Desperately Seeking .22

[Vol Texan]

OK, I know there's a ton of threads here about ammo shortages, but this isn't one of them.

Last week, while I was out of the country working, my five-year-old daughter received her very own Crickett .22 rifle (a gift from my incredible brother-in-law). I got home from SE Asia yesterday afternoon, and I'm leaving again for the airport tomorrow afternoon, so I have only a few hours tomorrow morning to find ammo and take her to the range.

Academy was out of .22lr ammo tonight, as were both Wal-Mart locations near me here in west Houston.

Tomorrow morning, I'm going to start my search again...but I welcome any input from the great people here on the forum. If you know of a range here near west Houston that DEFINITELY has .22 ammo available (or if you've got a spare box laying around), please reply to this thread or PM me at your convenience.

Thanks much, and I promise to post photos of her first shots downrange!

[Dave2]

Cool! I wish I could help, but I'm north of Dallas :-/

[jmra]

Cool! I wish I could help, but I'm north of Dallas :-/

Same here N. Texas. If I was closer I'd gladly give you a box.

[cb1000rider]

It can be shipped.. :-)

It's been impossible for months, many months, to get .22 or 9mm near Austin unless you're willing to pay over market on it. If you're in a pinch, call one of the local ranges and see if they'll sell you a box or two. Being a member at a local range helped us in a pinch.

Alternately, the only way we manage to get it is through a network of friends who call each other when they run into it.. OR:
Ask Walmart when their ammo shipment comes in and then when they stock the floor (usually the next day). They won't know what calibers they're receiving, but they will know when it goes on the floor. You show up that morning.
Same thing at Academy.

There are still lines at both during ammo stocking days in the AM. but you stand a good change.

You can also find it over market through gun shows or advertised on a few private-sale firearms sites, specifying DFW as the locality. The local gun show this weekend had a ton. All of it at a pretty good mark up.

Good luck.

[Oldgringo]

Is it air rifle time?

Air is free (so far) and pellets are plentiful (so far).

Shooting is shooting, eh?

BTW, GO VOLS! {please}
BSCE '67

[Teamless]

im in Clear Lake Area, and would be willing to sell you (at cost) some .22LR today.
PM me if interested.

[Vol Texan]

8:00 am - American Shooting Center Pro Shop opened up
8:01 am - I found out they'd sell me two boxes for use at their range
8:06 am - time to wake up my daughter!

Thanks to everyone - especially Teamless for the offer!

[MotherBear]

Glad you found it! Hope your daughter has a great time!

[Jim Lockey]

I know your daughter will enjoy her dad teaching her to shoot. I taught my daughter years ago and now she can out shoot me. Have a good time.

Jimmy

[Carry-a-Kimber]

I've got some you can have to take your kid shooting if you can meet near downtown Houston. Otherwise, Carters in Spring has some for sure. $7.95/100 limit 100 rounds per customer.

[gringo pistolero]

It can be shipped.. :-)

Overnight for a Sunday morning delivery?

[FL450]

Academy seems to be getting in a better supply. Check with your local store to see what day's they get their shippment.

[Vol Texan]

Again, thanks to everyone who offered up ammo today, given my short window of opportunity I had to pull this off. Hopefully I can be of assistance to you sometime in the future.

We had a good time today at the American Shooting Center out in George Bush Park. My daughter put her first rounds downrange in her new pink Crickett rife. The guy in the pro shop gave her (and us) a VERY thorough safety briefing - he said he'd never sent a 5-year old to the range before, and wanted make sure all was OK.

To be doubly sure, he called the Range Safety Officer at the 25yd line and let him know we were coming. The RSO kept a keen eye on us for about 5 minutes, but then he must have realized that both my wife and I were on the ball, so he wandered around a bit more. The head range safety officer even came to visit us during our visit, and he must have been happy as well.

All in all, it was our first time at this range (we usually shoot at Top Gun or Memorial Shooting Center), and we were quite pleased. The staff in the pro shop and out on the line were great, and we'll gladly go back.

And, as promised in my OP...here are some photos.

[OldCurlyWolf]

It may be a bit early, but she was shooting in the picture like she is Left Eye Dominant. Something to think about.

Looked like a happy little girl.

[ddstuder]

Heck, I would have paid $1.00 a round for the ammo, just to see that happy smile!

Glad you found some ammo!