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Why the run on .22 ammo?

People are retarded. And there was a massive .22 shortage last time ammo got tight. So people see their ability to wipe their butt quickly drying up, and immediately start hoarding .22 ammo to try and price gouge their neighbor with. It’s a Pavlovian response at this point. Economy getting rough? Hoard .22! TP disappearing? Hoard .22! Pandemic? HOARD MOTHERFREAKIN’ .22!!!

That’s how I see it, anyway. Thankfully, I’ve stashed plenty away to last me at least a decade or so, the way I shoot it.
 
People are having flashbacks to 2008 where if you don't overbuy like everyone else then it will be months before you see it again. Some theorize that most .22 ammo doesn't have as much of a markup per round as other calibers so there isn't as much incentive to pump out tons more. It's also so much cheaper to buy a few thousand rounds of 22 than 308 or 6.5.

But ultimately it is just too easy to get swept up in the hysteria if all you hear is we are running out of ammo. Why is there a toilet paper shortage for a respiratory pandemic? Crazy times...
 
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Because it is the most fun to shoot. The best value - Most bang for the buck. Compact and easy to store. Everybody has one (A RIMFIRE RIFLE) so if the zombies do take over it will be better trade bait than TP.

Plus - people are retarded.
 
"But ultimately it is just too easy to get swept up in the hysteria if all you hear is we are running out of ammo. Why is there a toilet paper shortage for a respiratory pandemic? Crazy times..."

TP shortage is because this virus is scaring the shit out of everyone.:D
 
Maybe there could be some profit in corn cobs. I wonder if there has been a slowdown in ammo manufacturing.
Even so, no reason for hoarding.
 
Hysteria.

Now's the time to give better ammo a try. There's still plenty of Center-X out there at non-pandemic prices.

The problem is, a LOT of people look at stuff like Center-X and can’t begin to fathom paying that much for .22 ammo. I recall back in 2005, I bought a brick of Wolf MT at a gun show to try in a Savage MKII BV I had back then. When I mentioned it to my father, he about croaked. :ROFLMAO: He told me they “saw me coming a mile away” for what I paid (I think it was $45 for the brick). This was when cheap Federal and Winchester bricks were like $7. But to him, match grade ammo wasn’t even remotely on his radar. When I ran it through that cheap Savage though, I got one hole groups at 50y on calm days (I had little idea how to correctly account for wind back then), so to me, it was worth it.

Maybe this will be the time when more people wake up to the value of better ammo? Maybe not always Center-X, but a few steps above Remington Golden Bullet, perhaps...
 
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Every time hoarding starts I notice that it’s always the bargain products that the price skyrockets on. Stag AR’s, promo 22 ammo etc. Eley Tenex and KAC SR15’s don’t budge. Then, you end up with folks paying near KAC prices for Stag Arms AR’s. Fun to watch.
 
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To better understand the "hoarder" mentality read Jack London's story - To Starve to Death.... With that being said,,,,,

I wonder if the people who only have/keep a brick of rimfire ammo on hand are the same ones who live paycheck to paycheck...?
I don't live paycheck to paycheck and I also have a reasonable supply of ammo - for all my weapons - on hand that equals a"reasonable" period of normal ammo expenditures. Financial people tell you to have a years salary in the bank as a hedge against calamity... I have long kept a stock of ammo to last through a Democratic Presidential term.... (n) I didn't get caught (very) short the first ammo drought and after experiencing the Obama shortage I am damned unlikely to get caught short. I don't have enough to supply the local militia and I had mine before the word "Corona" was ever mentioned.

So now my question is - What are the criteria required to make one a "Hoarder" rather than a reasonable person who remembers past history and is prepared for "rimfire ammo shortage hysteria"?

To those who are buying ammo because they are scared - get a grip. To those who are buying up to be profiteering from this situation. Kiss my ass.

Not finger pointing. With respect to all here. Just my .02. :cool:
 
New to the forum but have lurked for sometime.

I got a little swept up. Hunted all my life. Shot my first NRL22 match and loved the sport and people. I was that guy that never understood the price of match ammo... now that I am shooting at something other than squirrels and at distances I never thought possible, I see the other side of the coin!

“Squirrel” ammo was stacked deep before all this. Now I’ve gotta feed this V-22 so the SK and CX stock has dropped a bit because of me.
 
For anyone that has been paying attention

Target sports had different 22Lr on sale every week for the last year and a half.
It's pretty easy to stockpile buying 5,000 rounds a week @ $0.03-4 each.
The better CCI grades went on sale as well, just not as offten.

It truly has been a buyers market all of last year.
 
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Well, I would like to propose a question.
I used to get a brick of 500 cci sv for our tikka t1x for plinking fun for about $25 shipped. I saw it the other day the same brick for $35 and all out of stock. Would you buy it in fear of price may go up to $40 for a 500 rd brick? The only one in stock at local shop and big box are the match/high end for $5/50 rounds. I guess that is the upper limit for how much people willing to pay.
 
One strategy for budget oriented recreational shooters. Buy quality ammo at a low price point. I have been getting Geco ammo for $250 a case shipped. At that price it works for plinking ammo if you get a bad lot number.
 
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A little history: In the early part of 2013 there was a run on ammo and not only .22LR. It is/was cheap, used for target practice and took a couple of years where it was back on the shelves in sufficient quantities for everyone. That should be enough to answer most peeps question. Personally I prefer a .22 WMR.
At the same time, all firearms were flying out the window and I remember going into my LGS' as I usually do periodically and only finding one type of gun and it's complementary ammo. It was the .40 S&W. Previously everyone had said how the last ammo on the shelf would be the 9mm as it was made in larger quantities...WRONG! Since it was the most popular, it was purchased in even larger quantities and gone from the shelves (ammo and guns) in no time all. At the time I thought, the first chance I get, I am going to get a .40 cal. gun and ammo for it. I had not considered it previously as I did own a 9mm (Browning HP) and a .45 (Ruger KP345). After doing some research I picked out a H&K P30L in .40 cal. Fits in hand perfectly with the right grip panels. Only drawback was the magazine release. One has to have long fingers!
Sorry to get off track...
 
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Because instead of learning skills to survive people think that they can buy something to make up for it.
 
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Because instead of learning skills to survive people think that they can buy something to make up for it.

Maybe.... Does it really apply to rimfire? I think it is two entirely different things and different mindsets for buyers. I would think the black rifle would be closer to the "I can buy it rather than earn it" type of "survival" buyer. A case of 223 and one of 308 maybe. Doubt you will ever need it and if you do .... needing a case is totally wishful thinking for most of us. That won't get it done for rimfire ammo.

I personally love to shoot and rimfire is the most fun and cheapest overall of any shooting sport going. I shoot rimfire rifles every week and several times most weeks. Not that I want to but I can live without center-fire toys a hell of a lot easier than my .22s.

With greatest respect for those of different thoughts and opinions. Just my .02.
 
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Well, I would like to propose a question.
I used to get a brick of 500 cci sv for our tikka t1x for plinking fun for about $25 shipped. I saw it the other day the same brick for $35 and all out of stock. Would you buy it in fear of price may go up to $40 for a 500 rd brick? The only one in stock at local shop and big box are the match/high end for $5/50 rounds. I guess that is the upper limit for how much people willing to pay.
Pay +$15 out of fear the price climbs an additional +$5? Nope. Especially in a panic. That's what Cheaper than Dirt wants you to do. But now, before we artificially increase the price again. 22lr will be back on the shelves. Besides, I bought 3 boxes (50 rounds) of CCI SV last week. I'm set for THIS apocalypse...
 
Well, I would like to propose a question.
I used to get a brick of 500 cci sv for our tikka t1x for plinking fun for about $25 shipped. I saw it the other day the same brick for $35 and all out of stock. Would you buy it in fear of price may go up to $40 for a 500 rd brick? The only one in stock at local shop and big box are the match/high end for $5/50 rounds. I guess that is the upper limit for how much people willing to pay.
Did you look at Target sports?
 
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It's cheap, so it's "easy" to stock a ton of it up and feel like you have something Also I think a lot of people remember the Obama era where .22 was one of the hardest things to find for years. I don't think we ever got a real answer why .22 was so hard to get, if it was the last US based lead smelter shutting down, ammo companies slowed production of it because it was not as profitable as other caliber etc. lots of theories floated around. What many probably remember though is long after you could find .223, 9mm, .308, .45 etc. .22 was still nowhere to be found for a long time.

That said, those that do remember, if they get caught out again that's on them, ammo has been SO cheap the last 3 years it's ridiculous, between sales and rebates, cash back etc. I don't think I've paid more than $7.50 for a box of 9mm for thousands of rounds.

What I do wonder is if this panic buying/shortage is going to stay through the election. I've thought for awhile as the election creeps up, just like before the Obama election panic buying would start again. I think now it's just going to start earlier now.

Oh and beside Cheaper than Dirt, you can add Lucky Gunner to the list of companies that like to jack their prices up in high demand.
 
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22lr is for Wimuns, kids, and other amateurs that play Rambo with thier 10/22’s.
22 mag is where it’s at for the discerning trophy wabbit hunter.
And 17hmr is the 6.5 creedmoor of the rimfire world.

How’s that for some boomer fudd logic.

In all seriousness though I always thought the whole run on 22 ammo was a bit silly. Like a lot of other things.
I’ve bought a little here and there over time as needed with out full out hoarding and have enough to last a while. Some boxes I probably bought 10 years ago.
 
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To me the buy, buy, buy thing would be very easy to fall into. Just the thought of running out of rimfire ammo scares me nearly as bad as running out of Diet Coke.

Nearly...
 
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45000 rounds of CCI polymer coated stuff... then there is all the match stuff.... whew. Should be good to a really long time.

Unless the AR180 ever shows up on the auction block
 
Midway USA has a sale on now of pretty much all flavors of SK. Some of their Eley is either "out of stock" or limited availability.

I'm more concerned in the long-term aspects of getting .22lr ammo out of Europe to the states in the coming months.
 
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for the cost you would be hard pressed to find a cheaper ammo to take down small game ( rabbits , cats , dogs , squirrel , birds .
its easy and light to transport , don't need as much space as other ammo ,its also easier to make a can in a pinch for and it could be very quiet find 308 for 3.6 cents per round or any other ammo .
 
Yeah, and if you have an American-180... you can even defend yourself against hordes of ANTIFA asswipes.

 
same way people are buying fero rods and other fire starters, instead of a bic lighter....or dont buy anything at all

they dont even know how to start a BBQ if the battery is dead yet they buy primitive sparking tools in case they need a fire??

just human nature to be a moron i guess
 
same way people are buying fero rods and other fire starters, instead of a bic lighter....or dont buy anything at all

they dont even know how to start a BBQ if the battery is dead yet they buy primitive sparking tools in case they need a fire??

just human nature to be a moron i guess

but lightening could hit your pocket and explode your bic lighter, what are you going to use to start a cooking fire then? Your grill?!
 
but lightening could hit your pocket and explode your bic lighter, what are you going to use to start a cooking fire then? Your grill?!

you have it wrong, their tin foil hat will take the hit from lightening :p
 
you have it wrong, their tin foil hat will take the hit from lightening :p
If You’re proposing using this foreign light to cook food with that is ludicrous. Alien fire should be put out with the nearest raw marsh water.

I start 3-7 small alien fires per day from hat glare
 
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Midway USA has a sale on now of pretty much all flavors of SK. Some of their Eley is either "out of stock" or limited availability.

I'm more concerned in the long-term aspects of getting .22lr ammo out of Europe to the states in the coming months.
Thanks. Got a couple more bricks of Eley stuff.
 
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.22 bulk makes good substitute for TP when times get tough