# 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:** 10\ **Page:** 5
**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:** [August 7, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/81 "2015-08-07T23:07:19Z")
> [@Orwell](#): > > The other aspect to increased demand is the appearance of AR-style .22LR rifles, both as a compliment to AR-15 rifles and on their own. Many people who bought AR rifles quickly discovered how expensive feeding them can be, and then bought AR-style 22 rifles to practice with. Or, people who are not sure about buying an AR have bought AR-style 22s to test the water. No matter what, millions of AR 22s have been bought recently, and a shooter can go through hundreds of rounds very quickly. Agree, I have an AR style .22lr myself. Lots of fun and even at the current prices for .22, still way cheaper than shooting the real AR. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/82 "2015-08-07T23:34:00Z")
Nothing has changed. I still have trouble finding stuff. Occasional small boxes, but nothing bulk, or some obscure limited-use loading (e.g. powderless). Online is the same, they have 2.5/5 star rated Mexican dud ammo but nothing decent. At this point I’d even take a bulk pack of crappy Remington. > [@RagingxMarmoset](#): > > I have a couple friends and family members who work at Federal Cartridge in Anoka, MN. They have said all the overtime and extra lines in the world won’t catch them up anytime soon. It’s the oddest thing. How [del]YOU[/del] THEY doin’? > [@MaxTheVool](#): > > I’m just a curious observer here, but… is there any remotely rational explanation for why there’s a shortage of .22, but not .38, .45, or whatever calibers actually go into the guns that people use for self defense, hunting, and stuff OTHER than plinking aluminum cans and target shooting? As I understand it, some calibers were hard to find for awhile, but stabilized by now whereas .22 did not. IIRC .380 was hard to find for awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/83 "2015-08-08T01:14:43Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > As I understand it, some calibers were hard to find for awhile, but stabilized by now whereas .22 did not. IIRC .380 was hard to find for awhile. Yeah, that’s the odd thing. 223, 9mm, 45, etc. all spiked way up, but these calibers have come most of the way back down and are widely available. But not 22LR. You still have trouble finding it, or the price is more than double what it was. Despite my previous post about AR related demand, I can’t begin to explain what is going on. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/84 "2015-08-08T02:23:34Z")
> [@Orwell](#): > > Yeah, that’s the odd thing. 223, 9mm, 45, etc. all spiked way up, but these calibers have come most of the way back down and are widely available. But not 22LR. You still have trouble finding it, or the price is more than double what it was. > > Despite my previous post about AR related demand, I can’t begin to explain what is going on. Well, I don’t know if it a factor, but give me an hour and the right equipment and I can make several rounds of my own in those calibers. Powder, primer, and bullets are often shared across multiple calibers (and sometimes brass, as you can trim down brass in other calibers to make a new one). However, it is _essentially_ impossible for me or anyone without wherewithal to make .22, and none of the components are really reusable. BTW I noticed in the last 3-5 months that powder (and I assume primers etc.) have become VERY plentiful. Like empty shelves, with only a few bottles of some obscure or limited-use powder, now many common ones. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/85 "2015-08-08T03:06:38Z")
I know ammo lasts awhile but for these preppers and similar types loading thousands into ammo stashes is modern ammo still going to be reliable 30 or 50+ years into the future? ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/86 "2015-08-08T03:13:53Z")
> [@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. I assume it’s for the AR-15s they’re hoping to modify into M-16s when the race war starts, or some such nonsense. > [@enipla](#): > > 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. Well, that’s a more normal and less goofy answer, anyway. I suspect the anecdotal kid burning 1000 rounds in an afternoon is an indicator of how a shift in demand happened, too. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/87 "2015-08-08T03:25:21Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I know ammo lasts awhile but for these preppers and similar types loading thousands into ammo stashes is modern ammo still going to be reliable 30 or 50+ years into the future? Yes, if properly stored. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/88 "2015-08-10T02:46:02Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I know ammo lasts awhile but for these preppers and similar types loading thousands into ammo stashes is modern ammo still going to be reliable 30 or 50+ years into the future? Absolutely- people are shooting up 70+ year old ammo stocks right now, and plenty of Cold War era stocks as well, which don’t differ materially from modern ammo. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/89 "2015-08-11T13:01:44Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I assume it’s for the AR-15s they’re hoping to modify into M-16s when the race war starts, or some such nonsense.Well, that’s a more normal and less goofy answer, anyway. While .223/5.65mm and 9mm shortages _might_ conceivably be tied to military or government demand (though I don’t really think that’s a major factor), the military and government do not buy .22LR in any meaningful quantities. It’s hard to separate the wheat from the chaff when surfing the internet regarding ammo shortages, but it appears that ammo sales have been extraordinarily large for several years. There are special ammo excise taxes, so it’s possible to track gross ammo sales by the size of excise taxes paid, though much harder to track sales by caliber. There was a period several years ago when prices of the component metals used in ammo spiked way up. The price of brass, copper and lead have fallen back down, as has the price of most centerfire ammo, albeit at prices that are still higher than several years ago. .22LR ammo? Still in short supply and at very high cost compared to historical levels. My conclusion revolves around hoarding and reselling to the biggest fool. If you visit shooting forums, there are still guys who line up at Walmarts around the country at 7AM and buy up all the .22 ammo they can, and then resell it on the internet or at gun shows. They are no doubt entrepreneurs in a fashion, and have every legal right to do this, but I hope the rimfire ammo market crashes and they are left holding hundreds of thousands of rounds that they have to turn around and sell at $15 a brick. ---
**Author:** ![Ispolkom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47774/32.png) [@Ispolkom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ispolkom)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164/90 "2015-08-11T21:09:28Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Absolutely- people are shooting up 70+ year old ammo stocks right now, and plenty of Cold War era stocks as well, which don’t differ materially from modern ammo. I’m shooting 22LR ammunition from the 70s without any problems. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-22-ammo-shortage-is-still-a-thing/716164.md?page=4)