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CRAZY, Sad facts of ammo sales 22 cal walmart, guns shows and online

10K views 39 replies 35 participants last post by  txprep 
#1 ·
The sad facts about 22 cal ammo are that people are driving the shortage and the prices for it.

I was up early Saturday playing cards at a casino in Reno and ended up at walmart early in the AM to get the wife AK ammo for new toy. No surprise there was a line of people waiting 40 mins early for ammo. I asked figuring it was for 22 and they said yes.

I figured they knew something I didn't so decided to stay since the wife was shopping anyways.

After 15 min waiting was in the small conversations going and since they noticed I was not leaving I was advised that they had two cases coming in of the 550 packs and I came in just in time to be the last person be able to get some.

Everyone was able to get up to three boxes before me and I was able to get two boxes since that is all they had left in my place in line. Each box sold for $25 and change.

We were also having a gun show the same days and me and the wife went also and low and behold I seen two of the people at the show selling the same boxes of 22 cal ammo they just purchased from walmart. They are also FFL's on top of it. They had the ammo marked up to $69 plus tax.

Go figure 22 cal ammo prices are through the roof and people have a had time finding it.

How in the world do people find out when walmart has the ammo coming in.

All this is nuts it's people driving this!!!!!!!!

Wes
 
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#3 ·
Same everywhere.
22s = money. Its gone beyond "preppers and hoarders" now.
People who don't even know what a "rimfire" means, are looking for 22s so
they can sell them.
They're basically a "collectble" right now.
Thats just how its going to be for a long, long time.

I stumbled into a few boxes in '13, like yourself. Just right place right time.

Heck with driving around wasting $8 round trip in gas everyday looking and hoping.
Not to mention the $5 item you decided to grab, but didn't really need, cause you were in the store.
A $25 brick soon turns into a $50 brick rather you realize it or not.
In the long run, it'd probably be cheaper to cough up someones high price, and save time on the man and wear on the vehicle, and remember the "life lesson", and apply it to other areas in being prepared.

I know so many people, many actually very smart people, who somehow felt comfortable having just 3/4 of a box of Mini-mags in the closet at any given time.
Never understood it, made mention of it. I guess 22s were always "there", so why stock up.

I know it gets old hearing it, and sounds condecending, but.......
 
#4 ·
Walmart in NJ doesn't carry ammo - probably too many laws to keep track of here.

****s sporting goods does. I stop there about once a week to see what's come in. Their prices have been the lowest around for the last year, in fact their prices have been pretty close to the pre-panic prices.

I've noticed that their prices just jumped on lots of ammo. Store clerk told me they buy on annual contracts and the manufacturers are tied into a price for the term of the contract. When the contract expires, the manufacturers get to raise their prices.
 
#40 ·
you just need to get the schedules in your area. In nov/dec last year I got about 10K rounds with no issues. Would wait at academy for about 15 minutes. If I was willing to wait 45 minutes I could have gotten 20K rounds. stopped buying because I had enough, used a bunch. In one week in feb I was able to get another 3K from cabelas online and picked up at the store. These were all at normal prices
 
#10 ·
22 is still sporadic in my area but you might get lucky at wal mart. Usually don't have to wait for a shipment to come buy then again there usually isn't that much. Gander Mountain and the larger stores in the more populated areas have NONE! But in my small town like I said 1 out of every three times you go into wal mart you can get a bulk pack or two and 1 out of every two times they will have 22 but not in bulk.
 
#11 ·
Op, the walmarts in my area (and probably most..) get their ammo in the evenings. It gets locked up for AM stocking. Although it is not yet on the shelf and not yet available for sale, because it is technically in the store it shows up in their inventory. There is a Walmart app that allows you to search their inventory. If you check it in the evenings it will clue you in as to where to be in the morning. In my area I'm safe checking after 9PM for availability. Depending on how active your market is will determine how early you need to "get in line". And depending on your own personal circumstances, perhaps $69 a brick is a bargain vs. the time spent checking, hoping, waiting, and paying $25 a brick...
 
#17 ·
there's an app for that...or so I've heard..i never cared enough to look for it...

that said, simply stop buying it, keep an eye out on line get a few boxes to get you through till end of summer and simply don't buy anymore...

it's kind funny that it's only marginally more expensive to shoot alot of my other guns now, so i find myself shooting other calibers as i can't be bothered to deal with the .22 craze.... i'd rather spend a few more pennies a round than waste my time dealing with this crap or paying money out to some SOB marking the price up 300%
 
#19 ·
Makes me glad I always bought a box or two every time I was in Walmart in the past. Still have some cleaning and organizing to do from my move here 3 1/2 years ago. So far I've found 120 boxes of the federal bulk. A few winchester bricks and about a thousand rounds of the CCI stingers. I think I may have some more around here somewhere. I should have most of the organizing done by the end of this year and will know what I have. I still haven't found the 12 and 20 gage sabot slugs. I hope I find them soon. I want to use them next winter deer season.
 
#20 ·
How in the world do people find out when walmart has the ammo coming in.

All this is nuts it's people driving this!!!!!!!!

Wes
Easy cheezy, though you have to know what days they deliver on.

This is the link for the Fed. 223 ammo can.

http://mobile.walmart.com/m/searchf...638833&lat=0.0&lon=0.0&zip=61364&city=&state=

Each product has a product code, in the case of the above, the product code is 0002946556378 You can write down the code from the shelf and check with the mobile app, the mobile app is the one to use because it is now the only one that shows an approximation of availability. When some comes in, the availability changes from out of stock to availability unavailable or something like that.

I haven't been too lucky lately, seems like I am the guy who is first man out of availability, but our store only usually gets a case at a time.
 
#21 ·
What you are witnessing is called a "collectors' premium." It is trendy for people who dont even own a gun to "invest" in ammo because of the prepper/zombie/post-apocalyptic meme in entertainment. So they all want to be like the people they see on TV, and "invest" in ammo, or, worse yet, collect it just because it's the cool thing to have.

Don't worry, in a few years, it will be a new trend, just as absurd as Furbies, Cabbage Patch dolls, and Pet Rocks.
 
#27 ·
Do you guys realize that all this 22 hoarding is going to cause PAW currency inflation. It will be everywhere after a shtf event.No more trading a few rounds for a loaf of bread you will have to have a wheel borrow load.:eek: If everybody would quit buying from the resellers things would settle down a little.
 
#28 ·
If you want to keep yourself in the ammo, your best bet is reloads. Either pick up the equipment and learn it for yourself, or find someone who is already schooled as there is a lot to it and help them invest. Doesnt help much for .22lr but you can reload pretty much any center fire with the right dies. Problem solved.
The catch is, everyone else is starting to go that route too. So the brass and powder is beginning to become scarce as well. Any time you are at the range ALWAYS save your brass. Even if you dont reload its worth a mint to someone who does. You cant reload steel case so dont waste space with them. But brass is good up to about six times if times are tough.
 
#30 ·
FWIW - none of the local Walmarts have had any .22 RF in stock for probably going on over a year now. They are slowly starting to get more common calibers in; stock 9mm, .40S&W, .223, etc.

And of course the "normal" hunting cartridges are generally in stock now.

Whenever I stop by my local store, the clerk tells me that a few folks are waiting on the evening delivery truck which hits my store about 5:30 PM. And by later that night they are generally sold out of any RF ammo they get in.

The Atlanta (GA) gun shows, and a few local Pawn shops have .22 RF in stock. But I am NOT paying $7-$8 per 50 cartridges, or anywhere from $49 - $80 for a bulk pack of 550. I can't believe that some folks are wanting $60-$80 for a bulk pack of Federal or Remington. Fortunately I have never seen anyone actually spending that much money on one of these packs.

One day I am certain we'll again see bulk packs in stock at $20-$25 per box.

Personally I am still stocked up on .22 LR for a few more years :D: But do not have as much as I had two years ago. And I have plenty on hand for any conceivable SHTF scenario.

Regards,

Rob
 
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