Question concerning 22LR

[hps]

Do you honestly think the manufacturing companies are raising their prices? If not the retailers are making a freaking killing. Doesnt really matter to me I don't shoot enough of the stuff to really care. Just curious.

I bought a brick at the last 1500. IT LOOKED LIKE A BRICK! come to find out it was a 400 count "BRICK" 10 small boxes with 40 yes 40 rds per lil box! Cute lil asian lady fooled me.

 

[pudly]

Bricks haven't been bricks for some time (if they ever were). I used to always think of bricks as 500-525 rounds. More recently, I've seen 225, 333, 400, 500, etc. Depends on the brand and the packaging. If you are buying bulk ammo, pay attention to cost/rd, not cost/box.

 

[JStang314]

I doubt ammo companies are raising prices. I just bought 2000 rounds of m-22 at Walmart for $100. Distributors might be and I'm sure local shops are raising prices. They are doing it because people are paying those prices.

 

[kalboy]

It's not only 22lr, the 1000rd cases of Russky 7.62x39 for under $100 as well as the 1000rd case of USA made brass cased 9mm fmj for $120-$140 are gone also.
The manufacturers in my opinion are charging more, sometimes because they can, sometimes because they have to like when costs rise.

 

[nipprdog]

I bought a brick at the last 1500. IT LOOKED LIKE A BRICK! come to find out it was a 400 count "BRICK" 10 small boxes with 40 yes 40 rds per lil box! Cute lil asian lady fooled me.

That was probably the federal American eagle 38gr CP HP. Been that way for years. Nothing new.

 

[dross]

EVERYONE who sells 22lr has raised their prices. EVERYONE who sells any of the components of 22lr has raised their prices. High demand causes prices to go up. Gravity causes things to fall to Earth. You can call it greed, lament it, hate it, but it's a simple fact. The huge runs on ammo that have happened every election year since 2008 have caused this. Demand has increased, so have prices. It will remain this way until demand decreases. You can try to find a villain, but it is an exercise in futility.

 

[looney2ns]

In the olden days this was called supply and demand.

 

[Hohn]

I'm encouraged by the present improvement in .22LR availability.

Firstly, expensive and on the shelf beats cheap and sold out every time. I'd rather have the option to buy overpriced ammo than have none available.

Second, the higher prices do tend to stimulate production, though I'm guessing no actual .22 capacity is being brought online. Still, the US is likely to get a larger share of the world's distribution from ELEY or Aguila and such. Why would they sell it locally for cheap when they can sell it in the US for triple?

Finally, only once the ammo has stopped flying off the shelves is it possible that the prices will come down. As long as the product keeps moving, there's no reason to cut prices.

 

[avboiler11]

Supply and demand, how does it work?

+1 on I'd rather see it on the shelf at a price higher than I *want* to pay than not see it on the shelf at all...if I decide I want/need it bad enough, I'll spend the money.

 

[looney2ns]

Law Of Supply And Demand Definition | Investopedia

 

[flightsimmer]

I doubt ammo companies are raising prices. I just bought 2000 rounds of m-22 at Walmart for $100. Distributors might be and I'm sure local shops are raising prices. They are doing it because people are paying those prices.

Ditto.

 

[jamil]

A year ago I had read that manufacturers and retailers were going to start raising prices to help stop the hoarding/flipping that's been going on since Sandy Hook.

If you don't like the price. Stop paying it and the price will drop.

 

[blkrifle]

precious metal prices help drive the cost ie: copper and brass

 

[MohawkSlim]

A buddy of mine in the industry relates the manufacturers have raised costs only slightly to keep up with the cost of materials. The markups are coming mostly at the distributor level and then passed on by the retailers who, in turn, mark up a bit more to keep their own pockets lined, er, uh, lights on and doors open.

The majority of the cost increase is supply and demand.

Fedgov has purchased huge ammounts of ammo recently and that's driven up materials/production costs along with taking up resources that would otherwise be used to produce civilian ammo like 22LR. Manufacturers are also hesitant to expand production capability because the cost is quite high and as soon as the 22 craze bursts, they're left with machinery that produces rimfire and not the lucrative centerfire Uncle Sam likes to buy.

Also take into account there's been a HUGE increase in new shooters - namely women and youngsters. They shoot a lot of 22 since it's still the cheapest and easiest to shoot. Plus, many of those new shooters don't know it's "expensive" now since they never bought a $12 brick of 500. For them, the new normal of $7 50rd boxes is just fine.

For the rest of us, those $7 50rd boxes are still the cheapest "hoarding ammo" we can buy without the old lady noticing. As such, those easily purchased packs are sold out. Nobody impulse buys $300 cases anymore. ALL OF US impulse buy $3 50rd boxes.

 

[Hohn]

Being new to .22, I don't consider $6/50 to be bad. It's half the price of 9mm!

 

[Markus]

Cute lil asian lady fooled me.

Did she say anything like "Love you long time!"

 

[ckcollins2003]

Being new to .22, I don't consider $6/50 to be bad. It's half the price of 9mm!

That 50 rounds used to cost about $2.00 4 years ago.

While it's half the price of 9mm buying off of the shelf, you can reload 9mm for cheaper than you can buy .22 now. When the shortage happened and flippers were selling 525 count boxes of Winchester for $80, I decided it was time to sell my .22's. While I don't mind a small markup if people can put it on the shelf, I highly doubt the cost of manufacturing .22's has doubled. I've seen 500 count boxes of Remington on shelves for $49.99 and I just walk by shaking my head. Sadly people are still paying this price.

 

[AngryRooster]

That 50 rounds used to cost about $2.00 4 years ago.

While it's half the price of 9mm buying off of the shelf, you can reload 9mm for cheaper than you can buy .22 now. When the shortage happened and flippers were selling 525 count boxes of Winchester for $80, I decided it was time to sell my .22's. While I don't mind a small markup if people can put it on the shelf, I highly doubt the cost of manufacturing .22's has doubled. I've seen 500 count boxes of Remington on shelves for $49.99 and I just walk by shaking my head. Sadly people are still paying this price.

I've not sold my 22's and don't really plan to, but I don't shoot them very much like we used to. There aren't many stores local that have it is stock so we can replenish what we shoot. I was in the Winchester Walmart a few weeks ago and walked by the ammo counter, there were no 22's to be seen and they still had the "NO 22 AMMO AT THIS TIME" sign up. I was checking out at the automotive counter when another employee walked up to the guys behind the register. She asked them "Do any of you guys want these 22's that came in last night? I know you said to check and see before they get put out."
Wife was with me and wasn't feeling well so I rolled my eyes and left. Had she not been with me then it would have turned into a VERY interesting conversation with the manager.

My reloading and casting has went way up these past 8 years. I've spent my money on components, lead, equipment and molds instead of factory plinking ammo. Soon I'll be picking up a Glock 42 as a plinking gun. I've love to have a Glock 25 for that, but that won't happen.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Being new to .22, I don't consider $6/50 to be bad. It's half the price of 9mm!

Back when we tied an onion to our belt, because that was the style at the time, .45 ACP went for what .22 does today. You're right, though, its relative.

 

[looney2ns]

I bought boxes of 50 22lr for $2.49 just last week, at Whitikers gun store in Ky.