What's The Big Deal With .22LR?

[aka108]

I purchased 6 cases when there was no supply shortage what so ever. Then I'd buy some every so often to keep my supply level. When this last 22 panic came I quit buying for the most part and am shooting from the old stock. There seems to be little shortage of the mid prices Eley Target ammo, running about 10 bucks a box. Love it in some of my rifles and at 10 bucks a box it is only a little more expensive than the promotional ammo which so many people are lying in the bush to grab whenever it comes by. I like some of the guys behind the gun counters at some of the stores here. They have the same "vultures" comming in every morning wanting to buy all of anything that came in overnight. For some reason the stock level remains totally out for these birds even though they may have a case behind the counter.

 

[stormspotter]

Don't discount WalMart. I posted earlier, on the 21st, about them getting some rimfire in and not going because of icy roads. Today I had to make a early trip out of town, so I stopped by on the way out and they had gotten in a case of Federal 550 count 36gr plated HP. I paid for my 3 boxes and left a happy camper.

 

[Agsalaska]

There is no shortage of 22lr ammo. Most just do not like paying premium prices. But it is readily available from multiple outlets. The problem is it has had a hard time normalizing. THe sooner the mass retailers raise their prices to market demand the faster prices can stabilize and come back down.

My guess is the price of a 550 round brick should be somewhere around $40.

 

[stormspotter]

WalMarts price for my 550 bulk packs of Federal 36 gr HP was $23.97 each.

 

[Pyzon]

If, God forbid I had to pick a single firearm to head into the new world disorder, I also think I would pick a .22, my 10-22 as first choice, 22-45 as second choice. As mentioned, 500 rounds of ammo can be stuffed into a coat pocket, and if employed properly can keep the mutts away and the skillet filled for a long time.

And if it can't, well then, I guess taking the whole gun safe and a truckload of ammo probably would not have been enough either.

 

[Mike1234567]

RE emergency situations: I think, these days, I'd choose .223/5.56 over .22LR (for ammo availability)... or "maybe" just about ANY other caliber. I've seen FAR better ammo availability in .223/5.56 than .22LR. Maybe things have changed in the last few years?

 

[shadow9]

I'm thinking it's a combination of all of the above. Centerfire calibers are expensive for practice, and reloaders who don't cast their own are hurting from powder sales and bullet shortages (brass is kept so that's not as much of a problem), so they're turning to .22LR to keep easy on the CF cartridges. I've also seen many people who ARE on the SHTF mindset and wanting bricks of .22 to survive with. Hoarders are also an issue - before gunstores starting limiting .22LR purchases, during the scare I'd see people literally walk in and grab a shelf's worth and plop it down at the counter - then complain about "Get it now because the gov't is buying up all the ammo!"

Also, with the new shooters is new CCW holders - and I've seen MANY new shooters turning to .22LR CCW's because it's what they can handle (medical/geriatric/unfamiliar to firearms), or it's cheap, or it's "anonymous".

Lastly, when you're an ammo manufacturer and you've got ALL your tooling/machinery pumping out CF cartridges and components to satisfy the market, chances are you didn't anticipate the ENTIRE market suddenly turning to your rimfire products when your CF products dried up. Also, before the storm, Rimfire was a secondary ammunition, so to say. Outside of new shooters, plinking, and some competition, most bulk shooting was/is done with CF calibers.


RE: .380 - CCW is still huge and growing, and with the media/political spectrum inducing panic to the firearms industry, people are stocking up on their CCW caliber in case the gubmint decides to ban all ammo in stores or what have you.

 

[Swampman]

Originally posted by: TheGoldenSaber

If there's ever a SHTF situation that would be about the last gun I would grab.

This whole question depends a lot on what you mean by "SHTF situation".

If you're talking about a short term Katrina type situation, I'd agree that a .22 probably wouldn't be very high on my list of things to grab.

If "SHTF" means a general collapse of society, a la The Road Warrior, or even just a collapse of our currency and rehash of the Great Depression, a good .22 rifle and a few handfulls of hollowpoints would be just about the most valuable items that a person could possess, because it can KEEP YOU IN FOOD. I'll admit that squirrels and rabbits can be killed by an AR-15, but unless you enjoy eating red mist and bloody hair, it's not a very good way to obtain food.

Now before anyone jumps all over me about that statement, understand that I'm a handloader and I know that it's possible to load a .223, 30-06 or .460 Weatherby down and make it a reasonably capable small game harvesting tool. It just takes a lot more time, equipment and resources than thumbing five or ten rounds of .22 rimfire into your rifle.

I suppose that it would also be possible to plow a field with a 350 horsepower pickup truck, let's just say that it'd be a lot more difficult and the final results probably wouldn't be as satisfactory as using an old 40 horsepower John Deere.

I've spoken with quite a few old timers that lived through the hard times of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, after a couple of very lean years, deer and feral hogs were almost extirpated from East Texas, even armadillos ("Hoover hogs") were pretty scarce. Squirrels, rabbits and small birds were about the only edible game that could be found with anything approaching regularity and the lowly .22 was all that stood between many families and starvation. On the rare occasions that a deer did present itself, a shot placed just below the ear hole would kill them every bit as dead as a 30-06 without making noise that would attract a Game Warden, or worse, hungry, armed and desperate people with children of their own to feed.

 

[CornCod]

I find the .22LR very handy indeed. I am a person of very limited means. I would rather shoot center-fire ammo every trip to the range for practice, but I can't afford that. So, every other trip to the range has to be dedicated mainly to shooting .22. Some might suggest I take up reloading, but with three jobs I really don't have the time to make my own ammo as I barely have time to shoot. .22 shooting does not exactly replicate center-fire shooting, but its close enough. I can practice breath control, trigger control and other marksmanship fundamentals without being consigned to the poor house.

 

[Agsalaska]

I agree with Swampman.

Everyone gets all caught up in Hi cap mags for striker fired pistols and optics for their AR-15. I think, in the end, the most important gun you can own if you are truly interested in long term survival is a 22lr. Preferably a bolt action with a decent barrel. It would be the last gun I would give up.

Hope we are not treading on locking this thread with SHTF stuff.


To help, Wal Mart, Academy, etc need to raise their prices to meet demand. THe sooner they do that the sooner these shortages will end.

There. THat should help.

 

[stormspotter]

As others have stated, I shoot 22LR to save $$$. My 22/45 lets me practice more and spend less on ammo for my G30.

My Marlin XT22 lets me shoot more for less than my Marlin XS7 IN 223.

My daughter just discovered how much fun my 10/22 with a Bushnell TRS-25 is.

My rimfire purchases are used to keep basics current and to save $$$ over center fire ammo. Like others it lets me shoot more for less and still keep 2 or 3 bricks back if needed.

 

[Robert101]

The popularity of the little 22LR has never been better and for good reason. If someone wants to sell all their guns and only shoot 50 cal. - no problem with me. Do it! For all the previous statements made about cost, target practice, small game getting, etc., etc. I say "right on".