the .22 ammo shortage, who are you?

[lx2008]

hi, this has been troubling me as i`m sure it has all of you for some time now.
this shortage is about as bad as it gets. but, i`m asking all that reply to this post to be honest!

how many of you that found bricks of walmart 525`s or 550`s or other good bulk ammo
bought thousands & thousands of rounds, more than you can use in a few months and then
when out and sold them at the extremely high going rate on the web? and still continue to
find them at store price ( when available) and keep selling them at these high prices?

people can say what they want about manufacturers not keeping up but if prices are to come down
these horders and sellers are going to have to stop!

i know people who wait at the counter when they off load trucks at my local walmart, buy them all
at their price and then go auction them off on web sites. ( i know this to be fact because one of the fellows
is a friend of mine and he says he has done this for the past year now). he said he makes enough profit
to get his for free. until these people stop this ****, or others stop buying at these high prices, we are never
going to be free of this shortage![smilie=b:

:mad:

[WallyM3]

I know this is a negative answer to your question, but, despite a seller account on GB, I have neither bought nor sold (except a one 525 to an acquaintance at loss) 22 LR ammo in three or four years.

[bangerjim]

I keep what I bought years ago. Since the prices went to crapola, I have not bought any. And I do not shoot any either! I can reload ANY of my cal's with reduced loads of cast PC'd boolits for less than I can buy 22's these days!!!!!

I despise those filthy clowns that stand in line at Walmart every morning to try and cash in on the limited number of bricks they have, then flip them at gun shows or on-line. Evil, disgusting people, the lot of 'em. If you want to earn money.......GET A JOB you bums!! Instead of stealing ammo for kids.


bangerjim

[destrux]

I think most of the people doing that are people outside of the shooting community.

They're the same people that watch to see what kids toy will be popular each Christmas and then they camp out at stores to buy as many as they can even though they don't even have any kids. Then they sell them on eBay to the people who were behind them in line that didn't get them cause they sold out.

That's the free market.

Even if people didn't do it, the stuff would still be gone from the shelves because people are still buying from the scalpers even for absurd prices so they'd buy it all up from the stores anyway.

It's a combination of all the new shooters we gained this past two years and the people who aren't happy to have "only" a couple thousand rounds on hand.

Edit: I just want to be clear that I don't agree with the scaplers and mark-up artists doing what they're doing, I still think they're scumbags. They're just not the cause of the shortage.

Also, I've never sold any .22LR, just want to make that clear here too.

[bubba.50]

the key to the solution is in the second half of yer statement. this will keep on until people quit payin' gouger prices. when they hafta start eatin' their hoarded stash for supper it'll come down.

[RogerDat]

I'm annoyed that the shops seem to not care. By simply moving the time of day they put out stock around at random they can put a stop to the "zombie" buyers camping out to be first in line. I have made a point of suggesting this at every store I do business with that sells ammo or reloading supplies. No interest from managers I have talked to. Just sort of an eh? reaction.

I had to dig some out of my stash to provide to my brother in law when he gave a .22 rifle to one of their grandkids. BTW - my stash is from purchases years ago and is probably about 500 rds.

[500MAG]

If I was able to get them at Walmart, I'd buy all I could. I would not sell them. The key to stopping this problem is to stop buying it a those stupid prices. It's the same situation with all the reloading items last year. I'm sure people ended up getting stuck with a bunch of stuff.

[Beagle333]

It's not even close to over. I been sitting on one brick (just so I don't have a reason to sell my .22 rifles) for 2 years. But our WM got a pallet in, and one of the guys from work was bragging about how he took his wife, daughters, in-laws and brother up there, twice, to get all he could at the 2 brick limit. He said he got 10K. Until folks like that get a basement full of .22 shells..... I'll just keep on shooting my cast loads and not thinking about it. Let em stockpile. It's a bit annoying, but it's not keeping me from shooting. I wouldn't be on the CastBoolits forum if all I shot was .22s. :D
Thanks to all who posted their wisdom and experience and freed me from any worry about the supply. I make my own boolits now!!

[calaloo]

I have a boat load of all types of .22 ammo. All of it from long before the crunch. I have not bought any at the ridiculous prices but I did think about selling some of it. But I didn't. I have given some away though. I don't know what it will take to get things back on an even keel but I wont be a part of the problem.
Calaloo

[FLHTC]

I have about 20,000 rounds of combined rimfire ammunition because i've gone through this kind of shortage before with Slick Willie. Just shoot something else until it passes because it will, but it might take a few more years.

[historicfirearms]

I had a brick of thunderbolts in my hands at Cabellas this week. $26 for 500. I put it back on the shelf. Who are these people that are buying it for $60 plus from the scalpers?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

hi, this has been troubling me as i`m sure it has all of you for some time now.
this shortage is about as bad as it gets. but, i`m asking all that reply to this post to be honest!
...snip


YAY, another 22LR thread...but I'll pipe in anyway.


This 22LR thing is about over, I've seen 22LR ammo in most places local to me, that are serious about selling ammo, but it's at the NEW price, which is $5 to $6 per box of 50 for the econo-ammo. I don't think you'll see it on the shelf for much cheaper ever again.


Who cares, nothing you can do !


NOW, do you want to keep worrying about 22LR
OR prepare for the next shortage ?


Next up is Powder.

Yeah, it's been spotty lately, but it's about to get worse, much worse. Yes, It's gone up about 25% in the last 18 months, but the manufacturers see what has happened to 22LR and they'll want a piece of that. I predict a powder shortage to rival the 22LR shortage ...afterwhich, the new price will be $50+ per pound for the previously inexpensive powders, and $75+ for rarer powders that are typically "batch run", so there will be annual seasonal shortages, just like the brass manufacturers do with 30-40 krag and 22 hornet and other rare calibers.


So, lx2008, Are you gonna stock up ?
or am I gonna be able to tell you, "I told you so"
Good Luck,
Jon

[GRUMPA]

Next up is Powder.

Yeah, it's been spotty lately, but it's about to get worse, much worse. Yes, It's gone up about 25% in the last 18 months, but the manufacturers see what has happened to 22LR and they'll want a piece of that. I predict a powder shortage to rival the 22LR shortage .


So, lx2008, Are you gonna stock up ?
or am I gonna be able to tell you, "I told you so"
Good Luck,
Jon

I see it now, I have folks that want this and that so I give them a list. A person that had a list traveled from the north to the south of AZ and came up short.

As most know I offer reformed brass, just in the 300BO line I went from 25-30k a month to maybe 4-5k a month. Most of them pretty much say the same thing, they can't find the powder they want like they used to.

[nannyhammer]

We are starting to see .22 show up again. I refuse to pay anybody their jacked up prices and hope that they get stuck with the ones they are trying to sell. When the shortage first started I had about 1000 rounds total. Those rounds where split up between my dad who is disabled, my brother's teenage son and myself. Since they live on a farm they needed .22 ammo more than I do. As an interim fix I just shot more .38/9mm cast bullets to make up the difference. As .22 rounds have re-appeared I have built back up to about 2000 rounds of WW bulk/CCI mini-mags and CB Longs. I don't ever see myself sitting over several thousand rounds of any kind of ammo.

[fatelk]

The bulk of the problem is with people who think that for some reason or another .22 ammo or gunpowder will be unavailable or extremely expensive in the future, so they need to stockpile absolutely all they can get their hands on now. if all these folks suddenly stopped buying more than they would have in normal times of plenty, it would be back on the shelves in short order.

People who think that this is a bubble that will end someday don't stockpile the basement full. The "gougers and flippers" only reinforce the fear by clearing the shelves; it's the "hoarders and preppers" causing the shortage.

I think perhaps a better question would be, for those of you who are stockpiling like it's the end of the world: what specifically leads you to believe that rimfire ammo or powder will be exceptionally rare or expensive in years to come?

1. Future government regulation causing crazy high prices? (our friends in other countries know about this)

2. OPEC limiting production to maintain profits? (Organization of Powder Extruding Companies) :)

3. Never-ending high demand with supply never catching up? (Contrary to the law of supply and demand)

4. Some end-of-the-world scenario, where supply is completely cut off? (Martial law & UN death camps, zombie apocalypse, meteor strike doomsday, etc.)

Personally I think that eventually manufacturers will catch up, and people will wise up and stop buying quantities they'll never use. But that's just me, and I have been wrong before.

[fatelk]

Oh, as to the original question; yes, I sold a bunch of 22 ammo last year on gunbroker, for an embarrassingly huge profit.

I haven't actually bought any in years. I had many thousands of rounds that I had accumulated over the years and not shot, most from an estate sale. I had also just gotten laid off, new baby and medical bills, sold our house for a loss and moved for a new job, in that order and over the course of just a couple months.

I somehow felt a little guilty from the crazy prices the ammo got bid up to, but the buyer set the price, not me. It was a rough time that I don't even care to remember and I needed the money. Even then I wouldn't do something as cheesy as wait in line at 5am and call various relatives and acquaintances to come help buy me their quota so I could flip it to some poor desperate sucker online for a few measly bucks.

Even if I didn't think it was unethical (I do), no way it would be worth my time. I'd just as soon stand on a street corner with a cardboard sign.

"Anything helps"? Nah
"Out of work and hungry"? Nah
"Why lie, I just need a beer"? Nah, not for me.
"Please give me money for booze and drugs because I'm either too lazy to work or just plain unemployable"? No
"Will Work For Ammo"? There we go!

[trails4u]

I had 3-4K rounds....piled up over the years. Some I still have...some I gave to a Boy Scout troop through this site. I really don't think about 22lr too much. We hunt squirrels with it, shoot targets with the kids....but I've never experienced a personal 'shortage' of it, so we just keep rollin'.... Find me a kid that can't shoot because they don't have it, and I'll have less than I have now. :)

[plmitch]

We've been lucky here. No real shortage of .22 at all. Just cheap people not willing to pay the asking price. OK with me, give me a better selection. Haven't sold any myself. It would be pointless to try. Too easy to find anywhere.

[bobthenailer]

From my 50+ years of being a avid shooter , reloader and boolet caster it seemes about every 10 years or so, just about everything almost doubles in price !

as far as 22lr i have pleanty on hand for my needes for a few years, i currently shoot 100 to 150 rounds per week and would shoot more if the supply & prices ever went back to normal.

Ive sold a few hundred to 2 friends,

and gave my BIL 3 boxes of fed AM for his BD and 5 boxes of fed AM for Christmas 2013.

also gave my grandson 2- 550 packs when i handed down his moms and aunt's Chipmunk 22 rifle i bought for them when they were 9 ,
I gave it to him in the summer of 2013 when he was 8

I just recently got him his first deer rifle a Rem #7 youth model in 7/08 with a 2x7 vx2 leupold scope , i worked up some reduced pratice loads with the speer TNT 110gr hp and 5744 powder @1,700 fps will group 1/4 inch at 50 yards , he is not gitting it until next year when he is 10 ,

I tried cast and the throat is to short for use in his rifle.

[Bonz]

I quit shooting my 22's until after this drought is over. Hard enough these days to cover the cost of reloading components ...

[FLHTC]

I quit shooting my 22's until after this drought is over. Hard enough these days to cover the cost of reloading components ...

The drought is over but the price isn't coming down. I have dealers tell me they won't stock it because it's so expensive. They can get it without a problem but they say what is the use of buying it when it just sits on the shelf?

[375RUGER]

BWWAAHAHAHAHA!!! you'll never find out who I am.

[375RUGER]

DRAT! Now the NSA knows.
.
.
.
Who cares anyway? The idiots that pay the inflated prices are just as much to blame. This so called friend of yours isn't much of a friend if he isn't going to let you buy some at cost or with a small price increase.

[snowwolfe]

I have enough to last maybe 5 years. I did sell quite a few bricks before moving out of Alaska at a profit but think the price was fair as about a dozen people all wanted to buy it. Then I sold three bricks of Federal bulk packs I bought for under $10 to a gent I met at a gun store who begged me to sell them and he offered me $65 a brick about a year ago.
I don't plan on selling any more and lately have been buying CCI SV for $50 a brick online when I see it as my S&W 41 loves the stuff.

Have no heartburn with anyone who wants to stand inline and buy just to resell. They are working for their money by being there and then renting a table at gun shows.

Prices are what they are. Seems the people who complain the most are the ones who were caught with their pants down and ran out.

[w0fms]

The only time I've ever been banned from something on-line-- despite being quite the sarcastic SOB-- was on Facebook when one of the LGS's had me come over to "see something" on their computer. $600 AR-15 lowers on Gunbroker. When they were $89 in the store "before".

So I tended to comment, not even rudely, on things that were.. well.. overly inflated due to political situations.. got banned about the fifth time. But then again who needs to shop at the "macho" store that laughs at customers when they leave in front of other customers, anyway? It's their choice to do business that way-- and their right-- but it's ours not to do business with them-- EVER AGAIN or it will happen every time a Democrat is in power. The dude's friend is not a good guy either...

As for 22LR.. I'm stocking more than I would have.. but only buying at "new normal" prices (10-15% more) when I see it. I have a 12 and 13 year old, so 90%+ of it goes to them anyway.. I am about to start my 10 year old daughter too.. and then we will burn through it very quickly..

This all will end, one way or another, by the end of the year... be patient. You just have to be willing to act when you see it in stock, no hesitation now... or shoot something else and leave it for the kids.. literally...

[WILCO]

how many of you that found bricks of walmart 525`s or 550`s or other good bulk ammo
bought thousands & thousands of rounds, more than you can use in a few months and then
when out and sold them at the extremely high going rate on the web? and still continue to
find them at store price ( when available) and keep selling them at these high prices?

It's called capitalism. Trust me, you won't like it when capitalism is brought to an end.

[lawboy]

I bought heavily in 2008-2009 BEFORE the shortage. I have sold nothing. I have, however, GIVEN a fair amount of 22lr ammo away. I also recently traded 100 rounds of something I had for 100 rounds of something I wanted to a fellow member on another Internet forum. I am in no danger of running out.
I have no issues with people buying low and selling high. this is MERICA!

[mtnman31]

I am getting low on .22 (less than a 1000rds). I just haven't been shooting .22 that much lately. Honestly, I have enough other ammo in the calibers I reload that it does't bother me. My attitude towards restocking my .22 stash is pretty casual: I'll get around to it when I don't have to wait in a line or pay more than average. I realize that the average cost is rising and won't return to "the good ol' days" pricing, but such is life. Everything costs more now than it did a few years ago.

[rking22]

I have enough 22s to last me if they have to. I refuse to pay even the "new" normal prices much less the scalper prices. I have been buying what I needed plus "some for hard times" for decades. Idea was when I retire I won't need to buy ammo. Same with reloading components,haven't bought anything at the inflated prices. Now I am near out of 12ga target powder so may have to ,but I am going to be patient. I can shoot my 410 indefinately. Air rifles have replaced the 22 in my plinking activitys and cast bullets in the rest. Raised by depression era parents , I have been saveing for a rainy day. That rainy day is here. Now I did sell an AR lower for twice what I paid for it last year, but I figured after 3 years and never built it up , I just wasn't that interested. It paid for a Beretta 84 that is a ball to shoot.
No way will I pay 25$ for 550 bulk boxes of the junk they been putting in those cartons for the last few years. Actually have thought of selling some I have, but "I might be needing those for squirrels and such" sometime. Kids can shoot them or sell em when I'm gone. Spo ,in my case no buying and no sellin either.

[lx2008]

YAY, another 22LR thread...but I'll pipe in anyway.


This 22LR thing is about over, I've seen 22LR ammo in most places local to me, that are serious about selling ammo, but it's at the NEW price, which is $5 to $6 per box of 50 for the econo-ammo. I don't think you'll see it on the shelf for much cheaper ever again.


Who cares, nothing you can do !


NOW, do you want to keep worrying about 22LR
OR prepare for the next shortage ?


Next up is Powder.

Yeah, it's been spotty lately, but it's about to get worse, much worse. Yes, It's gone up about 25% in the last 18 months, but the manufacturers see what has happened to 22LR and they'll want a piece of that. I predict a powder shortage to rival the 22LR shortage ...afterwhich, the new price will be $50+ per pound for the previously inexpensive powders, and $75+ for rarer powders that are typically "batch run", so there will be annual seasonal shortages, just like the brass manufacturers do with 30-40 krag and 22 hornet and other rare calibers.


So, lx2008, Are you gonna stock up ?
or am I gonna be able to tell you, "I told you so"
Good Luck,
Jon

no i`m not. just to show that i put my money where my mouth is, i had found a deal from an arizona gun club a few months ago.
they were selling the 525 paks at 23 dollars a box. they had plenty i was told by the gun club rep., i only bought 2!

i was thinking of the next guy cuz i like to be treated the same way as i treat people!

[lefty o]

the shortage is over, if your willing to pay the price for it, it is available. once everybody quits panicking, and hoarding, and paying the rediculous prices, it will level back out to normal retail prices. if your paying scalpers prices, you are part of the problem.

[FLHTC]

the shortage is over, if your willing to pay the price for it, it is available. once everybody quits panicking, and hoarding, and paying the rediculous prices, it will level back out to normal retail prices. if your paying scalpers prices, you are part of the problem.

If you saw what the dealers are having to pay to get it, you wouldn't say that. You are looking at normal retail prices now

[fatelk]

It's called capitalism. Trust me, you won't like it when capitalism is brought to an end.

True! Actually a great comparison- under communism you can get what you want two ways:
1. Wait in line to pay at the store to pay the official price, when it's available, and hope they don't run out. ($20 bricks at Walmart?)

2. Buy it on the black market right now, for triple the price. ($65 bricks from a scalper?) :)

Yep, I think capitalism at its worst resembles communism, whereas to make communism work they have to use a little capitalism!

(Yeah I know it's not a perfect analogy. I just thought it was funny)

[Vinne]

We have many club members who don't shoot the 22 matches anymore because they don't want to replace their shrinking stock with ridiculously overpriced ammo. I sure hope this ends soon, I miss the fun at the matches.

[brtelec]

I would be surprised to ever see 22LR below .08 to .10 a round as the norm again. My best friend and I bought bricks any time it was less than 20 bucks. At this point we have about 30,000 rounds. I have sold a few bricks during this drought, but at 20 bucks a brick to my friends with kids. I was at the range a few months ago and there was a guy with two young kids shooting a Cricket. He broke out two 50 round boxes and explained to them that it was all they were going to shoot that day because they had to spread out the ammo they had left. My wife pulled about a half a brick of .22 out of my range bag and gave it to them. She was very pleased with herself. My comment was "you could have at least got $10- for it. I can not repeat her response to me! :-P

[fatelk]

I would be surprised to ever see 22LR below .08 to .10 a round as the norm again.

I totally understand how you feel, but big box stores (Walmart, etc.) sell it all the time for half that, as the current retail norm. They apparently can make money on it at that price. That's likely high retail from a cost-of-production side. Walmart doesn't jack it up to "whatever the market will bear" like others because that's not their pricing structure.

If and when supply catches up with demand I just can't see normal retail price being more than current big-box retail, in the middle of a crazy high demand bubble.


We have many club members who don't shoot the 22 matches anymore because they don't want to replace their shrinking stock with ridiculously overpriced ammo. I sure hope this ends soon, I miss the fun at the matches.

This brings up another thing I'm curious about, that nobody seems to really know: just where is all this .22 ammo going?

Production they say is above and beyond all-time highs. More is being manufactured and sold every day than ever before in history, yet when I go to the range I see relatively little .22 brass on the ground, where it used to be covered. This seems to tell me that the bulk of production is being socked away in mass quantities in closets and basements around the country for whatever reason where it will probably never be used.


The drought is over but the price isn't coming down.
I'm inclined to think that the price isn't coming down because the drought isn't over yet. I guess all I'm trying to say is that when Walmart gets any in stock, it's on the shelf at around $20/brick for a few minutes until the scalpers snap it all up. When supply catches up with demand, it will stay on the shelf all day long, for the same $20/brick that you can buy it for right now if you can beat the scalpers to it. If they produce more than they can sell and the shelves get full, they might have a "roll-back" to $18 or less.

I actually read an interesting article on this subject that someone linked to in another thread. It indicated that most manufacturers were hesitant to spend any big capital to increase expenses, the insinuation being that they think that if the Republicans take both houses in November, demand will drop like a rock.

[FergusonTO35]

I have a few thousand rounds I accumulated from 2008 to 2010 when .22 LR was the only thing available. With the very modest amount I use for practice and sight in I would say it will last me at least 20 years or so.

I'm personally very sick and tired of these people who think nothing of spending everything they've got and running up the credit cards on guns an ammo because they so firmly believe it will be banned soon, but they can't find a measly $35.00 to join the NRA or another gun rights group. One of my relatives who is otherwise a stand up guy is like this. He keeps asking me if I know where he can buy some .22's because he believes they will be banned, restricted or taxed out of existence soon. This guy is in extremely poor health and his hunting and shooting days are mostly over, but he still paid $50.00 for a brick of .22's with water stains on the box at an estate auction. I keep telling him that if enough people behave like be does they are going to get exactly what they are asking for. I won't help him or anyone else hoard stuff they will never use at the expense of those of us who are actually out shooting and hunting, especially when they won't even extend modest support to protecting our gun rights.

[lefty o]

If you saw what the dealers are having to pay to get it, you wouldn't say that. You are looking at normal retail prices now
the normal retail prices are what your seeing at walmart and cabela's, in short time all others will fall in line. this has all been driven by panicstricken fools, and thats it.

[Combat Diver]

I haven't bought any .22LR in over a year as I haven't seen any on any store shelves in several states. Only shoot it when the grandkids are over and they got some of my stash for Christmas.


CD

[Silverboolit]

Was at Academy today, they had 2-300 50rd boxes for 3.00-8.00 each. Two box limit, though.

[Glassman66]

This 22 shortage is what has driven me to finally quit reading about reloading and actually do it! My daughter ever saved up to buy her own rifle when she was 11 because "this is way more fun than video games"! We have about 2000 rounds because we have not shot much so we would not run out and getting lucky lately finding ammo. Price was decent too, but the shipping made it pricey from Midway so I bought a couple of mags for my 22/45 to help even it out.

30-06 is the only centerfire rifle I own right now, so that is what I am starting with. Hope to get a 357 mag barrel put on my H&R so I can start casting for it and really cut my cost of shooting.

I am not so sure it isn't just as fun to reload as it is to shoot. I think I might just be happy reloading for kids and watching them shoot!



Randy

[shooterbob]

Free enterprise is what makes America. Is it immoral? To some it is and to some it is not. That is what makes this country great is the ability to do whatever we want(within the law) and its not wrong, just immoral to some of us. I agree that I don't like it either, but it's been happening since the first days of commerce. Buy low sell high. You don't have to like it. But you either have to cave and buy em high or stand in line with the hoarders and scalpers. Or not shoot em I guess. Btw I do not buy them and sell. I haven't seen a brick in 3 yrs. Lucky to get 50 for 7.00 right now.

[CopperniX]

I buy .22 ammo whenever I can find it but I don't sell it because it is getting hard to find around here.

[Artful]

after it went over 35 per brick I quit buying - and I have heard the scalpers were at a gun show here in phoenix and no one was buying their stuff at $65 to 105 per brick asking price.

[Geraldo]

The Walmart price is the Walmart price, not "normal retail". Normal retail works like this: Winchester makes ammo and sells it to Ellett Bros or some other distributor. Ellett then resells it to retailers such as your local gun shop. Walmart on the other hand buys direct from the manufacturer and depending on the size of the company they're dealing with, they either negotiate or dictate the price. That's why Walmart's price is always lower than your LGS.

I've paid the new retail for .22, just the same as I pay retail for gasoline, whiskey, bacon, and banjo strings.

Oh, and I learned early not to sell ammo or dies because no matter how obscure the cartridge, odds are good I'll buy another gun chambered for it down the road.

[Petrol & Powder]

.................





until these people stop this ****, or others stop buying at these high prices, we are never
going to be free of this shortage![smilie=b:

:mad:

I don't engage in the practice of buying merchandise at a retailer and then reselling that property for a profit. HOWEVER - I cannot find fault in those that do use that capitalistic process to make a profit.
Those people are entrepreneurs and they are making a profit by taking a risk. If people wouldn't buy that product at the inflated price they would not be able to make a profit. The retailer is making a profit, as are all of the suppliers that lead up to that retail sale. Furthermore, federal, state and local taxes are being collected on that process (often multiple times in the supply chain). The entrepreneur must make enough profit to cover all of his expenses and that couldn't happen unless someone was willing to pay the much higher price charged in that final sale. If you want to blame someone for that shortage, blame the idiots that are willing to pay those inflated prices because they are scared they will not be able to get ammunition. Fear is an extremely powerful motivator and a useful marketing tool when your customers are weak minded people.
If you think that it is wrong to make a profit by engaging in an enterprise in which you take a risk by buying property at a low price in the hopes of selling it at higher price; I can strongly suggest you go read the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx. You'll probably agree with Mr. Engels & Mr. Marx.

[tazman]

I just purchased my first box of 22lr in over 4 years. $30 for a bulk box of 325 count. This is the first I have seen in a retail store at any price for a year except for a few round at a pawn shop at unbelievable prices(they wanted $100 for a box like I just bought).
I still have some from years ago when I stocked up at $2 a hundred. Maybe 1000 rnds.
Wanted to make sure I had some new ammo on hand in case the old stuff doesn't work any more. I had it stored in army ammo cans so it should be all right but you never know.
I am not likely to be buying much at these prices until I run out. Then I will pay whatever the going price is to get what I need.

[runfiverun]

I'm just watching the whole thing....lmbo.

I do find it amusing that people will pay someone more for going to the walmart and buying what they wanted from walmart to begin with instead of waiting a week for the next shipment...
OH MY GOD A WHOLE WEEK!!!!! nope better pay triple the price and have it NOW!!!!

[ghh3rd]

I wish people would refuse to pay gougers prices -- that would be a big step toward alleviating the high prices and shortages. As far as having more on hand than I would shoot in a month, yes I do, finally. I have found that if I go out of my way to be at a store when they open on their ammo shipping day, I can get one (the limit) brick of .22 for $25, about every other week. I have to invest time and effort in order to 'stock up' on .22's.

Since I was so short for so long, I have managed to accumulate about 3,500 rounds, which includes a 1,400 round bucket of Golden Bullets that I paid $70 for. In the 'old' days, I would take one or more of my sons to the range and easily shoot 500 rounds in a sesson. I don't feel that having enough on hand for seven (or even ten) trips to the range with my now older sons, or my grandsons makes me feel like a hoarder.

If I ever did sell someone any of my .22's, I would never sell them for more that I paid, or whatever the normal going rate is at the time. Doing elsewise nowadays would make me fell like a dirt bag.

By the way, I have found that I do try to make every round of .22 count now more than ever, and that my groups have gotten better as a result :-)

[tazman]

I'm just watching the whole thing....lmbo.

I do find it amusing that people will pay someone more for going to the walmart and buying what they wanted from walmart to begin with instead of waiting a week for the next shipment...
OH MY GOD A WHOLE WEEK!!!!! nope better pay triple the price and have it NOW!!!!

When you work for a living, quite often you can't get to the store in time to buy any. The scalpers have already taken it all while you were at work. Doesn't matter this week, next week, or a month from now they were standing in line when it came in while you were at work.
Every time I go to Walmart or any other store where they might charge the "reasonable" price, I check for availability. There never is any there. The clerk always says people were waiting when they stocked the shelves.
It's not a matter of "gotta have it now". It's a matter of what do I have to pay to get ANY.

[jcwit]

Wonder how much of the gougers profit is being reported.

[KohlerK91]

I'm just watching the whole thing....lmbo.

I do find it amusing that people will pay someone more for going to the walmart and buying what they wanted from walmart to begin with instead of waiting a week for the next shipment...
OH MY GOD A WHOLE WEEK!!!!! nope better pay triple the price and have it NOW!!!!


I don't think I could get time off so I could go to Walmart and wait in line for some 22's. And the difference between retail at Walmart and the flea market gouger price is not that much compared to the hours I would spend tracking down an incoming shipment and waiting in line.

"IF" I needed some I would just buy some and be done. However, I don't shoot 10,000 rounds a years and a brick of 500 lasts me a long time.

[runfiverun]

I work 15 straight day's at 17-18 hours a day.
I couldn't even tell you if there was a walmart within 200 miles of where I'm at most of the time, unless I happen to drive past one at 3:00 AM or on the way back at 9:00 pm.
still ain't worried about getting 22lr ammo.

[Down South]

I haven't even looked for any 22 ammo in the last 6 months or so. It's not worth my time. I've got a few K stashed back. I hardly ever shoot the stuff but the wife does. When it starts to cool down a bit here, she will start shooting again. She really likes her Ruger Mark III Hunter.
When she decides to start shooting again, I'll see if I can scrounge more ammo.
No, I have never sold any 22 rim fire ammo or any other ammo.

[shooterg]

If you figure the time those guys spend waiting in line to buy .22 for resale/gas they used to get to the line for 2 or 3 bricks...they ain't making that much. Maybe they have no job or they're just greedy. I don't care, it's still almost a free country.
Have noticed the flea market/gun show prices have dropped a little and it's not moving at their current $$ so maybe we're getting somewhere.

[DeanWinchester]

I don't even own a .22 so the answer is neither, but......I wish I had.
If I had it to do over, I'd have stocked up and sold the çrap out of them at super inflated prices.
Thats the entire premise of a free market capitalist society. Buy low, sell high, pocket the money.
Crying foul when people do this is pinko rubbish.

There's yet to be one reported case of anyone being strong armed into buying .22 ammo.

[CopperniX]

Was at the local Walmart today and the guy in sporting goods told me they had .22 ammo. They fully stocked the shelves (probably 45-50 bricks) and it all sold out in 20 minutes.

[WallyM3]

There is no such thing as pure Capitalism. Nor is there such a thing as pure Communism.

There is, however, such a thing as Character, which is admittedly subjective.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I don't have a dog in this hunt. When the price for a brick went past $8 I stopped shooting .22 lr's and I have not bought a brick in about 5 years. I only have one rifle in this caliber.

[fatelk]

When you work for a living, quite often you can't get to the store in time to buy any. The scalpers have already taken it all while you were at work. Doesn't matter this week, next week, or a month from now they were standing in line when it came in while you were at work.
I agree. I certainly don't have time to go early and wait in line multiple times just to buy a couple bricks of 22 ammo. I don't need to anyway, I don't shoot much and still have plenty from years ago. My only interest in this whole fiasco is in seeing how other people react to the situation, and in understanding what's causing it. Otherwise I'm just a casual observer. At the rate I shoot .22 ammo, I have many years worth saved up.


The Walmart price is the Walmart price, not "normal retail". Normal retail works like this: Winchester makes ammo and sells it to Ellett Bros or some other distributor. Ellett then resells it to retailers such as your local gun shop. Walmart on the other hand buys direct from the manufacturer and depending on the size of the company they're dealing with, they either negotiate or dictate the price. That's why Walmart's price is always lower than your LGS.
I guess Walmart isn't necessarily the best example. I only used that to illustrate that if Walmart can sell it for $20, then there is clearly profit to be made at that price, both for Walmart and the manufacturer. Most prices elsewhere are moderately higher during normal times because their costs are higher. But not double. When it's double that's a clear indication that there's plenty of profit cushion for all involved.

The reason you see such a huge disparity between big-box sellers like Walmart, Cabela's, and the like ($20 to $30 when the have it, disappears quick), and smaller retailers like your LGS, gun show, swap meet, and online ($50 to $75, plenty available), is that the big places follow a certain pricing structure based on their cost and overall competitiveness, whereas smaller retailers are more likely to charge "whatever the market will bear". The market will bear a lot right now.

Which of those two is the real normal retail price? Right now, both I suppose.

Which is likely to settle out as a realistic "normal retail" once demand subsides to more equal supply? Only what the market will bear. Once Walmart, et al, has stocks on their shelves for $20 available to anyone at any time, the market simply will not bear $65 at gun shows. $25 or $30 at your LGS? Sure, maybe, whatever. But not $50.

[fatelk]

By the way, please don't think I'm knocking the small gun shops and retailers. I've heard that their costs have risen dramatically because wholesalers have increased their profit margin because they can, and a lot of the small shops can't get a lot to sell even then. If they priced it low when it did come in, then the scalpers would just clean them out too leaving nothing to sell.

High volume/low margin works, and low volume/high margin works, but low volume/low margin is a recipe for going out of business. I may not like their price and won't pay it, but I guess I can't blame someone for setting their price wherever the market will bear.

[butch2570]

I don't engage in the practice of buying merchandise at a retailer and then reselling that property for a profit. HOWEVER - I cannot find fault in those that do use that capitalistic process to make a profit.
Those people are entrepreneurs and they are making a profit by taking a risk. If people wouldn't buy that product at the inflated price they would not be able to make a profit. The retailer is making a profit, as are all of the suppliers that lead up to that retail sale. Furthermore, federal, state and local taxes are being collected on that process (often multiple times in the supply chain). The entrepreneur must make enough profit to cover all of his expenses and that couldn't happen unless someone was willing to pay the much higher price charged in that final sale. If you want to blame someone for that shortage, blame the idiots that are willing to pay those inflated prices because they are scared they will not be able to get ammunition. Fear is an extremely powerful motivator and a useful marketing tool when your customers are weak minded people.
If you think that it is wrong to make a profit by engaging in an enterprise in which you take a risk by buying property at a low price in the hopes of selling it at higher price; I can strongly suggest you go read the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx. You'll probably agree with Mr. Engels & Mr. Marx.Maybe these scalpers you are speaking of should obtain a business license and collect sales taxes and consider being legitimate, instead of flying under the cover of the radar.

[6bg6ga]

Maybe these scalpers you are speaking of should obtain a business license and collect sales taxes and consider being legitimate, instead of flying under the cover of the radar.

I'll second this. I could see a legitimate business securing a bunch of 22 ammo for resale. I cannot see some queen purchasing all they are able to get their greedy little hands on just so they can beat someone else out of a legitimate purchase. This why the 22 ammo is at an all time high. I have two 100 ct boxes of 25+ year old 22's and I'm certainly not going to purchase a box at $8.00 or whatever their going for now. Unfortunately some of the offenders are here right on this site. Thanks guys.

[762 shooter]

I tried my best to cause a shortage in the summer of 2012. I was unsuccessful.

I would never sell a commodity that I couldn't guarantee that I could replace.

No one is forcing anyone to buy 22LR. No one needs 22, you just want 22. There's a difference. It's not food or water.

762

[dtknowles]

Maybe these scalpers you are speaking of should obtain a business license and collect sales taxes and consider being legitimate, instead of flying under the cover of the radar.

Not only should they collect sales taxes they should pay income tax. Has anyone purchased ammo from one of those sellers, Scalpers or fleamarket sellers. Do they give you a receipt? I paid Scalper price for some thru Gunbroker with a credit card, I think this guy was a real business. At the local gunshow, I got a receipt and had to pay sales tax.

I have not tried the get to Walmart on ammo day thing. I am not much on getting up before the sun come up.

Even at 12 cents a round, .22 LR is the cheapest ammo I can find. I know that some people have plenty of time to Cast and Load ammo but I can shoot all I can Cast and Load each week. I am not talking about plinking ammo loaded on a progressive press, I mean Match Ammo. I guess that is another reason I don't get up early and look for ammo at Walmart. They rarely have Match Ammo.

Tim

[FergusonTO35]

The more I think about the more disgusted I am with both scalpers and hoarders. Yes it's perfectly legal and just an extreme example of how supply and demand works, I would never argue otherwise. But it is nothing more than pure selfishness, greed, and total lack of real concern about the future of shooting and hunting on the part of both. One side holds a fanatical, nearly religious conviction that hunting and shooting in the USA will soon come to an end. Without even offering nominal support to efforts to prevent that from happening they are going to just ensure they have their own supply, everybody else and future generations be damned. The scalpers recognize this and squeeze every last drop of profit out of these fools. They feed the hoarders' mania by hyping up every little bit of anti-gun news they can find as evidence that guns and shooting will soon be banned and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it, so give me the 500% markup that I so richly deserve.

I have no sympathy whatsoever for any of these people, they are only making everything worse for all of us who are members of gun rights organizations, vote, and are trying to get more people and future generations involved in hunting and shooting. The hoarders and scalpers really ought to reconsider their actions in light of the parable of the wealthy fool in Luke 12:16-21.

[ghh3rd]

She really likes her Ruger Mark III Hunter. I like mine, too! :-) And my SR22...

[Petrol & Powder]

Maybe these scalpers you are speaking of should obtain a business license and collect sales taxes and consider being legitimate, instead of flying under the cover of the radar.

Or maybe we should admire them for their initiative and boldness of execution........

[ghh3rd]

Stop buying from them - problem solved!

[GhostHawk]

If price continues to rise having .22lr in storage is a hedge against inflation.

Perhaps not quite as good as gold, but depending how where we go from here still quite valuable.

Unlike Gold, worst case scenario if the price drops you can still use it to put supper on the table.

Just common sense to me.

[mtnman31]

FergusonTO35, I think you are spot on.
I am all about a free market and capitalism. I'm just sick of the leeches in the shooting community who only look at the short term and what's-in-it-for-me side of things. They aren't helping the sport as a whole, they are only helping themselves. Unfortunately, not everyone has a stash of .22 ammo that they can pull from for the next five years. As long as people are buying, people will be selling at the large mark-up. It's just unfortunate that the shooting community can't find stability in prices and availability.

[Bob Busetti]

I'm finally up on CMP's 22 list. I ordered the minimum 1 case 14 months ago so I don't do the wally world thing.

[abqcaster]

the key to the solution is in the second half of yer statement. this will keep on until people quit payin' gouger prices. when they hafta start eatin' their hoarded stash for supper it'll come down.
+1 Agreed. It'll happen soon enough. until then I have small reloadble calibers i can shoot for less. The downside is, I can't really take my kids shooting with any centerfires, and I have no wish to start reloading .25acp, nor let my kids shoot any of the .25 **** guns that are available.

[kopperl]

Visited a small town on the Texas coast this past weekend. Three gun stores. #1 22 ammo for use on their range only. Most pistol ammo was the same.
#2 $4.99 a box no limit until it is gone.
#3 12.99 a 50 round box, $23.99 a hundred and $119 a brick.
Guess who had no people in the store.

[shooterg]

I've received 5 cases of .22 from CMP in the last year for our Club and passed it all out to members at cost. The current CLUB cost with shipping works out to $30.55 or $43.44 a brick for the 2 types of Aquila when available. And the guys are glad to get it.

[Duckiller]

SWMBO took me shopping at Wally World this afternoon. I found out why there is no 22LR. Clerk in his early 20s informed me that the "Government decides who get 22ammo". He wasn't wearing a tinfoil hat but sure should have been. Should be noted that Wally World had to give up their FFL for all stores in California because they couldn't hire people that could be trained in Federal and State firearms laws. Evidently their hiring standards haven't been raised.

[trapper9260]

I have pick up some boxes of 50 for someone that ask me if I see in the store for a some how normal cost to get some for him He is a gunsmith and he have people that needs some but he dose not gouge anyone.I just ask hm for what i paid for it and he return me my money that i put into it.otherwise I have stock up on 22lr way before any of this was think of .i did it because for how things was going the hand writtien was on the wall.I use my mainly for when I run my trap line.If I start to get low on them and the price is too high in the store i will just use my 327 and shoot 32 S&W in them and keep reloading .It will be cheaper in the long end.That is why I got that gun in the first place beside shoot many other different rounds in it.As for the ones that pay the high prices ,the way i see it there is alot of new gun owners out there an some do not know really what the normal is anymore or did know so they pay the price that there is.and some can not waite so they ay the high price.

[Garyshome]

I'm the guy that caused the shortage. But thanks for asking!

[flounderman]

There are a certain type of people that you see trolling the flea markets, yard sales, salvation army, resale shops, that show up at these places like buzzards on a dead cow, and you will probably see these same people, or same type, camping out waiting for the .22s to go on the shelf. These people are not buying much they intend to keep, just looking for something they can sell for more than they paid for it.

[rhead]

I'm the guy that caused the shortage. But thanks for asking!


Not alone you aren't i helped too. I started buying by the case in 1992 and quit it it got to be what i no longer considered to be a bargain ($150) per case. Now I am a hoarder because I choose to keep something that I do not want to sell, even at the current free market price, I am told that I should sell it at the price I paid.

I do not understand why they adhere to that economic theory. The ones who had access to the same data chose to delay stocking up for the coming shortage are now demanding to be taken care of by the ones who did.

Should i also be required to sell the Wal Mart stock that i bought in the late seventies or the Apple stock from the early eighties for the original purchase price?

What about the timberland I bought in 1968. should i have to sell for $60 per acre to satisfy you? I have made other purchases that are now worth less than what I paid. who should take care of me on them?

Perhaps they were not paying attention during story time and the teacher covered the ones about the aunt and the grasshopper or the little red hen and the grains of wheat.

[mozeppa]

most of all my 22's are in little 50 round boxes that have a 69 cent sticker on them.

(at least some do, as the stickers have not fallen off yet!):bigsmyl2:

[clodhopper]

A wise man told me to "buy it cheap, stack it deep"
So I went to wall mart every pay day and bought two bricks.
probably have enough ammo to wait untill there are pallets of it sitting on the floor in the store with an orange sign that says SALE while people walk by an yawn.
Yah, I sold a case to the local hunter saftey program, I took bricks of stuff that was not so good to the gunshow hidden in a canvas bag and sold it at very resonable prices when gunshow prices were headed up past 65 dollars a 500 round brick. The buyers were very happy.
Several kids with no ammo had some after meeting me. I
wish to restate the advice given to me years back.
Buy quality cheap, stack it deep.
Yep I caused it, in a way that if the manafactures were watching, they could have upped production sooner.

[Bob Busetti]

I too bought it when it was cheap. I don't sell it, didn't buy it to resell. Seeing the various resellers offer stuff 4x what they gave for it sucks.
Even the LGS offers 22 ammo for $100 per brick. Me being a long time customer at that store was offered a discount price of $90 per brick. Haven't been back. When I tell these people I can shoot cast boolits cheaper than that, they say "but your not shooting a 22, which is more fun". Really?

[shooterg]

"These people are not buying much they intend to keep, just looking for something they can sell for more than they paid for it."

This statement for sure is true about almost all of us in re almost anything !

We can wish they'd settle for a smaller profit margin, but hey, that's the USA way.

[dwb0804]

Backordered for nearly a year. Finally delivered today.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/12/egyhyvu6.jpg

[Surculus]

Should be noted that Wally World had to give up their FFL for all stores in California because they couldn't hire people that could be trained in Federal and State firearms laws. Evidently their hiring standards haven't been raised.

No, WM chose to give up selling firearms in all their PRK stores because they deemed it not worth the hassle from CA DOJ to maintain that dept. within the stores in an area increasingly hostile to firearms ownership. It had nothing to do with training, & everything to do with making the largest profit with the least legal exposure.

[salvadore]

I have always had a stash of .22 rimfires and have never been caught wanting, if I come across a box of 22s now I buy it. You can blame hoarders and capitalists for your short sightedness or you can pay attention and be prepared.

[Tristan]

hi, this has been troubling me as i`m sure it has all of you for some time now.
this shortage is about as bad as it gets. but, i`m asking all that reply to this post to be honest!

how many of you that found bricks of walmart 525`s or 550`s or other good bulk ammo
bought thousands & thousands of rounds, more than you can use in a few months and then
when out and sold them at the extremely high going rate on the web? and still continue to
find them at store price ( when available) and keep selling them at these high prices?

people can say what they want about manufacturers not keeping up but if prices are to come down
these horders and sellers are going to have to stop!

i know people who wait at the counter when they off load trucks at my local walmart, buy them all
at their price and then go auction them off on web sites. ( i know this to be fact because one of the fellows
is a friend of mine and he says he has done this for the past year now). he said he makes enough profit
to get his for free. until these people stop this ****, or others stop buying at these high prices, we are never
going to be free of this shortage![smilie=b:

:mad:

People will always, always, try to profit opportunities available to them. The .22 ammo scalpers are only going to stop when this one condition is met: people quit buying it from them. When there's no more profit from the scalping, they'll go back to trading baseball cards or something...

BTW, I haven't scalped a single round of .22, ever. Given some away to someone in need, but never scalped a big price due to the shortage.

Maybe I'm the fool.

[Love Life]

I have bought from scalpers. Sure was nice to be shooting on the range instead of sitting on a gun forum griping about people engaging in capitalism.

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

Sportsman's Warehouse in Albuquerque had bulk boxes of 500 Winchester .22 LR, loose packed, for $32 last week. I still never see any at WalMart. I suspect it is picked clean early the morning it is delivered. Glad I kept picking up a box or two of 325 - 550 every month before The Great Gun Salesman took office.

[plmitch]

My LGS has bricks everyday,plenty in stock, no waiting for long lines and at $50.00 its dirt cheap. Just pick one or two up when I need some for range time. It amazes me that anyone would shop at a walmart for anything. Crazy.......

[mike daniels]

nothing here in the dayton area like loads of 22s

[jcwit]

My LGS has bricks everyday,plenty in stock, no waiting for long lines and at $50.00 its dirt cheap. Just pick one or two up when I need some for range time. It amazes me that anyone would shop at a walmart for anything. Crazy.......

Some wish to save money.

After all "A penny saved is a penny earned", Or also by the same,

Benjamin Franklin, If you would be wealthy, think of saving as well as getting

[kcajeel]

I found a case of CCI sv that I'd stored and forgotten about out in the barn. Lately I'd been running a little closer than I want on target ammo so when I discovered the 5000 rounds it felt like Christmas. I'm still looking for a couple of 8# cans of certain powders that I might need in the next year or two.

[lx2008]

I don't engage in the practice of buying merchandise at a retailer and then reselling that property for a profit. HOWEVER - I cannot find fault in those that do use that capitalistic process to make a profit.
Those people are entrepreneurs and they are making a profit by taking a risk. If people wouldn't buy that product at the inflated price they would not be able to make a profit. The retailer is making a profit, as are all of the suppliers that lead up to that retail sale. Furthermore, federal, state and local taxes are being collected on that process (often multiple times in the supply chain). The entrepreneur must make enough profit to cover all of his expenses and that couldn't happen unless someone was willing to pay the much higher price charged in that final sale. If you want to blame someone for that shortage, blame the idiots that are willing to pay those inflated prices because they are scared they will not be able to get ammunition. Fear is an extremely powerful motivator and a useful marketing tool when your customers are weak minded people.
If you think that it is wrong to make a profit by engaging in an enterprise in which you take a risk by buying property at a low price in the hopes of selling it at higher price; I can strongly suggest you go read the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx. You'll probably agree with Mr. Engels & Mr. Marx.

hey, the whole point of this post was find out the % of all the repliers to it, to the repliers who saw nothing wrong with "scalping".
as a shooting enthusiast, instructor, & 2nd Am. champion, i find that the people who most claim to love the shooting sport
& do all to keep the sport growing, ought to know that shooting at a young age( and w/ .22`s) i might add, is what makes the sport grow & for a long time. at the 4 ranges i attend, it is nothing to see dads ( and moms )w/ the kids shoot a "few" .22`s then call it a day.

i `ve asked most of these parents that i come across why they leave so soon. top answer, no more .22`s. and the kids seem sorely disappointed. this is the kind of thing that would keep a young shooter from ever wanting to take a whole hearted interest because
they have no trigger time to speak of and become bored. at least in this sport, when we need all the young folks we can get to begin shooting, and 22 being the ammo of choice for kids starting out, we all should think about this instead of profit.

[375supermag]

Hi...

I have a fair amount of .22LR stashed away and have only bought a few boxes (50 and 100rd) in the last couple of years.

My son and I have both acquired new .22 firearms this year...my son received an H&K semi-auto carbine for Christmas and I bought a Dan Wesson .22 revolver at a gun show a month or so ago.

We have been running quite a few rounds through them, so my stash is starting to get down toward the 3,000 round level. I hope I can find some bulk packs soon...I can usually find some 50 or 100 rd boxes within a week or two of prowling the gun shops, so I pick up the usual two box limit to try and maintain my inventory.

I don't ever sell ammunition or reloading components...everything I buy is for personal use. And with a 20-year old son...boy, does it get used!!!

[rking22]

20 year olds can burn thru some 22s ! My 20 year old and a buddy burnt a 550 pac yesterday. I flinched at first ,then thought "I'm glad he likes shootin and I got more ammo". Just gotta keep them outta my good stuff :)
I'm waiting for the "new" hoarders to get distracted with something else and start dumping their stash at yard sales ect. Or the inevitable overshoot of production vs demand. I will restock then ,and only then. I have lots of 22 firearms and dearly love o shoot them, but when ammo is as unreasonable as now I can pass. I am confident that things will get reasonable again ,enough so that I have bought another K22.

[fatelk]

"My LGS has bricks ... at $50.00 its dirt cheap."

Maybe you should have put a smiley next to that. :)


Don't know about you all, but I sure can't afford to let my kids blow through .22 ammo that costs a dime a round. Even if I didn't already have plenty, I just wouldn't buy it.

Brings up another discussion here- lots of different folks from all walks of life and economic means here. Some among us are well-off with the means to drop a hundred bucks for a little plinkin-ammo. Other of us either live on fixed incomes or stretch a paycheck pretty tight raising a family, and just can't.

Reminds me of the guys who say gunpowder is easy to find- you just have to be ready to put $500 for some 8 pound kegs on the credit card the minute it comes in stock. Yea right- five hundred bucks on the credit card, for gunpowder?!? Not in my household, on my paycheck, raising a family.

Nothing against you all who have reached a point in life where you have some disposable income. That's great if you can do that. Just remember that not everyone can.

[fatelk]

You all heard the story about the Texan who died and went to hell? The old Devil saw him walking around whistling a tune.

"What, it ain't hot enough for you?" he growls.
The Texan replies "Oh, no. This is fine weather by Texas standards"

The Devil turns up the thermostat a bit. Things really start smoking.
"How about now? You burning now?"
"Not bad" replies Tex, "like a nice Texas summer day, but without the humidity."

The temperature goes all the way to the top. The lake of fire is boiling. The Devil himself is dripping sweat.

"I got you now, for sure. This has to be too hot for you!" he says with an evil chuckle.
"Gettin' warmish, for sure, but I grew up in West Texas and this aint nothin' new. I can take it." says the Texan.

Satan gets mad. Furious actually. He goes over and turns the underworld thermostat all the way down. The whirr of giant hellish AC units powering up is heard in the distance. Cold air roars through like an arctic blast. The lake of fire freezes solid and ice crystals form on the devil's pointy red beard.

"Gotcha now!" he laughs, as Tex starts to shiver.
"Wow, amazing! You know what this means, don't you?" Tex asks the Devil.

"What, What does this mean?"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Fatelk just paid $50 for a brick of .22 ammo!"

[Jack Stanley]

I think I heard that joke before ........ only the punch line was from a couple of yoopers saying ' Da lions won da super bowl !!"

Jack

[fatelk]

Yep, stole it and changed it. I think I've heard two or three variations over the years. :)

[dtknowles]

Maybe you should have put a smiley next to that. :)


Don't know about you all, but I sure can't afford to let my kids blow through .22 ammo that costs a dime a round. Even if I didn't already have plenty, I just wouldn't buy it.

Brings up another discussion here- lots of different folks from all walks of life and economic means here. Some among us are well-off with the means to drop a hundred bucks for a little plinkin-ammo. Other of us either live on fixed incomes or stretch a paycheck pretty tight raising a family, and just can't.

Reminds me of the guys who say gunpowder is easy to find- you just have to be ready to put $500 for some 8 pound kegs on the credit card the minute it comes in stock. Yea right- five hundred bucks on the credit card, for gunpowder?!? Not in my household, on my paycheck, raising a family.

Nothing against you all who have reached a point in life where you have some disposable income. That's great if you can do that. Just remember that not everyone can.

What would the price have to get down to for you to buy some? If you let the kids shoot the ammo you have it is like shooting dime a round ammo but if you sold it for that, here they would call you a gouger. I guess you could load nickel a round ammo if you cast.

When I had less disposable income I took my time shooting very little blasting. Everything was slow fire. Good time for the lesson "make every shot count".

Tim

[mold maker]

Maybe you should have put a smiley next to that. :)


Don't know about you all, but I sure can't afford to let my kids blow through .22 ammo that costs a dime a round. Even if I didn't already have plenty, I just wouldn't buy it.

Brings up another discussion here- lots of different folks from all walks of life and economic means here. Some among us are well-off with the means to drop a hundred bucks for a little plinkin-ammo. Other of us either live on fixed incomes or stretch a paycheck pretty tight raising a family, and just can't.

Reminds me of the guys who say gunpowder is easy to find- you just have to be ready to put $500 for some 8 pound kegs on the credit card the minute it comes in stock. Yea right- five hundred bucks on the credit card, for gunpowder?!? Not in my household, on my paycheck, raising a family.

Nothing against you all who have reached a point in life where you have some disposable income. That's great if you can do that. Just remember that not everyone can.

Ya got that right. Retirement isn't always what you looked forward to. I should have been comfortable, but now my dollars are worth less, and the interest rates on money suck.
If I felt like going to the range, the membership is 7 times what it was when I dropped out. Thank God I saw the writing on the wall and stocked up on components. When I cleaned out a safe there were 2 bricks, (Winchester yellow box) I had forgotten, with stickers @ less than $9.

[fatelk]

What would the price have to get down to for you to buy some? If you let the kids shoot the ammo you have it is like shooting dime a round ammo but if you sold it for that, here they would call you a gouger. I guess you could load nickel a round ammo if you cast.

When I had less disposable income I took my time shooting very little blasting. Everything was slow fire. Good time for the lesson "make every shot count".

Tim

Good question, good point. I guess I shouldn't say I would never pay those prices, just that I won't pay scalper prices. I suppose if that was all that was available and likely to ever be available I might, but we sure wouldn't be shooting through bricks.

As far as blasting away, I actually did more blazing away and wasting ammo when I was younger and had less money. I kind of got that out of my system and don't do that any more.

My son on the other hand, likes to just pull the trigger to hear the noise, but he's only 8. We'll practice more as he gets older. I remember when I was a teenager with my first .22 rifle, going out shooting for the afternoon with friends. A single 50rnd box or maybe two would have to last all day, none of this blasting through bricks with "banana clips" stuff until I was older and could buy my own. I think I had just as much fun when we were frugal with the ammo.

[fatelk]

I just realized what you were saying about the .22 ammo I already have being worth a dime a round. That is true, I suppose I could sell it for that (and did sell some last year). I could dump it all for a profit, but I just made the decision that this is for shooting, I already have it and will use it up whenever we want to just as if there was no shortage, and replace it when supply catches up and prices are back to somewhat normal.

I have a similar issue with a bunch of surplus ammo I have- 8mm, 30-06, 7.62x25, etc.. I bought it all a few years back when it was super cheap, and now it's all worth a lot more than I paid. I'm reluctant to shoot it because I won't be able to replace it. Unlike .22, they're not making the old cheap surplus anymore.

[dragon813gt]

I have bought from scalpers. Sure was nice to be shooting on the range instead of sitting on a gun forum griping about people engaging in capitalism.

Quoted for the laughs and the truth. No one is ever happy. I was called a hoarder when I was buying cases of 22 before the shortage. I was called an idiot for buying a brick a week when money was tight and I couldn't afford a case. I have not bought from a scalper because I was prepared. I've been shooting one to two bricks a week this whole time. Haven't sold one box because I bought it for the step daughter and I to shoot up. Want to know what I'm going to do when cases become available again? I'm thinking it's going to be a pallet this time so I have some leverage over cost. Maybe when the next shortage happens I can take advantage of all those people that are forced to pay $50+ per brick. I mean after all, they are being forced to pay those prices while their families are held at gunpoint.

Have I mentioned I find 22 discussions highly amusing?

[fatelk]

Have I mentioned I find 22 discussions highly amusing?
Amusing and enjoyable both I assume, from your level of participation. :)

Just kidding, of course. I enjoy the discussion too. I've participated in quite a few threads on the subject. Everyone has their opinion on the subject and we all like to talk about it ad infinitum. I think I've inadvertantly irritated a couple people with my opinions, but I honestly mean no disrespect. To each their own; if you need ammo and can afford scalper prices- more power to you. I sure don't mean to sound condescending, judgmental, or moralistic about it.

I also am not a high-volume shooter like some of you guys. My kids are young, so while my son especially likes to empty the magazine, after 50 or 60 rounds he's done. I don't shoot competitively so it's rare that I would shoot through a 50rnd box of .22s myself. It would take me months to go through a brick.

As to hoarding- I was pretty embarrassed when I moved last year. I dug out all my ammo cans from every nook and cranny in storage. One good friend of mine organized a crew of nearly a dozen to come help us load up the moving truck and several even made the 100 mile drive to help on the other end (until then I didn't realize how many good friends we have there).

We got all the ammo cans loaded onto a trailer, and guys were talking and laughing. I was embarrassed and worried that they would think I was some kind of nut survivalist or something (it really was a lot). One guy joked that he'd never seen so much ammo all in one place, even during two tours in Iraq. He laughed at me looking embarrassed and said 'don't worry about it, we're all just jealous!'

I got rid of a fair amount of it last year to help pay for the move, but I still have way more than I need. I have absolutely no problem with people stocking up. I think a whole lot of folks are going to stock up when it starts becoming more available, which of course will affect availability for probably quite a while.

I've had a number of friends and acquaintances ask me about ammo. These are people who in the past would stop at the store on the way to the range to buy a couple boxes for the day. Now they don't want to be caught without at least a couple bricks in the closet. I think it will come back, but yeah, it could still be quite a while before there's any semblance of "normal".

[olafhardt]

One day it dawned me that when I was poor, I thought 50 cents a box was a good price for 22 lr. Now thar l am older and have more than ten times the income, a box for 5 dollars seems like a good deal.

[rking22]

I'm just the oppsite, anything more than 59 cents for 50 seems outragious :) , yeah, my wife says I need to get with the program too. Rational mine says that when I bought that 59cent ammo I was making $2.25 HR, a gallon of gas was 39cents, and a sundrop was a quarter! Dosen't mean it dosen't hurt my feelings! So I worked about 15 minutes for that box of 50 in 1975, now I should be happy with 10$ a box,..... Not gonna happen. Not when I can load a box of 38s or hornets in less time and for less $$$$.

[Lefty Red]

I would like to see everyone just not buy 22lr ammo for a month or two. That will bring the prices down! Those horders and scalpers will be worried enough to stop. They have bills and Christmas to buy this year. :)
Jerry

[rking22]

they can send me 22s for Christmas, Used to always get some 22s from Mom an Dad in my stockin!