What is going on with .22LR ammo?

[22-rimfire]

Ken, this is true. I don't know that I have any goals anymore with regard to shooting other than to do it as well as I can when I do shoot. Even though I am a member of a private range minutes from my house, I don't go that often and often choose to make a 1 hour drive to a public range and trout fish part of the day rather than just shooting. But I think you might be surprised at how well this "amateur" shoots his 22 rifles. Definitely have lost some of the ability with handguns that I have had as practice is the only way to maintain any kind of consistancy with regard to handgun shooting.

 

[jack44]

When it starts showing up on shelves I will make sure I buy enough bricks to pass 10,000 rounds or more.

 

[Tomcat47]

This should shed some light....

Olin 1 year chart.....

 

[22-rimfire]

I'm afraid I don't understand the graphs.

 

[itsa pain]

I have a great way to end the 22 ammo crisis. everyone must shoot 40,000 rounds a week

 

[Cee Zee]

o how did all the old-timers get by with just 50 rounds a year or so, a few old hunters I new could kill a squirrel or rabbit per round or two and only hunted between farm and homestead duties.

They didn't have the goal of being the best shooter they can be. My mother's family was very poor. My grandfather left my grandmother with 4 kids and no money. Grandma would give my uncle TWO bullets and tell him to bring home something to eat. And he did just that. But those were extreme circumstances.

I want to be a good shooter. Actually I want to be a really good shooter. I'm not ever going to be the best but I can be the best I can be. I like doing it so I do it. I can afford it. I have the time. I've won my share of contests too. I think I won 12 out of the last 15 contests I was in. That's shooting against other guys that want to win as much as I do. But the bottom line is that you have to know deep down that you have done all you can to win. You have given yourself that chance by practicing as much as you could practice. It makes a big difference in your mental process. If you think you don't belong because you haven't put in the time then more likely than not you won't win. The mental part of shooting is probably the main difference between the winners and the losers in competitions. The Russians did a lot of research into sports back in the 1970's and 1980's and this is one of the key things they learned. You have to believe in yourself especially in a sport like shooting. And they became very successful at shooting during that time too. My friend who is a top notch shooter on anyone's scale told me the same things. Being prepared mentally is the most important thing. And that means putting in the practice.

Sure I could kill all the squirrels I want without ever practicing really. It's not that hard to shoot a squirrel IMO. But just like today, I was shooting 100 yards and I haven't been getting my practice time in. But I still knew that I had put in plenty of time learning to shoot when I did have all the ammo I needed. And I still shot pretty well. I know I wasn't on like I was before but that's due to not being able to get the ammo.

I grew up shooting a lot compared to most. My dad made sure we not only knew how to shoot but also that we were pretty good at it. Ever shoot bats with a .22? Try it sometime. We did that for practice because we thought shooting targets that didn't move to be too easy. But that's a different kind of challenge. The trick is to be as good as you can be and maybe be better than the other people you might shoot against in a contest. I decided I wanted to be really good more than a few years ago and I've been working toward that for some time now. If you don't want to do that then feel free not to. It's your choice. Mine is to shoot a lot and despite what some think it does make me a better shooter. I could shoot small birds flying in the air before I took on the goal of shooting well as a target shooter. It's a different discipline and I know what it takes to be excel at it.

 

[nazshooter]

6k rnds in a year really isn't that much if you shoot regularly. I take short walks in the woods maybe 3 times per week and only shoot maybe 50 rnds each time but even that gets me to 6k in 10 months.

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

 

[Reloadron]

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.

Don't know where you are located but speaking for the Cleveland, Ohio suburbs I have a Gander Mountain about 10 min down the Interstate from me in Twinsburg, Ohio. They stock ammunition on Thursday mornings. They open at 9 AM and getting there around 9:30 I have yet to see a line or anything like that. My last visit a few weeks ago they had 500 round bricks of Winchester, 325 round boxes of CCI, and 500 round bricks of Remington. All were at average prices to maybe a buck more than before all this began.

The only caliber I haven't seen there and again haven't stopped in a few weeks, was 9mm. They did have 40, 45 ACP, 45 LC and all the popular revolver cartridges.

So around here things are returning to normal in what I see as a very fragile balance. Let another something like Sandy Hook happen and see how quick things change.

Ron

 

[random_gun]

You guys are kidding? I haven't seen 22LR in Walmart since the beginning of this year....some stores have 100 rounds for $30...

 

[huntsman]

I want to be a good shooter. Actually I want to be a really good shooter. I'm not ever going to be the best but I can be the best I can be. I like doing it so I do it. I can afford it. I have the time. I've won my share of contests too. I think I won 12 out of the last 15 contests I was in.

Do you buy match grade ammo? if so is it more available and how bad did the price go up?

 

[jcwit]

You sure aren't going to be the best shooter you can be with the common ammo WalMart or most other big box store sells.

In a few more days the NRA Metric Smallbore Matches start, I'll check again this year to see if anyone is using Remington Golden Yellow Jacket. lol

 

[jmorris]

The good news is that when all of the closets are stuffed with .22's the ones that stay on the shelves are going to be really cheap.

 

[mljdeckard]

I also have conversion kits for my 1911 and AR, and it's not just me shooting them. My boys, wife, and in-laws are now shooting too. If I'm taking all of them out and keeping upo THEIR enthusiasm, how much ammo do I need?

 

[Batty67]

I've got almost 7k of 22 LR, and have given/sold (at strict or discounted cost) about 2k to my brother, whose family probably goes through 8-10 k a year. As for me, I just got a Browning Buckmark but even with that (and my 10-22), I doubt I'll shoot more than 2k a year. I'll keep adding to my supply when I find it for <7 cents per bullet until I hit 10k or so...

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

Guys with AK 74s have been able to buy 5.45x39 for .18/round, starting several weeks ago

I bought 2,160 rounds for just $260 when I first bought my AK74. Now I want to sell it and get something I'll actually use like a carry gun. I haven't shot my AK in half a year because I'm down to 700 rounds and refuse to pay for the ammo that has doubled in price.

random_gun Member

Join Date: October 20, 2011 Posts: 61

You guys are kidding? I haven't seen 22LR in Walmart since the beginning of this year....some stores have 100 rounds for $30

The Wal-Mart's in my area get 2-3 ammo deliveries a week but it sells very fast. Luckily ammo is lasting longer on the shelves now.

 

[jrdolall]

In my travels I have not seen a brick of .22 in any big box store since December and I make it a point to look when I travel. I can't speak about LGS since I don't know most of the areas well enough to find them. AL, GA, FL, LA, TX, OH, MI, MT and CA for sure and probably a couple of others thrown in there. I know it's all about timing and it's ammo, not the Chupacabra, but that is my experience. From time to time I have seen various different types of ammo from .25 up to .45 but in general the stores ammo shelves are empty.
I will say that it has gotten better as I am seeing more ammo than I was 3-4 months ago. Gander Mountain seems to have the largest selection of ammo available but they have not had 22 or 9mm in the times I have visited. They are loaded with high dollar SD ammo, hunting calibers and shotgun shells.

 

[Agsalaska]

For what it is worth I have not seen 22 ammo available in DFW for longer than an hour after the stores open since January at old prices. If you want to pay the new pricing you can find it rather easily.

As for the cause, I find it fascinating. To understand it you have to first come to grips with the fact that most of you are the exception and not the norm. To bspn's point eariler, very few as an overall % of gun owners shoot 6,000 rounds of 22lr in a year. So what is the cause?

Its a math problem. And right now the supply is on the wrong side of the math. I have seen estimates of annual production at 2.5B. That number can only support about 415,000 people in the US that shoot 6,000 a year. It can support about 5 million people at 500 rounds per year. With the surge in poularity of semi rimfire rifles, I think it is pretty easy to see that it would not take too much of a change in overall demand to have a major effect on inventories.

 

[huntsman]

You sure aren't going to be the best shooter you can be with the common ammo WalMart or most other big box store sells.

In a few more days the NRA Metric Smallbore Matches start, I'll check again this year to see if anyone is using Remington Golden Yellow Jacket. lol

+100

 

[Reloadron]

You sure aren't going to be the best shooter you can be with the common ammo WalMart or most other big box store sells.

In a few more days the NRA Metric Smallbore Matches start, I'll check again this year to see if anyone is using Remington Golden Yellow Jacket. lol

I believe if you check the records you will find that last years match was won by a shooter using Remington Thunderbolts. Hands down the finest quality 22 LR ammunition manufactured.

On a serious note. I spent some time shooting assorted 22 LR ammunition. I have several older 22 rifles including a Remington 510P. I also have a 511 and 512 with maybe two of the 511 rifles. Also have a Marlin Model 60 and of course the Ruger 10/22 but that 510P I have had since I was a kid in 1958.

These are a few of the flavors I have shot and this picture was taken some time back:



The rifle was the 510P and running just about everything I could get my hands on I noticed that 510P wasn't a very fussy rifle. Shooting generic everyday 22 cartridges the rifle grouped just fine. Shooting any flavor of match ammo the rifle grouped just fine, just tighter groups with fewer fliers. The rifle could have cared less what flavor of match ammunition I fed it.

My sister has a nice match 22 rifle. The rifle belonged to her husband Mike who unfortunately passed away. Damn, I miss that guy. Anyway when Mike developed cancer he shot till the bitter end but as his strength failed he went to rimfire. I have seen that rifle but am clueless as to what it is. I need to ask her about that. I would like to borrow it.

My guess is that while my old Remington 510P doesn't show a difference between flavors of match ammo that rifle will. What this all comes down to is that in my humble opinion and based on trying assorted match ammo in 22 LR it will really come down to the rifle. Even then I would bet that any given match quality 22 rifle will have match ammo it prefers over other match ammunition.

Just My Take...
Ron

 

[Agsalaska]

Yea I dont know about match ammo either. I know my 121 batted around 80% this weekend on the beer cans from the other side of the pond. I was using whatever was mixed into the ziplock bag.

 

[jcwit]

I believe if you check the records you will find that last years match was won by a shooter using Remington Thunderbolts. Hands down the finest quality 22 LR ammunition manufactured.

Being as I live less than 5 miles from the range and am there as a spectator most every day and during most if not all of the relays I've yet to see any Remington ammo shot. Most everyone uses Eley Black Box, or Lupua Center X.

Regarding rifles everyone there was using Anshutz Target rifles costing in the thousands except 1 individual from England and he was using BSA rifle IIRC.

Something on the order of this.
http://www.champchoice.com/prod-190...Two_Stage_Trigger_w_o_Sights__RIGHT_-561.aspx

 

[jcwit]

The rifle was the 510P and running just about everything I could get my hands on I noticed that 510P wasn't a very fussy rifle. Shooting generic everyday 22 cartridges the rifle grouped just fine. Shooting any flavor of match ammo the rifle grouped just fine, just tighter groups with fewer fliers. The rifle could have cared less what flavor of match ammunition I fed it.

Just what is a "fine group"? And at what range?

 

[FROGO207]

It is my belief that many .22 gun owners/users have for many years had a box or two of ammo on hand for the present needs as everybody had an ample supply on the shelf you could buy. Then came the 08 elections and some bought a bit extra out of concern. Then we hit the perfect storm and EVERYBODY soon realized that we had a fragile supply chain so the prudent thing was to buy "enough" to weather the next perfect storm. Some of us would have previous stocks to tide us over due to other past learning ----others were not so lucky. Couple that with the massive buying of firearms and ammo for them by the many that were on the fence and decided "now or never" because of the government trying to restrict firearms further and WHAM you get the present ammo drought. Until everybody is satisfied they are OK with supplies on hand this will continue.
For many years I would buy a brick or two, maybe a bulk pack or two every time I went shopping. When things were on sale and had the cash to spend I would buy more yet. I now have 2 40MM ammo cans full of lose bulk ammo. One full of plated HP WIN and one full of Federal HP. They are both down 1/2 inch or so because of use without restock lately. Plus a case or so of CCI green tag, SK target and a 50 cal can of loose automatch. I have slowed down this spring on consumption, especially of the good ammo but unlike some on here I always CAN see some improvement each trip I make to the range. I have seen this for years and have SLOWLY bettered my accuracy. Until I get one hole groups at 50' there will be continued practice and fun reaching that goal.
When I was a youngster my grandfather would hand me the old single shot .22 of his and a .22 bullet with instructions to get a rabbit so we could have dinner and don't let it suffer. When I started to shoot in earnest at targets when I was older and on my own I realized what a poor shot I really was. Still that type of accuracy had somehow put enough food on the table because of need. BTW within the core family we collectively own 25+ .22 firearms that we shoot regularly. My .02

 

[Agsalaska]

It is my belief that many .22 gun owners/users have for many years had a box or two of ammo on hand for the present needs as everybody had an ample supply on the shelf you could buy. Then came the 08 elections and some bought a bit extra out of concern. Then we hit the perfect storm and EVERYBODY soon realized that we had a fragile supply chain so the prudent thing was to buy "enough" to weather the next perfect storm. Some of us would have previous stocks to tide us over due to other past learning ----others were not so lucky. Couple that with the massive buying of firearms and ammo for them by the many that were on the fence and decided "now or never" because of the government trying to restrict firearms further and WHAM you get the present ammo drought. Until everybody is satisfied they are OK with supplies on hand this will continue.

I agree that these are the top two causes in the overall increase in demand.

 

[Reloadron]

Please post a link to verify this statement. I did a quick look and found nothing to substantiate this. But is possible I might be wrong.

Being as I live less than 5 miles from the range and am there as a spectator most every day and during most if not all of the relays I've yet to see any Remington ammo shot. Most everyone uses Eley Black Box, or Lupua Center X.

Regarding rifles everyone there was using Anshutz Target rifles costing in the thousands except 1 individual from England and he was using BSA rifle IIRC.

It was a joke. I followed with "on a serious note". That statement was not to be taken seriously. I have no real clue what won the match.

On a side note the thread got me to thinking. I called my sister and asked her to get that rifle out. Now Cindy is not a rifle guru. She said one side is marked Anshutz and the other Savage so I am clueless? I didn't even get into the scope. I can have and use the rifle as long as I wish. I just need to drive from Cleveland to Columbus, Ohio to get it.

Ron