I don't stock up on .22LR anymore. Actually I haven't bought any in years. At this price buying a lot of it just doesn't make sense unless you have money to burn.
Hunting: Don't need a lot of rounds
Self Defense: Last round I would consider
General Survival: Dirty round that's finicky in semi autos unless you take the time to tune the specific brand to the gun and the moons align
Survival Hunting/Poaching: Can't discuss illegal matters, but see my point about hunting
Plinking: At its current price point I'll just shoot larger calibers and have more fun
Suppressed Plinking: I hear it's fun with a .22LR, but I don't have a .22 suppressor (yet)
Target shooting: At its current price point I'll just shoot larger calibers and have more fun
Training new shooters: This is really the only reason for me to have a large stock on hand, but then again I wouldn't need a lot of .22 before moving new shooters, even kids, to larger calibers.
Yeah, the ammo scare really made me rethink my involvement with .22LR. Maybe I'll buy some more in a few years as an impulse purchase.