# So the .22 ammo "shortage" is still a thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 27, 2015, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164 "2015-03-27T23:46:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/1 "2015-03-27T23:46:28Z")
I stopped by a gun store I hadn’t been to and they happened to have a .22 rifle that I’ve had my eye on for a while. I asked the guy if they had ammo for it and he said they didn’t have any in store but if I bought the gun he could get me a brick (500 rounds). I happen to have a pretty good stash of .22 but I knew there were people buying all available .22 rounds and making it hard to find. A few months ago I had heard that the situation was improving but apparently not. The price for the brick this guy could get me was 50 bucks which is about double what it was before the “shortage”. Is this the new normal? Is it going to last until we get a Republican president again? WTF? I bought the gun because I wanted it and it was Friday, and I felt like it should be New Gun Day. I brought the brick too because it’s my preferred brand, CCI, and my stash of that is low. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/2 "2015-03-27T23:59:07Z")
I haven’t seen .22 in the stores for a very long time. Of course, I still have @ 1,000 rounds from the bricks I bought about 12 years ago. Just don’t get to shoot as much. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/3 "2015-03-28T00:01:58Z")
It’s weird here. We have some stores that always have it, but it’s pretty expensive. $60-$80 for 500 round bricks. Other stores sell it for $45-$50 and are always out. Makes sense that the cheaper stores would sell out faster, but it seems like if there was a real shortage, all the stores would be sold out or all the stores would be charging a premium. Oh, and I can never find CCI. Ever. The cheaper stores carry Remington and the more expensive ones carry American Eagle by Federal. ---
**Author:** ![bubba001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f17d59/32.png) [@bubba001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubba001)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/4 "2015-03-28T00:13:11Z")
One thing I’ve noticed in the last few years is that most 22’s sold have big clips. I learned to shoot using a single shot 22, but young people today all want something that shoots fast, reloads fast. A afternoon plinking session was maybe 50 rounds for my brother and I. My nephew has a modified Ruger 10-22, and he ripped off about 1000 rounds last time he was here. I think the big thing is that the price increased quickly, and hasn’t gone down. The shortage isn’t just 22, but cheap 22. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/5 "2015-03-28T00:36:49Z")
> [@bubba001](#): > > One thing I’ve noticed in the last few years is that most 22’s sold have big clips. I learned to shoot using a single shot 22, but young people today all want something that shoots fast, reloads fast. A afternoon plinking session was maybe 50 rounds for my brother and I. My nephew has a modified Ruger 10-22, and he ripped off about 1000 rounds last time he was here. I think the big thing is that the price increased quickly, and hasn’t gone down. The shortage isn’t just 22, but cheap 22. Good point. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/6 "2015-03-28T00:36:54Z")
I have no idea, so I’ll take you off on a tangent. Why is CCI your favorite brand? Is it just price, or other factors? Like, does it fly straighter or something? ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/7 "2015-03-28T00:42:09Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > I have no idea, so I’ll take you off on a tangent. Why is CCI your favorite brand? Is it just price, or other factors? Like, does it fly straighter or something? I find it to be more accurate and fewer misfires. It has been the hardest to find so I think others share my opinion. The last few bricks I bought were Remington “Golden” and I have had a lot of misfires, which to me means the firing pin strikes the cartridge rim and the round does not fire. [CCI Website](http://www.cci-ammunition.com/) ---
**Author:** ![bubba001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f17d59/32.png) [@bubba001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubba001)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/8 "2015-03-28T00:49:16Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > I find it to be more accurate and fewer misfires. It has been the hardest to find so I think others share my opinion. The last few bricks I bought were Remington “Golden” and I have had a lot of misfires, which to me means the firing pin strikes the cartridge rim and the round does not fire. > > [CCI Website](http://www.cci-ammunition.com/) CCI is a better round than the Remington. Larger calibers of Remington seem fine, but the Golden is a pretty dirty round. I see a lot of shavings from the bullet in my rifle, it might make a semi misfire. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/9 "2015-03-28T00:57:05Z")
CCI and American Eagle by Federal tend to be much cleaner than Remington and a lot few misfires. CCI is what my dad always used. I found a bunch that had been sitting in storage for probably 25 years. Took to the range. Not a single misfire. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/10 "2015-03-28T01:01:02Z")
Sorry, my idle curiosity persists. What’s a lot of misfires to you? Ten out of 500? 50? 100? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/11 "2015-03-28T01:07:29Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > I stopped by a gun store I hadn’t been to and they happened to have a .22 rifle that I’ve had my eye on for a while. I asked the guy if they had ammo for it and he said they didn’t have any in store but if I bought the gun he could get me a brick (500 rounds). I happen to have a pretty good stash of .22 but I knew there were people buying all available .22 rounds and making it hard to find. A few months ago I had heard that the situation was improving but apparently not. The price for the brick this guy could get me was 50 bucks which is about double what it was before the “shortage”. > Is this the new normal? Is it going to last until we get a Republican president again? > WTF? must be. the panic buying of .22LR started a couple of years ago and hasn’t let up. haven’t seen a definitive explanation. it’s fucking stupid because of all of the calibers likely to be banned, .22LR would be at the bottom of the list. if idiot preppers are still gobbling all of this up then they’re as dumb as they seem. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/12 "2015-03-28T01:17:30Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > Sorry, my idle curiosity persists. What’s a lot of misfires to you? Ten out of 500? 50? 100? Any misfires at all are too many. With the Remingtons I get maybe one misfire out of every 50-75 rounds I guess. If I rechamber the misfired round it usually fires the second time. This is in more than one gun. I have quite a few .22s so it’s not that it’s a firing pin spring problem. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/13 "2015-03-28T01:21:57Z")
Well I can say the recent rise in CCW licenses has created a market for mini-.380’s and that has driven up the price above that of 9mm ammo. That’s increasing demand outstripping supply. Fortunately these guns are not fun to fire so nobody is going to rip through 1000 rounds at the range. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/14 "2015-03-28T01:44:38Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > It’s weird here. We have some stores that always have it, but it’s pretty expensive. $60-$80 for 500 round bricks. Other stores sell it for $45-$50 and are always out. Makes sense that the cheaper stores would sell out faster, but it seems like if there was a real shortage, all the stores would be sold out or all the stores would be charging a premium. > > Oh, and I can never find CCI. Ever. The cheaper stores carry Remington and the more expensive ones carry American Eagle by Federal. Same around here. Now there are a few places over in Ohio with good prices and availability but I’m not interested in stocking up (still have 4 or 5 525 round boxes and shoot mostly single shot) enough to justify the drive. Once the weather turns nice though ------- PS – some “odd” calibers are still really tough too. 8mm Mauser and .30-40 Krag are much harder to find now than say 2 years back. And you do NOT want to need any .30 Luger. Mail order, sure – but you’re going to pay. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/15 "2015-03-28T01:56:19Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > must be. the panic buying of .22LR started a couple of years ago and hasn’t let up. haven’t seen a definitive explanation. it’s fucking stupid because of all of the calibers likely to be banned, .22LR would be at the bottom of the list. if idiot preppers are still gobbling all of this up then they’re as dumb as they seem. Not a prepper in any shape or form, but .22 is still good for hunting small game. And most of all, as it is one of the most popular firearms, and more people are likely to have them, .22 rounds would be good for trading. I also thought that a big reason that there was a lack of ammo was the war/s. Seems strange, but that’s what I heard anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/16 "2015-03-28T02:49:03Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > PS – some “odd” calibers are still really tough too. 8mm Mauser and .30-40 Krag are much harder to find now than say 2 years back. And you do NOT want to need any .30 Luger. Mail order, sure – but you’re going to pay. Yeah, I have a Ruger Mini-14 that is chambered for .222. It is very hard to find, and when I ask for it, the guys always chuckle and say, “Oh, you mean .223.” I have to explain that my rifle is an early one and was designed for sale in countries which prohibit firearms that chamber military cartridges. Then they take me seriously and tell me the don’t have any. I have one shop I go to that does carry it. It’s expensive, but at least I can get it. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/17 "2015-03-28T03:09:00Z")
Southern seacoastal Maine here, the shortage has been going strong for nearly four years now, it seems to go in cycles, there’ll be a drought of ammo for an extended timeframe, then the stores will have available inventory for a few days to a week, then back to nothing… I live a short 10 minute drive from Kittery Trading Post in Kittery, Maine, they’re my primary toy store, they haven’t had cheap bulk or bricks in at least 3 months, the only .22 LR they have decent quantities of is Eley Target, but at an asking price of $9 for a 50 round box, it has barely sold I have no interest in it at that price, I could get a 100 round box of CCI Minimags for around $8, when they have them in stock Thankfully, I have a decent stash of .22 already, and I tend to use my Benjamin 392 multipump .22 pellet rifle for recreational plinking anyway ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/18 "2015-03-28T04:32:34Z")
Remington makes fine centerfire, shit rimfire ammo. But I’d take some if I can find it. I might be more successful if I wanted to camp out at 8 am, but I don’t. The larger/chain stores don’t gouge you on price; they just run out quickly. I’d like some Federal blue/red box. .22 is easy to find if you don’t mind .22 Short or snake shot. The shortage has nothing to do with any potential bans. Maybe initially, people bought it because it was cheaper and they couldn’t find another caliber. But now it’s self-sustaining, and people who want .22 have to buy it from limited supply and production; you can’t (reliably) reload it. > [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > Yeah, I have a Ruger Mini-14 that is chambered for .222. It is very hard to find, and when I ask for it, the guys always chuckle and say, “Oh, you mean .223.” I have to explain that my rifle is an early one and was designed for sale in countries which prohibit firearms that chamber military cartridges. Then they take me seriously and tell me the don’t have any. I have one shop I go to that does carry it. It’s expensive, but at least I can get it. $0.55/round is the cheapest I see online. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/19 "2015-03-28T13:08:36Z")
I have been able to buy .22lr pretty regularly lately at the local Scheel’s store. The last half dozen or so boxes have bee $8.99 per 100 rounds. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/20 "2015-03-28T16:35:28Z")
Stopped in to KTP this afternoon, that overpriced Eley Target is now gone, the only rimfire left was a single box of CCI .22 mag shotshells (useless for anything but mice/rats at nearly point blank range) and a few meager boxes of .17 HMR Thank Og for my stash of .22 rimfire ammo, and for my .22 pellet rifle, the shortage hasn’t affected pellets, yet, the fewer that know the fun of plinking with a good air rifle the better… …I trust my fellow Dopers can keep a secret on that fact, right;) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164.md?page=2)