I simply can't believe the insanely high prices currently being asked for .22 Long Rifle ammunition. I've seen very little for sale in gun shops locally, and online sources don't seem to have much either. Those who have it are asking an arm and a leg for it! For example, I was sent a link to Alamo Ammo's Web site, where I found these prices for .22LR this morning (I've rounded the price per cartridge to the nearest cent):
Winchester 40gr. LRN (code XT22LR) - 50 rounds for $20.95 = 42c per cartridge
CCI Mini-Mag 36gr. plated HP - 100 rounds for $49.95 = 50c per cartridge
Federal 36gr plated HP - 550 rounds for $184.95 = 34c per cartridge
Alamo Ammo's not alone - many other vendors (when they have stock at all) are also asking high prices. Sites such as GunsAmerica have some sellers offering .22LR ammunition at more reasonable prices, but others wanting a lot more. Here are three auctions as examples:
Federal Auto Match 40gr. LRN - 325 rounds for $75.00 = 23c per cartridge
Winchester 555 40gr. RN - 555 rounds for $60.00 + $18.00 shipping = 14c per cartridge
CCI Mini-Mag 40gr. plated RN - 100 rounds for $30.00 + $12.00 shipping = 42c per cartridge
Frankly, at these prices, it becomes uneconomic to use .22LR as a low-cost plinking, varmint hunting and all-round 'fun' cartridge, as has previously been the case. I can see people switching to BB or Airsoft guns for such purposes (except hunting, of course), because it still costs only about one cent per round to shoot them. Furthermore, it appears that centerfire ammo is currently more readily available than rimfire, something I've never heard of before!
What about you, readers? Is .22LR ammo available in your area, and if so, at what sort of prices? Please let us know in Comments. I'll be interested to find out whether this problem is worse in some places than in others. Meanwhile, I'll be guarding my 'stash' of .22LR as if it were gold! I traded into a bunch of it over the past few months, intending to use a lot for training; but if prices continue to rise the way they're doing at present, I may be able to retire off what I can get for it!
Peter
22 comments:
Bb guns suck. Airsoft ditto. Smoothbore, inaccurate, etc.
Pcp pellet rifles on the other hand. 16J is enough on small game such as rabbits. Good videos on youtube on that. Key is get to 25 m and hit the vitals..
There are some that are as powerful as .22LR non-HV...google Evanix.
Expensive though, especially semi auto, full auto or the more powerful models. As in 2500$+.
Aue
Haven't been able to find any .22 ammo in my neck of the woods at ANY price. Academy down in Corpus said they were told not to expect any .22 ammo for at least 3 to 4 months.
I have a comfortable surplus, so I brought six bricks to a gun show yesterday. Didn't feel like haggling, so I sold all six for $250. Had I seen this article yesterday morning at this time, I probably wouldn't have.
MichigammeDave
I wonder if it might make sense to get hold of a (reloadable) .22 Hornet for smallbore work.
there none here in tyler,texas,,i have seen some folks around here selling 22 ammo for 65 cents a round,,i dont get it
NW IL. Availability is spotty. I saw that only because a buddy of mine called me early one morning to tell me that Wally World had a bunch of bulk packs in. Which were, of course, gone when I stopped by a few hours later. I haven't actually seen any .22LR for a long time.
It's far easier to find .22 Short or CB caps.
This is in contrast with the last 0bama Ammo Famine, when .22LR was about all one could find for a long time. I've still got 8 or 9 thousand rounds from that.
I co-own a family gun store in a small city (~100K people). We're getting anywhere from 15 - 50 'bricks' a week on average. Wholesale prices have increased, but maybe 10-20% at most (ie bricks that used to cost $12 now cost $18 at wholesale) so retail price increases are being driven on the demand side not the supply side. Unfortunately, I assume most dealers are getting this amount or less per week - so it never 'catches' up to demand and sells out in a couple of hours.
I've felt bad pricing 500rd bricks at $32.00 just to help meter want vs need (also limit 1 per customer) but I guess we've been offering a real bargain.
A lot of customers just don't understand how high ammo demand is right now. We sold 80,000 rounds of 22LR in one hour a month ago when we got an exceptionally large shipment in. We can easily sell 10,000 rounds of 5.56/223 in a day or two where in the past that would be a 4-6 week supply. And this includes setting aggressive limits per customer.
I was starting to see .22 and other calibers pretty regularly for a few week and then it seems like everything dried up again and I am seeing less than before.
If you have one close try the local gun stores instead of the big box stores. Also ask, a few have been "hiding" it behind the counters.
-Cranky
I don't think there's really a shortage. People are paying crazy prices for .22LR at gunbroker.com auctions where there is a ton of ammo available. Until people stop shooting themselves in the foot with that stupid behavior these prices will continue.
I was on the road last weekend.
No .22 anywhere I asked, including
a large, independent sporting-goods
store that had quite a lot of other ammo.
No .22LR to be found here, at any price. It's simply not available, and hasn't been for quite awhile.
A few weeks ago at our local show, it was $65 for those bricks of 525. Looking at $185 makes that seem like an insane bargain. I really hate to start thinking that's any kind of "new normal", though.
It's looking like it's time to take the guns out of the safe and put the ammo in it!
Nada, zip, zilch and squat, here in beautiful St. Augustine, FL.
Geoff
Who is annoyed because I thought I had two more bricks...sigh.
Nothing much out in western SD, either. There was some at a local gunshow last weekend. A young guy stopped at my tables to talk and was carrying a brick of Winchester Wildcat. He told me he had just paid $69 for it. I am still shooting some of that I bought over the years at local farm store for $9.89 a brick...
I bought a case of CCI MiniMag last November. I would happily let it go to someone who wanted to pay $0.50/round. I have bills to pay.
Wal-Mart is not gouging on prices, but deliveries are what they expected to be normal based on Dec of last year predictions. I got 3x333 bricks at about $15/ea, which should hold me till the end of the year.
When the panic dies down, supplies will return.
In the Baltimore area, I was able to get two 375-round bricks of CCI for $25 each last week. Had to show up at 0730 to do so, and was lucky I did so on the one day that week that they got some in.
I have a neighbor that works at the local Cabelas. According to him corporate made the decision to not dick with their prices. Basically they are sticking to their normal markup and putting a 250 round per trip limit. 21.99 for a box of 38sp and 20.99 for WWB 7.62x51 for example and the same for their firearms. From watch the prices this seems to be what they are doing. They are doing this even though they know people are buying and reselling.
I am much as I am not fond of the Walmart of the Outdoors I have to give them credit for this. Their prices generally such but in this climate they are not abusing their market clout.
La Crosse WI .Ace Hardware had limited supply and charged 17.50 for 50 rounds .April 19 2013
Larry's Pistol and Pawn, Huntsville, AL, $9 bucks for box of 50, three box max. If you boughy a Ruger .22 you could but a brick 500rnds for $40.
I've been buying 22LR for some time now (6yrs) whenever I could. Didn't matter the brand or the grain. I just felt like I "should" buy it while it was plentiful and cheap. Bulk bricks, Cases of Mini-Mags, Shorts etc. I bought all I could afford to.
Thank God.
Correction $3.99 at Larrys.
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