.22 Ammo

[mazda3gun]

Seems like when it starts showing up available online, it's harder to get again in stores. I know of only ONE SINGLE lgs that still sells a 500rnd box for a more normal price of $35-40. Yes, they limit quantity, but he's not price gouging for no reason.

If we, the consumer, would stop hoarding for no good reason whatsoever! There would be ammo back on the selves within the week. You should be more worried about shot placement than having 10,000 rounds.

And why .22?!?! Why not something like .223/5.56 or .308/7.62x54,39 or .30-06 or shotgun shells or 9mm??? I just wanna kill some stinkin squirrels and eat em! And go shoot a few hundred rounds all day at some cans and t.v.'s! And I don't wanna pay more than $40+tax for a 500rnd box! I'm on a soapbox here people and I'm not coming down til the true morons, the hoarders :crazy:, take a chill pill!

RANT OVER!

[Hotolds442]

My local BiMart is still selling 525 round bricks of Remington for less than $20, but I haven't seen it on the shelves since the November 2011 election. I won't pay $40 for a brick of standard .22 ammo. Ever. But then I've got 20,000 rounds stored. The shortage has kept me from using my .22's for sage rat shooting, shooting 2000 rounds in a weekend is normal. It's more fun with a 223 anyways. Now I just set up farther away.

[mazda3gun]

My point is proven, hoarder. 20,000 rounds....that's just ignorantly ridiculous! Why in the world do you even need 20,000 rounds of .22 ammo that you AREN'T EVEN SHOOTING?!?!
You're one of many that cause the supply/demand to increase. And for no apparent reason either... You're method doesn't stimulate the economy, if that's what you're after.

[mazda3gun]

^
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I tried REALLY HARD to keep that as clean as I could too, without getting totally caught by the 'bad word po-po'

[Hotolds442]

Lol whatever.
I haven't bought 22 ammo for over 2 years.
20,000 rounds is one summer of sage rats.
buying a brick every time I go to the store hardly affects supply and demand.

[emtrescue6]

I too have about 20k of 22 ammo on hand...but like Hotolds I haven't been able to buy any since about Dec of 2012...at that point I had over 75k of 22 on hand...I use to go through 4-5k of 22 a month at the range with my wife and daughter...due to the lack of being able to buy any 22 in so long I've switched over to then=m shooting 9mm and 223...not what I really wanna do, but at least I have plenty of components stocked to reload...I don't consider 20k of 22 hoarding based on what my shooting habits are.

[Hotolds442]

The guys that aren't prepared are always jealous of those who are. I'm not EVEN gonna post how much 223 ammo I have had on hand since about 2010. That will really bring out the whine.

[n4ue]

I was at a County Fair a couple of months ago when I heard some guy bragging that he had 70,000 rounds of .22. He also said he buys whatever he sees.
I just don't get it!
I was at one of my lgs this week to buy some scope covers. I asked the clerk what the .22 situation was, and no, I don't NEED any!
He said they got in 10,000 rds on Monday and by Tuesday, it was all gone, except for some sub-sonic stuff.
I HOPE when the mfgs step up production this year to meet the CURRENT demand, the market becomes flooded. Then the a-holes who have 70,000 stockpiled will realize the old 'supply and demand' theory.

And as mazda3gun stated, there is PLENTY of 223, 45, etc even a wall-world.......Just don't get it......

ron

[teddy12b]

There are those who learn their lessons and think ahead, and then there are those who don't. With all due respect Mazda, take a breath and think about how many times you walked past shelves full of bricks of 22lr at very reasonable prices but you chose not to buy any. Just think about that for a minute.

Back when the first round of panic buying hit after Obama was elected I was in the same boat as everyone else who failed to think ahead and prepare. I had little to no ammo and was frustrated because I couldn't go shooting as much as I wanted to. After that round of scarcity passed and the supply was abundant again I bought a brick of 22lr every time I had some extra money and saw it at a fair price. There is nothing wrong with buying when supply is abundant and prices are low. Some would say that's smarter than exposing yourself to being forced into paying high prices.

Personally, I've been shooting 22lr ammo in the last year as much as I've wanted to and I've still got 6 or 7 bricks of it laying around. I only count the bricks and not all of the little individual couple boxes of this or that that I use for different things. The only 22lr ammo I'm hurting for is some Wolf Match, and 22LR tracers, but those are both specialty rounds. I've got all the federal bulk my heart desires, and I don't feel any more guilty for thinking ahead and buying it when it was cheap than I will some day when I retire and have a few dollars in the bank because I saw something coming and thought ahead.

Learn from this Mazda. The old saying "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me" comes to mind. I learned it the hard way too, but when the ammo does come back and it's reasonably priced, that's when you buy it.

[teddy12b]

I was at a County Fair a couple of months ago when I heard some guy bragging that he had 70,000 rounds of .22. He also said he buys whatever he sees.

I wouldn't get it either, but how does anyone know the guy wasn't just blowing hot air? If he was telling the truth then he either bought it a long time ago or he's paying a premium right now for something that's going to drop in value compared to the US dollar and the economy will punish him for it when all his ammo becomes worth far less.

I don't think we're very far from seeing plenty of 22lr back on the shelves again.

[emtrescue6]

The guys that aren't prepared are always jealous of those who are. I'm not EVEN gonna post how much 223 ammo I have had on hand since about 2010. That will really bring out the whine.

Yeah I am with you Hotolds...I learned my lesson back when Obama was first elected and the shelves went bare and I wasn't able to take my daughter to the range for months...I will not apologize for being prepared...I buy my powder in 8 pounders, my primers by the case and collect all the brass I can from friends and off the ground...I haven't had a shortage of any components through out all this because I was prepared...and I suspect I have enough stockpiled to last me another 2-4 years at a minimum (except for 22). My 223, 9mm and .40 stockpile is enough to make a Cabela's cry ;)

[mugsie]

Hey Mazda, I'm right there with ya. These freaken guys, the ones that have thousands upon thousands of rounds stored and buying more, are what is causing the shortage in the first place and what will drive prices up. Then they'll complain about the high prices, never admitting they are the ones causing the problem.

I have maybe 300 rounds of Wolf 22LR left and when that's shot up it's gone. Can't find it anywhere because of these idiots.

I hear you my friend, and I couldn't agree more!

[emtrescue6]

Hey Mazda, I'm right there with ya. These freaken guys, the ones that have thousands upon thousands of rounds stored and buying more, are what is causing the shortage in the first place and what will drive prices up. Then they'll complain about the high prices, never admitting they are the ones causing the problem.

I have maybe 300 rounds of Wolf 22LR left and when that's shot up it's gone. Can't find it anywhere because of these idiots.

I hear you my friend, and I couldn't agree more!

I guess you didn't read where we both said we haven't actually bought any in a couple years? Call me an idiot all you want, I'm not the one sitting at home unable to shoot...I chose to prepare for a variety of reasons. I will restock when prices come back down a little and availability returns...if that ever happens. I haven't had to buy a single component at the current elevated prices because I was smart, could see the writing on the wall and made a good investment and prepared. The last time I bought powder, I paid right at $100 for 8 pounders...when was the last time you could do that? I haven't bought any 22 for a couple years...I paid less than $20 a brick when I bought my last 22's.

[J.Baker]

I have maybe 300 rounds of Wolf 22LR left and when that's shot up it's gone. Can't find it anywhere because of these idiots.

And that just earned you an infraction my friend.

[J.Baker]

As for the 22LR ammunition situation, I feel for those of you who are having difficulty finding any as we're all in the same boat. I just happened to buy three bricks (1,500rds) the summer before the Newtown tragedy so I'm not desperate for ammo, but I am rather hesitant to go shoot off what I have not knowing if/when I'll be able to get more. That said however, don't be complaining or crying foul simply because some of us thought ahead and stocked up before the madness or stocked up when it became available after the madness started. You know darn well that if you walked into your LGS or Walmart tomorrow and they had pallets of cases of 22LR sitting there at regular $40/brick pricing you'd be walking out the door with as much as you could afford to, so don't flame anyone else for doing the same.

The problem isn't the shooters who are buying it for their own personal use, it's the profiteers who are buying it all up to resell at gun shows or online for a nice profit. Those are the people camping out at the Walmart, Cabela's and BPS stores every morning across the country. Those are the ones stripping your LGS's shelves clean as soon as they get a shipment in. It's also the fault of these chains and/or the local shop owners who are letting these people do this knowing full well they're buying it simply to resell at a profit. Any shop or chain store that doesn't have a 2 box limit in place is contributing to the problem, so give them a bunch of crap if you don't see a sign up.

[maxl]

+1 JB, I concure a 2 box limit would slow this madness, I personally have't purchased 22lr in years bought several bricks 5 yrs ago or so and still have a few. I did see some at wally world in the late afternoon about a week ago (didn't buy any) that's got to be a good sign 22 ammo on the shelf all day

[Smokey262]

What if it doesn't come down in price when it comes back? Primers and powder didn't after the shortage that happened about 6 years ago.

[teddy12b]

With all the 22lr I have had I haven't bought any in probably a year to maybe two years. I really can't remember, but I can say for sure I didn't pay any crazy price for the ammo and I certainly didn't take the last box off the shelf.

[emtrescue6]

Well said JB...I think we're in for a long haul before any prices will return to "normal"...of if they ever will, this may well be the new normal unfortunately. Gun ownership is at an all time high, more people are shooting, demand is through the roof and pretty much every article I have read says the the manufacturers aren't really investing in increased production capacity. The club I belong to was struggling to maintain enough members to maintain our ranges 3 years ago...now they have had to cap membership because the range lines were so full some members would have to wait all day and still not find an empty bench. Supply/demand...

[n4ue]

JB is soooo correct in his post. Being here in Florida, there are always a bunch of Flea Markets on any given weekend. These 'hoarder' folks are waiting for the local Wal Mart to put out .22 in the AM. They buy as much as they can (usually 3 boxes) but they have their wife and kids buy some also. They immediately run to the closest flea mkt and flip it.
Free enterprise or out and out greed?

I bought a lot of .22 years ago for my wife to shoot IHMSA. Still have it and it will last the rest of my shootin' days......

BTW, I was at the LGS today to pick up some 6.5mm bullets. The Owner's son took call after call of people looking for .22. One caller got abusive with him when he POLITELY replied:

"No sir, I have no idea when we will get a shipment. We have a standing order with our supplier and we don't know when it will show up. And no, I can't 'save' you any".

Evidently the caller cussed him out and hung up on him.
I wasn't really surprised. This 'shortage' is bringing out the worse in people and I have a feeling things are going to get a LOT worse. Not talking about just the ammo situation. I sure hope not!

ron