I had cut back severely on my plinking last year because of how hard it was to find ammo to replace what I shot. Then right around Christmas one of my sister-in-laws said my nephew was getting a .22 pistol, but they couldn't find any ammo to go with it. We pulled out a couple bricks I had saved and wrapped them up. You should have seen the look on his face! I think he made them last until the end of March, that's almost a lifetime for a young feller with a new gun!

That's who the neckbeards are hurting the most, new shooters. I used to go through rimfire ammo like water. I really never gave much of a thought about conserving it, I just used it.

For quite a while now I've shot principally .22LR, even before other calibers jumped up in price. I have a lot stashed away, though I'm not willing to use it like I used to be. But even I'm starting to look to other hobbies to fill the void until this nonsense ends.

About 3 weeks ago I bought my wife a new .22 rifle. She goes thought ammo like it is water at the range, so I decided to get serious about finding some more 22LR before my stock ran out. This is literally 3 weeks ago almost to the day.

As of a UPS delivery today I have bought and received more than 7,000rds of 22LR at normal prices (nothing more than 5 cents/ea for bulk and 7.5 cents/ea for CCI SV which is all I shoot through my can). None of this was waiting in line at Walmart (the Walmarts around here apparently have not had any .22 since I started looking according to their inventory app, although this seems to vary in other parts of the country). I work a regular 9-6 job and can't browse the web for this sort of stuff at work. I just check the web in the morning before I leave and at night sometime before bed.

If you can't find 22LR at this point you aren't looking very hard or you don't know how to use Google and a couple other websites. I actually quit buying anything except CCI SV at this point.

Saw plenty of .22 ammo yesterday at a local hunting store. 555 round boxes of Winchester for $40. No thanks. There were some 333 round boxes too, but I can't remember how much they were. Too much for me to buy any I believe.

I've been using the online tools but still can only find CCI SV in small quantities and for around $0.11/round.

Would be very interested to hear how you're finding it easily and cheaply.

http://www.wikiarms.com/

That's all you need. Check it every now and then during the day.
I have it on my phone.

I quit buying a couple months ago because i have a good size stash now.

This. Also get on every site you can find on the web that sells what you want and put your email on their "notify" list.

There are also other sites such as this that list deals as they happen. Just a few minutes a day and you can find stuff for sale all over the place. Much more productive than hanging out at Walmart at 5 AM hoping to beat the neckbeards. Good luck!

I check ammospy/gunbot daily and NEVER see any 22 at .05 per, not even that damn Aguila colibri junk.

l also check gunbot, which is how I found CCI SV at PSA for $0.10/round. Today they had some Federal for 5 cents from Gander Mtn, but it was already sold out.

I've got plenty enough ammo, I just don't see people buying it for that cheap or that easily. Ammo's definitely available, but CCI SV and any kind of cheap subsonic (other than Aguila colibri) is harder to find.

+1. Walmart gets it in in dribs and drabs but I can't camp out at the store hoping that some come in that day. Fun shops have cci mini mags for $10-15 per hundred.

During the hype, I went into a pawn shop in a small town in Oklahoma.   He was selling golden bullet 500s for 45 bucks a box.  I said, hey, that's damn cheap!  Folks in dallas are getting 65 bucks a box of 500.  Should of seen the look in his face.   I enjoyed screwing with him.  Wonder if he jacked up the price after I left

I am just glad to hear I wasn't the only one. :)

Tim

I'm starting to get back to a comfortable level.  The past couple months I"ve been able to find .22 at Gandermountain 50% of the times I go in there.  It's only a mile from my work so I go in there on lunch at times.

In the past couple of months I've been able to get CCI SV, Mini Mags, Federal Automatch and regular Federal at pretty normal prices.  I just picked up 2 boxes of regular Federal for $2.49 box.

Time to get back to being picky on what .22 I buy aka CCI only.  I only use the other stuff when I feel like making noise/plinking.

Cabelas (online, not in stores) has had mini-mags in the 300rd swamp boxes for $24 every day for the past week with free shipping. Seems as if you can order as many boxes as you want (no 1 box limit).

Also wikiarms is not the same as gunbot. They will give you alerts for different places.

There are so many better choices in that price range if you are shooting a bolt gun.  Norma TAC, SK Magazine, SK Standard+ and Geco have been available online at that price.  All will outshoot CCI SV by a good margin at 50 yards.

CCI SV isn't worth more than .07 a round.  It just isn't match quality and is not worth match prices.

You can also use a search engine named "Brassbadger". It is really good for trying to find ammo at Walmarts. I have used this for the past year and have a stock pile of around 32K 22lr rounds. I have 3 boys that love to shoot and we usually go thru about 1K each trip out. I originally had intentions of reselling ammo, but found myself feeling guilty about that and decided to just put it away for my kids. I have given away about 3K rounds to a couple of non-profits for kids. They use them to help kids learn how to shoot and have fun.

Brassbadger today around me:

Remington .22 Rimfire HP 225ct

In stock for the past 10 hrs (was Limited stock)
$11.17 Last checked Fri 10:43pm EST
4051 Nicholasville Rd, Lexington, KY 40503
(859) 971-0572  UPC: 0-47700-48260-6
Remington .22 Rimfire HP 225ct

In stock for the past 12 hrs (was Out of stock)
$11.17 Last checked Fri 10:43pm EST
301 Leonardwood Rd, Frankfort, KY 40601
(502) 875-5533  UPC: 0-47700-48260-6
Federal 22LR 40gr Auto Match 325ct

In stock for the past 12 hrs (was Out of stock)
$18.97 Last checked Fri 10:43pm EST
301 Leonardwood Rd, Frankfort, KY 40601
(502) 875-5533  UPC: 0-29465-05735-0


Remington .22 Rimfire HP 225ct

In stock for the past 12 hrs (was Out of stock)
$11.17 Last checked Fri 10:43pm EST
500 W New Circle Rd, Lexington, KY 40511
(859) 381-9370  UPC: 0-47700-48260-6
SWAMP PEOPLE 22 LR 300 CT

Undisclosed for the past 1 mo (was Out of stock)
$21.97 Last checked Fri 8:38pm EST
3180 Richmond Rd, Lexington, KY 40509
(859) 268-2001  UPC: 0-76683-00962-3
Federal 22LR 40gr Auto Match 325ct

Limited stock for the past 12 hrs (was In stock)
$18.97 Last checked Fri 10:43pm EST
305 Letton Dr, Paris, KY 40361
(859) 987-2817  UPC: 0-29465-05735-0
Winchester 22 LR Super Speed, 100pk

Limited stock for the past 3 wks (was In stock)
$8.37 Last checked Fri 10:50pm EST
4051 Nicholasville Rd, Lexington, KY 40503
(859) 971-0572  UPC: 0-20892-10200-2

I was mainly commenting on how the guy is finding it in that bulk for that price. That hasn't been my experience at all.

OP,

Gotta point out that the neckbeards, as frustrating as they are, can and do provide a valuable SERVICE to the market.  

In stead of empty shelves everywhere in town, there have been people spending their time and money to get ammo and offer it at a price high enough that only those who REALLY want it will pay.  In other words, they're betting their time and money that someone will need it bad enough to cover their time and money costs plus a profit margin.  Given that they buy and sit on it for a long time, those costs are way higher than the shooter who just gets lucky, snags a brick at Walmart and shoots it up that day.

Short version:  Neckbeard service explained:  When you REALLY need a box of .22WMR so you can teach your Aunt Millicent to shoot your nice easy bolt action and maybe she'll lay off the anti gun bullshit, that ammo is (gasp) actually THERE.  It's waiting there on the shelf, just for YOU.  

That's what the neckbeards contribute.  Availability of a very scarce  high demand resource whenever you need it.

So think again.  Are they really that evil?  I mean sure, they piss you off.  Me too.  Dammit I wanted to snag that brick and every time I got there they'd snapped it up beforehand.  They'd invested their time when I wasn't willing to, and then they offered me the benefit of their willingness to stand around and be hated, whenever I wanted it.  Those bastards!  

HRomberg, your logic is not welcome in this emotion filled thread.  I scored 2K rounds of m22 at walmart this morning.  4 other people waiting around.  First come first served seems to piss people off. Can't feel sorry for you if you show up 2 hours after me.

Before the re-election of Pres. Obama... About a month out, I was looking at a stack of 5,000rd cases of CCI and Federal .22 L/R and walked by it, only to turn around and picked up a case of each thinking that this was stupid, but what the heck....  By following the media, I figured out that as a collective, we Americans are pretty stupid and the election went the way I figured it would... No panic!!  A very good thing until Sandy Hook, which was a tragedy and everything relating to firearms hit the fan and the shelves were dry for almost 2 years.

Firearms came back in numbers and back down to normal prices within a year... But not the ammo!!

In Anchorage, Alaska, I only came across 400rds in all of 2013 and paid $30 for the brick!!   Come Spring of 2014, I've been lucking into some .22 at Wally World at random times and purchased a total of 600-700rds over a 6 month period.  Last week, they had 222rd boxes of Federal .22 in stock, so I automatically picked up 3 boxes.  As I was walking back to my car, I finally told myself that "I'm good!!" and I'm now done buying .22 for a long time since I'm at about 15,000 to 16,000rds now... I shoot about 2-3Ks a year, so I'm way good for MANY years!!  During this period, I only picked up 8 boxes of .45 acp, so I wasn't in full hoarding mode or even thought about selling any ammo at @ss raping prices.

In Anchorage, most of the stores now have a healthy stock of all the basic calibers on hand and the shelves stay filled... Which I take as a good sign that the hoarding is now coming to an end.  "I" will admit that "I" was part of the problem by picking up the 600-700rds of .22 when I didn't need it.  For my defense, I did give some to friends and donated a 525rd box to our local youth rifle team.

I've also noticed lately that the Neck Beards (And their friends!!) are not camping out at the gun counters anymore waiting for ammo to show up, which is a good thing!!

Mini Mags have now been in stock at Cabelas online for dang near two weeks.
I would say that is a pretty good indicator we have turned a corner in .22LR.
Then my buddy sends me this pic from a store in Washington..

Nice. We are not nearly to that point here. I haven't seen rimfire on Wal-Mart shelves for probably at least a year.

I have not bought any .22 ammunition in the last 2 years, I have been able to shoot as much as I want, although I do think about replacing the ammunition when it becomes available again. I came across some CCI standard 40 gr ammunition yesterday for a reasonable price at Walmart, and proceeded to buy my limit of 3 boxes, wohoo right? I shot more than that at the gun range Sunday but it was nice to finally see some decent .22 ammunition locally. I will believe that the panic is over when I see pallets of CCI Blazer .22 ammunition on the sales floor again with no limit.

neckbeard in the next aisle looking for .22.  i'm sure he cleaned out those shelves seconds after pic was taken.

I was in WM yesterday and the old fellow behind the counter was all smiles and they had two rope dividers in front of the counter with a sign "Line forms here".  I think it was a joke because the divider was deep enough for about 1 1/2 people in line.  Soon I learned they had 100+ 100-packs of mini-mags in stock, price was around $7 and change.  He was anxious to see how many I wanted.  I told them that I'd leave that for someone else who really needed it, but that I was looking for .22WMR.  No magnums, but the other regular ammo was fairly plentiful.  

I started buying up ammo in 2008 and built a lifetime stock of .22LR that included several 5000 rd cases of the CMP military surplus rounds.  My stocks were bought at 2-3 cents per round.  I'm sitting on about 30K, but that's nothing compared to what I'd have if the original buy of the CMP ammo didn't fall through - we were going to buy cases of that ammo for $85 per 5K delivered.  I was going to wind up with ten cases myself.

Still no .22 and reg prices here.

That's a cop out at best.

They aren't sitting in line so that they can make SURE ammunition is available. They'd clean out the shelf and offer it to you at double retail, and they only beat you there because you got stuck behind the fabulous moo-cow in aisle 4.

Making the shortage as painful as possible to the rest of the shooting community, by artificially inflating prices isn't a service. Its not our fault we have jobs and can't camp out at ally world. I hope they choke on 22 they can't sell.

Got a couple of boxes at Walmart today. First time I've bought rimfire since 2012. I talked to the guy at the counter a bit. He claimed they used to get a shipment of rimfire maybe once every 3-4 months. Now they're up to once, maybe twice per month, but it goes almost instantly.

I think I'm starting to see that.  .22s at gun shows are sitting with no movement.

Things are pretty good down here. Oops up a couple times a month at Wal-Mart, other places. It's all over the place online. My supply is pretty set these days. I don't ever pay jacked up prices.

My LGS is virtually overflowing with .22lr. For those of you still seeing a shortage, keep the faith, it's coming your way.

Location of mystery gun store?  Pics?  CPR?  I'll go $5.99 for a box of 50, but only for a brand I like.  My LGS can sit on the 100 rd. boxes of CCI MiniMags at $19.99  

I was in a shop today. Didn't buy anything, but they actually had quite a bit of .22 available. First I've seen it in a long time, but then again I haven't been in this shop for a long time. However, the price was 10-11 cents/rd on most of it. No thanks.

This is one of those shops that has partly given up on local sales of some things it seems, because they can do better selling it online. I haven't personally experienced this, but I've read stories about in-store buyers being declined the opportunity to purchase certain items because they were for online sale only.

Fuquay Gun and Gold - Fuquay Varina, NC