Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires 22 Mag ammo

I am looking to pick up a carton to go with my WW 94-22mag.. Have some for the CZ, just figure the WW needs its own special carton..

Wideners has a good selection in stock, but it's pricy.

You got a $400 - $500 rimfire and wont pay $12 for a box of ammo. Really? You wont even shoot the ammo you got with the gun. I am at a loss for a polite response.

Ammo cost pretty closely follow raw material cost. All things equal, 22mag should cost an itty-bity little bit more than 17hrm. Say a dollar per 50 as a WAG.

The industry did a good job on keeping up with 17hrm supply. For reasons, I cannot imagine, 22mag lagged. Survivalist value? Maybe the Mexican producers will step in. I see plenty now and simply accept the new price for what it is.

The cost of 22mag ammo has never been a concern to me. Each round generally equals a dead critter. My universe is not filled with that many critters. And, lucky I was a hoarder decades before it became fashionable. While, I recently switched over to Vmax, I still got uncounted yellow cardboard boxes of super x. Remember 22mag used to be sold in cases of 10 boxes? I wonder what a plastic box adds to the retail?

Was in one of the larger gun shops in Connecticut two days ago who has no little .22 Magnum ammo for the last three years. They had both CCI and Remington in several different weights for $14 to $20 a box....but at least they had some.

Same shop also had tons of .22 LR ammo, most of it Aguila...

Bob

fourbore,

The reason the supply of .22 Magnum lagged and .17 HMR didn't was far more shooters are shooting far more .17 HMR's these days. Thus the production lines at rimfire factories are only switched over to .22 magnums for shorter periods each year, and since switching over costs time (and therefore money) .22 Magnum ammo is slightly more expensive. Material costs are some of the price difference, but not all.

Out here in the West there's relatively little demand for .22 Magnum anymore. The major use for rimfires out here isn't hunting small, edible game (which doesn't use up many rounds even in the East) but shooting of super-abundant burrowing varmints. I know one guy who shoots 10,000 rounds of .17 HMR's a year, and many who shoot 1000+ rounds. Haven't seen anybody using a .22 Magnum for the same purpose in years, simply because the .17 HMR not only shoots far flatter but drifts noticeably less in the wind. Which is why production lines for ".22 Magnum sized" rimfire ammo are mostly making .17 HMR's these days.

.22 Long Rifle production never caught up with demand during the "shortage" because so many people were hoarding it rather than shooting it up. At first manufacturers did try to keep up with demand by upping production to 24/7, but that involved paying overtime, and eventually even many workers grew weary of working all the time, even if they were making more money. Plus, hyper-production still didn't come close to filling the hoarding demand: Every time some "reasonably" priced .22 Long Rifle appeared on store shelves or the Internet, it was snapped up. Meanwhile, higher-priced .22 LR target ammo was always available, because hoarders and resellers weren't interested in it.

Many shooters have been very eager to believe in some vast conspiracy in rimfire supplies over the past few years, when the "shortages" of other kinds of common ammo disappeared relatively quickly, especially handgun and .223 Remington. It all comes back to supply and demand, which is exactly why .22 Magnum isn't being produced in the same amounts as .17 HMR: The .17 HMR is far more popular. It may not seem so in certain parts of the country, but overall it is, and that's what counts in any product.

MD Thanks for the straight skinny !

Can you update us on 17HM2 ?

I only know three things about .17 M2:

1) A year or two ago Hornady told me (after I asked) that they'll continue to support it.

2) CCI quit making ammo.

3) I was on a continuous search for enough ammo for mine, but the little found cost essentially cost as much as the .17 HMR ammo I bought on sale, $10-$12 a box. So I sold my .17 M2.

Industry is missing an opportunity here. They should be selling primed RF brass. Die makers would appreciate it, bullet makers too. We could have a new forum here and who knows, might be cheaper than factory ammo.

Or not.

I buy all of mine locally... Just saw a chit load of it at the stores today. I think the best deal was a 200 round box for $41.00. This was good CCI jacketed hollow points too.. Another store I went to had a chit load of the Hornady 30gr. V-max for $13.00/box. Too bad you can't find any locally. I'm starting to see more on the shelves each day, so hopefully it will start turning around for some of you other guys that haven't seen any for a long time...

MuleDeer,

Good post on the shortages.

And yea, if 22mag shooters feel short changed, I can only imagine how it goes for the HM2 guys.

The 22mag does seem to be popular around here and more versatile in bullet weights. I like the 22 Vmax which shoot flat enough for me.

I also see 22mag FMJ on the shelves around here and I dare not mention what those are for. Not for me, BTW. I am not suffering any damage. I bet those would work on pigs too.

Good luck finding any in east tn if u do though you better buy it

I just visited Cabelas in Mass, where they had 5 different choices in 22mag. No limit. CCI Vamx and Green, Winchester 40gr HP, stupid over price Remington 33gr and something imported from europe I forget the maker.

I did a spot check and you can order the Vmax online from cableas.

FWIW, 17 HRM, 17 WSM, 22LR were all well stocked. And some match grade 22LR such as SK in bricks.

My closest LGS has all the above as well. I see quite a few places with Bricks CCI Std Vel too.