TexasCHLforum.com

AlaskanInTexas wrote:

puma guy wrote:the Peters Jan 2 1964 dealer catalog price for .22LR HV was .61 per box and retail was .80 box ($12.20/M).

The Internet tells me that $0.80 in 1964 is the equivalent of $5.93 today. That works out to the equivalent of 12 cents a round. Maybe it wasn't as dreamy back then as we remember.

Manufacturers worked hard to keep the .22 price point low - something had to give, and, IMHO, quality suffered.

On a bright note, I was at Cabela's earlier this week and they had an entire end cap on the ammo aisle FILLED with .22s, both CCI and now, Federal. CCI standard velocity has been available there for over a month at $4.95/50, but Federal was nonexistent until this week - they had both 400 round bricks of Federal American Eagle (at $23.99) and 325 round bulk packs of Federal Auto Match at $17.99, which works out to about 5.5 cents a round. Not really what you'd call cheap, but at least it was available. (Of course, I had a coupon which effectively knocked another 20% off the price. ) Limit was 1 box.

So it would seem that either manufacturers actually HAVE resumed production, or the hoarders who've been intercepting product before it ever got to retail level are now sitting on a MOUNTAIN of .22s that aren't selling at 15 or 20 cents a round, and have stopped stocking up.

Either way, the worst may be over . . . but I expect it will still be a while before Cabela's starts featuring .22lr in their ammo sales.

What are a few online sites that sell ammo at a competitive price, even if in bulk, compared to local retailers? Seems that my local Academy matches nearly all prices I find online.

I just picked up 2 cases of Federal Auto Match (20 boxes of the 325 packs) at Grabagun. Each box was $24 + tax. Higher than the Cabelas price reported above but Cabelas/Bass Pro are 15-20 miles from me and I can't waste time/gasoline running all over town for a ONE BOX LIMIT on .22LR ammo. Grabagun also has 100 round boxes of CCI Mini Mag round nose copper plated for $12.99 and QUIET 22 CCI 500 round paks for $36 (not quite sure if $36 but it was $36 ish).

At least Grabagun does NOT have a limit on how much .22 ammo you can buy which was worth it to me. They also had 22mag (CCI I think but not sure).

I tried for awhile to get some ammo in large quantities on the auctions but usually the selling price ended up over 10 cents a round plus shipping which I refuse to pay. Plus some of the charges for shipping were also inflated and cost more than the local sales tax would have if purchased locally.

I didn't really need more ammo but I have a couple of Ruger 10/22 takedown rifles I'm picking up this week and figure I'll be burning through a lot of ammo very soon.

Certainly if I am at Cabelas or other stores that have sensible priced ammo I'll still buy my one box limit

QB wrote:I just picked up 2 cases of Federal Auto Match (20 boxes of the 325 packs) at Grabagun. Each box was $24 + tax. Higher than the Cabelas price reported above but Cabelas/Bass Pro are 15-20 miles from me and I can't waste time/gasoline running all over town for a ONE BOX LIMIT on .22LR ammo. Grabagun also has 100 round boxes of CCI Mini Mag round nose copper plated for $12.99 and QUIET 22 CCI 500 round paks for $36 (not quite sure if $36 but it was $36 ish).

At least Grabagun does NOT have a limit on how much .22 ammo you can buy which was worth it to me. They also had 22mag (CCI I think but not sure).

I tried for awhile to get some ammo in large quantities on the auctions but usually the selling price ended up over 10 cents a round plus shipping which I refuse to pay. Plus some of the charges for shipping were also inflated and cost more than the local sales tax would have if purchased locally.

I didn't really need more ammo but I have a couple of Ruger 10/22 takedown rifles I'm picking up this week and figure I'll be burning through a lot of ammo very soon.

Certainly if I am at Cabelas or other stores that have sensible priced ammo I'll still buy my one box limit

I was unable to find ANY ammo on Grabagun. Can you post a link to the ammo page?

Joe

They don't put ammo on their website. I was there transferring a gun I sold and they have it on their shelves. Give them a call and ask for Dallas.

ah, that makes more sense. Thanks for the explanation.

Joe

Xikar wrote:What are a few online sites that sell ammo at a competitive price, even if in bulk, compared to local retailers? Seems that my local Academy matches nearly all prices I find online.

One place I like to start is http://gun-deals.com/ammo.php. This is a crowd-sourced info site; in other words, users submit ammo deals that they've found either online or locally, you select a caliber and can sort the display in several ways, including cost-per-round. Even if I buy locally, I feel this site affords me a valid glimpse of current market conditions and helps me understand what a specific type of ammo is selling for.

As for direct experience with online vendors, I've never had a bad experience (knock on wood) and have dealt with many, including Graf & Sons, Natchez Shooters Supplies, Freedom Munitions, Sportsman's Guide, ABLE Ammo, AIM Surplus, Widener's, GT Distributors, and others. One factor, of course, is to determine shipping costs and sales tax, if any, and calculate the real cost-per-round with all cost factors included. If you buy locally and the retailer isn't exactly next door, also factor in time and expense to drive there to pick up your ammo.

Especially for certain rifle rounds, one advantage to online dealers compared to, say, Academy, is that they'll purchase milsurp lots from time to time, and you can get some good deals on decent range ammo. I'd estimate that 70% of what I have in 5.56 and 7.62x51 is bulk milsurp.

It seems like Academy (US 75 in Plano) has 1,400 round tubs of .22lr every few days now. $64. They also have lots of smaller packages.

I was at Cabelas in Allen Tuesday and they had ZERO .22LR and had a limit of 50 or 100 rounds (can't remember).........seemed to have plenty of other ammo.

QB wrote:I was at Cabelas in Allen Tuesday and they had ZERO .22LR and had a limit of 50 or 100 rounds (can't remember).........seemed to have plenty of other ammo.

When are you going? I have been to that Cabelas several times recently and always see some overpriced small boxes of premium .22lr. Occasionally if I swing by in the morning, I might find a bulk pack, but there is usually a swarm of crazies descending upon it like vultures, so I doubt it lasts much past 9:05.

I was there for a reason other than buying ammo so it was late in the day.....4:00 or so. I really didn't expect to find any ammo but thought I'd look. I have about 13,000 rounds but that goes quick when 2 people are shooting 10/22s with 25 round mags....so any time I find .22LR at a decent price (yeah, right), I pick some up. I just don't chase all over town anymore due to the "limit".....50 to 100 rounds, that's just AWFUL (for me, anyway).

Can't find any .22LR around here in Lubbock. The stores all still say it comes in and is gone in hours.

Dropped into the Allen Walmart to grab some stuff and swung by the ammo section. The ammo was being stocked. After getting me three 333 boxes at $14 a box, he told me that they are getting .22lr two times a week and that they got so many cases of CCI last week that they put it on sale. Hopefully this is signalling the end. Now if powder would come back, I'd be a happy camper.

http://www.the-armory.com/shopsite_sc/s ... .html#2039" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Same price without ammo can.

http://www.the-armory.com/shopsite_sc/s ... t1887.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you shoot .303 British, you probably know that decent milsurp ammo has pretty much dried up for that round, which makes it more expensive to shoot that SMLE of yours.

FYI, Cheaper Than Dirt has some HXP (Greek military) from the '70s in stock - brass cases, Boxer primed, reloadable, non-corrosive. http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/AMM-A13450C

I had a less than satisfactory experience with CTD some years ago and have avoided them since, but I decided to give them a try - 450 rounds of decent .303 British milsurp for $177.39 isn't bad, even when you figure in shipping and sales tax. (CTD is in TX, so Texans get nicked for the tax.) The stuff I ordered is on Enfield type stripper clips - worth at least a buck apiece these days at your typical gun show (I've seen them at 2 for $5) - so that brings down the cost per round considerably.

Ordered it Monday, received it today. Just opened the box and it looks like typical milsurp that was probably originally packed in bulk and repacked somewhere along the line. Headstamp is HXP 76. The ammo has a little tarnish, but a quick spot check revealed no visible corrosion, water spots, or verdigris - in my experience, it looks pretty decent for milsurp. The product description says the bullets have a steel core, but my magnet does not stick to either the case or the bullet. The only negative thing I noticed is that the rims are not all "stacked" properly in the clips, so if you use them to load your Enfield, you'll probably want to repack the clip yourself.

Giving it a qualified "thumbs up" since I haven't actually fired it yet, but having some experience with HXP .30/06 I bought from the CMP (a magnet does stick to those bullets) I'm not expecting any problems.

Oh, and it would seem some guys are already trying to "flip" this ammo at a profit at some auction sites.