Guns and Ammunition Update: .22 Long Rifle Perspective. BB shortage, Russian Ammo Rumor

 .22 Ammo still scarce and prices have leveled off at a new high.

Current Market Prices for .22 LR

Brick: Wally World = $29  Gun Shows = $50
Box of 50  $5 at gun shops and shows.  No 50 round boxes found at Wally World

CCI Stinger - $10 per 50 or more no matter where you shop.

.22 Magnum $15-$20 per 50 rounds.  This has become as expensive as 9mm so why bother.

When the current Administration first won election in 2008 the price for a brick of .22 at Wally World was less than $12 per 550 rounds if my memory serves me correctly.  I ran into the store and started picking up bricks at that price but held back a bit thinking I might be overreacting.  I was wrong of course since the shortage of that year proceeded to raise the price to what became the new normal of $18 per brick and at that new price eventually things came back to normal.  Well, then the Connecticut school shooting occurred and it hasn't been the same since.  .22 bricks at Wally World are rare to find and when they show up they are now coming in at $29 dollars and the guys there tell me that they haven't increased prices and in their employment term maybe they haven't, but prices are up.  Since 2008 .22 bulk prices have more than doubled and if you want to buy even a 50 round box of low end Long Rifle .22 the price is running somewhere around $5 or $6 putting the price of a .22 round at at least 10 cents each.  Even the bulk price is over 5 cents per round where prior to the 2008 election I couldn't justify shooting pellets since the savings of shooting a pellet was only 1 cent per shot, not enough justify wearing out my shoulder, arms, and wrist for pumping up a pellet rifle.  I preferred .22 Long Rifle every time.

It was a year ago that gun show prices for a brick of .22 (550 rounds) was averaging $100-$110 and that has now come down to around $50 which of course is 4 times what it once cost and they really didn't bother selling bricks at gun shows since Wally World always had it in stock and the price was too competitive.  Now, most of the .22 ammo you find at shows came from Wally World and is being resold.

My new strategy is to get .22 when I run across it at Wallys and if it isn't there, I just pick up another tin of pellets in .22 or .177.    I have found some spot shortages of pellets as well and in one location on the East Coast they regularly run out of BBs.  So the pressure is still on for finding ammo and especially .22.  It looks like many people have switched to airgun training and practice.


9mm
Finding 9mm is easier as I have come across it fairly often at Wally's and also at online stores.  The new baseline price is a minimum of  $15 per 50 and many guns shops and ranges are closer to $20 per box.  When I run out of my range supply I am considering sitting out for a while and sticking with .22, pellets, BBs, and laser training just to avoid the high cost of what used to be a cheap and easy to find self defense round for handguns. 

.40 S&W

It is out there without too much difficulty in finding it but the price for a box of 50 is now generally at $25 or higher so range time is becoming too much for many of us.  Wally world often has it in stock.

More Liberal Folly on Gun Buybacks in Arizona.
So the police are in a rush to destroy the guns brought in but I bet you those high dollar ones never make it to the smelter or to the turn in list.  Just saying.  Admittedly, there are plenty of low end handguns that almost deserve destruction just for the safety of the user, but it pains my heart to think of some old 1911 or a German Mauser brought back from WW2 by a vet might end up cut to pieces.  It is nice to see Arizona add some sanity to this by probably reselling those collectible guns at auctions so that the buybacks are self supporting and over time the idiots that turn in a thousand dollar gun for a food gift card might actually learn not to do that before checking on the value.

Here is a story about the shortage predicted for Russian ammo along with a video.

Ammo Shortage thoughts - the shortage is not over.
 
Russian Ammo Shortage Rumors
The great red ammo scare may end up being nothing but a scare after you read this article.  It appears there may still be plenty of supply options in the pipeline to include Baltic states that have no restrictions planned.  If you want 7.63x39 there appears to be a ready supply on many online sites and there is even some availability of 5.45x39 though if that is your ammo of choice then you may want to stack a little deeper.  Apparently most of that comes out of places where restrictions may come into play.  Hornady is now offering commercial 5.45x39 for about the same price as 5.56 or even a little cheaper so there hopefully will always be a ready supply of this great caliber.

Facebook to Regulate Gun Sales on their site.
I'm not sure what to make of this other than to say why would I list a gun for sale there anyway without making it clear I would only do it within the boundaries of the law.  Posting an illegal offer on a social media site seems stupid on the face of it.

Why is the USPS buying up so much ammo.
The Feds are on a buying binge when it comes to ammo, guns, and ninja gear.  Every agency seems to have an armed branch and they all go to the same training centers.  Of course this is very expensive and it is also very ominous.  Our standing army is comprised of these and they are quartered in our cities and towns to be used against us.  It also seems to be an easy way to raise ammunition costs for civilians by keeping demand high and supply low.  Don't you wish you had stocked up earlier.