Out of the Ammo Loop

Okay, I’m not much of a hunter. I own one gun, a 870 Wingmaster that I shot slugs thru back when I deer hunted.
My wife and I went to the police station to get the papers to buy some pistols. We have some friends that we have started shooting with and have a blast doing it!

My dad just gave me a very old Winchester .22 pump action rifle that belonged to my Grandpa. It’s the gun I used as a kid when Dad would take me squirrel hunting. Anyway I spent a lot of time cleaning it and the plan was to shoot it with dad at the cabin over New Years. I was stunned at the shortage of .22 shells!

Like I said, I’m out of the loop as far as this stuff goes. How long has this been going on? Was this brought on by a political scare?

Any direction on where to acquire some .22 longs would be great!

It’s been going on for way too long!!! Ridiculous.

.22 is currently the only ammunition in shortage that I know of, the rest f the calibers supply is meeting demand without issue.

TripleA wrote:

.22 is currently the only ammunition in shortage that I know of, the rest f the calibers supply is meeting demand without issue.

That’s what I noticed. So am I just s.o.l.? Is there some kind of black market or gun shows?
Can they be ordered somewhere and then wait?

Go on the internet and search for .22 ammo for sale. These hoarders are selling boxes of 50 for $12.00!!!! I used to buy the same box for $.99 to $1.99.

There are people out there making money on the 22 shortage but not gouging the hell out of us either. They’re literally just trying to thwart the hoarders/resellers from emptying their stock and making the problem worse. Cabela’s and Gander have both raised prices in hopes of the same result. However, it does mean that unless you’re in the right place at the right time, you’re going to be paying a significantly higher price than what you remember. Fleet Farm can’t seem to keep their shelves occupied for more than a couple hours and Walmart is struggling as well. I have been seeing some over the holidays at Walmarts but that’s about it. I know of a seller out east that’s at least keeping his prices below $50/brick. PM me if you want me to send you a link to see what he’s got available. Otherwise, all the internet ammo kings are around $100/brick or higher, with shipping to boot. It is out there…… but it’s like a competition to find it. I got sick of paying for gas and bought 5000 rounds from this guy for $45/brick about 2 months ago. This way…… I have ammo for a very long time without any concerns of needing to find more, now or later.

So, the question remains. What are you buying for pistols???

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

So, the question remains. What are you buying for pistols???

Ann has her eyes on a S&W M&P 9mm compact and I’m still undecided. We’re going to try and get out soon and rent a few different ones to try out.
I have to admit I’m pretty excited to get them!

Cool. It’s fun. One of these years, we need to successfully get an IDO shoot together!

Don’t pay more than $.03 or $.04 a round. That’s a reasonable rate.

Are you looking for 22 Long or 22 Long Rifle. My understand there is a difference.

Bought some last week at Glenns in Grand Rapids.

And btw take good care of that old 22. They are great guns. Some of the old Winchester pump 22s are worth quite a bit.

kooty wrote:

Don’t pay more than $.03 or $.04 a round. That’s a reasonable rate.

Can you let me know where I can find a few thousand rounds for that price????:???:

Reeds in walker had some before when I was up there. You might want to check with them.

Tough to find those quantities. However that is the formula I use when I stumble on some in the stores. At least you know how bad you are getting gouged.

Cabela’s had a pile of sub-sonic .22 cal Saturday in their Rogers, MN store. Nothing else in .22. Looked like a complete selection of the center fire handgun calibers. At $25 per box of 50 I sure am glad I reload and have a fair supply of components. No handgun or shot shell powder either, just a few jugs for the magnum rifle loads. Bird shot $54 for a 25 lb bag. OMG!

belletaine wrote:

Like I said, I’m out of the loop as far as this stuff goes. How long has this been going on? Was this brought on by a political scare?

Any direction on where to acquire some .22 longs would be great!

This has been going on since shortly after the panic caused by the Newtown shootings in December of 2012.

There was never any real “reason” for it as far as .22 RF because nobody had ever proposed legislation restricting or outlawing .22s. But that didn’t stop stool-squatting hoarders and profiteers from camping out in front of Walmart and sporting stores and buying up all to fill their basements and to resell for a profit.

Currently, what I’m hearing is that if you make a persistent effort to stop in and check multiple places each week, you will stumble into something. It doesn’t sit on shelves long, so you have to keep the faith and keep checking.

I have actually heard that Gander Mountain is one of the better places lately. If you get their sale flyers, usually they have enough stock that if .22 is advertised in the flyer AND you get out of bed and get in line the day the sale starts (a Saturday if you’re lucky, but sometimes you have to go early before work on Friday), you will almost certainly get some.

Now might a perfect time to score some because standing in line outside before opening will be something that most won’t be willing to do.

It’s been a real experience these past 2 years. By blind luck, I bought a big bucket of .22 back in October of 2012, just a few weeks before the panic started. It happened to be on sale and I was down to my last bulk pack, so I said what the heck and threw a bucket into my cart. That’s what I was shooting for over a year, not that I was shooting much, I had to ration it pretty strictly. Then a forum member happened to be in Gander when they had stock so he got me 2 500 bulk packs to keep me going. Again, pure luck. I’m now down to my last pack so I, too, am hoping the panic ends soon.

Grouse

belletaine wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>triplea wrote:</div>
.22 is currently the only ammunition in shortage that I know of, the rest f the calibers supply is meeting demand without issue.

That’s what I noticed. So am I just s.o.l.? Is there some kind of black market or gun shows?
Can they be ordered somewhere and then wait?

Easily found online for a little more than normal. I rarely shoot .22 so this has been a good way to replenish my stocks when I cannot locate in store.

Here’s an example. Wont last long. http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/ammunition/rimfire-ammunition/remington-22lr-40gr-rn-high-velocity-500rd-brick.html

My favorite round. Choot Em!!

http://shop.tropgun.com/servlet/-strse-13583/962%2CCCI%2CAMMO%2C22LR%2CMINI-dsh-MAG%2CSPL%2CED%2CSPECIAL%2CEDITION%2CTROY%2CLANDRY/Detail

Competition? Cheapest yet.

https://www.laxammo.com/ammunition/22-lr-ammo/federal-22lr-automatch-40gr-lead-round-nose-325rds-am22/44-1037

Thanks guys!

suzuki wrote:

Competition? Cheapest yet.

https://www.laxammo.com/ammunition/22-lr-ammo/federal-22lr-automatch-40gr-lead-round-nose-325rds-am22/44-1037

This is great…… when it’s in stock. What’s been harder for me to find than .22LR is 22WMR, Winchester 40gr JHPs. Even the hoarders seem to be empty. I’m not looking for much but it’s what my BTVSS prefers.

kooty wrote:

Don’t pay more than $.03 or $.04 a round. That’s a reasonable rate.

This was the common rate before the world went nuts. Again, unless “dumb luck” falls in your lap, you might be waiting a long time before replacing what’s been used. A brick at $20 is .04 cents/shot. Outside of a sale or promotion, I’m just not seeing that anymore. The lowest I’ve seen on a store shelf has been .06 cents/shot. Then again, I haven’t seen a brick in 2 years but I think Fleet Farm’s tags still show 23.99 to 26.99/brick.

try glens army navy in grand rapids, mn. I usually buy ammo there when in mn on vacation. I have also found them at Scheel’s in Sioux Falls, SD. Just need to be there at the right time. I think the last brick I bought there was around 35.

Midway USA just had 325 round bricks for $16.00. That’s 4.9 cents per shot. Not great, but not gouging either.

kooty wrote:

Midway USA just had 325 round bricks for $16.00. That’s 4.9 cents per shot. Not great, but not gouging either.

If you can get it while it’s in stock, that’s about the best price I’ve seen. Certainly the best I’ve seen online! I like MidWay….. I tend to buy from them with some frequency.

I heard a story from a neighbor that works for atk that on top of the hoarders buying it at any chance, that the government was buying it like mad from them. They would fill 55 gal drums full of it unboxed and ship it off. good thing that you found out about this in what is hopefully the end of this ridiculous .22 shortage.
Any who best luck getting some boxes!