly shoved a few different flavors of 22 my way and I brushed them off - I was there for those 1,000 rd. boxes of Winchester M*22!
She finally relented, knowing I wasn't going for those puny 100 rd. boxes of CCI etc. she kept shoving my way.
3. When I bought all the M*22 they had, I heard the flipper's wife whisper in his ear he's getting our ammo!
4. Another time (same employee), everyone got their 22 and I was standing around when a buddy came in. He went to the counter and the gal told him she was all out (I didn't really keep up with it after I got mine). I looked waaaaaay across the store and saw one of the ammo regulars walking pretty darn fast, headed to the ammo counter. I nudged my buddy and told him watch this - the fellow strode up to the counter and proceeded to buy some of the 22 the gal had just told my buddy they were all out of!

Hey, I got a ton of similar tales, but after I got all the 22 I and all my buddies wanted, I got out of the Walmart ammo game.

Our local gun shop is now getting a steady supply, and while not quite as cheap as Walmart, it's worth paying the small difference in price not to have to play the early morning, beat the flipper game.

 

[dekibg]

what really interests me about those flippers, is what kind of jobs they have and what they do in their lives outside of hunting for 22 ammo ?
Are those the same guys that are trying to sell you ammo at gun shows for 15 cents a piece?
I usually just walk by them, but did you guys ever see anyone actually buying ammo from them at those prices?

 

[Warp]

You guys know there's tons of .22lr available online now right.

Midway has 27 types of .22lr in stock right now for example

 

[basicblur]

Are those the same guys that are trying to sell you ammo at gun shows for 15 cents a piece?

Hey, that's a bargain! From what I understand in our parts they were putting 50 rds. in a baggie for $10 (20 cents / rd.).

I remember seeing our main flipper reading the recall notice on the Winchester M*22 quite a while back - Walmart had posted the recall notice on the ammo case.
I heard the fellow muttering to himself I've already mixed mine in with the rest of my ammo.
Ya buy those loose rounds in baggies, ya takes your chances.
I'm sure some of his "customers" got some of those double loads mixed in with their baggie of loose rounds.

Hey, if he had known they had double loads, he'd probably would have just jacked the price up!

 

[Warp]

Hey, that's a bargain! From what I understand in our parts they were putting 50 rds. in a baggie for $10 (20 cents / rd.).

I remember seeing our main flipper reading the recall notice on the Winchester M*22 quite a while back - Walmart had posted the recall notice on the ammo case.
I heard the fellow muttering to himself I've already mixed mine in with the rest of my ammo.
Ya buy those loose rounds in baggies, ya takes your chances.
I'm sure some of his "customers" got some of those double loads mixed in with their baggie of loose rounds.

Hey, if he had known they had double loads, he'd probably would have just jacked the price up!

I'm not even sure what you are trying to say.

A "flipper" would be somebody who turns around and sells the ammo for profit (like what Walmart does). However, given the market, doing that as soon as possible would be best.

If he mixed it in with his ammo...from previously...and is not happy about that...doesn't that make it sound like he KEPT the ammo...it is STILL HIS...and hence he is NOT flipping it?

 

[MAKster]

22 rimfire seems to be available most places now. On Saturday I bought two 525 round bricks of Remingtons for $28 each. I predict in a few months we are going to be knee deep in ammo and everyone will be talking about a glut like what we are seeing now with ARs.