Couple of thoughts on 22 ammo and a pellet gun.

[frkelly74]

So I happened to look on Gunbroker and was struck by the bids that 22 ammo is getting. 1000 round lots for $200 +- and bidding seems brisk. I can go over to the local Dunhams store and see Federal 22 ammo for $25 per 500 rd brick and they have piles of it right now. Other kinds too but the federal seems to work well in my favorite 22's along with the Armscore ammo that I wouldn't buy at $40 per thousand ( 2 bricks ). I didn't see any of the Armscore last time I was in there on Monday. I am wondering about stocking up for reselling later but am also wondering about shipping ammo. What would the complications be there?

Also I took a notion to set up a pellet range in the garage. I can get about a 25 ft distance corner to corner and if I use a small enough target It can be challenging. The old Made in Scotland Daisy 22 is still in good working condition, I bought it in 1967 I think and have not used it near enough. It makes a nice solid thunk when it hits the steel sheet.

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[frkelly74]

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[BigAlofPa.]

I stocked up during the calm. I have folks asking me for 22 ammo now. The same buddies that were asking why i have so much on hand. During the calm. But not selling it. I love to shoot to much. And air guns are nice to plink with inside during the cold days in the winter.

[frkelly74]

I am stocked up also but I was thinking in terms of investment.

[trebor44]

Stock up on pellets! The price on these is going up and since they are soft lead they could be converted to cast boolets if need be!

[NyFirefighter357]

I paid $8.99 a box of 50 for CCI quiets a month or so ago. Can't find any ammo here now, esp. .22lr, buckshot or slugs in any gauge. I too have a range set up in my garage. I have several thousand pellets as well as BB's. I use a 22 snail trap to catch & recover the lead.

[AK Caster]

I buy rimfire ammo whenever the price is reasonable. Have no intentions of selling any for a profit but will help out people who need it. But even that turns out to be a goat rope sometimes. Recently someone asked me if they could buy some CCI Mini Mags from me. I said sure, just pay me the price I paid which is listed on the box. I think it was $8.99 a box of 100. After being told I was trying to make money off him ended up telling him to buzz off and find his own somewhere else.
People can be their own worse enemies.

[Parson]

My dealer has a good supply on hand but not always the particular one you may. About the time I set up my suppressed 22rf for CCI Suppessor sub sonic it’s no longer available and CCI no longer lists it. Hope they bring it back before I run out or it’s back to testing and scope adjusting, not the worst thing but getting tired of it

[Mal Paso]

Stock up on pellets! The price on these is going up and since they are soft lead they could be converted to cast boolets if need be!

If you get the pellets at a good price it's still $20/lb Lead. LOL

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Just commenting, not criticizing here, but isn't it sort of.......can't think of exactly the right word...funny, odd, peculiar...whatever that these "shortages", which are actually created by panic buying, seem to be coming at more frequent intervals? Is anyone getting educated by these events and using the intervals between shortages to stock up? I love .22s, but don't shoot them that much any more, so between the last two shortages I made it a point to buy a brick every month. Now I've got more than I could possibly use, to the point that I don't buy it any more. In just one year a brick a month equals 6,000 rounds, probably far more than needed for casual plinking or varmint control. Multiply that by several years....... Maybe still not enough for those who shoot a brick a weekend? :Fire:

[BigAlofPa.]

i bought a brick or 2 a week. The other day i grabbed more at walmart. They also had a 150 count box of 22 mags. I grabbed it. And same price as always on the 22lr brick. No gouging there.

[dverna]

There seems little excuse for anyone on this forum suffering a .22 shortage. I side with DG on that. I have bought cartons at local stores when prices were fair and even a couple of cases (with free shipping) from Target Sports when they had great sales.

During the last .22 shortage I sold 15-20k rounds at just below the then current market price and invested the profits in primers and powder. Some people will look down on me for that, but I have a thick skin. Tt serves me well when people laugh at me for stocking up and again when I get criticized for making a profit. Would you sell your house for what you paid for it 10 years ago???

BTW some of the bricks were marked $8.95 and went for $45.

To the OP, ammunition is legal to ship. You need to mark it properly (used to be "Cartridges, small arms", and designated as "ORM-D") but check it out to be sure. Some will give you grief about being GREEDY. BTW, I do NOT sell .22's, primers or powder to "friends" but will sell without profit to friends in need.

As to pricing, do what you are comfortable with and what seems fair to you. Be prepared to get criticized by the grasshoppers that think you owe them a break. They are normally not worth keeping as "friends" anyway. Just my jaded experience.

[farmbif]

nobody says anything when payday loan places charge what amounts to hundreds of percent interest. if people are willing to pay $150 for 1000 primers or $100 for 500 22's why not make the profit it you were smart enough and had the resources to stock up. but if major retailers start selling primers and 22's for such inflated prices were all in trouble.

[FISH4BUGS]

I can cast and reload all my handgun ammo cheaper than I can shoot a .22.
Why bother with the .22?

[megasupermagnum]

Some people find it strange, but never once in my life have I ever owned a 22 LR, or any rimfire for that matter. If I really cared about shooting for dirt cheap, you can buy air guns that are much cheaper. I would think dollar for dollar, a 22LR still offers more punch, but if power is your game, they do make some wicked air guns that go well past any rimfire. There's been a few times I've thought about a Henry small game carbine, or the pump in 22lr. I like the idea of a Benjamin Marauder in .25 caliber more.

I've shot more rounds, and far, far more animals with a .177 bb gun or pellet gun than all firearms combined. I'm thinking this is true for most people.

[tomme boy]

I sold off all my 22's the last time too. I had well over 20K. I took it to a gun show and one dealer bought it all. Gave me $35/500 for it. I only wanted $20/500 but I never told him.

That was on a Friday night we went. Saturday I told one of my shooting buddies and Sunday we went back to the show with him. He had about 17K rounds. Same dealer bought it all too. He then tells me that all the ones I sold him he had sold already @ $45/500. He then ask me if I knew anyone else that wanted to sell their stash.

This is the same dealer a few years back I sold off all my 7.62x54r and 8x57, and 303 brit and 7.5x55 swiss. I had over 25K 54r and 30K 8mm and about 4K 303 and 2K swiss. I gave him a list of all of it and told him I could come back tomorrow with a trailer with all of it. I paid about $0.03 ea for most all of this. He gave me $0.30/rd for all of it.

When he wrote the check he kept saying " I know what you paid for it" over and over. But try and find it at that cost. I always make the other person give me a price first.

[samari46]

Was in wally world today and no 22's at all. Plenty of bird shot shotgun shells but no buck shot or slugs. Neighbor's wife bought a S&W M&P Sheild in 9mm but could not find any 9mm of any description. Donated a box of Winchester White box to the cause. Did give him a couple online places where hopefully they could source some FMJ for practice and some self defense ammo. Only one gun shop in town and he stocked up on Win White box in different calibers. Told him it was a good start. He said why, told him if things go the way I think they are headed you should buy cases and probably sell it all with no problems. Frank

[AK Caster]

I can cast and reload all my handgun ammo cheaper than I can shoot a .22.
Why bother with the .22?

Because you dont have to cast, reload, or save brass.

[FISH4BUGS]

Because you dont have to cast, reload, or save brass.

But that is exactly the whole idea of the hobby. :)
Scrounging lead and brass. Collecting moulds. Casting. Reloading. The whole process.
While in the man cave, listen to talk radio, news, or music whichever you wish.
Great relaxing time. My other hlaf calls it "man knitting". She does have a point.
I cast, size/lube and reload in marathon sessions in the winter (hey, it's cold and snowy here in NH - what else you gonna do?).
That allows me to shoot as much as I want in spring summer and fall. I burn up a LOT of ammo.
I work from home, so I can quit at 5, be in the man cave at 5:02, cast, size/lube or reload for a few hours, take a break and eat dinner, then go back for a few more hours.
I machine gunned my TV with my son some 30 years ago and have not had one since then. You would be surprised at how much you can get done without a TV in your life.
YMMV but it makes sense to me.
I have probably 1500 .22's and that is a lifetime supply for me. Even some 22 shotshells for garden pests. But I could use more subsonic come to think of it.

[frkelly74]

Walmart was out of any kind of pellets today. I may check the other one tomorrow. Saginaw is a two Walmart Town, sad that that is one of the best things about it.

[kevin c]

I shoot a lot of .22 LR, about 250 rounds 3 or 4 times a week. Various little medical issues had put me on hiatus from loading and shooting centerfire action pistol, though that's changing and I'm hoping to get back into it. In the meantime I can do accuracy and basic drills with the .22.

Fortunately I had stocked up way back when. Same with centerfire components and lead.

I suppose I could sell some of the extra stock at an impressive mark up, but I'm planning on shooting just about all of it. Some of it will help new local casters get started.

[FISH4BUGS]

Walmart was out of any kind of pellets today. I may check the other one tomorrow.

Is there such a thing as a pellet mould?
I would think casting out of pure lead would do the trick, no?

[richhodg66]

Is there such a thing as a pellet mould?
I would think casting out of pure lead would do the trick, no?

I have seen a few on Ebay and NOE has some. I can't help but wonder if some kind of swaging arrangement might be better.

I was given a .25 caliber air rifle, it's quite powerful, but haven't used it much. I missed a chance at a round ball .25 mold thinking that might work. Keeping my eyes open for another. A guy would be self sufficient forever with a springer and a mold.

[Mal Paso]

Is there such a thing as a pellet mould?
I would think casting out of pure lead would do the trick, no?

Yep. NOE has molds but very little in stock. I sent an email but no response.

The little I found was they are hard to cast because they are pure lead and tiny. Pressure casting and preheating were recommended. Also air rifle's accuracy vary with the brand and style of pellet. There is the possibility that the cast pellets won't be accurate in my gun.

I just bought another 2,000 as they are $.02 and the unavailable mold I want is over $100.

I had a Ruger 10-22 that was lost in a fire. I finally replaced it a couple months ago with a German springer. The RWS 48 has plenty of punch for rodents and is accurate.

[country gent]

I can see where casting a hollow pellet with skirt would be a problem. The this cross section and wasp waist then even leaving a solid head would be a hard job to keep hot and filling well. Thinking out of the box ( Per say), instead of letting bullet mass maintain temps a heavy sprue plate maybe 1/2" thick with a extra deep spure cavity and let that mass maintain temps. Yes you would pour 5-6 or more pellets into each sprue but that can be remelted as you go. Make the sprue top a trough so it fills completely and transfers heat along the entire top of mould. The short pellets would be i the range of this radiant heating. Might make them much easier to cast. ALso a brass mould might be a good idea as brass hold heat better and longer. Blocks would only need to be deep enough for screw threads and handles. with the extra deep sprue I thing you could maintain block temps and cast pretty good.

Sort of reversing the way t works normally but you need mass to maintain temps and when the casting dosnt have it then it has to come from somewhere else. The sprue is the logical place. And brass will hold heat Much better with the size these blocks will be, I dont think weight will be an issue.

They could be made from 1/2" X 3/4 flat brass stock 2-3" long, Using the modern style hollow point pins yhese blocks would make a 7-10 cavity mould. Could even possibly cut cavities top and bottom with 2 sprue plates and fill flip and fill then cut sprues making 14-20 cavity or 2 different designs a light target and a heavy hunting.

The sprue plate would need to be cut with the 1/2" wide trough then the standard sprue hole thru the last 1/8-3/16. the 1/2" trough would be best cut with a 5*-10* cutter so sprues release easy.

If this workes then trying new shapes might be easier. Think about a straight sided wadcutter with hollow base about .200 - .250 long Or a scaled down minne ball. Or a Thompson center style maxi scaled down (solid) in 15-18 grn maybe even 20 grn range for hunting. With good shot placement might make that 1000 fps+ 177 effective on wood chuck sized game.

[frkelly74]

Well the other WalMart had no 22 pellets. Cabellas had none and also no 22 ammo. Dunhams had some 177 pointed pellets, some .20 pellets , no 22 pellets, and quite a bit of assorted 22 ammo, ( don't tell any one ) I have to go check the Meijers though I suspect there will be none. I will just have to get out the crossman 177gas pellet gun.

[Mal Paso]

I got my pellets at Midway. They shipped within 1 1/2 hours for free and it was here in 5 days flat UPS Ground. I bought air gun oil and a cheap soft case so I don't ruin the stock too.

Amazon sells them too.

[frkelly74]

Today, Dunhams had 22 pellets in. A 500 round tin was about $16. And 22 long rifle, Federal copper plated $22.99 per 525 round box.

[dverna]

Today, Dunhams had 22 pellets in. A 500 round tin was about $16. And 22 long rifle, Federal copper plated $22.99 per 525 round box.

What I find astounding is people will buy an air gun to save money. Using your numbers, cost of a pellet is $.032...cost of a 22 is $.044. With a springer there is no other cost; but would anyone want to cock one 100 times to save $1.20?

I rarely shoot my RWS for that reason. Too much effort and NOT fun. One good thing about using a springer....your kids/grandkids will not burn though 200 rounds of ammo very often.

[frkelly74]

Well, I can shoot the springer out in the garage and the neighbors don't call the cops. That is another good thing. I was kind of surprised that the price of the pellets had gone up to the $16 mark. That is about double what I would have guessed.

[daengmei]

anyone want to cock one 100 times to save $1.20?

I grew up with a BB gun at 5yo that had a push in barrel and then a Daisy...next were Crossmans. Last ammo shortage I bought a Ruger Air Hawk, .177.At the range I didn't shoot it one round. Seeing the hinges I tried all I knew as a teenager to cock the rifle, it was just too darn tough. I didn't know to set it on my lap and grunt. It has set in box since bummer years. Very dusty but I still plan to one day use it.

[Mal Paso]

My RWS 48 has a side lever which is no trouble to cock. Ammo is 2 cents and I can shoot without bothering anyone. I have a 44 if I need attention.

[fcvan]

I have a .177 Chinese training rifle bought over 30 years ago for $20 at the time. Side cocker with SKS style stock and sights, but a horrible trigger. The thing was so high pressure/power I noticed 2 things. One, I shot a tin can and the BB ripped through the top rim and ripped out the back side of the can. Two, any oil in the bore 'dieseled' and ignited creating an interesting smoke.

The sights were ladder type and turned up/elevated, I could hit tin cans at 100 yards. I usually kept my shooting to 25 yards or so with either pellets or BBs. That rifle got its most use when I was over run by timber rats due to them finding a way to the feed in the chicken/rabbit hutch. Hardware cloth fixed that but I killed 5 to 7 rats a night for over 4 months. One night at dusk, I told my visiting Dad I had to go to work and grabbed the rifle. He followed and watched me pop a few before he said 'my turn.'

I mounted a mini mag light on the barrel and would shield the light until I heard scurrying on the tree limbs, then uncovered the light and shot for the reflecting red eyes. Bingo! Before the air rifle, I was using #9 shot in a .357, at least until the neighbors complained. After that, the snakeshot was reserved for possum and raccoons, the neighbors didn't complain about that. Everyone had 1 to 4 acres of redwood trees and of course a lot of chicken, duck, goose killing vermin. I helped thin that problem.