Is 22LR back?

The place to discuss ammunition, reloading, ballistics, loads, and chamberings.

Is 22 LR Back?

It is usually available at some store in my area
12
52%
I still can't find it in my area
5
22%
I. Hate. You.
5
22%
Magic Brownies
1
4%
 
Total votes: 23

John_in_Longview
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Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 6:30 pm

Is 22LR back?

Post by John_in_Longview »

I've been able to buy a brick (the daily limit) of CCI Mini-Mag ($39.95 plus tax) each day for the past four days at the local Academy Sports. Are you all seeing 22LR available again where you are?
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JustinR
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Re: Is 22LR back?

Post by JustinR »

Yea, Academy definitely has Mini-mags in stock the most often. Cabelas has quite a few other brands in stock regularly, but none that I've tried.
"The armory was even better. Above the door was a sign: You dream, we build." -Mark Owen, No Easy Day

"My assault weapon won't be 'illegal,' it will be 'undocumented.'" -KL
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Denis
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Re: Is 22LR back?

Post by Denis »

We can usually get .22 here, but supplies of the cheaper (US) brands are spotty. I happen to like CCI mini-mags for sever of my guns, and getting that is not easy. The European-made stuff is fairly readily available, but pricy; EUR 50 (say US$70) for 500 rounds is typical for the basic ammo, and premium loads can be half as much again, or even double that price for the "target" loadings.

It is becomming difficult to find .22 Magnum ammunition. I must search a bit harder...

There seems to be a major demand and supply mismatch on the US market. Since none of the few US domestic manufacturers dares (or wants) to make a huge investment in new production capacity, the lack is being made up for by imports from outside the US, which is alleviating the scarcities in the US, but driving supply down and prices up elsewhere (here!).

I suspect that building a new, modern, rimfire ammunition manufacturing facility would probably (a) cost a large fortune, especially given the regulatory overhead and (b) have to be so large (to be worthwhile) that it would more than compensate for the shortfall in supply, thus leading to an oversupply situation, and a knock-on drop in prices. Add to that the fact that priming rimfire cases seems to be a skilled-human-worker-only process, not easily done by a robot, and there is a manpower bottleneck too.

Obviously, no manufacturer wants to make a massive capital investment just to see the market price plummet - they would rather reap the rewards of supply-side scarcity and high prices indefinitely.

The link below is to a fairly good, if somewhat superficial, overview of the situation. The moral of the story, as always with ammunition is: "buy it cheap, stack it deep"!

https://www.americanrifleman.org/articl ... d-22-ammo/

Another factor is also coming into play. Firearms law in the EU is likely to be restricted in a rather draconian fashion in the near future, with a ban or partial ban on semi-auto centrefire arms. If, as seems likely, rimfire ammunition remains outside the scope of the ban, there is likely to be a surge in interest in rimfire semi-auto firearms, with a corresponding increase in demand for rimfire ammunition.

http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/doc ... NIT/en/pdf
Precision
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Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 6:01 pm

Re: Is 22LR back?

Post by Precision »

My store always has 10+ options on hand. The options change with some frequency, but we almost always have CCI minimags and Federal premium. We don't usually have the cheap stuff like Blazer bulk.

We even have two flavors of 22LR shot shell.
"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~Thomas Jefferson
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PawPaw
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Re: Is 22LR back?

Post by PawPaw »

What we're having trouble finding locally is .17HMR. But, .22LR is generally available.
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Odahi
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Re: Is 22LR back?

Post by Odahi »

I've seen a couple of people say that they were able to buy .22LR, so I decided to check and see what might be available close to me. Stopped at Dick's on the way to do my grocery shopping, but they weren't open yet today. So checked the local Wally World, and it's the same old story there. NO LR to be had, he said he "thought" there might be some .22 shotshells somewhere. I plan to check Dick's when I head out again, to do the remainder of the shopping. I keep hearing Bass Pro has them, but it's well out of my way, so I haven't checked in months. IF there is an easing of the shortage, I'm going to [strike]faint[/strike] pick up a little, if prices aren't out of my budget.
Birds gotta swim, fish gotta fly, assholes gotta ass, until the day they die.

"Common sense" is an oxymoron.
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Darrell
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Re: Is 22LR back?

Post by Darrell »

I read somewhere that Dick's has Federal Automatch, 325 rd boxes, for $19.99. I've seen it elsewhere online for $22.99-$24.99 per box. That's the same stuff I was paying $13 or so for at Walmart before the craziness began.
Eppur si muove--Galileo
Johnnyreb
Posts: 471
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 2:02 am

Re: Is 22LR back?

Post by Johnnyreb »

It sure isn't back where I am. But the way things are going, even if the .22 does come back, it will be 2-3 times the price it used to be. And in the meantime, have you noticed how commie surplus cases of 7.62x54R have all but disappeared. What you can get of that is selling for nearly what I pay for my Swiss GP11. Cheap commie surplus going for much the same prices as Swiss match grade.
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First Shirt
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Re: Is 22LR back?

Post by First Shirt »

Darrell wrote:I read somewhere that Dick's has Federal Automatch, 325 rd boxes, for $19.99. I've seen it elsewhere online for $22.99-$24.99 per box. That's the same stuff I was paying $13 or so for at Walmart before the craziness began.
Cabela's in Huntsville has it for $21.99, and they offer a 10% military discount. Of course, a few years ago I could buy the same stuff, in 500 rd. boxes, for less than $10.00, but we're still not to the point that we can be real choosy about .22LR.
But there ain't many troubles that a man caint fix, with seven hundred dollars and a thirty ought six."
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John_in_Longview
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Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 6:30 pm

Re: Is 22LR back?

Post by John_in_Longview »

I tried to extend the streak to five days, but the local Academy was out of the 100 round boxes of CCI Mini-Mags. I bought a 100 round box of Winchester M22, but I didn't realize it was their new subsonic 22LR until I got home. Guess I need to buy a suppressor now. :)
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