Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires So why is there still not any .22lr ammo?

Just picked up 3 bricks of 555 for $23.78/brick at Walmart on Saturday. I left two on the shelves for the next guy. Ain't Kanada great.

It must be a little confusing to the conspiracy theorists to hear about our Canadian friends being able to buy rimfire ammo so easily in stores. If ammo manufacturers were deliberately decreasing production to raise prices, you'd think Canada would be having a shortage too.

Of course, the first "evidence" of a conspiracy in this latest episode was a shortage of .223 ammo, which was blamed on the US government wanting it all for itself, leaving none for citizens. But .223 ammo has been all over the place for several months now. Just stopped in a couple of stores today and saw thousands of rounds.

Also found some Hornady .17 HMR 17-grain V-Max at one, with a limit of three boxes per customer. It was priced at $11.99, which is about the price it's been selling for in stores for many years now. Four bricks were already at home, but I shoot as much .17 HMR as .22 LR, so picked up three boxes. If there's any left next time I'm in the etore might buy some more.

Also picked up 500 .22 caliber match-grade pellets for my very accurate air rifle for $10, less than half the price a brick of .22 ammo goes for at normal retail prices. I shoot it a lot too, including in the garage in the winter, and even accurate pellets are really cheap. Wonder why the pellet manufacturers haven't shut down their plants to drive the price up?

Oh, and saw the normal bazillion shotgun shells, which never were scarce even at the height of the panic--at normal prices.

Here's a tidbit to drive the American "Let's all share" guys crazy.

Here in Canada, I bought a case, yes a CASE, of WW 40gr HP Power Points last month. For the same price as I did last year and the year before that.

Although I will shoot those this year at gophers, that likely makes me a hoarder in the eyes of many here.

I will also buy two cases of Lapua 22LR ammo soon to shoot in rimfire silhouette this year for the same price as last year. Come to think of it I bought a case this past fall. Easy peasey. It may not really be germane to this topic as it comes from Europe to Canada, and doesn't have to get past the US Walmart gauntlet.

Just got a couple cases of Laupa myself for this years smallbore silhoutte work. I get 2-3 cases a year of Laupa or Eley just as I have the last several years. I like to keep a case or so of Blazer around for pistol plinking , but have seen that for sale since BEFORE the big panic. But do manage to pick up a bit of CCI mini mag once in a while, so I got a case of centurion orderd for my pistol stuff should be to my ammo guy any time.

How many people that are retired, UN-employeed, work the night shift, store clerks, friends of store clerks are buying 70-80% of what IS being distributed before it's stocked or barely put on the shelf.

The ANSWER - LOTS & LOTS of it. And as long as people keep paying 40,50,60+ a brick we'll continue to see empty shelves.

And as John pointed out, as long as the fools who normally shot 50-100 rounds, maybe a brick a year are hoarding thousands upon thousands of rounds the prices will continue to be inflated.

Big Chains like Cabelas have taken any ammo that is being sought after and basically removed it from their on-line/mail order because it's all being shipped to the store and bought up quicky

I stumbled across bricks being sold at one Bass Pro and then at another a few weeks later....the ammo is there, but there are still folks buying it up and waiting in lines like they were a year ago.....cost is about the same, I was able to buy a federal 525 bulk pack for around $21.00

Bottom line, if folks would calm down, this would end, but its a catch 22 (no pun intended) because if I see it, I'm gonna buy it because its so rare to find

I really have not been looking for .22 LR, but I buy it when I see it. In the last couple of months I have bought some CCI Velocitors and some CCI SV at local stores. Also, my wife has called when she sees some at Wal Mart and I either take it or leave it depending on brand and quantity. On the .22 magnum front, I have scored about a thousand rounds since mid-November, some on the shelves and some mail order. I also have some magnum on back order with Midway. As Mule Deer pointed out a few days ago, back ordered ammo is never going to be shown as being in stock when it arrives, so it looks like the seller has been out for a year when it really has been receiving and shipping.

I've seen enough scorsese flicks to know that the mob is controlling the rimfire ammo supply now.

DINK: Several "insiders" I know agree completely with you!
The deliveries of rimfire ammo they had been receiving for decades have been halved!
And in some cases even less than that has been delivered to them in the last 15 months!
There has NOT been a doubling of rimfire ammo outlets - I know that for a fact!
The ammunition companies simply are shifting to more profitable ammunition sales/production in my opinion.
I now see factory centerfire ammo at 2 1/2 to 4 times what it cost just 24 months ago!
WTF?
I also heard yesterday that there has been ANOTHER jump in lead shot prices!
Sadly, I concur, that prices we used to see and AMOUNTS that we used to see of rimfire ammo are GONE and NEVER to return!
And thats a shame.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

This is all funny to me. I buy ammo or supplies as I go. My rimfire supplier has held his prices. I order and Dan says that he doesn't have it today, but it will be at his store in 2-6 weeks. When it arrives he ships it. I am tired of all the whinnying. Get up at 4am in the morning if you choose. I order mine from Dan Killough and when it comes in, he ships to me. Yes, I have several bricks of rimfire ammo, it is not for sale, and if you quit whinnying and order you will get it.

I'm surprised WOLF hasn't hired the biggest cargo ship they can find and came over and profiteered on us greedy capitalist!

They may be selling all they can make too.

Mike

A buddy just bought an AR style .22, I gave him 200 rounds from my supply for 2 diet dews.

Another friend of mine asked if I've been able to find any ammo and mentioned his 11 year old hasn't been able to shoot in awhile, I took 200 rounds by his office and had his secretary put it on his desk free of charge, I shoot when I want to shoot and if I run out before the shelves replenish I'll shoot something bigger and so on and so on, I'm blessed with multiple caliber options.

Mike

My concern has been limited annual or however often they schedule oddball runs of brass and whether the "craze" will hinder that!

I've been thinking about adding a new cartridge to the collection and there is no brass available for it. So I wait.

Mike

Butch,

VarmintGuy prefers to drive around southwestern Montana every month or so, and when he doesn't find the "normal" amount of rimfire ammo on store shelves he whines about the conspiracy. Though he has admitted to finding both .22 Long Rifle and .17 M2 recently.

Apparently he cannot even begin to comprehend how demand beyond normal levels changes the market. He and DINK and others refuse to consider ordering ammo, instead of spending a bunch of money on gasoline in the blind hope of finding any on store shelves.

As a result he refuses to believe the testimony of many people about how rimfire manufacturers are running constantly. Instead he just keeps driving round and round and round.

If you're going to drive round and round and round, there are worse places than Montana.

Muledeer,
Your wrong again about me. I have been a hoarder since I have had a job. I have cases (yes, cases not bricks) of rimfire ammo. I currently have four cases (again cases not bricks) of various rimfire on order. I have always bought by the case and always keep plenty.

I need absolutely nothing but I like to buy and test stuff for myself.

Where I live I can hit several wal-marts, cabelas, bass pro, Dicks and a couple of very large privately owned gun shops with very little effort. One can even time it so you get to the majority of them just as they open. Usually there is not a single 22LR shell in all the above places for sale.

How many cases of ammo do you think the above places have on order? One of the private gun shops said he would take a 100 cases of CCI yet he usually has nothing or Eley edge in stock (that stuff is cheap). He says he simply not getting what he used to (he always had pallets of rimfire).

If the above places are not getting it who is? Who is getting all the extra ammo that the companies are making while retailers that order a hundred thousand dollars worth are getting little to none?

I can't believe that it's all going to mail order places while these big retailers sit empty.

Dink

I have already told you what the people that work at Remington have told me so here is what I saw with my own eyes back in the summer when I was trying to get .22 bullets to take to Quemado.

I started hitting the walmart stores around here and from where I live there are 4 within thirty miles. I had no luck finding anything on several tries. There is just one of these that is not open all night so I figured that would make it easier to catch them will bullets and I asked when they got ammo shipments. I was told that ammo came in on Mon, Wed, and Fri. nights but was not put out until the next morning. Store opens at 6:00 Am so I go and the first time I get there around 6:15 and there was a few people at the sporting goods area waiting for the ammo to be put out. They got a few boxes of Federal .22 in bulk packs but there was enough people ahead of me to get it all at a three box limit, and I got none. I did buy some 9mm ammo. The next day for ammo I went again and there was no line but when the ammo was put out, there was no .22 bullets. There was some assorted ammo but no .22. A few days later I tried again and the same bunch was in line ahead of me but there was one box of bulk federal over what they bought, so I got a box. The next time I went I was there way ahead of time and was the first through the door and I got a three box limit of Remington bulk. Then same bunch was right behind me and had enough people to get everything if I had not been the first in line. This bunch consisted of a man in a wheelchair and his entourage and all money for the .22 bullets came out of his wallet. There was always enough people with him to get all bullets unless it was an odd number and not an even three box limit. Somebody was tipping him off about the number coming in, I think even though he said you could find out on line. I could never find a place with that info. This Walmart is in a small town with a population of 2500 or so and they got some .22 most shipment days. Some days there was not but they always got some ammo. It might be 9mm,.38, .45 .223 ect. but always some and most days there was .22. Other Walmarts where I have asked says that they are getting none but I doubt it and think they are tipping people off or keeping it for themselves to sell. This is against walmart policy and if it could be proved I figure they would be fired but a store that is open 24 hours a day it is harder to pin down when the ammo is put out. There is a lot more going on than most people think. miles

You should have tipped his wheelchair over.



Travis

I agree, but no matter what he is doing or has done, I would have looked like the bastard. miles

I was hitting the walmart here every trip to town for ammo. I would say I checked 25-30 times, nothing there. On my last trip I was able to get three boxes of stingers. All they had left.

Bimart across the highway was the same. Until thus weekend. They had a 100 boxes of federal .22s.

I bought my 2 box limit three days in a row. Brought my 12 year old son but they would not let him get two even with me.

So I got at lest these three hundred. My revolver likes Winchester 36 grain bulk Pak best. And federal HPs work great too. Can't find them anymore.