So, Really, Where Is The .22 Rimfire Ammo?

The Daily Caller ^ | August 27, 2014 | Mark Keefe, American Rifleman

[2ndDivisionVet]

It happens daily. Still. I get calls and e-mails asking where all the ammo is. Except it is not “all” ammo anymore. For the record, there is no conspiracy. There is no secret government contract. It’s not Bloomberg or Soros (even though their actions and pronouncements often increase demand. Ironic, huh?).

The major domestic ammunition makers have been producing more ammunition than ever. They are all up in terms of total production—double, and in some areas, triple-digit increases. They are all running three shifts. And when it comes to center-fire cartridges, at least of three of the big makers are caught up and beginning to load either new products, line extensions or specialty loads. Previously, lower-demand chambering or atypical bullet weights or styles were shelved due the time it took to change over the tooling. Now, on the center-fire side, anyway, the manufacturers can start to really catch up to demand and get to cartridge producing they have not loaded in two years.

But not on rimfire. Affordable .22 Long Rifle in particular remains like a Bigfoot sighting. Despite running three shifts—I recently talked with Federal Premium’s Tim Brandt specifically about this—rimfire capacity is at its maximum at the Federal Premium Anoka, Minn., and CCI, Lewiston, Idaho, plants. The other rimfire makers in the United States (and some overseas) tell me the same thing. Maximum production is coming out of all them. And it is not enough. Demand for .22 Long Rifle still exceeds production capacity.

The problem with rimfire production is that adding capacity is incredibly expensive and not easy. The machines are very spendy and cannot just be ordered out of catalog. And then you have to train the workforce, too, after the tooling is in and the plant built....

[2ndDivisionVet]

I haven't seen any in forever.

[ImNotLying]

Some WalMarts that I go to get them on a frequent basis. I have bought several boxes of the Federal 550 round boxes recently. Some gun and ammo stores have plenty but they want $80 and up for a brick.

[bestintxas]

Stocked up with dozens of bricks after Obama’s first win.

Am fine for years

[RC one]

I overheard a Cabelas cashier telling a customer how she has about 3,000 rounds of .22 LR that she has been accumulating over the past year or so. I found that interesting but didn’t say anything.

[Alas Babylon!]

I’ve bought 22 long from Cheaper than Dirt several times recently without problems. Plenty still available, but prices have gone up....

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/

[cva66snipe]

Then who is buying it and where? If it's gone off the shelves in minutes then very limited amounts are hitting the actual private sector market. I smell a government contracted "hidden load" as we called it when I drove a truck" buy Rat. Simply meaning goods leave manufacturer with order stating one location and buyer and the destination is a secret buyer and it is taken to another location. Very common in shipping.

Walmart I can understand. Their On Time To Store Inventory System is so dysfunctional they likely only order One-five bricks a month if that. The other stores? No! I bet it never arrives or if it does just a few boxes with the rest going elsewhere "hidden load delivery" like a warehouse government owned.

[eartick]

22LR and 22HMR are still hard to find and if you do they are either limited to how many you can buy or are pricey.

What gets me though is that the 17HMR is all over the shelves and never went “dinosaur” but weapons are harder to find.

One thing for sure, ammo jumped at Cabellas by about 15% since hunting season around the corner. Could not believe it the other day when I was there.

Glad to see reloading supplies showing back up though. Price is still way up there though. Probably added 5% or so to reloading.

[Yo-Yo]

Last month I was in a Walmart in Grand Rapids, MI, and for the first time in almost two years there was stock in every single caliber on the shelves - except .22LR.

They even had .38 spl +P, but not one round of .22.

[FreedomPoster]

3000 rounds of .22 is nothing. I mean, I wish I had that much, but it’s really nothing.

[FreedomPoster]

3000 rounds of .22 is nothing. I mean, I wish I had that much, but it’s really nothing.

[MikeinMotley]

a fair amount of the 22 is being grabbed up by employees at your local Wal Mart, Dick’s, Bass Pro etc etc for employee discount prices and then prices being jacked up 3, 4, 5 times and sold on gun broker, arms list and such! and of course the employees usually know exactly when the shipments will arrive. all the blame can’t be placed on this, but a damn good fair amount is leaving this way. im starting to see more and more around, but usually limit you to ONE brick

Mike

[niteowl77]

I don't begrudge people who are stocking up, but I confess to developing an aversion to some of those who are going from place to place and buying .22LR for speculation purposes. I have come very close to losing my cool with a few of these... one smart-assed, smart-phoned jerk in particular. (A type who reminds one that the left doesn't have a monopoly on loathsome individuals, merely a good head start.)

I've taken this opportunity to return to the air rifle and sell all but one of the .22 rifles I'd accumulated, so I'm okay, but I do feel bad for the noobs and the youngsters who have traditionally started with the .22LR.

Mr. niteowl77

[wyowolf]

I went to the new Cabelas that opened here in Ga, was talking with a clerk and he said they get 22 in but the same group of people show up first thing every morning and buy their limit... every single day.

I did manage to get 2 boxes of 50 for 2.99 each :) hey its something :)

[cva66snipe]

That would be ALMOST believable except for this. How many people do you know are actually finding and buying .22 LR? With that much available even on the black-market the prices would have to fall due to simple economics and undercutting competition. Few places have it at all so where is it going? IF it was flying off the shelves and selling in massive amounts say at gun shows then there would not be a shortage.

The ammo makers only manufacturer and ship. Once it hits the trucks going out the company loading docks it can go anywhere and a middle man be a broker for a hidden buyer. Now who wants ammo off the shelves the most? IF our government has no qualms about shipping arms to drug cartels it certainly would have no problem buying up massive shipments under bogus buyers of ammo to keep it out of civilian hands. Any other administration, any other time in our nations history I would say Tin Foil. We live in different times now under a different government.

[MikeinMotley]

for those of you that DO NOT know about this nifty little tool, this is a “near real time” tracking of who has ammo, mags, and reloading supplies IN STOCK. has worked great for me! right now it’s showing probably 100 or more stores with 22LR in stock, what i like is you can set “your own” price per round filter, the lowest i see 22LR is 9c/round at Cabelas

http://gunbot.net/ammo/rimfire/22lr/

Mike

[MikeinMotley]

correction, i see some @ 8c/round

Mike

[Organic Panic]

I remember certain freepers here flamed at me for pointing out companies can’t just tool up. They said it was super simple and they could find their $5 bricks again.

Why bother wasting overhead and materials on .22 when they can make much much more making rimfire.

[The_Republic_Of_Maine]

I stocked up back when clinton first won, love looking at the 98 cent stickers on boxes of 50.

[The_Republic_Of_Maine]

Ammo .22 Magnum Armscor 40 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point 50 Rounds Per Box 1875 Feet Per Second

$14.19

Warehouse 1

Ammo .22 Magnum CCI Signature Maxi Mag 40 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point 1875 fps 200 Rounds 0958

 

Out of Stock

Ammo .22 Magnum CCI Maxi Mag Jacketed Hollow Point 40 Grain 50 Round Box 1875 fps 24

 

Out of Stock

Ammo .22 Magnum Hornady V-Max 30 Grain 2200 fps 50 Round Box

 

Out of Stock

Ammo .22 Magnum CCI Maxi-Mag +V Jacketed Hollow Point 30 Grain 50 Round Box 2200 fps 59

 

Out of Stock

Ammo .22 Magnum Remington AccuTip-V 33 Grain 2000 fps 50 Round Box

 

Out of Stock

Ammo .22 Magnum Remington Magnum Rimfire 40 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point 1910 fps 50 Rounds 21170

 

Out of Stock