Anyone else here getting suspicious of the .22 ammo shortage? At a local shop the other day, some of us started discussing reasons as to why the ammo shortage is seemingly over, except for .22 shells. We started to wonder if the ammo manufactures themselves have an agenda....to raise the cost of .22 ammo. For decades rimfire ammo has been fairly inexpensive. Even when the .17 ammo was first out, it was pretty inexpensive for a new product. Then 17 ammo when up, almost by 50%, even more, almost over night. People went nutz, they were really pissed. .22 ammo has been pretty inexpensive, even for high end ammo. Now they can double the cost without shooters becoming suspicious. CCI Mini Mags used to cost about 6 bucks per hundred just a couple years ago. Now, if you can find it, it costs nearly double, running about a dime a shot. I think they would like to charge even more. Even bulk packs used to cost about 10 bucks per 500/550 pack and it was what I consider to be 'crap' ammo. Now bricks when you can find it is nearly 40 bucks.

I think ammo companies have long wanted to double, even triple the the price of .22 ammo. After all, they pulled the same crap not too many years ago with most other ammo and reloading components. I recently priced some components to put together some CF ammo. It costs more to buy components to load up a 100 rounds of say 270,308 06, 243, etc, than it does to just buy factory ammo...not much more but about a buck a box or so. Why would companies do this? I am beginning to think I have as big a reason to be suspicious of Corporate America anymore as I do the Gov't. Not wanting to get into politics here and I don't think this is a political statement, but I am pretty stinking suspicious of the drive for money. Oil companies have used every excuse in the book and ones they could think of to justify what they charge anymore for gas. I mean every little blip natural or other wise is now reason to charge more. They are full of greed, why would ammo/gun companies be any less greedy? I paid 250 bucks for my Remington 270 20 years ago. The cost for the same rifle stayed under 500 bucks until very recently. Now a similar grade rifle is close to a 1000 bucks.

I guess, shooting/hunting is a rich man's sport. OK, well, they really want to be out numbered by anti gun/ anti hunters. They will at this pace. Even here in Idaho, people are disgusted with the rising cost of shooting and hunting. The anti's will win without even bringing it to a vote!

I am not normally into conspiracies, Gov't or otherwise. I grew up in a controlling religion (I've resigned from that religion) that fed off from conspiracies so I steer clear of things like this. But something sure seems to be amiss with .22 ammo shortages.

I do have one conspiracy: While many ammo/gun manufactures along with organizations such as the NRA do their level best to promote pro gun candidates, I am beginning to believe deep inside, they love the increase in profit and sales (membership, etc) that happens when an anti gun candidate wins.

DCG your are right it is a conspiracy to jack the prices on the 22 ammo by the jack booted political thugs. I also believe the NRA is only wanting members so they go live the high life off of membership and frankly think their goals are wrong.

I can go to the larger outfitters shop and get it readily but you going to pay to **** dearly for it tho. $30-35 a 325 pack of plinking ammo is fleet out ridiculous! I heard that it will never come back down and it will be at least 3 more years until this BS settles down unless we have another mass shooting to happen before it does.

I can remember just paying a $100 for 5000 rounds 10 years ago. The facts is does not really costs them that much to make! Calling Shenanigans!!

Disclaimer: We just can't discuss this subject without politics coming into play because politics is a big part of why this is happening. Some political commentary will be aloud in this thread, but please keep it civil. Thanks.

Lets face it, a big part of this shortage is based solely on fear. People are afraid that the Government will come and take their guns and ammunition. When Obama was first elected we had a run on ammo that lead to a shortage of some calibers, and price increases that have stayed with us since then. Serious gun owners knew all along that Obama was anti-gun, his political record showed that, but overall America didn't care. While Obama and Congress didn't do anything gun control related in his first term, there were those of us who knew without a shadow of a doubt (me included) that if elected to a second term, gun control would be an issue. I in fact do believe Newtown was manufactured by those who would have this country completely disarmed. Don't think radical gun hating people wouldn't actually do something like Newtown to further their agenda? You better think it over real hard then, because history has proven that nut jobs with an agenda will do whatever it takes to further that agenda. Look at Hitler, Stalin, and the Bolshevik Revolution.

Back to fear. There are people who freaked out, and cleared the shelves of certain guns and ammunition in matter of weeks. They are hoarding ammunition. We live in a capitalist society, and demand drives pricing. Something in high demand will always command a high price because scared fools will spend their life savings, or max out a wallet full of credit cards out of fear, and greedy people will gladly empty your wallet for you. So fear and hoarding is a big part of the problem.

The other end of the problem is sellers, whether it be your local retailer, or some douche bag on Gunbroker. There are plenty of guys waiting at Walmart every morning to try and buy up as much in demand calibers as possible, only to turn around and sell it on Gunbroker and other firearms auction sites for a huge markup. These guys are the Wall street of the gun world, despicable, greedy bastards!! They are only helping to make the situation worse. There are lots of these types out there, and they can control the flow of the product and make it seem like the shortage is worse than it really is.

I had a discussion recently with a local gun shop manager, who said that the wholesale company he buys ammo from has raised the prices of ammo significantly. Most retailers who aren't major movers of ammo have to go through a wholesale distributor for guns, ammo, and accessories because they can't afford to buy the quantities required to buy direct from the manufacturers. Some wholesale companies have jacked up prices, and may even be controlling product flow to maintain those higher prices, because if the supply goes back to normal, most folks won't pay the premium anymore. This whole year I have refused to pay high prices for ammo, and only buy from places that are charging Pre-Newtown prices. It's harder that way, but I'm not giving in to scalpers.

Our fear of losing our right to keep and bear arms is legitimate though. Gun Control laws aren't legal, but they have been passed and enforced. Just take a look at whats happening in California, Colorado, New York, and other New England States right now. Not only is the 2nd amendment being attacked in this county, but the entire bill of rights is slowly being eradicated by government. The bill of rights was put in place to let government know they can't touch any of it, but they are. We can't even rely on the Supreme Court to back up the 2nd amendment, because despite the fact that they are to be impartial politically, you can see all the time that they vote down party lines.

Will the Government ban arms and ammunition? If the balance of power slips to the far left, then yes it can, and probably will happen. Don't ever say it can't happen here, because that's what other societies have said in the past, and they got shafted for thinking that way. Banning firearms has little to do with crime control, it's more about complete control of a population with no means to stand up for itself against a heavily armed government run by a bunch of rich, greedy, power hungry fools. Do you want to be controled by a bunch of Bloombergs?

For people like me, to whom firearms are just as much about who they are as fly fishing is, then the fear is justified.

I agree that bulk .22 is mostly junk. I do buy CCI Blazer bulk, as it's the best of the bulk .22 out there. It's loaded to Mini Mag velocity and the only real difference that I can tell is Blazer being a lead bullet, and Mini Mags have the copper plated bullet. QC on Mini Mags is certainly better, but Blazer QC has been leaps and bounds better than any other bulk.
I also like the buy the Wolf match ammo when I can get it for a good price (made by SK in Germany).

I've stopped buying any Remington ammo due to poor QC across the board. The exception there is probably their Premier target shotgun shells, never hand an issue with those, but I haven't bought any for probably a decade. They can keep their .22 and handgun ammo.

For hunting and target shotshells I buy Federal. I prefer Federal Premium handgun ammo for my CCW guns, and Federal American Eagle, and Champion for target shooting. I do buy the Russian Tulammo in 9mm as well, although it is really dirty stuff, it tends to shoot well.

I'm sure that full power 10mm stuff eats recoil springs for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. I recall you bought the 135 grain loads which actually aren't ideal as a self defense round. Yeah the numbers look impressive, but that bullet was designed for .40 S&W, and even then it's not an ideal performer. At 10mm velocities that bullet will rapidly expand, and fragment, but penetrates very shallow. It does not come close to passing the FBI test for defensive ammo.

I would agree, the Delta Elite load would be a better option, from both a bullet performance perspective, and it won't beat the tar out of your gun.

You can buy a heavier spring for older Glocks, but they don't seem to be available for the Gen 4 Glocks. The Gen 4 has a dual spring anyway which does soak up some of the recoil. I doubt I will buy a heavier spring even if they become available. Just not that interested in shooting a lot of heavy loads. IF I can find more Blazer 10mm ammo, I will buy a bunch. I mostly carry in the woods. If I have to shoot a bear or wolf, I would prefer a bullet that shoots completely through the critter and out the other side, even if the critter runs off aways. With the Blazer ammo, which is a 200gr Flat Point FMJ at around 1050fps which is milder than 10mm potential, but easy on the gun and I can really fill the target with bullets fast. Also, the Alum, cases are light and 15 rounds in the mag is not all that heavy.

For CCW in and around people, I am looking at a milder JHP which is why I am looking at Winchester's Silvertips or perhaps Hornady Critical Defense loading.

I'd certainly agree with that, though they hardly hold a global monopoly in that endeavour.
brent

And most of the gun grabbers here in the States are pretty far left in their politics, so it's not hard to see similarities.

Until everyone stops buying .22 ammo as soon as any is put on the shelves, the dry spell will continue. I bought several bricks of federal (550 per box) at Wally World back when it was $8 a box. I would buy one brick almost every time I went there. I had plenty on hand, but lately I have given several bricks away to good friends that had none. I figured it would start showing up again and I could put back what I had given away. Not so.......So for the last few months, I have been shooting .17 Remington, .223, .22-250 and several handgun calibers (I load my own). NOW.....it is getting harder and harder to find smokeless gun powder.
What is now on the shelves is mostly shotgun powders.......Many of those can be used in pistol/revolver loads, but good rifle powder is really hard to find. Powders such as H4198 H4895 IMR4064 IMR 3031 Varget W748 etc...are just a few of the old standards that have disappeared. This is a combination of demand from ammo manufactures and people that reload "hording" what shows up on the shelves. Primers.....both L/S rifle and pistol primers have started showing up...I wonder how long before the powder does.............I am not completely out.......But I don't shoot as often as I like anymore either. And of course, The prices have gone up on all components.....Go-Figure
>>>> Here's something to think about <<<< """ The same thing could happen one day with FOOD """".........Don in SC