Rimfire 22WMR ammo - the price per round is INSANE!

I (may) have an option from a private seller for a KelTec 22 PMR pistol in 22WMR caliber. It feels nice in the hand, comes with 100 rounds, and I could (ordinarily) afford 2,500 additional rounds (retail online).

The cheapest prices of Armscor (not recommended by KelTec), CCI, Reminton, Winchester, that I find in stock (they say), online today are: $0.27, $0.28, $0.29, $0.30, $0.31 through and including $0.70 PER ROUND retail!!

What is wrong with the RETAILER's? Rimfire ammo price, which I cannot control through reloading, is INSANE.

17 HMR ammo has gone through the roof as well.

22wmr has in my opinion, always been disproportionately higher priced when compared to 22lr. Not sure why. volume of sales maybe? I really like the cartridge but have never owned one because of this.

It's been that way for years. Fortunately, I have enough on hand to last a long time.

$0.27 x 50 is $13.50 a box. That is not that much more than three years ago. I shoot a lot of 17 HMR and that was always cheaper than 22 Mag but currently it is significantly more. When I could find sales for $8.99 a box I would by a couple of cases of 17 HMR. I don't remember what the lowest 22 Mag prices were, but I've never seen it be less than 17 HMR until now.

Hello My Friend!!

I just was soaked for two boxes of Federal Punch as Federal wont sell to me at this location.

Love my PMR - 30!! But it takes much massaging and smoothing to make it a reliable runner.

CW

When I took the plunge to the magnum I bought enough ammo to smack woodchucks for a long time . I just wish I would have bought more to practice with .

Jack

I went back and checked mine from March 2020 and they were $0.124 each delivered for 5,000.

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Originally Posted by MrWolf

I went back and checked mine from March 2020 and they were $0.124 each delivered for 5,000.

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Wow! Where did you find that good of price? None of my sources in early 2020 came close to $6.20 per 50.

I purchase by the case also but 2,000 round cases are all I've found except for Armscor and they don't have the bullets I want.

I use 30 grain V-Max or 33 grain Remington AccuTip's for prairie dogs.

Stay out of the big "sports" stores, seen 19.99/50 for CCI at Academy last night.

I guess it's all relative.

Compared to .22LR, when you can catch it on sale---- its always been higher than giraffe lips.

Actually .22mag ammo is down considerably from where it was a few months back.

Before this madness I was paying 20 to 24 cents per round. Now if you use ammo seek you can find it for 28 to 30 cents for the bullet weight and brand you prefer. Not all that bad. That 70 cents a round is what it was up to for a while in most places. Those stores likely have not sold much, so have not reordered and received fresh shipments at lower prices. And with current prices elsewhere, they are not likely to sell much.

Considering that to reload centerfire is going to cost you 15 cents a primer and more for powder, lead, brass. It does not seem as bad as it could.
But if you have not been pricing ammo, wait till you see the prices on centerfire rifle ammo! Even .30-30 ammo that was available anywhere a year ago for 50 cents a round or less is now 2 or 3 dollars per round. 50$ for a box of 20, now that to me is greed pure and simple.

.22 Mag never made much sense to me. Cheaper to reload .223 to whatever power level desired in the rifles.

In a pistol, I never had the need...but can see others that want it.

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Originally Posted by dverna

.22 Mag never made much sense to me. Cheaper to reload .223 to whatever power level desired in the rifles.

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For a couple reasons, that was how I got into casting for .38Spec.
Since my time (according to an ex-wife) is worth about 4 cents an hour, I figured out
I could cast and shoot .38Spec. for almost the same price as buying premium .22s like CCI Stingers.

I posted a thread here on how I make .22 Mag from .22 LR that equals .22 Mag performance in my Ruger Single Six. I don't have a .22 Mag rifle since I have a .22 Hornet.

I did that development and testing just because I am an experimenter and it seemed possible. I was disappointed in .22 Mag in a pistol as it was barely better than the best .22 LR ammo. I think factory .22 Mag is tuned to rifle length barrels. I could post test data both mine and published that demonstrates this.
Tim

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Originally Posted by fastdadio

22wmr has in my opinion, always been disproportionately higher priced when compared to 22lr. Not sure why. volume of sales maybe? I really like the cartridge but have never owned one because of this.

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22 WMR uses "j words" and they're a lot more expensive than simple swaged lead bullets.

Down loading CF calibers to RF preformance is just great unless you LEGALLY LIMITED TO RIM FIRE!

CW

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Originally Posted by Land Owner

What is wrong with the RETAILER's? Rimfire ammo price, which I cannot control through reloading, is INSANE.

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What exactly do you think is happening here? You think that vendors are buying 22WMR at $0.02/rd and then selling it to you at a 20x markup in some vast conspiracy to force you to pay more than grandpappy paid so that they can smoke stogies and swim in a huge vault of gold coins like Scrooge McDuck? Maybe they learned it from the gas station and grocery store owners. Filthy price gougers making us pay more than grandpappy paid! Who do they think they are.

It's not the retailers. It's economics. And opportunity cost.

And 22WMR has always been relatively expensive...And shooting is an expensive hobby.

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Originally Posted by downzero

22 WMR uses "j words" and they're a lot more expensive than simple swaged lead bullets.

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Looking at some CCI WMR rounds on my shelf, the bullets are not jacketed they are plated.

Yes, others do use jacketed bullets.

TEK

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Originally Posted by Land Owner

What is wrong with the RETAILER's?

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Overall, some things are more profitable than others,
but they all work on a straight, fixed percentage of mark up over what they pay for it.

If they get word a price on something will go from 10 cents on something they sell for 15 cents
will now cost 15 cents on their next shipment, and then they'll need to sell it for 20 cents----
they have to mark up everything in stock to the new price of 20 cents to be able to pay for their next shipment at 15 cents.