.22LR ammo new pricing . . . UPDATED

[Johnnu2]

Yesterday I received an email from TargetSportsUSA.com
They were generously offering me 500 rnd. 'bricks' of Thunderbolt (the dirtiest of all dirty ammo) for ... wait for it.........
$69.99 per 500 rnds.

I sent them back a negative reply hope it wasn't a 'do not reply' email :-))))..........

J.


Threads merged . . . Moderator

 

[Mobuck]

If you get an offer for some Aguila from a guy wanting to meet you in a dark parking lot, take cash and a get away driver(maybe an overwatch sniper, too).
Truthfully, I watch the ammo market every day. Prices are coming down on the more common centerfire calibers. What will happen to rimfire ammo prices is unknown but sellers must be catching up with demand or the crazy ammo drought period is ending. I doubt we'll see 22lr @ $2.50 a box ever again but $15/box isn't going to last much longer. IMHO

 

[Johnnu2]

One of the difficulties (or maybe joys) of being OLD is that I remember going (by myself) into the local sporting goods store and paying either 25 or 50 cents (can't recall exactly) for a box of 50 .22LR...... Didn't even have to lock my bicycle outside the store.

J.

 

[gster]

CCI has had SV in stock periodically for awhile now. They were $3.99 a box of 50 with a 10 box limit. They have had them available all week but the price is up to $4.99 a box and still with a 10 box limit. If I needed some I'd order but I got 3 bricks before they upped the price. Still not bad compared to what others are charging.
https://www.cci-ammunition.com/rimfire/cci/standard_velocity/6-35.html

This is much better quality ammo than the Thunderbolt

 

[Johnnu2]

"This is much better quality ammo than the Thunderbolt".

gster, I wouldn't shoot Thunderbolt even if they gave them to me for free....I sent them a note telling them that I thought they were thieves and took them out of my 'contacts' lists (well maybe not forever :-)

J.

 

[bobski]

when 50 rounds went to 99 cents from 79 cents i thought, whats this world coming to?!

 

[rmc25]

One of the difficulties (or maybe joys) of being OLD is that I remember going (by myself) into the local sporting goods store and paying either 25 or 50 cents (can't recall exactly) for a box of 50 .22LR...... Didn't even have to lock my bicycle outside the store.

J.

Those were good days. Long before recycling soda bottles were thrown out of cars along the road. I gathered them up on the way to the store and exchanged them (remember when there were deposits) for a box of 50. A little work for a lot of fun.

 

[dwayne]

Thunderbolt is the arm pit of 22LR ammo. Do your guns a favor and avoid it like the flu. No ammo is much better than a brick of Thunderbolt, IMHO.

 

[Johnnu2]

I don't know what they put in Thunderbolts, but they leave an awful lot of dirt and residue in my gun. I switched years ago to "any other brand" and no more filthy guns... Federal Auto Match seems to be the cleanest for me.

 

[G2]

when 50 rounds went to 99 cents from 79 cents i thought, whats this world coming to?!

I remember those days, It was 1972, I just got my first 22 for my birthday, Winchester 62A, Dad gave me a brick of Super X, it was marked 7.99 from our local hardware store, I had saved up till I could go get another brick and when I got there it was marked 9.99.
I had a $10 bill and “Doyle” the store owner had me sweep the entire store for the tax.

It did slow me down on shooting the next 500.

Dad passed away in 1982 and when I was cleaning out his “stuff” in 1985 found 6 fresh bricks with the $7.99 on one of them. It was gold and the crazy thing is I still have 4 of the bricks, they have been in a ammo can. Now I need to get serious about selling them as they are “Collectable”.

 

[Johnnu2]

My first post was about TargetSportsUSA sending me a "sale" email for Thunderbolts at $69.99 a brick (500 rnds); I sent them back a note calling them THIEVES.

This week a received another email announcing a new, price-reduced "sale" at $59.99 per brick; I sent them back a note saying: "KEEP THEM".

I know that they probably don't read my return emails, but it makes me feel good to tell them to 'stuff it'

J.

 

[gunzo]

When ammo prices were at their rock bottom a few years back, TSUSA were among, if not the most competitive sellers with the lowest pricing in the county.

A quick look at 16 sellers of Thunderbolts on ammoseek.com had TSUSA selling them cheaper than 11 other sellers. So, it could be worse, & as messed up as it seems.

Just another sign of the times. And the times don't seem pretty for sure.



edit to change ranking number that was in error

 

[Fox Mike]

I can't speak for others but the only thing I ever found that Thunderbolts worked in is my Henry carbine. One box them was enough.

 

[gunzo]

I try to never say never, but hard times for sure if I buy & use Rem Thunderbolt, Win Wildcat, or Fed Lightning.

Not even sure the last 2 are still made, just nightmares from the past.

 

[Mobuck]

Back in the 'good ole days' (prior to Y2K if I remember correctly), I was buying 22lr @ $165 per case(5000). When the price hit $185, I stopped because that was too high. Little did I know how wrong that was. Later, I got into sub-sonic use and bought what ever I could find including a couple of cases of RWS & AGUILA. Then, I lucked into an auction for an assorted lot of 22 that wasn't drawing much interest and ended up with around 21-22K of AutoMatch, Blazer, and Federal HVHP for less than $400(and NO, I didn't feel guilty). A case of elderly Remington match ammo from CMP pretty much filled me out.

 

[Rick Courtright]

I can't speak for others but the only thing I ever found that Thunderbolts worked in is my Henry carbine. One box them was enough.

Hi,

They shoot just fine in my old Marlin single shot. Not even that dirty.

OTOH, put 'em in my 10/22 and the adventure begins. With luck I'll get thru 3 magazines before it jams up. (In Remington's defense, that 10/22 will only go about 5-6 magazines with most ammo. Pickiest .22 I've ever owned.) It took almost two bricks of Mini-Mags when it was brand new to get it where it would function AT ALL with standard everyday .22LR.

If we were to instantly transform those two rifles into animals, the Marlin would be a dog that eats anything you put in its bowl. The 10/22 would be a cat that tests your patience every morning as it decides what flavor of cat food it's gonna eat TODAY. Never mind what it ate yesterday, this is a new day!

Rick C

 

[WAYNO]

Two parts to this discussion... price and quality.

It's too bad the prices of all ammo has increased so dramatically. That was a short discussion. :wink:

Now, quality? Thunderbolt, Blazer, pretty much anything unplated gets a bad rap. I shoot a lot of rimfire ammo, from expensive to cheap. And ya know what? There ain't much difference in any of this ammo. At the range, if a guy shoots a couple hundred Mini Mags, his gun will be dirty. And he'll go home happy. If he shoots the same amount of Thunderbolts, his gun will be just as dirty, and he'll complain this crappy Thunderbolt ammo is really dirty.

Heliman and I are fortunate, that we can shoot so often. At times, that means a lot of ammo thru a bunch of different guns. We've both discovered, sometimes Thunderbolt or Blazer is the best shooting ammo out of a certain gun.

So, although I remain a snob, when it comes to cheap bulk ammo, I've become more realistic.

I also very much remember, as a kid, we bought the cheapest ammo available. Usually not plated, and often outside lubricated. We very much appreciated it, and never thought of giving this ammo the bashing it receives today.

 

[AzShooter1]

I made the mistake of ordering 10 boxes of Aguila 40 grain ammo for $50 a box. When I got it I found that there was only 250 rounds per box. I'm ashamed to sell it for that price so I'm stuck with it until no other .22s are available.

To save money I go to CCI Ammunition.com. SV is $4.99 for 50 and so is Blazer. I but 10 boxes of each or 10 boxes of Mini Mags to get me over $100 and get free shipping.

 

[LDB]

I think 79c for a box of 50 was the lowest price I ever experienced. And if you couldn't afford it you could buy however many rounds you wanted for 2c each. The good old days when the local hardware store meant something.

 

[NH Rugerman]

The CMP store had cases (5000 rounds) of CCI Standard Velocity ammunition for $354.00 shipped late last week.

7 cents a round….

 

[krw]

As I hav posted before, I got “pd” a brick of 22 shells a wk to feed cows in the winter. I have a 10-22 I got in 1971. I hav shot 10’s of 1000’s Rem Thinderbolt, Mohawk, and Federal Lightning. When my rifle got dirty I would generally spray WD40 olin it and keep on shooting. I remember these shells being $5/brick at WalMart and that might hav been a sale price

 

[gramps]

I think 79c for a box of 50 was the lowest price I ever experienced. And if you couldn't afford it you could buy however many rounds you wanted for 2c each. The good old days when the local hardware store meant something.

Yep, and as an 8 y o kid I could walk in buy a box of 50 or a brick! No questions asked beyond “who’s your daddy”?
gramps

 

[jgt]

I've only had one brick of Thunderbolts from when they were first marketed. I shot a coon at a spot where the neck joins the chest cavity. Not only was it an instant kill, but the exit wound stripped out a flap of skin about three inches wide and six inches long from one side of the wound. Never saw that before with any ammunition. I have not shot that whole brick of ammo up. That shot was out of a 10/22 that I kept leaning against the wall by the patio door facing the barn.
I was unaware the ammo had become so low in quality. I have many brands and most were the best quality I could get when purchased. You just never know from day to day with 22 ammo. Some off brand ammo shoots well in one gun and only the best high dollar brand does in another.