Posted on 04/08/2014 7:05:14 AM PDT by rktman
Even though Sierra BulletQuestionMarks does not make .22 LR ammo or projectiles, we are constantly asked Why cant I find any .22 LR ammo anywhere? Even the conspiracy theorists are at a loss on this one as they cant even blame it on the government. They toss around thoughts of warehouses full of .22 LR rotting away just to keep it out of their hands, but that does not seem very realistic even to them.
So what is going on here? Why is it that 1.5 years later, the shelves are still empty and bricks of .22 LR can still be seen selling for upwards of $75-$100 at gun shows? I do not believe there is one answer, but rather a few. Here are my opinions on the matter, for what they are worth.
(Excerpt) Read more at sierrabullets.wordpress.com ...
A few months ago I was in Cabelas (Louisville) picking up some ammo of a different caliber. The sales guy told me that they had gotten in 100,000 rounds of 22LR, put it out on a Saturday and it was gone by noon.
Last week I sold a couple of bricks of mine to buy some 7.62x39. Irony? I sold 2K of 22LR and walked into my local gun shop and bought 1K 7.62x39. Exactly 2 for 1.
Anyway, the guy who bought mine said he just went to Cabelas and they sold out the 22LR they got in before the store opened. By that he meant that people were camped out at 5 am & when the store opened, the ammo was gone at once.
I sold a few bricks via armslist.com, some at 12¢ and some at 10¢ a round. Got a very nasty email calling me a gouger and a dirt bag, and more. Some very frustrated folks out there.
On another note, I got a mailing from the NRA saying come see Mitch (Harry’s Bitch) McConnell at an NRA sponsored pep rally for him. That really made me angry.
Aaah yes they are.....its about the money at the end of day
Lewis Machine Tool had a 12 year back log that after the 2010 election went to the normal 18 months in 3 weeks
Several distributors were sued by manufacturers for not honoring large purchase orders,..... you are obviously not in the gun business, other than as a consumer which is fine.
“In 2010 and 2011 so many Firearms and ammunition companies were stuck with product and capacity”
You sure have a different memory of 2010 & 2011 than I have! Where I live, guns and ammo were going up during 2010 & 2011...and haven’t stopped.
I almost never shoot any more. I only have a couple hundred rounds of 22 ammo left, and 357 & 44 mag ammo are thru the roof. I might as well shoot $5 bills!
I’m seriously tempted to start handloading, but that won’t help me any with finding 22 ammo for sale.
I just checked Midway. The cheapest 22 LR ammo in stock runs $18.49 for FIFTY rounds. That is roughly 40 cents a round! And you want me to believe there is no profit in it for a manufacturer to expand a line?
My Walmart store has exactly 9 each 30CAL Ammo cans of XM193 of 5.56mm at $199 apiece. Bunches of 7.62X39 in all makes there too. They’ve been in the case for about 2 weeks.
Every other caliber, EXCEPT 38, 38SPL, and 357 Magnum AND 22LR and 22MRF is in strong supply, too.
Profit margin on a 22LR has to be the least profitable for popular calibers, IMO.
I think it is a huge factor, in fact the factor.
I know for myself I've gone from keeping a number of months supply to the same number in years. I've been thinking of buying similar amounts to keep for my kids.
The bullet bubble burst long ago...You’re not looking very hard.
Now is the time to buy centerfire, not rimfire ammo.
5.45x39
7.62x39
5.56x45/223Rem
9mm
40S&W
I would recommend reloading, but expect to have trouble finding components (brass and bullets) in popular cartridges/calibers. Something like 243Win or 260Rem might be viable vs. 308Win or 223Rem.
Back when the Chinese demand for copper was driving up the price of bullets and brass was the right time to stock up on components that were available. I haven’t looked at the component market since 2007/2008. Things may have changed (worse?).
It’s unlikely to get better any time soon.
I look at several stores a few times a week.
When I have found any, it is boxes of 50 for $2.5~3.2/box. That has been limited to purchases of 2 boxes.
I’ve been able to purchase a couple boxes of 50 per month. That is all I find for the time I invest.
Our Walmart is the red headed step child. The only 7.62x39 they get in is Tula, which is hit and miss. I was told that the reason was our distribution comes from Indiana and we essentially get the leftovers. 5.56 is in regularly @10.99 (too much for target rounds IMO) but WM limits purchases to 3 boxes total of anything.
For the most part I have had to use gunbot.net and ammoseek.com to find what I want when I want it. The only 38spl locally is high end SD stuff. Practice grade has to be ordered and it’s pricey. Ditto for 9mm and 380 auto.
I have friends in our Houston area that find less than I do.
Congratulations with your success finding in your area. You could become quite wealthy using internet auction sites.
Yeah. I must say I'm sorely disappointed in the boating skills of my fellow FReepers. I would never leave the dock with one. If I were a gun, that is.
Plus old shooters see a need to polish their skills, to prepare for whatever situations may be coming soon, and they all start by burning some .22LR before going to a higher and more expensive caliber.
Why waste manufacturing capacity ramping up a cheap round like the 22lr? With DHS IRS EPA DOE USPS USFS TSA ordering billions of higly profitable ammo it makes more sense to put your resources in the that side of production. Like selling the rope with which they will hang you.
Not exactly. A good break barrel will hit 20-30 FPE. A 22LR will hit 100 FPE. Even subsonic 22 will still make 40-50 FPE.
Airguns are cheap to shoot,wonderful training tools, good for quiet plinking and small game (squirrel,rabbit) hunting but they are not as powerful as a 22LR.
And be careful, they are really addictive...
Sorry, that should have been +-2000, not 5.
Oops! You said “muzzle velocity”. In that case you’re right. Forget everything I just said. Carry on.
That’s what I’m doing...
This is what it will be like with every thing when SHTF.
Stop hoarding!
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