.22lr coming in

[GunnyGene]

Like practically everyone else, I've been waiting and watching .22lr availability and pricing for a year or so. Stopped by Gary's this morning, which I do a couple times a month. Had a few bricks of Aquila 40gr HV on the shelf for $64 ea. (500rds). Still a little pricey but at least it's getting on the shelf lately. Anyway, bought a pair of 50rd boxes just to support our local guys a little. I know that it's a little cheaper at some online retailers, but shipping makes up the difference.

Talking with him, they're not seeing much Federal/Winchester/CCI so until they get more common, prices will likely stay high.

 

[6gun]

Local gun shops are still getting their allotments same as always from Federal/Winchester/CCI they are selling at places like GunBroker at scalper prices instead of to local customers don't let them fool you, their no better than the rest of the scalpers and a big part of the problem.

 

[GunnyGene]

Local gun shops are still getting their allotments same as always from Federal/Winchester/CCI they are selling at places like GunBroker at scalper prices instead of to local customers don't let them fool you, their no better than the rest of the scalpers and a big part of the problem.

That may be true where you live, but I've dealt with the dealers here for over 40 years. A couple are relatives.

 

[6gun]

Way things are going in this market looks like it will take years for things to get back to normal with this "got to have it before it's gone" mentality consumers have taken up, I don't think we really ever did fully recover from the first 2008 self inflicted ammo shortage before this one stared it all over again.

 

[Clovishound]

I am seeing it show up occasionally in my neck of the woods. I was looking to pick up a rimfire target rifle soon, but the lack of ammo has pushed me towards a .223m bolt action. Something I can reload.

 

[LAH]

Been shooting 38Spec/cast & 30-30, 30-06/cast, 'bout a cheap as current 22LR.

 

[375supermag]

hi...

I went on an abbreviated gun shop tour on Saturday afternoon after work with my son.
Only two shops...the other nearby shops are either closed or too far to get to before closing at that time on Saturday. First gunshop tour of the new year...mostly because of work and bad weather.

Practically no .22LR ammo to be found with the exception of .22LR and .22WMR shotshells and a few boxes of .22 Shorts.

Primers are available in large numbers at somewhat higher prices than pre-panic. Around $39.99/1000.

My most commonly used handgun powders (Unique, 2400, Blue Dot, and Bullseye) were not to be seen.
Fortunately, I am well stocked with those powders as well as several others, so I can afford to wait a bit longer before I bite the bullet (pun intended)and place a large order online for some 4-8 lb jugs. I still have enough powder and primers for about 2 years of pretty steady weekend shooting, so I am no where near panic mode yet.
I do still pick up a pound or two of certain powders when I do see it just to pad my supply. Primer availability seems to have stabilized, albeit at somewhat higher prices.

Armslist has some .22LR listed but as I still have several thousand rounds I will not pull the trigger(pun intended) on that option quite yet.

My son received a .22LR H&K semi-auto rifle for Christmas, so once we get some decent weather(meaning anything above single digits F) I suppose he will be wanting to put it through its paces.
That will probably decrease my .22LR stash considerably.

 

[GasGuzzler]

^^^^^^

Man that post reads familiarly. Have you copy and paste posted that elsewhere?

 

[schloss]

I would like to know where the 22lr is. Most everything else is showing up, but bulk 22 has been out for over a year. It's not that it's selling out fast. Its just not coming in. I've talked extensively with all the counter folk and shop owners here. They flat out haven't seen it. Periodic batches of of 100 round bricks come through, but not much to speak of.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Same here.....and saying "it's out there" referring to some nebulous internet deal is not the same as it being "back available" or "coming in".

I've tried out the search programs, some kinda work, some don't. I can go in a store that is said to have some and the employees haven't seen any in weeks. I guess they could be snagging it but it's not likely everyone at every WalMart is stealing the stuff.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

The manufacturers are still making and shipping 22's at the same rate as always. The problem is people are buying up the 22's as soon as they get into the store; not just a box or two but lots more than they normally would. :shock:

 

[Rclark]

as soon as they get into the store

Well, around here ... it isn't getting to the store.... Let alone someone buying it up!

 

[lookieloo]

I currently work for a major sporting-goods chain, and the .22 comes in just fine. I can only conclude that the current shortage is completely self-inflicted. Purchasing .22LR at inflated black-market (call it what it is) prices and hoarding continue to encourage bums (some of whom don't even own a single .22 firearm) who have nothing better to do than show up at your local stores every morning when the doors open. All rimfire rounds are vulnerable to such speculation because they can't be reloaded, and anyone purchasing above retail price or buying more than they really need is as much a part of the problem as the scalpers.

 

[6gun]

I currently work for a major sporting-goods chain, and the .22 comes in just fine. I can only conclude that the current shortage is completely self-inflicted. Purchasing .22LR at inflated black-market (call it what it is) prices and hoarding continue to encourage bums (some of whom don't even own a single .22 firearm) who have nothing better to do than show up at your local stores every morning when the doors open. All rimfire rounds are vulnerable to such speculation because they can't be reloaded, and anyone purchasing above retail price or buying more than they really need is as much a part of the problem as the scalpers.

Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting, what you said is what I keep trying to tell people they don't want to believe the stores are getting there 22 same as always like they are, just like the local Walmart they get their's the guy in the gun department is selling it all to his buddies that scalp he calls them up when it comes in and they come pick it up before it even makes it to the gun department we saw him do it, I'm sure he gets a cut.

 

[lookieloo]

I currently work for a major sporting-goods chain, and the .22 comes in just fine. I can only conclude that the current shortage is completely self-inflicted. Purchasing .22LR at inflated black-market (call it what it is) prices and hoarding continue to encourage bums (some of whom don't even own a single .22 firearm) who have nothing better to do than show up at your local stores every morning when the doors open. All rimfire rounds are vulnerable to such speculation because they can't be reloaded, and anyone purchasing above retail price or buying more than they really need is as much a part of the problem as the scalpers.

Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting, what you said is what I keep trying to tell people they don't want to believe the stores are getting there 22 same as always like they are, just like the local Walmart they get their's the guy in the gun department is selling it all to his buddies that scalp he calls them up when it comes in and they come pick it up before it even makes it to the gun department we saw him do it, I'm sure he gets a cut.

I can't speak to how Walmart guys operate. Who knows, perhaps some of those stories are true. However, it's telling that the guys complaining most about rimfire conspiracies also happen to be the one's most likely idiotically purchase .22LR at gouge-prices and hoarding far more than they need. Ergo, the ones doing the most crying are the ones contributing most to the problem.

As for the way my store operates, we've tried everything. Stop telling folk when the ammo's coming? They just start showing up every single morning. Rationing? They just bring every 21+ family member they can along. Hide it for normal customers? They get so pissy you'd think I'd burned their house down.

At this point, I'm starting to think we should offer a monitored subscription service for .22LR/WMR sales to ensure that people with real jobs (not just gunshow Gypsies) have a reasonable chance of getting a brick or two for personal use.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Yep, licensing and permitting fixes all ills.

 

[6gun]

I currently work for a major sporting-goods chain, and the .22 comes in just fine. I can only conclude that the current shortage is completely self-inflicted. Purchasing .22LR at inflated black-market (call it what it is) prices and hoarding continue to encourage bums (some of whom don't even own a single .22 firearm) who have nothing better to do than show up at your local stores every morning when the doors open. All rimfire rounds are vulnerable to such speculation because they can't be reloaded, and anyone purchasing above retail price or buying more than they really need is as much a part of the problem as the scalpers.

Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting, what you said is what I keep trying to tell people they don't want to believe the stores are getting there 22 same as always like they are, just like the local Walmart they get their's the guy in the gun department is selling it all to his buddies that scalp he calls them up when it comes in and they come pick it up before it even makes it to the gun department we saw him do it, I'm sure he gets a cut.

I can't speak to how Walmart guys operate. Who knows, perhaps some of those stories are true. However, it's telling that the guys complaining most about rimfire conspiracies also happen to be the one's most likely idiotically purchase .22LR at gouge-prices and hoarding far more than they need. Ergo, the ones doing the most crying are the ones contributing most to the problem.

As for the way my store operates, we've tried everything. Stop telling folk when the ammo's coming? They just start showing up every single morning. Rationing? They just bring every 21+ family member they can along. Hide it for normal customers? They get so pissy you'd think I'd burned their house down.

At this point, I'm starting to think we should offer a monitored subscription service for .22LR/WMR sales to ensure that people with real jobs (not just gunshow Gypsies) have a reasonable chance of getting a brick or two for personal use.

Your right those that buy from scalpers are just as big a part of the problem of as the scalper is, I have seen scalpers bring ever member of there family just like you say.

I haven't been able to get a single brick for well over a year now because of these guys, I don't shoot 22 much but have a little SR22 I like to take to the range and use for practice after I shoot my larger rounds up had to leave it home all last year.

I have heard of stores not selling to hoarders by only selling bricks with a purchase of a new 22 rifle or pistol, that sounds like a good idea.

Since a store can make it's own policys about selling ammo what if you were to only sell to those with a CCW permit? might piss off the scalpers but would keep them from bringing all their family members along. :lol:

 

[GasGuzzler]

Sure, licensing is always a great solution....

 

[lookieloo]

Since a store can make it's own policys about selling ammo what if you were to only sell to those with a CCW permit? might piss off the scalpers but would keep them from bringing all their family members along. :lol:

I don't have a CCW permit either, so it'd piss me off as well. That said, it's up to retailers to find a solution. If they don't soon, it may become necessary for the ATF/IRS to make examples of a few asshats. Personally, I'd rather not see any kind of government intervention, but the casual shooting public (by far the majority of gun owners) may not see it that way. If normal people can't get ammo, they'll start to lose interest in 2nd Amdt rights... and there goes our voting-bloc.

 

[jbissonne]

I cannot go online, And purchase 1 box of cci minimag 22, Not 1 single retailer has any in stock, My wallmart is always out of stock ,My local gunstore has 0 in stock, Its like this every week. 13 straight months now, i have seen no change.There might be someone who gets up at 3am every morning and checks every websight and gets lucky with a few boxes, But under normal conditions, the shelves are still empty.The ammo manufactures, have had plenty of time to ramp up production, But they have done nothing to provide us with more ammo.You hear the bs about how demand is high and there doing the best they can, Retailers as well as the public deserve better then the bs stories the ammo manufactures are feeding us!. Its time to get the job done, and ship out more ammo.

 

[6gun]

Since a store can make it's own policys about selling ammo what if you were to only sell to those with a CCW permit? might piss off the scalpers but would keep them from bringing all their family members along. :lol:

I don't have a CCW permit either, so it'd piss me off as well. That said, it's up to retailers to find a solution. If they don't soon, it may become necessary for the ATF/IRS to make examples of a few asshats. Personally, I'd rather not see any kind of government intervention, but the casual shooting public (by far the majority of gun owners) may not see it that way. If normal people can't get ammo, they'll start to lose interest in 2nd Amdt rights... and there goes our voting-bloc.

I'm sure the IRS would love to collect from these guys reselling ammo at big prices but I don't know how they could track it short of the store keeping a log on these guys.

I've also thought about the ATF making ammo scalping illegal but we don't need any more infringments on guns and ammo than we already have so thats out.

You could let customers put their names on a call list, and call them in the order their name is on the list as 22 comes in, that way you could make sure no one is on the list more than once and getting all the ammo, I know it would take lots of time to deal with all this and making phone calls but it would make lots of customers happy.

 

[lookieloo]

I cannot go online, And purchase 1 box of cci minimag 22, Not 1 single retailer has any in stock, My wallmart is always out of stock ,My local gunstore has 0 in stock, Its like this every week. 13 straight months now, i have seen no change.There might be someone who gets up at 3am every morning and checks every websight and gets lucky with a few boxes, But under normal conditions, the shelves are still empty.The ammo manufactures, have had plenty of time to ramp up production, But they have done nothing to provide us with more ammo.You hear the bs about how demand is high and there doing the best they can, Retailers as well as the public deserve better then the bs stories the ammo manufactures are feeding us!. Its time to get the job done, and ship out more ammo.

That's not gonna happen. The current levels of demand are not permanent, which means you're missing the part where manufacturers end up with a ton of excess capacity in one hand, and their wang in the other.

 

[lookieloo]

You could let customers put their names on a call list, and call them in the order their name is on the list as 22 comes in, that way you could make sure no one is on the list more than once and getting all the ammo, I know it would take lots of time to deal with all this and making phone calls but it would make lots of customers happy.

Implementation of such a system would most likely entail price-hikes for all the trouble, whereas my subscription idea guarantees stable demand with minimal overhead on our part. (something retailers love). That said, any system requiring extra effort on the customers' part is inferior to the way things were and still favors the few over the many. Typical gun-owners (myself included) just want a box or two when needed; having to keep hundreds or thousands of dollars tied-up in ammo is a loathsome prospect for most.

 

[mr surveyor]

having the atf involved in the market is a more loathsome thought

 

[GasGuzzler]

^ Thanks ^

 

[lookieloo]

having the atf involved in the market is a more loathsome thought

Since when has the ATF not been involved in the market?

 

[6gun]

Finally today I stopped at Cabela's early this morning and they had some 22LR bricks of Blazer limit of one, so I got mine. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

First brick I have been able to buy in well over a year, I'll have to take my SR22 pistol to the range with me next trip now.

 

[LAH]

Congrats 6gun.

 

[lookieloo]

*sigh* Bricks still only available in the morning, just like my store. Someone was disseminating rumors that ammo manufacturers are focusing on high-end rounds, but from what I've seen it's the expensive stuff that's hard to come by. Lots of crummy rounds to be had (won't touch Thunderbolts). I've also seen as many as twenty 1400-round buckets come in at once (never bought one), but CCI Stinger/Velocitor and Remington Viper/Yellowjacket are very rare indeed (haven't seen the primo Remington stuff in years).

 

[Johnnu2]

Discipline....... don't buy at inflated prices.... if we ALL stick to our guns (get IT?) and not buy; then WE control the market.... take up another hobby until this s--t ends.