Where is all the rimfire ammo

[vipertech]

So next weekend is the opening of small game season in south east Minnesota. What's the deal with 22 rimfire ammo. Tired of the rationing and price gouging in my area. I've heard so many rumors, my friends and I want to know if any one here knows wtf is going on. It's pretty sad that you can pass on a family tradition of spending time in the woods with our kids enjoying the shooting sports or hunting season. I'm interested if this is a nation wide issue or a regional one. Tell me what is it like in your area, because this is BS. It's 22 ammo for crying out loud.

Edited September 11, 2013 by vipertech

[vipertech]

So next weekend is the opening of small game season in south east Minnesota. What's the deal with 22 rimfire ammo. Tired of the rationing and price gouging in my area. I've heard so many rumors, my friends and I want to know if any one here knows wtf is going on. It's pretty sad that you can pass on a family tradition of spending time in the woods with our kids enjoying the shooting sports or hunting season. I'm interested if this is a nation wide issue or a regional one. Tell me what is it like in your area, because this is BS. It's 22 ammo for crying out loud.

[Flatland Shooter]

In the Gulf Coast area of Texas is slowly getting better. Most is still getting picked up by folks either hoarding it or selling it at extreme profit. Some stores are limiting buyers to small amounts per day and they can keep stock throughout the day and possibly into the next day.

I've been slowly depleting my stock so when I can get a box (of 50) or two, I do.

Bill

[SlowShooter]

So next weekend is the opening of small game season in south east Minnesota. What's the deal with 22 rimfire ammo..... Tell me what is it like in your area, because this is BS. It's 22 ammo for crying out loud.

Did you just-now notice?

There has been a nation-wide panic buying of .22LR ammo since Dec 2012. People lined-up at WalMart in the mornings buying it up.

Its starting to let-up, if you buy online you can get .22lr ammo around 10-cents per round.

Finding .22lr on-the-shelf at WalMart still impossible around here (SouthEast USA).

As for the shortage, well:

you can't reload for it, and most everyone has a .22 firearm usual rifle and pistol or multiple 22's.

As a rough estimate, if you calculate the total daily production from CCI .22lr and divide it by the number of WalMarts in the country it comes-out to about 200 rounds per store per day. A very rough estimate but you get the idea: if just a few people get the idea they should buy it, it don't last long.

Edited September 11, 2013 by SlowShooter

[Chills1994]

It's all at the Rural King in Swansea, IL. It's priced at $52 a brick, so it might be there a while.

I'll be at Olin on Friday, so I'll be sure to ask.

Supposedly, there is an app for iPhone that will tell you when certain items arrive at your local Wally World, including ammo.

The other rumor I heard was that assistant store managers were buying it all up when it arrived on their shift, promptly storing it in their vehicles and reselling it on armslist, gunbroker, or at the gunshows.

[Flatland Shooter]

Supposedly, there is an app for iPhone that will tell you when certain items arrive at your local Wally World, including ammo.

The other rumor I heard was that assistant store managers were buying it all up when it arrived on their shift, promptly storing it in their vehicles and reselling it on armslist, gunbroker, or at the gunshows.

There is an app out there but I do not use "smart phones". As an alternative, I go to Ammo-Can.net. Its an attempt to keep track of what's available at local stores but for .22LR, it has not been helpful. http://ammo-can.net/

As for employees hoarding ammo in the back, several weeks ago the sporting goods salesman came out of the back mid-afternoon with three 50 rd boxes of .223. He found them stashed behind some bicycle parts and indicated he was probably ruining some other employee's weekend.

At another Walmart, I came across the ammo case loaded with Tula .223. I waited around for a while for the sporting goods salesman to return. Checked with the manager and they were unable to locate the guy with the keys to the counter. Just as I was ready to leave, up walks the school age salesman with a half dozen close friends. They cleaned out the .223 before he would even look at me.

[vipertech]

Was at one of the local stores that actually had some and was given one brick of one hundred. My step son was standing next to me and asked the younger gentleman behind the counter if he could get some also. He was very abruptly told no because he was under age. I told him that I would be buying them and supervising the boy, again told no. He was very upset by the whole experience. This was a local chain store that has several stores in our state. This chain has a store five blocks from my home but I had to drive an hour to the next store in the chain to get The ammo we needed. Which makes me wonder why they had so much and our store has nothing. I to wonder if its the employees are doing the same thing around here.

[retarmyaviator]

The problem in my area according to the Wal-Mart manager is that that same crew of 8-10 rednecks hovers around the sporting goods counter every night between 7-9 when the trucks come in and buy all the .22 that arrives. I have seen this bunch a couple of times, reminds you of buzzards circling waiting for something to die.

Edited September 11, 2013 by retarmyaviator

[Ken_Bird]

Maybe the Buzzards will get shot while they hover looking for meat.

[sperman]

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=180687&hl=%2Bammo

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=170390&hl=%2Bammo

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=168181&hl=%2Bammo

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=163980&hl=%2Bammo

[outerlimits]

The fact is ammo makers aren't making much. Margins are low on .22, so ammo makers are making hay on hi margin calibers right now. Can't blame them.

[MarkCO]

Probably my kids fault. I had 15K on January 1, now I have 2K left, and I have bought, or traded for about 5K over the past few months.

[Sarge]

Walked into the local WM last week and there were several 550 federal packs on the shelf. I must have hit it just right. There was a one box limit but I still would have only gotten one. I doubt that is the prevailing attitude these days.

[Middle Man]

The fact is ammo makers aren't making much. Margins are low on .22, so ammo makers are making hay on hi margin calibers right now. Can't blame them.

Margin is one of the biggest and least talked about factors in rimfire supply. Rimfire has always been somewhat of a loss leader all along the supply chain. Also, there are only three domestic manufacturers of rimfire ammo in the US. All three play in the worldwide market and none of them are cutting the amount of rimfire that they export to meet, what is realistically, a short term demand bubble. Same applies to centerfire ammo exports, no one is cutting export amounts.

[mjohn]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Also, there are only three domestic manufacturers of rimfire ammo in the US."

I can think of Federal, Winchester, CCI, Remington and Hornady (not 22lr however).

Edited September 11, 2013 by mjohn

[SlowShooter]

CCI and Federal are both ATK companies.

Edited September 11, 2013 by SlowShooter

[gigs]

I don't think it's production going to higher calibers, I doubt many of the same machines and processes are used for .22 as for centerfire. Besides .223 and 308 are pretty much back down to normal prices.

[Middle Man]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Also, there are only three domestic manufacturers of rimfire ammo in the US."

I can think of Federal, Winchester, CCI, Remington and Hornady (not 22lr however).

ATK brands

Remington

Winchester

That is all, all other domestic labels are contract runs.

Edited September 11, 2013 by Middle Man

[sliphorn]

At least some of the production capabilities for rim fire and center fire are completely separate. Example: Winchester has a relatively new rim fire ammo factory in Oxford, Mississippi. I would assume this is the case with others, with at the least separate lines, as the loading processes are so different.

Regarding the rumors of Walmart employees grabbing up the ammo, a member of our club works in sporting goods at Walmart. He reports that employees are not allowed to by shortage ammo there at all. He has to fine his .22 ammo at other stores. They also are forbidden to call friends or set aside for special folks.

Regarding the refusal to sell to the under age son, we recently had a similar experience. Three of us drove 130 miles one way to get bulk shotgun reloading components. We found the dealer had a limit of one 8 lb canister of powder per car load of customers. He had similar restrictions on primers. His reasoning was to spread the components around to as many of his customers as possible, knowing that often folks would each buy the limit to help one person to hoard or sell at gun shows, etc. at tremendously inflated prices. By the way, this dealer was not selling at inflated prices. While inconvenient for us it is hard to argue with his reasoning. We will just have to call ahead and check on policies before we make the next trip.

[mpeltier]

I think things are improving. A few weeks ago I received 5k I ordered in Feb from the CMP and last week WM had some (but was still restricted to the 3 box limit) and yesterday I found some at my local GS. As unscientific as it is I had not seen any scince before last Christmas.

As to not producing due to margins???? I don't believe that for a second. Its the most popular ammo in America, and demand is so high, if margins were the issue you can bet they would simply increase margins for a better profit. Which may be what's happening to a small degree from what my friend at the local GS has told me.

[Aiden]

I've been keeping an eye out locally, and a couple months ago there was a line of guys at the crack of dawn to get any ammo that came in stock.

It's still bad at my local Walmart, but as far as BassPro and Farm and Fleet, I've actually managed to snag a box here and there by chance.

[birdzman]

Depending on where my travels take me I frequent five different Wallyworlds and have not seen one fifty round box of 22LR, they have had all the common pistol calibers and rifle calibers and tons of shotgun ammo.

[rmantoo]

Last week, most of the walmarts in this area received and put out for sale 50, 1000rnd cans of 5.56 for $447.

Most likewise received and put out for sale 100-120 525rd packs of 22lr.

The 5.56 lasted through the weekend, the 22lr through Sunday morning.

Haven't seen those kinds of volumes since Dec 2012, and what little has come in has left much quicker than that.

[Guest]

Day before yesterday I was at our local Wally World and noticed they had what I thought might be 22LR on the shelf and asked the fellow behind the counter and he said yep, limit of one per customer. I bought one box (Remington 225 pack of golden bullets @ $11) just for the novelty of being able to buy 22lr again at a walmart. This store hasn't had any on the shelves since January 2013. Hopefully this is a sign that the 22lr will become more available.

[Jaxshooter]

Walmart in my area has been getting 22 ammo in. You need to ask when their truck comes in and when they stock the shelves. It doesn't last long. Limit 3 per customer per day. I paid $7.65 per 100 for CCI Mini Mags last week.

Edited June 21, 2014 by Jaxshooter