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Post by maxcactus on May 26, 2014 2:13:21 GMT -5
I think it was a recent issue of Handgunner or Guns magazine that quoted one major (and anonymous) ammunition manufacturer as being 3 BILLION rounds back ordered on .22 LR ammo alone! I don't know about the rest of you all, but I'm scared witless of consuming my reserves of .22 LR software. I have a fair reserve, nothing astronomical, but I'm actually afraid to use it for fear that either I may not be able to replace it, or if I can, at RIDICULOUS highway robbery prices! A co-worker recently bought a case of .22 LR and paid $600 for basic, bulk stuff! Nothing fancy, but the same stuff we were paying $20/brick for only 18 months ago. He was just plain happy to get it. I was shocked that he paid $60/brick for stuff I was paying @ $20/brick 2 years ago.
My question(s). Do you see the ammo drought coming to an end anytime in the next few years? If so, do you see prices coming back to anything resembling reasonable, or will $30 - 60/brick for .22 LR be the norm? The current shortage and prices when available are scaring me away from using my current inventory. I'm trying to think rationally about this, but local shops including Mal-Wart have been EMPTY for 24 months or more now.
Your thoughts & opinions are appreciated. Max.
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Post by bigbore442001 on May 26, 2014 6:16:02 GMT -5
I am wondering that myself. It seems that in southern New England you can't buy 22 lr to save yourself. It is almost like deer hunting in that you have to be in the right place at the right time. I bought a can of Federal nitrogen packed 22 lr for $25 about a month or so ago. That was the last time I saw 22 lr for sale in my geographic area. When I happen to see some 22 lr for sale every gun shop and retail outfit are selling no more than one to three boxes per customer.
I do see shotgun shells and centerfire ammunition but the problem is that it seems to have almost doubled in price. More than twenty years ago I sold a Ruger Single Six in 32 HR magnum. I wished I still had it because at this current rate I believe I could reload it cheaper and have a useful plinking gun. I too share the same feeling about not shooting too much of my 22 lr horde.
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Post by seancass on May 26, 2014 7:28:28 GMT -5
Actually, I'm starting to be pretty optimistic on this. If you look at sites like Arms list (can I say that?) there is a bunch of 22 for sale, for $45-100 per brick. I personally lucked into a brick at a store for $24. And wouldn't you know it, that exact same type of ammo was listed for sale on the web for $50 the next day! I went about 18-22 months without buying any 22. And no, I don't have a big stock pile, I just had to stop shooting it as much.
Point is, around here atleast, it seems the ammo IS coming in. But the demand is just too high. Nearly every store has some 22 now, just at crazy prices. Except the bigger stores, which i suppose follow national price guidelines and sell out quickly. I also don't think anyone is shooting much 22 so sooner or later people are going to get comfortable.
It wasn't long ago that all the primers in the country disappeared. Now, primers are on shelves again. Powder is still pretty rare. Haven't heard much good news about pistol powder, but you know they're making it as fast as they can.
Maybe I'm just being too optimistic this morning. I'm still not shooting much 22. It's just too cheap to make 38 and there are lots of components available.
I was just thinking last night it's about time we all started emailing the guys online who are selling ammo for crazy prices and start offering them regular prices. There's enough 22 online locally around here that the price should be dropping.
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jsh
.327 Meteor
Posts: 884
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Post by jsh on May 26, 2014 8:21:35 GMT -5
Sierras web site had about the best explanation of the situation I have seen. I am like a lot of others I just quit shooting what I had. I skipped out on indoor bullseye just for this very reason. I refuse to be part of this crazed frenzy on the buyer or seller end. I do have to admit that I thought long and hard on selling all of my match ammo at the inflated price. A very tidy sum it would have been. I just can't do that to fellow shooters. Heck, I gave a brick to a young person so they could shoot the indoor league. Bad decision on my part as I was swamped by vultures for weeks, still a few flying around off and on. If I didn't have several sentimental safe queen .22s I would be rid of all of them ammo and all. Got involved in a layed back BR rimfire game a out three years ago. I didn't have a sporter that would a sporter that would accept a scope with out d and t the receiver so a new one was procured. Am I showing my age by not having a scope ready .22? Now am stuck with it to a point as the the just shoots to good to give up. Then the ammo issue showed and I backed way off of that game. Well it shot so well I swapped a couple of WW rimfire rifles straight across for a nib old stock .22 hornet savage. A cast bullet and a pinch of powder and I have my reload able plinker. Somebody put a boot to my rear as I have not shot it yet and that was a year ago! One of the old CCM .22s would be neat to play with if good brass could be found. Jeff
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edk
.375 Atomic
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Post by edk on May 26, 2014 10:29:07 GMT -5
I don't know the answer to the situation. Thankfully I am not very heavily into rimfire - just very utilitarian stuff like a Ruger 10/22, etc. Got plenty for pest control but not to burn.
Given the centerfire situation is easing but still not great, I'm taking this as a message to never ever allow oneself to get short on that stuff. Practice is with cast 38s at this point.
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Post by nolongcolt on May 26, 2014 12:05:54 GMT -5
My boy and I have been burning up a few rounds of .22 lately for offhand and stick practice for an upcoming trip to South Africa in June. Its great for practice. Local range/store has bricks for about $40, not familiar with the brand, but they seem to have a fair amount of it. My brother who is getting out of shooting recently sold me a few bricks of Fed and Win for 80's prices. I think things are improving slightly. However there is this story running around about how the current administration is taking a backdoor approach to gun control by 'urging' banks to consider any gun operation a bad risk, and not loan them money, thus stifling the industry. Not a totally new story but it is bubbling up again.
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joej
.30 Stingray
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Post by joej on May 26, 2014 14:37:40 GMT -5
Some local gun stores are just jacking 22lr prices way up there. I have been purchasing 22lr ammunition over the past year at prices ranging from $58 for a Remington bucket (1,400 rounds), $19.00 to $22.00 for a value pack (525 rounds) of Remington's and I purchased some Winchester 333's but don't recall the price right now but they were in line with the other prices.
These were all purchased at the Mills Fleet Farm Store located in Brainerd, Minnesota. I have a friend over there and he will purchase what I want and when I pass through I just pick them up. They seem to get in fairly large orders every 2 to 3 weeks but they go fast.
Seems like some of the smaller gun shops in the area have bird-dogs in Brainerd who run in and purchase the limit amount every shift change and then turn around and double their money, as you can walk into their stores the day after Fleet Farm gets their order and you'll see the same type ammo on their shelves with the inflated price. I'm thinking some gun-show people probably do like-wise, as do those selling on gunbroker.
Remington/Winchester/Federal haven't increased their prices and are turning & burning the ammo out the door - so it's out there, you just have to be there when it arrives in today's purchasing climate. If the price is well above what it was 2 to 3 years ago - it's the gunshop making the profit. I would suspect some stores that are receiving shipments are probably selling online at inflated prices as opposed to selling to local customers at what should be the going rate.
I feel very fortunate to be living fairly close to Brainerd, Minnesota and Mills Fleet Farm as my kids, grandkids and myself are still shooting 22's any time we choose. They also have their own line of AR's, called the Huldra, which is made by Adams Arms to Fleet Farms specifications.
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Post by Ken O'Neill on May 26, 2014 15:55:50 GMT -5
In this area a local gun store has kept a pretty good supply of Aguila .22 LR for the last few months at the outrageous price of $65.00 for a brick of 500! Today for the first time in a year and a half, I saw some at Walmart (I'm told they receive some in dribs and drabs regularly, but I just haven't been in a store early enough to see any, until this morning). It was CCI stingers, which I don't use, so I passed it up. It was at Walmart's regular price. I still have a pretty good supply of the Federal and Winchester that I use, some of which goes back to the 1980's, so I can afford to wait. In my opinion, it will now be years before we see a return to unfettered supply, and the price then will be more than we paid 2 years ago... and it will stay that way until supply one day exceeds demand. I may not be alive to see that; hopefully my stash accumulated years ago will hold out until then.
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Fowler
.401 Bobcat
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Post by Fowler on May 26, 2014 17:46:09 GMT -5
We are seeing 22 ammo drop in he stores pretty regularly but the retired guys have nothing better to do than be there on stocking day and suck them up every time. After they pile enough up they sell them online or at the gun shows at 2 to 3 times what they paid for it. If you're a regular working guy you have no shot as they are sold by even lunch time.
I refuse to buy scalpers prices for anything. But by keeping an eye out I have found a brick here and there, enough to keep my son in bullets, especially if I keep him shooting single action pistols, bolt guns, and lever gun. I don't own a semi 22 gun of any sort, the boy would love it but we will cross that barrier when we have ample ammo stocks and he all appreciates the value of each shot. Not going teach him on semi autos that are great noise makers but not the best to teach accuracy with in my book.
Little by little it is getting better.
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Post by trueat1stlight on May 26, 2014 20:14:37 GMT -5
I'm starting to see CCI 100 round boxes of Mini Mag and 50 round boxes of Velocitor and Stinger for sale at Cabelas. They are sold for maybe a few dollars max above pre-panic pricing. I have also seen some bulk boxes/bricks of CCI Blaser and Winchesters in the little wooden crates going for $25-35. Glad we're getting out of this market!
-John
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cubrock
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TLA fanatic and all around nice guy....
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Post by cubrock on May 26, 2014 23:38:54 GMT -5
Don't put too much stock in backorder numbers. After Sandy Hook, every gun company was reporting being backordered 12 to 18 months - MILLIONS of units per company. The vast, vast majority of those backorders got cancelled when the demand ratcheted down in the fall of last year and supply exceeded it, producing a glut in the market that continues to net us some phenomenal deals on ARs. For instance, if you shop right, you can find Colt 6920s new in box for $900 or less. That is less than they were selling for new at Wal-Mart pre-Sandy Hook.
I have no doubt the rimfire shortage will go longer than the AR shortage, but it started later, too. In 2010, after the big run on guns and ammo of 2009, I was buying cases of Federal bulk pack for $170 shipped - that is a few dollars less than Wal-Mart was selling them for by the brick. A large retailer ran that deal about once a month as they were so overstocked on .22 LR after the shortage was over. Barring an unforeseen black swan event, we will see rimfire ammo exceed supply again and we will be able to stock up to weather the next storm. Save your money now, buy like mad then.
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Post by AxeHandle on May 27, 2014 8:08:12 GMT -5
I am actually enjoying shooting my 45 instead of my 22 just to conserve ammo.. Burning just enough 22 to be sure I have a good zero. Don't think I have fired a round of my personal rimfire ammo since January.. Burned a good 6000 rounds of my centerfire ammo over the same time period.
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dmize
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Post by dmize on May 27, 2014 21:34:41 GMT -5
We have 2 Wally Worlds in Jefferson City and I have friends in both the sporting goods departments at both stores. There is a sign stating that ammo is stocked between 7 and 8 am each day and there is a 3 box limit. Both friends say the same thing,each day about 6 am there is a line of people waiting and all the 22 ammo is gone before it hits the shelf. My lgs gets some in sporatically,he does have normal prices tho. Have another gs close and that jackass wanted $10 a 50 rd box for Remington Thunderbolts. I personally hope it ends and ends suddenly and all the online rapists choke on their stashes.
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Post by seancass on May 27, 2014 21:59:11 GMT -5
I personally hope it ends and ends suddenly and all the online rapists choke on their stashes. Here Here! My alternative plan is to start meeting people who are obviously gouging, like $75/brick of 22, and then politely punting them in the groin. It's only fair.
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Post by maxcactus on May 28, 2014 1:40:27 GMT -5
This has been an interesting conversation so far. Perhaps I should have clarified that I'm a father of a large family and regularly teach other children (and adults) to shoot, so having access to a regular supply of rimfire ammo is quite helpful. I've taken many children to Appleseed weekends wherein each shooter can burn through a brick of ammo in a weekend. I regularly provide ammo for those who run short or forget to bring their own, but when my supplies drop below a certain threshold, I start to worry and am reluctant to dip into those "emergency reserves" as it were. I will pray that those of you who are predicting a near and certain end to this shortage are correct. I suppose it doesn't help that I live in the PRK where knee-jerk reactions are common all around.
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