I'm sure that this topic has come up in the past but i didn't see it. So seriously what in the world is going on with .22LR? Is anyone here encountering it where your at? I'm not hurting but squirrel season is around the corner and i would like to use the .22 and not the shotgun.
What is going on with .22LR ammo?
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MaterDei
Member
22LR is in short supply? Really? I haven't noticed.
I'm tired of looking for the 22lr at $20.00 per 500! I haven't seen much 22lr stuff since October 2012. When I find some it is over priced, and I will not pay $100.00 for 500 rounds of 22lr. Its cheaper to reload my 32-20! Somethings got to give at some point, how much ammo can they store or hoard? I have seen 50 round box of Federal Lightening stuff at Gander Mountain for over $22.00 a box.
DMH
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22-rimfire
Member
The 22LR shortage has been a common topic of discussion for the last 6 months. People are buying it all up as it comes available at the big box stores.
It's the cheapest ticket into the ammo stockpiling game. You don't need much money to buy a lifetimes supply of .22 LR...you just need to be able to find it.
Fear is driving it and will continue driving it for a long time I imagine. After the initial group is done stockpiling as much as they need to keep their fears at bay then they'll quit buying.
But then the other people who have been trying unsuccessfully to buy moderate amounts will see ammo on shelves...and they will vow right then and there that this will never happen to them again...so they will start stockpiling a lifetimes supply. And once they're done? It'll keep on rolling from one group to the next until anyone and everyone who was scared or frustrated has had their turn binging at the trough.
Personally I don't expect to see a steady supply of .22 LR on a shelf around here for years. If I need it I'm sure I can find it somewhere...but I've written it off as not worth my time for the next few years. I've got plenty of other guns I can shoot.
Fear is driving it and will continue driving it for a long time I imagine. After the initial group is done stockpiling as much as they need to keep their fears at bay then they'll quit buying.
But then the other people who have been trying unsuccessfully to buy moderate amounts will see ammo on shelves...and they will vow right then and there that this will never happen to them again...so they will start stockpiling a lifetimes supply. And once they're done? It'll keep on rolling from one group to the next until anyone and everyone who was scared or frustrated has had their turn binging at the trough.
Personally I don't expect to see a steady supply of .22 LR on a shelf around here for years. If I need it I'm sure I can find it somewhere...but I've written it off as not worth my time for the next few years. I've got plenty of other guns I can shoot.
Reefinmike
Member
Most of the time, im seeing a decent stock on the wallyworld shelf. last time i was there, there was atleast 5 boxes ea of winchester white box 40, 45, 44mag, 380 as well as 5+ boxes of tula 762 and 223, a few 100 packs of 40 and a few 40 packs of 223. No 22 though. Im down to 100 rounds left. Down from the whopping 200 rounds I had in november
. I dont shoot much 22 when its cheaper to shoot lead cast 45 reloads than $20 525 bricks of 22lr
. I dont shoot much 22 when its cheaper to shoot lead cast 45 reloads than $20 525 bricks of 22lr
dirtykid
Member
We have a BINGO folks !!!
I had a good supply before the madness , and I will not start using it until I see prices/stock return to near-normal, besides this panic has made me WAY more proficient at reloading for my centerfire rifles, and I have become as good as shot as I am gonna with my pistols,,so in the long run , it was a good thing,, and those who run to the store to get their daily limit,just to turn around and sell it to someone who actually has better things to do (like a career or family) I hope will get stuck with a bunch of ammo they paid WAY too much for !!!!
Queen_of_Thunder
member
We are seeing 22lr on a regular basis at a local Academy. Most bulk 22lr is in winchester 525 count, remington 525 count and federal 325 count boxes. We also see CCI 1600 count cans about once every few months, 3 or 4 cans at most but it does show up. In the last 10 days Remington 1400 count buckets have shown up twice. What we see still doesn't meet the demand. One LGS got a delivery of some 20,000+ federal 325 count 22lr and it disappeared within 2-3 days.
The problem is deliverys are still extremely small in size. Getting one case of say 45acp does not meet a stores needs let alone last till the next delivery.
The problem is deliverys are still extremely small in size. Getting one case of say 45acp does not meet a stores needs let alone last till the next delivery.
Onward Allusion
Member
Fear of the unknown fueled by the panic-stricken & hoarders, opportunists, the guberment, and the regular shooter; not in any particular order. 22LR is still the cheapest ammo one can purchase that will allow them to continue shooting for years to come, or so they think. Because unless you vacuum pack the bricks or have them sitting in a dry cool dark room they start getting weak or even become duds over time.
I wonder if the increase in conversions of AR15 to 22LR is also increasing demand. I know people that can run through a brick or 1/2 brick using an AR conversion. It is hard for me to burn through that much with a bolt action or even a semiauto pistol at a range session, at least it takes a lot longer. I shot slow anyway. Just something I was thinking about.
22-rimfire
Member
I think the AR type 22's has definitely had an impact on ammo use or the sense of "need". Where once if you had a 500 round brick (10-boxes of 50) or three and felt that was a pretty good supply to now with 500-ish round bulk packs and you want 10 of those. Perception is reality.
bannockburn
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Most of places I frequent for ammo all seem to be the same; day the truck comes in with this weeks ammo shipment it's gone within 15 minutes of the store opening. Probably the same people every week buying it and then reselling it at gunshows or online for a big profit.
Magnuumpwr
Member
Demand commands price!! We, shooters, are our own worst enemies. If we don't buy from them, there is little incentive for them to buy it. It's easy to see the solution, but so difficult to implement it.
ID-shooting
Member
I express loathing against the scalpers fairly regularly but I do agree with your solution. I do what I can to discourage buying from them. If we all just went fishing for a month and made the scalpers sit on them, shelves would fill, demand would drop, scalpers would go away.
Queen_of_Thunder
member
I don't think people understand the true nature of the size of this shortage.
The amount of 22lr that flows into El Paso Texas weekly is probably around 10 cases. Hard to believe but its a good estimate of the supply we are getting. Assuming those cases have 525 count boxes in them you are talking 52,500 rounds of 22lr. Thats not enough to provide 25 rounds to each member of the range I belong too let alone the general shooting public.
I do know one thing though. The cost of shooting has more than doubled for me and now instead of shooting my centerfire pistols I shoot my 22lr firearms. Of course that means I now need a supply of 22lr since I've gone from a 50 round a month usage of 22lr and no need to have any on the ammo shelf to a point where I fire several thousand rounds a month and now need to keep a supply of 22lr. This is a situation I'm pretty sure others are experiencing. Thus a shortage.
The amount of 22lr that flows into El Paso Texas weekly is probably around 10 cases. Hard to believe but its a good estimate of the supply we are getting. Assuming those cases have 525 count boxes in them you are talking 52,500 rounds of 22lr. Thats not enough to provide 25 rounds to each member of the range I belong too let alone the general shooting public.
I do know one thing though. The cost of shooting has more than doubled for me and now instead of shooting my centerfire pistols I shoot my 22lr firearms. Of course that means I now need a supply of 22lr since I've gone from a 50 round a month usage of 22lr and no need to have any on the ammo shelf to a point where I fire several thousand rounds a month and now need to keep a supply of 22lr. This is a situation I'm pretty sure others are experiencing. Thus a shortage.
BK
Member
This is only true for the elderly, the wealthy or someone who doesn't shoot much. I put a 40-year supply as well over a quarter million rounds. That's going to cost about $10,000 if you can get it for less than a nickle per round.
You are onto some seriously funny stuff right there. There are a lot of people who bought conversions so they could shoot for cheap...but now the price is up on BOTH calibers and you can't find either one!
Life's little irony's never cease to amaze me.
I have been shooting .22LR a lot less because I won't pay the exorbitant prices some are asking. Buyers set the market. Let it sit, and the prices will come down. However, I was able to buy a few bricks recently at pre-panic prices, so maybe things are loosening up a bit.
What percentage of gun owners would you say shoot more than 6,000 rounds of .22 LR every year?
If ammo was free I bet I wouldn't shoot more than 10,000 rounds the rest of my life...which if I eat right and don't cheat on my wife should last about another 40 years.
Everyone has a different appetite...but I'd be willing to bet it is a very small percentage of gun enthusiasts who would shoot your quarter of a million rounds of .22 LR in 40 years. Which leads me back to my original statement...it's cheap and easy to buy a lifetimes supply.
doc2rn
Member
gspn- I would up until the shortage it was my primary training round since I have a wrist injury. Its what I have been shooting for the past 13 yrs. I do have centerfire platforms but they hurt after the first couple of mags. I would alternate handguns to keep a smooth transition in my training (change uppers when the pain sets in.) Since I cant find much these days I am training less. Also moved my daughter up to my 77/22 since I can find all the .22mag my pea-picken heart desires.
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