Is The Government Buying Up Most Of The .22 Ammo?

I recently purchased a .22lr semi-automatic rifle for target practice, and I was surprised to discover that almost no stores in my area had any .22 ammo in stock. Apparently, this has been going on for quite some time now. Somebody said that the shortage started shortly after the Sandy Hook shootings. Many stores simply stopped getting shipments in from the manufacturers which means that this simply isn't an issue of people hoarding ammo. You can't hoard something that you can't buy. The only explanation I can think of is that the government is buying up all of the .22 ammo, or they're placing unusually large orders for other types of ammo which is creating a shortage of materials Why would they be ordering so much ammo? Obviously, they have to be preparing for something huge.

 

I think if you were to look in all the closets/gun safes of .22 owners out there, you would find near record quantities of .22 ammunition. I think it's all from hysterical buying.

 

I have heard some people have tens of thousands of rounds stacked in their closet. I no some people who are buying them and they don't even have a 22 and if they do they don't shoot. People are just hoarding right now.

 

Apparently consumer demand, not government.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/08/31/the-22-ammo-shortage-mystery-solved.aspx

 

Since .22 ammo has almost no military value, it would make very little sense for the government to start buying it up.

 

I don't think the government is buying up .22. I think they are stockpiling other ammo like .223 and .40 for law enforcement and military. They are militarizing a lot of departments and they all "need" ammo.

The result is they are making less .22 in the meantime. The ammo manufacturers may be afraid to hire more people and build more factories because the government buying could slow back down soon. .22 is the cheapest ammo and they make the least profit on it. It was the caliber to lose out on the supply/demand curve.

 

This has been going on waaayyy too long. Remington even built a whole new factory just to make the .22LR "Golden Bullet". 2 or 3 (formerly) foreign companies have opened production facilities in Montana. A lot of people are still "flipping" .22LR and selling the "cheap stuff" for around $75/brick.
Do a google search for "ammo watch", and buy fast whenever you see anything coming available.
Keep in mind that before this started, world wide production of .22LR that was destined for the American market was up around 12 Billion rounds/year.

 

I loaded up with .22's when I heard Obama won the first election. I recycle as I find them, but I have plenty otherwise

 

Why? A .22 round does nothing against even low-grade body armor. If you were really worried about government overreach, you'd be stockpiling high-powered rifles and higher-caliber ammo.

 

dude, first, what I paid 16 bucks for a couple of years ago is worth a small pile of gold today. Second, did I say I was going to use a .22 against anyone? ... and never did I claim it was the only firearm I own.

 

You can find a whole bunch of walmart's .22 ammo sitting on the shelves of the local gun stores, who sent employees and family members into walmart when the ammo was delivered, bought up all walmart's stock, marked up the price and sold it out of their own stores.

Disgusting.

 

.22 is great for introducing new shooters to guns and it has traditionally been used as "cheap practice" ammo. On the bright side, my 12 year old is getting a lot more practice with my 9mm pistols. He even handles the sub-compact 9s pretty well.

 

I'm a little sorry to see this post. Before it became so hard to get, it was "normal" for me to shoot about 15,000 rounds of .22LR/year for fun. Remember what fun is?
I've been in the company of people who stockpile military grade ammo and guns, and it feels too "heavy", like we're premeditating the murder of someone.
I hand load all of my center fire ammo. While the whole idea of using it to fight off crazed civil dissenters or rogue military soldiers is in there, it isn't the primary motivation.
It's part of the whole American attitude for me to be the sporting shooter first, knowing that it was sporting shooters who carried the day in all of those stories from WWII and 'Nam.
My "need" of an AR was born during Prairie Dog hunts in Wyoming. I was using bolt action rifles, and my wacky partmers were using AR's, shooting all of the dogs away from me. That's why my AR is set up as a varmint rifle.

 

I was responding to the other poster saying he began hoarding .22 ammo after Obama was elected. Struck me as a silly response, if the goal was to prepare to fight the gubmint.

Me, I own two .22s, a 20-gauge shotgun and a British .303 carbine. Grew up with them, used them for hunting and target shooting. Haven't done any hunting in years, but still go target shooting, clays, etc.

 

Good that you do remember fun and recreational shooting.
A few years ago, one of my running mates was interested in the abilities of the .22LR. 'Nam era flack jackets and helmets were easy to find at the time. We shot up a few of those, using CCI mini mags. The lowly .22 does just fine against low grade armor.
Whether or not you're familiar with this page:
http://www.ruger1022.com/docs/israeli_sniper.htm
it's the classic story of .22 sniper rifles. The IDF worked with Aguila, out of Mexico, to develop the 60 gr. sub sonic sniper round. It requires a 1 in 9" twist to stabilize, but it penetrates over 15" of ballistic gel.
The Russians were greatly bothered by .22's in Chechnya, as you might recall.
A friend and I did a bit of testing/fooling around with making a .22 quiet. If you use something with a barrel longer than 22", firing sub sonic target ammo, it's quieter than a pellet rifle.
At the other end of performance, if you use Aguila Interceptor in a 22" barrel, you get that little 40 gr. bullet moving at around 1,470 fps (over my chronograph). CCI Velocitor is appreciably slower, but still very effective. Let them think that .22 is a pipsqueak, and then let them wonder what the hell hit 'em.

 

so you didn't read my response. .22's make for good trading for reloading services. If someone brings me meat, and they've been known too, they never leave with an empty magazine of whatever they need.
I merely point out that .22's are so damned common, that they are easier trading goods.
and again, for the second time. I have no intentions of fighting any government with a .22, got it?

 

Why does everyone underestimate the stopping power of a .22 round? A well placed .22 round is more deadly than a poorly placed round of a larger caliber.

 

Consider that the standard military load for the M-4 carbine has to impact at a velocity of over 2,600 fps to cause any upset of the bullet. If there is no bullet upset, there is no energy transfer, beyond that of just poking a clean hole all the way through.
This means that unless the target is within about 180 yards, there is no advantage to using a scary military carbine over a sedate little .22LR. In fact, if the range is closer to 80 yards or less, the .22 is MORE destructive than the 5.56 at long range, because the .22 bullet is designed to upset at that lower velocity.
If a .22LR is all you have, it's a good idea to study anatomy a bit. Most of the rifles are pretty accurate at closer range. If there's a nasty man creeping toward me with a machine gun and an RPG, I can git 'im within 80 yards or so, and then his scary weapons are mine.

 

Follow the money

Who stands to gain most from this sort of rumour?

 

As usual, here comes our uninformed Aussie, with something to say, anyway.
This has been going on for a long time now. Last year, Hornady released a list of bullets that were suspended from production so they could dedicate resources to catching up with the more popular and further back logged ones. We haven't heard of any return to normal operations yet.
If they're selling so much that they have to stop making some of their product, they're already profiting at full capacity. This WAS my source for one of my preferred bullets:
http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/1165324457/hornady-bullets-22-caliber-224-diameter-55-grain-spire-point-with-cannelure
They've been out of stock, with no back orders for as long as the shortage has been going on. There would be money to follow, if we had a place to spend our money.
Checking that link now, I see that they're available. That's a first.
Checking the .22LR ammo though, the story hasn't changed:
http://www.midwayusa.com/find?userSearchQuery=.22+lr+ammo

 

Looks like plenty of .22LR in stock at my usual source.

 

No doubt the people upselling the ammo, and the manufacturers - although most of them I've seen have been pretty insistent that there is no shortage and people are seeing ghosts. The chap from Hornady ammo comes to mind.

Seems about spot on. All this speculation over shortages is silly - buy whatever you would normally buy. Worst case scenario, you have to move to a different caliber. Tough (*)(*)(*)(*).

I can understand stocking up a few thousand rounds, but people take it to extremes. There's nothing wrong with that, but if they think bullets are a good investment option they need some perspective. All that money would be far better spent on reloading supplies for a centerfire cartridge. Then it doesn't matter what the manufacturers do!

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I understand the attraction, don't get me wrong. Prepping for the end of the world does sound quite enjoyable. Maybe one day I'll create some cool underground bunker and fill it with food, fuel, and ammunition - but it's important to be upfront about your motivations: if you're doing it because you actually think this is a good way to protect your family or make a buck, then you've probably gone too far.

To each their own, but I do not share their values.

 

Oh No!!!! $88/brick for Golden Bullet? The last time I bought that, I got 10 of the 525 packs for $163, incl. tax.
I was getting the same Armscor/BVAC for $23/brick, but didn't like it because it's so greasy.
Now, Steady Pie- Coming from .22LR, there is no other caliber to switch to. ALL of the other rimfire stuff is even harder to find.
You see in a previous post, I linked to Hornady 55 gr. PSP from Midway. You can find bullets one week, and primers next month, but acceptable powder is the problem. I sold my last 8 lb. keg of Varget to a "friend in need" awhile back, unaware that it was the last keg in the universe.

 

((((((((((((((shrugs)))))))))))))))))))))))))))

It has already been proven that the armament industry has perceptibly FEWER ethics and morals than the Tobacco industry. I think even Big oil probably would come out cleaner than that mob

As FOR 'DOOMSDAY PREPPING" those weirdo's who are being exploited left right and centre, do not know the reality of supply shortage. Take it from someone who has lived through more than one "Wet Season" supply shortage (roads were cut) - you do not need ammunition. What people will stockpile and fight over are

Milk
Bottled water
Fresh meat
Toilet paper

And not necessarily in that order

 

if things really get ugly, and the propensity for that is real enough, how do you plan to protect your meager resources? Going to let you family perish to support a criminal trying to rob you of your stores?