Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires The Walmart "bunch of old guys" myth

I have noticed, as have a bunch of people , that 22 ammo is tough to find. For a number of reasons, I used to buy a lot of my ammo at WalMart. In the last 6 years, or so, I have bought a total of 6 boxes of 22 there, because that was the only 22 ammo they had. I checked online for deliveries, went to a couple of different Walmarts, at different times, the whole nine yards. At no time did I see any lines of anybody. They just flat out had no ammo. Apparently, it goes out as fast as it comes in, but I went at many different times, and saw nothing. Has anybody actually seen it? I think it is an urban legend...

This week I spoke with the lady who manages the sporting goods department at our local WM, and she said for the past year they have gotten hardly any .22 ammo. Hardly worth standing in line for.

Also, I have a friend who works at Sportsmans Warehouse, and he said employees are not allowed to buy .22 ammo, or at least not in any quantity over the public. I did score one of two cartons of Automatch last week, and somebody else grabbed the only other one on the shelf.

What's with this CCI Quiet .22 stuff? Seems it's the only ammo that shows up around here with any regularity.

Paul

I don't know what's going on but its seems to get better then it gets scarce again. I have found .22 mag a lot more often lately and around here it has been the hardest to find.

Whatever it is, it is not the "old guys". At least it is not, where I shop. Oddly enough, it started with Obama's election, and continues throughout his reign, and we are not supposed to blame Obama. Sorry guys, I blame Obama. Something is up, and that something means I can't get .22's. I really think the "old guy" line is disinformation. A lot of people repeat it. Tell me, who has seen these guys? I have not.

I recently spoke to the sporting goods manager at my local Walmart and he said that there are "the usual" guys waiting at the store when they get a shipment of rimfire ammo....I have no idea how they know when its scheduled to arrive.

I wonder if this isn't an intentional marketing strategy by the manufacturers. Simply supply and demand. If they reduce their manufacturing (which reduces their cost) the demand goes up and subsequently the ASP (average sales price).

Pure speculation on my part and doesn't explain why they are ALL that way. Just wondering.........

Chris

Even when it was available it was rare to see many shooting it. 8 benches and I would be the only one with a .22lr. You could bet on it and win a lot more often than not. 90% plus easy win.

Now that it is coming in, it will be interesting to see if more are out using it.

Depends on the store.

It's not a myth.



Travis

I bought ammo in a Wal Mart in northern Mich. this last week.. It wasn't out on the shelves, I had to ask.. The lady sold me three cartons of Fed. auto match.. Earlier I saw some CCI MINI MAG HPS at a Wal Mart for about 7.99 / bx.. I passed as I have ammo at home.. This is the first .22 ammo I have found in Wal Mart in several years.. One guy did tell me they get only a very small amount of .22 ammo compared to years past.. He did say, that often retired guys are hanging out to make a buy as soon as it hits the store.. Also got some Rem. LRHP at another Mich . store later in the week.. I am not sure what is up with it, but at least some is hitting the shelves.. As for the bastid in the white house, he is the major problem with all the ills of this country, and he is doing all he can to keep problems from being solved in America. He should be tried as a traitor, but doubt that ever happens..

I know for a fact it is going on. Have witnessed it.

It was a perfect storm. Obama re-elected, Sandy Hook, then Democratic politicians proposing gun legislation. High power rifle ammo disappeared first in the panic, especially 5.56, and then .22 LR was pushed by the gun and ammo manufacturers as a great alternative. High power ammo came back, .22 LR did not.

As Have I. It wasn't an old man but a younger man, probably mid to late 20's, in a wheel chair. He always brought enough people to get all that arrived. All Paid out of the same wallet that he carried in the back of his wheel chair. One would pay, put the wallet back, and another would get the wallet and pay. Our store is not open 24 hrs a day, so I went early enough to get what I wanted at the time and have not been back, but when shopping there I have asked the clerk in sporting goods and He/She confirmed that the same is still happening. I live near the Remington plant at Lonoke, Arkansas, and the people that I know that work there say they are making all the .22 ammo that they can. The line is up 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including Christmas. Remington is/was in the process of expanding the plant, but I do not know if it is finished or which areas they were expanding. miles

+1 Clerk at my local Walmart says the same 3 people show up every morning at 7:30 and buy up all available 22 ammo.

My local Walmart manager says that it is still a bunch of old guys. It's just that it's not the same bunch as it was last year.

Last December I spoke to a gentleman that works for a Minnesota company that manufactures metric sheet tons of ammunition and components. He explained the .22 shortage as simple supply and demand with the profit margins so thin on .22 ammunition that it is not worth investing in the production capacity needed to meet current demand.

The current demand has increased due to more new shooters, the feeding frenzy of "see it/buy it" due to sporadic availability, and the growth of semi-auto rimfires that burn through ammo a LOT faster than plinking with slower cycling equipment.

Walmart in Bemidji gets infrequent shipments. A week ago I saw a Facebook comment that some auto match came in and scored the last two bulk packs of 325 at $18 each. Coincidentally, Gouger Mountain had a couple sleeves of CCI Mini Mags at $8 on the way back to the office. The last .22 I saw at our Wally was 6 months ago or so, but you do have to know when the trucks come in to get any.

GE

My wife happened to be in the right place at the right time last fall and scored some 22LR at Walmart. The 2 guys unloading the stock cart commented that it was nice to see someone other than the usuals getting some 22 ammo.

I was in the same store yesterday and chatted with a very forthcoming assistant manager in the sporting goods department. He told me that the supply seems to be getting slowly better and that they had even received a load of about 50 boxes of Winchester 333 packs and several 100 count packs of another brand. He stated that it's easy to go online to Walmart's website and find out when shipments are due. He said there may or may not be ammo on that shipment, but there's a group of 10-15 guys that follow the schedule closely and show up just in case there's 22's on the truck.

Same guys every time.

My Ruger Predator loves Automatch. Lemme know if you want to do any trading. I have a few boxes of different brands. Maybe I have something one of your rifles prefers.

The Internet and cell phones have contributed heavily to the "shortage" in stores. Wal-Mart posts when rimfire ammo deliveries will be made, and if there's more there than the people who show up can buy, they test or call other people, who soon show up and buy the rest.

Have also seen the cell-phone deal at other stores. In fact, was just in a local store yesterday and two people were phoning friends to tell them what was available (bricks of Remington Golden Bullet roundnoses).

Bruin, dropped you a pm..

Thanks, WCH.

It's pretty disappointing to realize that if one old guy asks another "are you getting any" and it refers to 22 ammo!

It's especially hurtful because I'm an "old guy".

But on the other hand, being around as an "old guy" is a helluva lot better than the alternative.

And a sense of humor makes it a lot easier.

Steve