Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Rimfire Shortages - Its Been Over 24 Months Now!

I have been keeping track and this rimfire shortage started in early October of 2,012 - thats 24 full months now - going on 25!
I travel throughout the west and stop at gunshops, sporting goods stores and chain stores at every chance I get - mostly looking for quality 22 hollow-point ammo and 17 Mach2 ammo.
The consensus is (from the "knowledgeable" gunshops owners and ammo counter clerks I trust) that they simply are not getting as much quality 22 ammo and 17 Mach2 ammo as they did prior to this current and ongoing situation.
Frankly I am at a loss - some people claim the 22 ammo makers are pumping out more than ever and its simply being "hoarded" by "hoarders".
I don't think so - I mean how many months/years til the hoarders basements are full???
I tend to give creedence to those who contend that the ammo makers are making so much money selling factory loaded ammo that rimfire ammo and centerfire components have taken a back seat to this profit driven policy?
Again I don't know but tend to give this "contention/conjecture" more creedence than the 5 or 6 other theories that abound.
I mean 25 months and nothing but burps and spurts of 22 ammo just doesn't make sense to me - and there are no signs of the situation (let alone the PRICES!) for quality 22 hollow-point ammo ever getting back to "normal"!
I don't know - I guess I am just frustrated?
I have enough of one type 22 ammo for a year and a halfs worth of shooting but less than a years worth of my favored Winchester 40 grain Power-Points!
I don't even like to think about my store of 17 Mach2 ammo (not much!).
Sad situation - different than what I have lived with, to say the least.
I guess all we can do is roll with the punches?
Come on Winchester produce some 40 grain Power-Points.
There seems to be a fair amount of 17 HMR ammo on the shelves where I travel by.
Your thoughts appreciated.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Frankly, democrats are good for the firearms and ammo business.

It's not as bad as it was around my parts, but the prices have basically doubled from what there were. Hard to get a particular brand or type of ammo, but usually something can be found. Not a hoarder, but I am now buying when I see what I want.

I have zero problem finding 22 ammo for a fair price.

Haven't had a problem for years.

My wife and I were in central Montana a couple of weeks ago doing some PD shooting and managed to gather up almost a case of 22 good gopher shooting ammo just by stopping in sporting good stores, farm stores, etc. and asking if they had 22 ammo. Most places had it under the counter and not out on display so if I hadn't asked I would have assumed that there was none available. All places did have a limit on it but we left happy. On average I paid $30.00 per brick.

There was 17 HMR and 22 Magnum available even in places that didn't have 22 lr. There certainly doesn't seem to be a "shortage" of either of them.

drover

Little to none to be had in Casper WY

Drover: Good for you on the diligent searching!
And thats not to bad a price (these days!) you paid.
I hope you also did well on the Prairie Doggin.
Yeah the availability of 17 HMR seems kind of out of place as compared to the 22 L.R. stuff - puzzling that.
I am already looking forward to next years Gophering!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Smithrjd: I agree on your price evaluation.
I wonder if prices will ever come down?
I am not technically a hoarder either, as I do not buy and then re-sell 22 ammo.
I have bought 22 ammo though and then traded it for ammo that I am sighted in for (22 Federal bulk pack stuff and Winchester Power-Points).
Hoping things get back to normal.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
P.S.: Be sure and watch out for self described turds - they tend to lie a lot and stink real bad when stepped upon!

PD-ing wasn't bad, we averaged about 250 rounds each per day and then the rain set in so no more PD-ing, too much gumbo.

drover

What I can't figure out is where the heck is it all going? All of the stores around here that used to get plenty of .22 ammo aren't suddenly selling out of it- they can't get it at all. And this is with the big chains and small stores and everything in between. From Sportsman's Warehouse, Cabelas, and BiMart to every other store that used to have good supplies of ammo- none of them can get more than a few boxes a week. Not cases like usual.

So, where the heck is all of that production going? Something stinks here....

Bob

A brand new small gun shop opened up here recently. On the counter next to the register was a tall clear plastic jar filled up about half way with Remington Thunderturds. The sticker on the jar read "15 cents a piece"!

LGS got in 2000 rounds of CCI .22 Mag in today. First they have had in 6 months.

.22 Mag ammo has pretty much been Non Existent here in N. TX

It's out there but you have to look for it (order it). I have bought several cases this year at pre-panic prices.

Dink

Yeah, apparently a lot of shooters still can't comprehend that the Internet is the major place to go for rimfire ammo now, not local stores.

Local stores aren't getting as much as they used to because there are more mail-order companies ordering it now, and they often had their orders in long before the local stores. Plus, some stores have pissed off rimfire manufacturers, by selling as much ammo in one week as they normally sell it three months, then telling customers the shortage is due to the manufacturers not sending them "enough ammo."

Yeah right! Shutting down the lead smelters, now the copper smelters via EPA caveat, and you actually think they're HELPING the situation!
Wake the hell UP! Its going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

Mesabikid44: I had forgotten about the lead smelters going away in America.
I fear that you may be right in your prediction that things are going to get worse in the future (next couple of years).
Did three "gunshops" yesterday and nothing in the way of rimfires but some 17 HMR ammo at one of them.
I have never bought 22 ammo from a mail order outlet like Mule Deer suggests - I wonder if the high prices and then the shipping costs on top of that will further discourage us 22 Hunters/shooters?
I had not heard of the copper smelters being regulated into oblivion - yikes on that.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I think it will get better soon if the elections go well (a.k.a. Republicans win enough seats).

When I order cases in January they told me one year for it to be delivered. I got it in 7-8 months.

I don't buy the supply/demand theory but the truth of the matter is order it by the case and wait on it to show up. If you don't order it today and the elections go bad there is a good chance in a year wal-mart still won't ammo on the shelf.

Dink

It costs me about an hour and a half and about $4 worth of gas to go running around town checking stores that have ammo, times the number of times I have to do that to amass ammo. It takes me 5 minutes and no gas to order stuff online, and I can do it at times when the stores aren�t even open. I have to make multiple trips to get anything in quantity. In the last month, I have gotten about 1300 Federal Auto Match, 1000 CCI Mini-Mag HP, 300 CCI Mini-Mag RN online. I have passed up even more. If, on average, I pay 2-3 cents more per round delivered than the retail price plus tax when I can find it locally, it still winds up cheaper to me in terms of time and gasoline than amassing similar quantities in my locale at �big box store prices�. The other plus is that I get what I want rather than a mish mash of whatever is on the shelf with a 2-3 box limit.

A guy who spends hours of time and $20 on gasoline and then is happy to have amassed 500 Mini-Mags at $7.99 a hundred ($39.95 plus tax), while another guy spent 5 minutes and $56 ($11.20 a hundred, no tax) shipped for the same item, actually lost money in comparison. I am sure that a lot of people have a hidden cost in time and gasoline that they do not take into consideration when discussing their big ammo score. I realize that everyone�s personal situation differs, but it is much cheaper for me to mail order at a higher price than to run around chasing rainbows for the pot of ammo at the end.

There really isn't any shortage of ammo, just people not wanting to pay the prices they see. On gunbrokers you can find any type of ammo you want.

I mostly agree, but the I do enjoy the time out, chatting with other folks at gun counters & browsing. For me it's a wash either way. But If I have to have "it" ... typically its online for me too.