Why is .22LR Still Expensive?

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If you are anything like me, the .22LR has been a huge part of my life since I was old enough to pull the trigger.  Countless thousands of rounds have been fired and thousands more will be fired I’m sure.  Summer is upon us and my daughter loves to shoot her Colt M4 AR .22.  However, it seems that .22 LR ammo is still fairly higher than it was before the big “scare” hit everyone.  Why is that?

Some people believe in the conspiracy theory about the GOV is trying to increase the demand by buying up all the supplies.  IMO this is absolutely Ludacris.

I think there are several reasons why .22LR is still way over priced according to today’s market.

It could be simple supply and demand.  I personally know 2 guys that have a minimum of 25,000 rounds of .22LR and are trying to get to 40,000 before they feel “safe” since they believe the .22LR will be phased out.  I don’t subscribe to this theory myself, but it is people like this that buy up all these rounds and hoard the acorns that will keep the demand high for the rest of us.  I feel like .22LR ammo doesn’t have the shelf life of other center fire cartridges and a larger portion of this ammo will not fire in 20 years or less.

What about the .22LR gun show scalpers?  I know the manager at my local Walmart who tells me of how the same 2 gentlemen get to the store when the truck gets there and are waiting like vultures for the .22LR to hit the shelves.  They will buy all the store has stocked and sell them at gun shows for a huge profit.

Is this illegal?  Well of course not.  However think about how many people are doing this across the country.  Walmart views this as we need more ammo, because it sells as soon as we get it!! So, they buy more and the scalpers will be waiting in the wings.

At my local Academy or Walmart these are the advertised prices for .22LR ammo.

Remington Thunderbolts are $28 for 500 rounds=  5.6 cents per round

CCI are $8 for 100 rounds= 8 cents per round.

Now, these prices do not seem that high.  They are still higher than they should be given the market.

Some people have gone to the high power air gun market in which you can plink for a lot less than you can with a .22LR.

I would like to think that everyone reading this has at least one .22LR in their home and if my thinking is correct, probably a lot more of you have 5-10.

The .22LR is what I learned to shoot with and learn basic gun safety and marksmanship.  I have lined the bottom of local ponds with .22 ammo and shot lord knows how many aluminum cans.

I hope the price stabilizes and the hoarders and preppers stop trying to buy up all the .22LR ammo so everyone else can shoot at a reasonable cost.

The .22LR is a great round and is a way to get kids into gun sports and a fun way to spend an afternoon without your shoulder and wallet paying the price for it.

Fortuna Paratus Remunerat- Fortune Favors the Prepared

Story by Shane Smith

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