Anyone ditching .22 for CF

[Anschutz]

The last time I bought .22 ammo was probably in in highschool and I graduated college last December. I had the priviledge of getting recruited for the rifle team and that meant Eley Red box for practice and matches. I shot a lot and I also ended up with a decent amount of partial boxes. I probably have about 1000-1500 stashed away but I know that won't last forever and eventually I'll have to buy more .22 ammo in the future. The first 22 ammo I bought was a Remington HP bulk box of 550 in 2002 or 2003 and I think I paid something like $8.00 for it when I bought my .22 rifle. Now that same box of ammo is pushing up close to 25-30. In my sophomore year of highschool, my dad bought me a case of Eley Red Box and paid $1400 for 5000 and said he'd beat me senseless if I used it for anything but matches. I used Eley Sport (Aweful) for practice at $2-300 per case. Now Red Box is up around 2k and practice ammo is around 400 a case. The cheapest I saw on Midway today in stock for .22 LR was .14 per round. I can load 9mm for 10-12c per round and I don't cast yet. Anyone ditching the .22 for now in favor of a low consumption centerfire?

[GRUMPA]

I did that a while ago, like 3yrs ago if I remember right. I had a 10/22 and it was sold with 6.3K rounds of 22RF ammo. Me being the tight wad I am figured what it cost to roll my own. Yes I cast for what I own but I use........J-Words in the higher power rifles.

I'm just not the type to be all that conservative when it came to 22 ammo. I used it a lot here on the ranch, and if I wanted to can go through it rather fast taking out the problem critters. Casting gives a person a few things like independence and the sense of producing something better than what comes out of a factory box assembled by who knows what.

I'll need to re-do the math, I'm almost out of the $10 per K primers I bought many years ago. I'm having to pay the ridiculous prices for primers, but what's an independent guy like me going to do......buy factory fodder?......no way that'll happen.

Now I want something somewhat new to me, like a bolt gun in 222Rem, or 219 zipper...

[HATCH]

I am not ditching 22lr but I am developing a alternate round.
22 TCM
I have a bolt action rifle and I have a 223 suppressor.
When I first got my 22TCM pistol I tested some UNIQUE powder rounds.
I got them subsonic to slightly sonic (1000 fps to 1200)
My goal was to have a reloadable subsonic round that was like a 22lr

[Outpost75]

I stockpiled 10,000 rounds of high quality subsonic match ammo to use for squirrel hunting and in my pre-war Colt Woodsman. Due to high replacement cost for Eley and RWS ammo, I'm not using it, but have been using up CCI Standard Velocity I got from Champions Choice at Camp Perry back in 2006.

For practice and casual shooting I'm using alot of .32 S&W Long and .38 Special wadcutter and had two accurate rook rifles put together in those calibers.

[Beagle333]

I didn't ditch em, but I did grease them up hard and put them in the way-back of the safe until ammo shows up again around here.

[Four-Sixty]

At Cabela's, all Sellier & Bellot primers are on sale for $19.99 per thousand. You'll have a $20 hazmat fee, but they often have free shipping promotions. I did a buy with another member here and we got the price to under $22 a thousand delivered.

[MediumCore358]

I still love my .22 but I put it away for a while , shooting .38 special now and it's pretty affordable. Will get back into the 22 once prices come back down to earth.

[jcren]

The wife wanted a 22 pistol, but she got a simular .380. She is happy and I can load for .05 per bang.

[rking22]

I have reduced my 22 consumption but still shoot the guns I like when I want. I have plenty to last my lifetime if needed and actually have 2 cartons of Fed Select coming from the club order at 18$ for 400, just cause. I am shooting lots more 32 and 38 as well as casting for the 222 and hornet along with 30 Rem and 32 20 and,,,, you get the idea. I can shoot my 41Mag for less cost than decent 22s, and have the independence to shoot what ever I want due to having molds for all my calibers and a decent stash of powder and primers. Air guns take care of plinking and I can always use the flints. Right now percussion caps are unobtainable (at reasonable cost) arround here. I guess the "cap" guns are kinda like 22s for me. I never kept many caps around like I did 22s! I have been "saving for a rainy day" for 30 years, and still got taken by supprise!

[Bzcraig]

Wife loves to shoot .22 rifle. Awhile back when I got down to 2k rounds decided to get a 223 bolt since I already had everything I needed except a mold. A great decision.

[claudesapp]

My Lyman 225438 mould was a great purchase. Few grains of fast powder and you get a quiet shot with zero kick in 223.

[waltherboy4040]

I've completely swapped over to centerfire. I do still practice for squirrel season, but not like I use to.

[Anschutz]

The only 22 rifle I have with me is my Anschutz. Not really good for woods walking popping squirrels and wabbits. I have a 22/45 and is accurate but finicky with feeding. I'm thinking that a good contender rifle barrel in something like 38 or 9mm would be able to get the small game job done.

[Bullfrog]

It will come back eventually. The powder in Denver has come back in force, however, Bass Pro Shop has cut staff due to lack of sales and what is alarming is they cut their entire gunsmithing program. That in itself says that even large stores like Bass Pro are not immune to the economy and in reality the health care costs. As for 22LR, it is the reason I dropped out (quit) 4H, or one of the reason, when I was bilked out of 4k rounds of ammo I purchased for my own child to shoot and paid for, but was later told that "the club" changed there mind and I could only have 1k. I got my money back, but it was principle and went to show me that people get stupid when faced with adversity and there is no loyalty anymore. Just like everything else it will return, but the prices will not drop.

[randyrat]

I'm thinking about giving rim fire up completely for a while. It just is not a good situation for people that want to shoot at a reasonable cost competition.
Gobs of new gun enthusiast
Lots of new high capacity guns ar15 style rim fire that eat ammo fast
A political situation that is not gun friendly
End of the world guys that want a million rim rounds stashed to hunt squirrels and trading fodder
Lots of opportunity for the ammo manufactures to create a slight shortage or delayed delivery
Government conspiracy? Real or perceived
BAM! lets raise the price of ammo
That's what I see is happening and it just is not good for us that want to shoot rim fire competition.
I'm just a sour puss when it comes to paying high price for 22 rim fire. I'm not blaming any one group, you just can't blame any one group. You can't blame manufacturers for making a buck.

I for sure quit plinking with rime fire, only strict practice and organized meets.

[Anschutz]

I'm thinking about giving rim fire up completely for a while. It just is not a good situation for people that want to shoot at a reasonable cost competition.
Gobs of new gun enthusiast
Lots of new high capacity guns ar15 style rim fire that eat ammo fast
A political situation that is not gun friendly
End of the world guys that want a million rim rounds stashed to hunt squirrels and trading fodder
Lots of opportunity for the ammo manufactures to create a slight shortage or delayed delivery
Government conspiracy? Real or perceived
BAM! lets raise the price of ammo
That's what I see is happening and it just is not good for us that want to shoot rim fire competition.
I'm just a sour puss when it comes to paying high price for 22 rim fire. I'm not blaming any one group, you just can't blame any one group. You can't blame manufacturers for making a buck.

I for sure quit plinking with rime fire, only strict practice and organized meets.
And it really sucks because my 22/45 can hit the 100 yards steel pretty reliably where my 9mm isn't quite at that level right now. My 44 can as well but that 10.5 inch barrel seems like it's almost at the fifty yard line already when I'm shooting it. I'll continue to shoot some purine matches but probably not using eley quite as much as my rifle likes green tag okay when I can find it.

[kenyerian]

I shoot my 22 hornet more often and save my rimfires for the grandchildren.

[375supermag]

Hi...

I am not putting away my rimfires and neither is my son.

I have been able to buy .22LR and.22Mag regularly this year at several LGS.
Due to ammo consumption, I haven't been able to build as large a stash as I would like, but I still have quite a few thousand rounds of .22LR and close to a thousand .22Mag on hand.

All that after shooting several thousand rounds of .22LR through my son's H&K .22LR carbine and Henry lever-action and probably 1000 rounds through my Dan Wesson .22LR revolver in the last year and a half.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

Anyone ditching .22 for CFno way loco Cabelas has had 22 LR in stock and its still cheaper to run a 22 upper

[bob208]

for varmints and such. to me .25-20 and .32-20 are the new .22 rimfire.

[9.3X62AL]

I've reduced my rimfire shooting to about 5% of what it was prior to the onset of The Great Stupidity in late 2008. I am definitely on the hunt for a small 32 S&W Long revolver (S&W Models 30/31, Colt Police Positive) with 4" or longer barrel. I've considered having Alan Harton or Cylinder & Slide open up a Single Six to 32 Long also. I know, there is a Single-Seven in 327 Federal......no interest in one of those loud critters, already have a 32 Magnum and a 30 Carbine Blackhawk. I do have about 2,000 pieces of 32 SWL brass I would like to put to use, and I loathe shooting short cases in long chambers. RCBS 32-98-SWC at 900 FPS is all I need for rat and small game strafing.

[contender1]

Many folks have found ways to get around the scalping prices that are being paid by some for 22 LR. Casting their own in 32's, 38's & 9mm's is one way. The ammo shortage is slowly getting better, as less folks are using as much 22 ammo as before. That, and folks are no longer paying the scalpers as readily as before. Until the demand drops,,, the supply will not catch up.

That said,,, I personally haven't been affected by the shortages. I have always maintained a supply of ammo for my needs in many calibers, to include the 22LR. I have not bought any of the inflated scalpers priced ammo either.

[Bzcraig]

Hi...

I am not putting away my rimfires and neither is my son.

I have been able to buy .22LR and.22Mag regularly this year at several LGS.
Due to ammo consumption, I haven't been able to build as large a stash as I would like, but I still have quite a few thousand rounds of .22LR and close to a thousand .22Mag on hand.

All that after shooting several thousand rounds of .22LR through my son's H&K .22LR carbine and Henry lever-action and probably 1000 rounds through my Dan Wesson .22LR revolver in the last year and a half.

Availability is no longer a problem but price sure is! I can load 32acp, plinker .38 SPL, 9mm and .223 for less than buying .22.

[30calflash]

I believe the problems stems from the CF ammo shortage starting in '08. The prices of raw materials went up, boosting the costs. Many CF handgun shooters stopped burning 300 rounds a session and went to 22, purchasing new/used firearms and creating a demand for 22 not seen in some time.

Those used to burning 100's to 1000's at a time put a demand on 22 that no one would have ever imagined. Just think, you take your 22 bolt/10-22 and shoot a hundred rounds, go home happy.

Now the AR-22 shooters arrive and use 5X that much 2 times a week, then shoot a couple Tacticool 22 events a month. 3-5000 rounds a month with out damaging the retirement fund. Shooting events have been devised around the 22/AR platform now.

Yeah, it's not a 223 but will work for short distance and indoor ranges.

We're used to 90 rounds for an NRA bullseye pistol match or maybe 200 for a weekend prone event. Big difference.

[Outpost75]

The .32 S&W in a strong, modern revolver or scoped small game rifle is the best bang for the buck. While not as accurate at ranges beyond 50 yards as a match grade .22 LR firing subsonic match ammunition, it does equal the accuracy of typical sporting .22 rifles and is both quiet and effective. In a strong revolver like a Ruger Single Six, you can load to safely equal H&R Magnum or .32-20 ballistics if you want something which shoots a little flatter. A 580 series Remington rifle converted to centerfire and taken out to .32 S&W Long would be hard to beat. Mine happens to be in .32 ACP.

145816145817145818

[Doc1]

There are two centerfire tricks I've been using since .22 became unobtanium: The first is to load and shoot .32 S&W using chamber adapters in my 30-06 and .308s. The second is to make up gallery loads for my .308 and 7.92x57 rifles using buckshot. For .308 bores, run a single-ought buckshot through a .309 or .310 sizer and load it over five or six grains of fast pistol powder. I don't have a .323 sizer for my Mausers, but I can load an unsized double-ought buckshot right into a 7.92x57 case over a few grains of fast pistol powder.

Both of these methods give pretty good accuracy out to fifty feet or so and are deadly on pests and small game. They are also very inexpensive to shoot and relatively quiet.

Best regards
Doc

[ravelode]

I have put away my.22 rifles for now:?. There hasn't been a box of .22 LR to be seen locally (SW MT) for 10 months and counting; except for ridiculous priced REM/ELY match at $19.99 for 50 rounds:shock:. My High Point 995 shoots cast 124 gr for 5cents an pop, even with primers at $3.49 hundred.

[ole 5 hole group]

I had a nice stash of 22lr and the grandkids keep whittling away on it. Just a couple weeks ago I took out two (2) 525 value packs and in 3 hours every last one when downrange. Big smiles and some pretty good marksmanship was on display. I'm down to about 9K and will be looking to resupply whenever there is a good price on the value packs or buckets. I no longer cast but still have a stash of cast bullets for the 38 - probably 4K but I've mainly went to the zero bullet (jacketed) for the 45 ACP. Never have seen a good deal on any type of Eley but have a case of Remington Match stashed away that produces mainly X's from a rest at 50 yards from my SW 41 but for some reason that particular bullet doesn't seem to like most other SW 41's.

What was difficult to find the past couple years were the CCI Stingers - I found 200 a couple months ago and grabbed them, as my daughter carries a 22 lr when she decides to CCW and that particular round is a nasty one.

I'm thinking future prices is what's going to do in the shooting community, as the more prices rise without a like raise in income, the less we'll see youngsters on the range and in the field - that will be a sad day for a lot of ole timers.

[Big Rack]

At my lgs in western Ohio there is quite a selection off rimfire mostly target mostly too pricey for plinking. They did have Remington SubSonic at $6.99 for 50. At the counter they had CCI 40 grain $9.99 per hundred limit 2. I think it's coming back but cheaper stuff gets hoarded that's what I'd do too.
That being said a bolt action and a revolver in .22 TCM would be neat I'd like to see more of this modern .22 Hornet.

[Anschutz]

You won't see a good deal on Eley. The stuff shoots lights out and they don't make it to shoot tin cans with, they make it to shoot centershots in high level competitions. However, it is all I have at the moment. I've thought about trying to trade a brick for 2000 or so standard rounds. I'd still lose out on price but I hate shooting Eley out of competition. Seems like a waste to me.

[opos]

I've been shooting my pellet rifles a lot more these days...I can shoot in my garage for almost nothing....I don't hardly shoot any 22 at all any more....got quite a bit of 22lr on hand as well as 22 mag for my Single Sixes but it can just sit for now...better than a savings account. I have taken to shooting "popgun" loads in my Mosin and in a 30-06 I have...doesn't cost much...and is fun and fills the day..I also keep loading full on my 7mm and my 25-06 for when I really want to shoot...it's not that bad and my loads are dandy accurate.

[Petrol & Powder]

.22 rimfire is certainly not the bargain it used to be but it is still a useful cartridge. I didn't give up on mine but I did scale way back on shooting them. The lower grade .22 ammo is now available but it is no longer a low grade prices. I believe the prices will continue to drop as the hoarders attempt to unload their stashes and the ammunition manufacturers continue to meet the consumer demand.

I was lucky to have a small supply of standard velocity target ammunition in the brand my rifle likes. I was also able to find a little bit more recently. It is the high grade target stuff that is still obscenely expensive.

As others have stated, there are good center fire alternatives. I wouldn't say I "ditched" the .22 rimfire for CF cartridges but I did curtail my rimfire shooting to conserve my supply.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I found the Lee tl314-90swc sized to .311, rolled 2x in alox and loaded over a small charge of tightwad in 30-30 cases made very nice bunny busters to help get me throught

[captaint]

I've been having a little fun with the big suppliers lately. We've all seen the "sales" on 22 rf ammo lately. I think the cheapest I have seen on CCI SV is about 8 something for a 100 box. I used to pay around 6 bux for that box. So now, I email back to the suppliers "you're close, fellas - but no cigar". Get it down to 6 dollars a box and I'll buy some". I'd love to hear what they say when they read my stuff. Ha Ha..... I don't think I've fired a rimfire round in 3 years. That's OK, I can wait....

[FergusonTO35]

I still have a bunch of .22 LR from the first Great Panic of 08-09, back when .22 LR was all that could be found around here. At the time I figured I would practice hard with .22 to save my dwindling centerfire supplies. I shoot maybe 100-200 rounds a year through my Henry H001T for pest control and lever action practice getting warmed up for deer season. I am certain the majority of it will still be around when it's time to teach my daughter how to shoot.

As an interesting aside, I remember when I was a kid (1980's) the 500 round bulk packed boxes were considered to be alot of ammo, way beyond the ordinary personal supply. That was something you would buy and pass out handfuls to your buddies. In my entire household we kept one or two 50 round boxes of .22 LR, a box of 12 gauge no. 6 game loads, and a box of .30-30 for deer and coyotes. Nowadays I bet that doesn't last the average shooter a single range session. I know my own ammo consumption is easily 10-20X what it was as a kid growing up on the farm. It's not only the hoarders who keep supplies tight but more people getting into shooting and hunting, and people firing way more rounds at the range. This translates into a much stronger and entrenched shooting sports tradition in the USA and even the world at large to an extent, certainly not a bad thing.

[OptimusPanda]

I pretty much have gone all center fire for my shooting. It's just more enjoyable for me to shoot .45, .38, or 9mm hand loads. That said, I wouldn't get rid of my rim fires. The dozen or so bricks I squirreled away pre panic just kind of sit around. Though if we get a rodent zombie apocalypse I'll be ready for em.

[Schrag4]

For the most part, yes. I still let my daughter shoot the 10/22, but since I reload my own cast 9mm for less than the price of 22LR, I can't bring myself to use it for anything else. If prices become un-stupid again, I'll start shooting it again.

[FergusonTO35]

Around here, prices on 9mm factory rounds have almost dropped to 2008 pre-election levels again and there is plenty of it on the shelf. So there is hope for rimfire ammo. I just wish we could get back to being able to find Bullseye in stock everywhere again!

[floydboy]

I built a 222 out of a Savage action about 3 years ago due to the high cost and not being able to find 22 rim fire ammo. I started out with the intent of making cheap reduced cast loads. After some experimenting I found a very accurate load of 24 grs of 4064 behind a 225415 boolit. Now I'm golden out to over a hundred yards. Since I use way more powder than first intended my cost is about $.11 each and way higher than first anticipated. A reduced load would cut it in about half. I like sitting on the front porch shooting varmits in the front yard. I guess the days of just going out and shooting a case of 22's for fun are gone for now. Another side benefit of this expensive 22 ammo is I suppose a lot of us have had a lot more practice with out larger caliber hand guns and rifles. I know I have.

Floyd

[GhostHawk]

So far this year I have shot maybe 60 rounds total, most through my Ruger pistol, maybe 20 sighting in new scope on the Ruger 10/22.
On the centerfire side I have been shooting .357, .444 Marlin, .300B0, 7.62x39 and .223.

I have just loaded 50 rounds of .223 down almost to .22lr level. Bigger bullet, 55 grain, cast myself, 4-6 grains of Red Dot and a primer.
With cheap brass these are considerably less than .22lr, shoot as straight, about the same loudness, with more punch.

The good news is that .22lr supply is getting better and the prices are coming down.
The bad news is I doubt that we will see 6 cents a round again. Looks to me like it is stabilizing around 8-9 cents each.

[FergusonTO35]

I would be happy to swear off rimfire forever if .32 revolvers and .25-20/.32-20 leverguns came back in a big way!!

[Low Budget Shooter]

I used the high price of .22LR as an excuse to buy a nice old M92 rechambered in .357, since I can cast and load for that cheaper than what the .22LR prices have been. The kids and I enjoy shooting it much better than any .22 !!! A Mihec 360640 hollowpoint at 1600fps can explode water-filled cartons in a way that .22 just can't touch! :)

[captain-03]

Not anytime soon .... bought enough couple years back from CMP to keep the grandkids happy!! $90 a case if I remember correctly ...

http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss241/captain-03/Guns%20and%20Ammo%20Etc/IMG_107822.jpg (http://s580.photobucket.com/user/captain-03/media/Guns%20and%20Ammo%20Etc/IMG_107822.jpg.html)

However, I do feel your pain when it comes to match grade ammo. Working on my last case of Center-X for the Rem 40Xs, Win 52D, HR 12, and Kimber 82Gs. Match grade can now be had ... just cost a little more these days!!

[Bongo]

I agree with GhostHawk. I came up with a light loaded 223 to help my cousin's little girl overcome a bad case of Blastitis. I put them in a pretty plastic ammo box with princess stickers on it and she now shoots with a smile on her face and no tears. In the mean time I discovered how little they cost to load and I was getting minute of squirrel head accuracy out to 50 yards. Those were 55 grain fmj's. I have since purchased a LEE six cavity Bator mould and am still doing load development. I'm also looking into purchasing a 311008 mould for my 32 S&W long in a 4 inch model 31. I can see using that boolit lightly loaded for my 30-30 as well. I've become quite stingy with my supply of 22 lr ammo. Only letting grandkids shoot some once in a while. I will, like many of you, buy several bricks of 22 to stock up for the next shortage.

[bob208]

another good one is a ruger Blackhawk in .30 carbine. I use .32-20 data. easier on the ears and brass.

[FergusonTO35]

Does anybody make a lightweight .223 bolt action with sights for a reasonable price nowadays? I've long been enamored with the idea of having a .223 bolt action with a receiver sight like my lever actions, loaded with boolits to hot .22 Hornet power level.

[rking22]

Bongo, take a hard look at the RCBS 98 for your M31. I have a 4 inch M31-1 and cannot get the 311008 to the sights with any load I tried. It shoots the Lee 311-93( got lucky, mine casts.314, lots others don't run that big) and some Meister 94 gr right to the sights with several loads. I really like the 311008 and NOE 311316 clone in the 3220 and it shoot well in my 30-30s also, just won't zero in the little J frame. Just my experience and my M31.

[DonMountain]

The 22 ammo shortage is over here in Mid-Missouri. My local Wal-Mart store has a whole pallet of 1000 round boxes of Winchester 22 ammo sitting out on the floor, and its been there for several days now as the buying has slowed down or stopped. And another Wal-Mart store in southern Missouri had different Winchester 22 ammo in the 100 round plastic boxes over the weekend on the shelf. All at pre-run prices. So I think we have passed the high price 22 ammo shortages as everyone is stock full of 22 ammo they bought for high prices over the last few years.

[FergusonTO35]

That's a good sign. Maybe that Henry and Single Six will be getting more exercise!

[Harter66]

The Last I bought was 9.99 for 325,375 and sometimes 330s.

I ran numbers recently and it's only twice the price of rimfire for full power 223 and 222 around here but that took in to account 9# of WW and the not quite 1000 cast new mould. Iguess it'd be less by about 1/3 if I tossed the mould value and the lead that has been mostly free. Even 45s are equal to shoot to 22 lr.

[Mauser48]

I just built another AR 15 and shoot more 223 now. My 22's will sit in the safe to it hopefully comes back. I shoot then rarely now.

[clum553946]

Ditch them, no, shoot them a heck of a lot less, yes. There are quite a few calibers I load & cast for cheaper than the current cost of rimfire ammo.

[Mauser48]

Ditch them, no, shoot them a heck of a lot less, yes.

Exactly

[BigAl52]

Anyone that would pay .14 a round for 22 ammo is nuts. I bought some for .08 cents a round and consider that to be what a guy is going to pay for it if he wants to shoot 22. I haven't shot my 22 *** much but .08 a round for 22 aint bad. Al

[high standard 40]

Anyone that would pay .14 a round for 22 ammo is nuts. I bought some for .08 cents a round and consider that to be what a guy is going to pay for it if he wants to shoot 22. I haven't shot my 22 *** much but .08 a round for 22 aint bad. Al

I recently paid .14 a round for 22 and I hardly consider myself nuts. But this was Eley EPS Match ammo. I shoot very small targets at 100 yards in competition and the cheaper US made ammo just won't cut it. If I want to hit those targets I have to spend the bucks. And I'm not about to quit shooting. Now I wouldn't consider paying .14 a round for Thunderbolts or some such other. I'm just not into plinking and I demand accuracy from my ammo. To me, paying .08 a round for plinking ammo is no bargain either.

[Beagle333]

Today, I just happened to stop by Gander Mountain (a store usually known for high prices, at least around here) because I had heard they now carry primers and powders. And as I was looking for the primer section, I stumbled across the .22LR section. They actually had them in stock, and they had LOTS of Remington Thunderbolt 500ct bricks for $29.99 each. That's 6 cents a pop. They had a huge stock of it and nobody in line buying it or even looking it over. I bought one brick and after I take care of 500 naughty squirrels and chipmunks that I had previously been blasting off the birdfeeder with my 16ga, I'll go back and see if they still have more. That might take a few months. I was thrilled to see it in stock and affordable too, but I refuse to stuff my sock drawer with boxes of them. I will dust off and shoot .22's and enjoy them while it is available though. :D

Oh, and yes they do carry primers and powder now. They had any primer that you would want for $3.99 a box. That isn't too bad to have them locally, considering that I can only afford about 3 bricks at a time and when I find them online for $26-29, by the time I add up 3 bricks + hazmat + ship, it's still pushing $38-40 per brick.

[Freischütz]

I gave up on the .22 rimfires. For pistols I switched to 32 ACP. The 25/20 replaced them in rifles.

[rintinglen]

I wandered through the sporting good sections of two Walmarts back in VA last week--nary a 22 did I see. The only stuff I saw back there was scalper priced at a small Mom and Pop Gunshop. The problem has been attributed to hoarders, increased use, ya da, ya da. I ain't buying that.

I've an acquaintance who works in management for Turner's Sporting Goods, a major Southern California firearms and ammunition retailer. He told me that they were receiving 20% of the quantity of 22's that they were BO (before Obummer.) The only manufacturer who seems to have kicked it in high gear is CCI, at least, those are all I've seen here in California.. I believe that the Ammunition manufacturers devoted their resources to higher markup stuff, and until .223's, 45's, and 9mm's quit selling like hotcakes, 22 LR will remain in short supply.
I am shooting 32's, Longs, H&R's, 32-20's and 327.s and doing so for less than any 22 LR I've seen for sale in the past 3 years.

[FergusonTO35]

My thoughts exactly. Ammo makers are businesses and it makes sense to invest in production of higher markup stuff that doesn't last as long for shooters. $30.00 worth of 9mm or .223 doesnt last nearly as long as $30.00 worth of .22 LR.

[Horace]

Not one bit!

Horace

[flint45]

Just baught a .22 hornet instead of .22 mag cant hardly find it!

[JWNathan]

Does anybody make a lightweight .223 bolt action with sights for a reasonable price nowadays? I've long been enamored with the idea of having a .223 bolt action with a receiver sight like my lever actions, loaded with boolits to hot .22 Hornet power level.

I've keep on eyeing the Zastava mini Mausers at my local (Tualatin OR) Cabela's, they have probably 6-8 of them over in front of the gun library with the used long guns. They are new and are $299.99. Not exactly cheap but are pretty cool, have regular rifle sights but maybe some tinkering could produce a nice appature sight that would work. My only complaint about them is I wish the bolt handle was a touch larger around, it's small, hell the whole action is small!
-Jesse

[FergusonTO35]

Hmm, I didn't know those were still being imported.

[Southerngunner]

I still love my .22 but I put it away for a while , shooting .38 special now and it's pretty affordable. Will get back into the 22 once prices come back down to earth.
As soon as I couldn't replace the 22s that I shot I have been shooting handloads with bullets that I cast. When the ammo becomes available locally at normal prices I will once again start shooting rimfires.

[Markbo]

I still have several cases of .22 ammo, besides what I have purchased this year. If not for .22 I couldn't afford to shoot a fraction of the amount I can with it.

[FergusonTO35]

Im going to shoot my Marlin 1894 with .38's tomorrow to get warmed up for deer hunting. Fun times!

[happie2shoot]

Hope this is ok,

http://www.accuratereloading.com/223rem.html

Reduced Loads for 223 REMINGTON
The following loads were developed in a Sako S491 rifle, with a 22" barrel. All groups were 3 shots at 50 yards. We used RWS primers in Winchester brass for all our testing.



POWDER
VELOCITY
GROUP
BULLET








4.0 GREEN DOT
1407
0.616
45 REMINGTON SP


4.3
1533
0.710



4.6
1605
0.930



4.9
1661
0.815



5.2
1735
0.392



5.5
1809
0.453



5.8
1859
0.518



6.1
1928
0.436



6.4
2015
0.482



4.0 RED DOT
1482
0.425



4.3
1566
0.504



4.6
1614
1.160



4.9
1684
0.406



5.2
1765
0.241



5.5
1837
0.352



5.8
1893
0.602



6.1
1960
0.656



6.4
2004
0.245



4.0 HP 38
1446
0.837



4.3
1520
0.477



4.6
1583
0.632



4.9
1654
0.427



5.2
1711
0.372



5.5
1801
0.463



5.8
1859
0.166



6.1
1933
0.350



6.4
1976
0.264



6.7
2052
0.484



4.0 POWER PISTOL
1437
1.310



4.3
1512
0.362



4.6
1605
0.319



4.0
1663
0.470



5.2
1716
0.502



5.5
1776
0.591



5.8
1858
0.597



6.1
1903
0.322



6.4
1970
0.544



6.7
2041
0.325



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Last updated February15th. 2001

[happie2shoot]

This is good for cheap cf 22, for those that don't cast,

eight cents each
.224 Diameter 55 Grain Soft

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/0000422455SP2000/Varmint-Nightmare-22-Caliber-point224-Diameter-55-Grain-Soft-Point-2000-Count

Six to seven grains of 700x or bullseye can be good in a 223 rem, seven grains gets close to 2000fps in a 223 rem.

Shame on you if you don't cast.