Realized I've been out of target shooting for a few years now--ammo had dried up a few years ago, I got busy, and it just seemed like a good time to take a break. Happened into a local gun store that I hadn't been in a while, and they had bricks for $55. Ouch. Happened into a Bass Pro a day later, and they had CCI's at $7.50-$8 per 100 rounds. I seem to recall that being about the price pre-rush so I bought a few. Question: is this the new pricing, around 8c/rnd, for local stuff? I never did online sales before, figuring I'd have to buy a pallet to beat what big store retailers have.
22LR
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During the shortage of the past few years, people established $40-50 as the price they willing to pay for a brick or bulk pack of 22LR.
The same thing happened around 2008, when the price was $10-12 per 500 and and $20-25 became "the new normal."
I would be happy to be wrong, but I think that unless retailers find themselves sitting on piles of unsold 22LR the price is probably staying where it is. Even at that, as much as I hate to say it, I think retailers recognize that we can always be one election cycle or major tragedy away from a return to massive hoarding.
So, MY advice is that if you want 22LR, with supplies(relatively) plentiful now it's probably best just to buck up and pay the going rate and pile it deep.
The same thing happened around 2008, when the price was $10-12 per 500 and and $20-25 became "the new normal."
I would be happy to be wrong, but I think that unless retailers find themselves sitting on piles of unsold 22LR the price is probably staying where it is. Even at that, as much as I hate to say it, I think retailers recognize that we can always be one election cycle or major tragedy away from a return to massive hoarding.
So, MY advice is that if you want 22LR, with supplies(relatively) plentiful now it's probably best just to buck up and pay the going rate and pile it deep.
I've been buying Federal Automatch for under $20 for a brick of 325. You can order it from Gander Mountain for $19.95. I've bought it a little cheaper on sale at ****'s a few months ago too.
http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/pr...Gr&i=757197
http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/pr...Gr&i=757197
6 cents a round is the new normal online now. Cabellas, Gander Mountain, Academy, Palmetto State Armory, among others.
I shoot a lot of CCI Mini Mags through my 10/22 and my Kimber 22 conversion kit 1911. They are really scarce right now. My buddies gun shop just received a pallet of Mini Mags and they went fast. The other CCI product that's almost impossible to get are the CCI 22 Short Target. I use them for my High Standard 22 short conversion kit that sits on my Supermatic Citation. I usually pay about 9 cents a round for the Mini Mags and up to 14 cents a round for the 22 short match.
Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. I'm not really shocked at the prices, but I haven't been paying attention, so I don't want to buy "lots" at a bad price. 6-8c/rnd sounds like a good buy price then. Higher and I can wait. I have plenty in the stockpile, but if I do get back into shooting then it won't hurt to start buying again (when it's on sale).
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
All of the other calibers are returning to normal and I've seen some excellent deals from www.sgammo.com but while .22 has come down from scalper prices, and it's back on shelves, I don't think it will ever return to pre-2008 levels.
Rim fire production requires big, expensive machines. More so than centerfire, because the machines can only do the one caliber, they can't be retooled for a run of another caliber should demand shift. So, the production capacity is constrained, and none of the manufacturers want to get caught with big capital equipment that is underutilized, so they're not investing in .22 production capacity. As demand for .22 has dropped off from ludicrous levels, it remains higher than a decade ago because there are more shooters now. It's not just hoarding going on, it's also changes in demographics.
I believe that the hoarding is over. People were hoarding in the past 8 years because they feared new gun control measures, including ammunition restrictions. Those restrictions are no longer a threat on the Federal level, though on the state level, many states, notably Connecticut and California, have restricted sales through various measures.
There was an interesting interview about three or four years ago with the CEO of Hornady about the ammo "shortage" in one of the gun magazines, G&A, or American Rifleman, I think. Very interesting reading. Despite the crushing demand for .22, they weren't going to invest in more rimfire production capacity because it didn't make long term sense for the company. They were making capital investment in more centerfire production, and they were running extra shifts and hiring more workers in response to demand, but he was leery of rimfire, because in the long run, they wouldn't make back the investment.
Rim fire production requires big, expensive machines. More so than centerfire, because the machines can only do the one caliber, they can't be retooled for a run of another caliber should demand shift. So, the production capacity is constrained, and none of the manufacturers want to get caught with big capital equipment that is underutilized, so they're not investing in .22 production capacity. As demand for .22 has dropped off from ludicrous levels, it remains higher than a decade ago because there are more shooters now. It's not just hoarding going on, it's also changes in demographics.
I believe that the hoarding is over. People were hoarding in the past 8 years because they feared new gun control measures, including ammunition restrictions. Those restrictions are no longer a threat on the Federal level, though on the state level, many states, notably Connecticut and California, have restricted sales through various measures.
There was an interesting interview about three or four years ago with the CEO of Hornady about the ammo "shortage" in one of the gun magazines, G&A, or American Rifleman, I think. Very interesting reading. Despite the crushing demand for .22, they weren't going to invest in more rimfire production capacity because it didn't make long term sense for the company. They were making capital investment in more centerfire production, and they were running extra shifts and hiring more workers in response to demand, but he was leery of rimfire, because in the long run, they wouldn't make back the investment.
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Originally Posted By: Astro14
There was an interesting interview about three or four years ago with the CEO of Hornady about the ammo "shortage" in one of the gun magazines, G&A, or American Rifleman, I think. Very interesting reading. Despite the crushing demand for .22, they weren't going to invest in more rimfire production capacity because it didn't make long term sense for the company. They were making capital investment in more centerfire production, and they were running extra shifts and hiring more workers in response to demand, but he was leery of rimfire, because in the long run, they wouldn't make back the investment.
Rimfire production is quite an interesting thing, as it really is an antiquated process that would be dead were it not for sticking around in the most common caliber in the world
. Granted there are four(relatively) common rimfire calibers now with one of them being only ~10 years old. There might be five calibers-I can't remember if anyone still makes 22 Long.
In any case, I remember watching a video that was taken at Remington(I think) that showed 22LR cases being primed. It was effectively an entirely manual process-the workers each had a thick slurry of lead stryphnate that they would measure out and tamp into each case by hand. Granted that's a step that requires little investment in tooling to speed up(only the skilled workers) but there's still the specialized equipment to form balloon head brass and also the sswaged heeled bullets.
There was an interesting interview about three or four years ago with the CEO of Hornady about the ammo "shortage" in one of the gun magazines, G&A, or American Rifleman, I think. Very interesting reading. Despite the crushing demand for .22, they weren't going to invest in more rimfire production capacity because it didn't make long term sense for the company. They were making capital investment in more centerfire production, and they were running extra shifts and hiring more workers in response to demand, but he was leery of rimfire, because in the long run, they wouldn't make back the investment.
Rimfire production is quite an interesting thing, as it really is an antiquated process that would be dead were it not for sticking around in the most common caliber in the world
In any case, I remember watching a video that was taken at Remington(I think) that showed 22LR cases being primed. It was effectively an entirely manual process-the workers each had a thick slurry of lead stryphnate that they would measure out and tamp into each case by hand. Granted that's a step that requires little investment in tooling to speed up(only the skilled workers) but there's still the specialized equipment to form balloon head brass and also the sswaged heeled bullets.
That might explain why Remington's always had a low reputation for quality.
The machines to do automated processes tend to be very expensive to purchase; and often not so cheap to babysit either.
To make 17HMR do they take actual 22Mag cases and just neck down after priming? [Same for 17something, the one based on 22lr.] I was kinda surprised that those 17 caliber rounds came out in the first place, but the 17HMR seems to have stuck around.
The machines to do automated processes tend to be very expensive to purchase; and often not so cheap to babysit either.
To make 17HMR do they take actual 22Mag cases and just neck down after priming? [Same for 17something, the one based on 22lr.] I was kinda surprised that those 17 caliber rounds came out in the first place, but the 17HMR seems to have stuck around.
Originally Posted By: bunnspecial
In any case, I remember watching a video that was taken at Remington(I think) that showed 22LR cases being primed. It was effectively an entirely manual process-the workers each had a thick slurry of lead stryphnate that they would measure out and tamp into each case by hand.
CCI manually primes the cases as well. The only automated part is involves the high speed spinning of the cases to force the priming mixture into the rim by centrifugal force. (3:25 in the video).
In any case, I remember watching a video that was taken at Remington(I think) that showed 22LR cases being primed. It was effectively an entirely manual process-the workers each had a thick slurry of lead stryphnate that they would measure out and tamp into each case by hand.
CCI manually primes the cases as well. The only automated part is involves the high speed spinning of the cases to force the priming mixture into the rim by centrifugal force. (3:25 in the video).
save them cases...
http://22lrreloader.com/design-details/
http://22lrreloader.com/design-details/
What there seems to be none of, is 22 WMR ...
Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
What there seems to be none of, is 22 WMR ...
I see lots of it at my LGS.
At $20 for a box of 50....
Which is way more expensive than any other common handgun caliber they sell...
What there seems to be none of, is 22 WMR ...
I see lots of it at my LGS.
At $20 for a box of 50....
Which is way more expensive than any other common handgun caliber they sell...
Originally Posted By: Shannow
save them cases...
http://22lrreloader.com/design-details/
Heh, interesting.
save them cases...
http://22lrreloader.com/design-details/
Heh, interesting.
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
What there seems to be none of, is 22 WMR ...
I see lots of it at my LGS. At $20 for a box of 50... Which is way more expensive than any other common handgun caliber they sell...
I found some on the 'Net at $0.30 round, so I bought a box or two
Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
What there seems to be none of, is 22 WMR ...
I see lots of it at my LGS. At $20 for a box of 50... Which is way more expensive than any other common handgun caliber they sell...
I found some on the 'Net at $0.30 round, so I bought a box or two
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4WD
$50 site donor 2024
Yep - misplaced my LR cylinder and the WMR was in the gun - well, box stores had none/nada - so went to proper gun store and walked out with his whole THREE box supply ...
I was at Walmart today and swung by the ammo case. They had just one 500-pack of Federal .22 LR on the shelf and the price was marked at $79.95.
I looked at the tag thinking the box of ammo was in the wrong place, then the guy in the sporting goods department came over and I asked if that's really the price. He said yes, and that I wasn't the only guy who asked that question. He said nobody wants to buy it at that price. I said you can get .22 LR cheaper on-line and that their new price will keep the hoarders from swamping the store.
He also said it's the last of .22 LR ammo that store is getting. Wonder if they put some insane price on it to see if anyone would go for it. I just walked away laughing inside.
I looked at the tag thinking the box of ammo was in the wrong place, then the guy in the sporting goods department came over and I asked if that's really the price. He said yes, and that I wasn't the only guy who asked that question. He said nobody wants to buy it at that price. I said you can get .22 LR cheaper on-line and that their new price will keep the hoarders from swamping the store.
He also said it's the last of .22 LR ammo that store is getting. Wonder if they put some insane price on it to see if anyone would go for it. I just walked away laughing inside.
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