The Great 22 LR Shortage of 2009

[Runningman]

After burning up a few bricks of 22 LR in the last 6 weeks. I got the not so bright idea to replenish my supply of 22 LR. WRONG....... I got five stores within 7 miles that normally well stocked with 22 LR ammunition. Wasn't a single box to be had. Even the normally slower moving higher end 22 Target and 22 Match loads were gone. So than I had to order something from Midway. Figured I would order a few bricks... WRONG again. Every order number I tried was out of stock. LOL

Is it like this in your area also? I knew military calibers were cleaned out before this but I did not pay attention to the 22 LR ammunition supply because there is generally so much of it around. :banghead:

 

[greyling22]

the walmart here has shotgun shells, 2 boxes of 25auto, 5 of .22 ratshot, 1 box of 357sig, and 3 boxes of 22-250. and that is it. nothing else behind the counter at all. nothing.

 

[22-rimfire]

It is good to pay attention to the supply trends in which ever calibers you shoot. I'm seeing the same thing in my part of the world. Fortunately, I have a 22LR cache of different brands/loads which is my standard approach to any thing I use on a regular basis. I've cut back on shooting center fire handgun and rifle in an attempt to ration myself a bit. If I shoot up what I have, I don't think I can replace it easily.

With 22LR, folks that bought a couple of boxes at a time, now buy a brick. Folks that buy a brick normally at time, now buy two or three bricks. Those that buy two or three at a time now buy 22 ammo by the case (10 bricks). HENCE, the shortage.

It is very difficult for the manufacturers to keep up with demand that is 2-5x normal and that high demand has been constant for the last 6 months.

 

[TylerDurden]

I feel your pain....(Oregon)

Same here. I depleted my stock. So I was planning on picking up some LR so I could take my son shooting. WRONG.
7 differrent stores. No luck. So sad.

 

[woof]

They said I was crazy last summer when I stocked up with 8500 rounds of .22 LR.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

Here in central Montana, .22 rimfire can be found - but.
1. It probably won't be what you wanted.
2. It will be priced higher than you've ever seen it before.

Winchester rimfire is particularly hard to find, CCI Mini-Mags aren't. American Eagle - gone. Oddball stuff is available, but you may have never heard of it before.

900F

 

[chris in va]

Oh, but "you're not prepared, so why should I have sympathy for your shortsightedness in stocking up on ammo".

At least that's the answer I get on these gun boards when I just want a box of 9mm to try out my new gun.

 

[JFrame]

Kind of gives one pause to the old saw about always having a .22 firearm or two on hand, because in a SHTF scenario, one can always scrounge up .22 ammo...

Not that I disagree about having .22's handy -- I currently have eight .22 firearms of some form or another, and want more, more, more...

But when (if) the ammo supply problem eases, I will definitely be laying in a supply of several bricks of CCI Mini-Mags, Velocitors, and bulk .22 ammo...

 

[jdc1244]

They said I was crazy last summer when I stocked up with 8500 rounds of .22 LR.

Yep, I bought about 5000 rounds a little over a year ago; Eley Sport and PMC Moderators when I heard the latter would not be made anymore. The Eley Sports work very well in my 452 American and the PMC is very good, inexpensive plinking ammo.

I should have done the same with centerfire ammo, however.

 

[Afy]

Thankfully I picked up a case of .22 LR CCI SV not so long ago...
Prices in France also seem to have gone up quite significantly.

 

[GTFord1]

It's all over the place in Central Florida as far as I can tell. I'm going to Gander Mountain later today, I'll see what they have in their overpriced stock. Last time I went a few weeks ago they had everything. I haven't really noticed the ammo shortage here. The only thing I've noticed a shortage of is .38 special.

 

[Rembrandt]

Still available in our area but not in the quantities seen in the past, selection is picked over. Thankfully I've always kept strong inventories of .22 on hand.

 

[woof]

I guess this shows you can't really count on always being able to find any caliber ammo even .22. But look at it this way, if you are out there trying to buy or borrow some ammo you'll probably be negotiating for 20 rounds of .308 compared to 500 rounds of .22. It simply takes too much money and too much space for most of us to store as much centerfire ammo as we can .22. We should all learn a lesson and when it does become available, and it will, always have 4 bricks or so of .22 set back in deep storage.

 

[22-rimfire]

My general gut reaction to an ammo shortage is "if I can't buy it, I don't shoot up what I have." This is primarily true with centerfire ammo. But I have to fight my gut response with 22 rimfire also. I have enough on hand for probably about 10 years of shooting at my normal pace excluding the higher end target ammo. I only have a few thousand rounds each of the target grade stuff I shoot.

BUT for someone who just wants to go out plinking with their friends or family, a few thousand rounds may sound like a lot these days.

About two years ago, a friend of a neighbor passed away and my neighbor was selling off his 22 ammo for his widow. There were guns too. It was pretty obvious my neighbor was dealing with cases of ammo versus a few bricks. At the time, I thought boy "I wonder why they had so much on hand?"

Move the clock forward.... I understand.

 

[gvnwst]

Here in KY i have none of that trouble, there is plenty of ammo at wally world.

 

[dbyrne]

I've been buying my .22lr online from Natchez.

 

[Bigfro23]

I keep Hearing of these Ammo Shortages, but here in Virginia Ammo is plentiful!! Hopefully it stays that way....

 

[WooD]

Here in NE Florida I havn't had any problems finding 22 or 22mag ammo.

What I cant find is sub sonic 22 lr.

I've got a wide assortment of all types ammo. Some I don't even own a gun that will shoot it. I've even got a couple boxes of 25 Stevens Long rimfire, and a couple hundred .50 call BMG ammo.

My Dad use to buy out entire estate gun collections, and he would always give me all the ammo, and sometimes I'd talk him out of a gun.

 

[bessemerbob]

Hmmmm I hate to tie things together but maybe.... Everybody is tired of spending alot on centerfire ammo so they have been pulling the old 22s out of the closet. Now like Ive stated a 100 times already Walmart last year at this time sold x boxes a day of 22 now they have 20times X and well they cant keep it ont the shelves at that rate....

 

[bessemerbob]

Oh and that reminds me... Local gun shop cant keep 10/22s in stock for the past two months. And I wanted to get one

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

couple weeks back some dude went into local Wally and bought all .22LR ammo they had. haven't heard if they have re-stocked yet.

 

[2ndAmFan]

22 LR is pretty easy to find around here, but some of them aren't very good quality rounds. A friend and I went out with our 10/22s a few weeks ago and we weren't impressed with the 550 rnd block of hollow points we bought. We had about 12 or 13 duds and had quite a few FTFs. I have never had more than one or two FTFs in the 15 or so years I've owned that gun before that, and I would guess the rounds weren't powerful enough to work the action. My buddy said he never encountered so many FTFs with his either. I bought about 5-600 stingers several years ago and I'm glad I did because they aren't all that easy to find locally these days.

 

[Titan6]

Dude, what have you been locked in box somewhere?

The chain sporting good stores still have them at chain sporting goods store prices but the good cheap stuff is all gone.

 

[bessemerbob]

True Bass Pro Shop had tons of 22LR, but none of the bulk stuff, tons of CCI HV and other higher end 22(strange saying higher end 22LR)

 

[Runningman]

Oh and that reminds me... Local gun shop cant keep 10/22s in stock for the past two months.

Funny you mention that a coworker has been looking for a 10/22 for the last month there is none of them to be found anywhere locally.

Dude, what have you been locked in box somewhere?

The chain sporting good stores still have them at chain sporting goods store prices but the good cheap stuff is all gone.

LOL...guess so. Heck none of the chain sporting good stores around here have any 22 LR. Not even cheap crappy stuff, good cheap stuff, nor good expensive stuff... ZERO. They even cleaned out the dang rat shot 22 around here on top of CCI 22 longs and 22 shorts. Pitty the next rat I see around the shanty.