Been hearing stories of folks having hard times finding .223/5.56 ammo. If this is in fact true, any chance of the AR style gun makers building some of these in say .222 instead of .223?

From what I have seen locally .223 is available but the price has gone up considerably. (as has all ammo/component prices).

I have an independantly owned Federal Cartridge Company distributor close to me that I have gotten some from, but they are hit and miss as to what they have in stock. It has been difficult for them to get the cheaper xm193(55grFMJ).
I was able to buy some Federal TRU (55gr BTHP) for a little more than what the GanderMountain an hour away was selling steel cased Wolf ammo.

Most sporting goods stores cheapest is around $9-$10. Not many bargins to be had IMO.

Many places that carry case quantities on line seem to be out of stock alot of the time or claim limited quantities.

With the US fighting a war in two areas and with gun owners uncertinties with the incoming administration I would not look to see a surplus for some time.

S&W and some other manufactuers are making an upper reciever for AR type rifles chambered for the 5.45 soviet round which is supposed to be less expensive. I have primarily seen the ammo available on line, or in some Gun shops, not so much in retail stores.
I haven't handled any of these uppers only read a little about them on the internet.

Thanks for the reply. I really don't care for these foreign born cartridges and have no intention of shooting a non-US round. Why don't gun builders build these things to shoot good ole US cartridges. I know its prolly silly but thats just me.

quote:

I was able to buy some Federal TRU (55gr BTHP) for a little more than what the GanderMountain an hour away was selling steel cased Wolf ammo.

This is becoming the norm pretty much all over. Wolf, in most any caliber or configuration, just isn't worth it anymore. I live just 2 miles from the Glendale, Arizona Cabela's and when they have Wolf in stock, (which isn't often), it sells for as much or more than the brass cased, boxer primed, reloadable stuff from Fiocchi, Magtech, or Sellier & Belliot. Some weeks back they had steel cased Wolf in .45 ACP for a dollar a box MORE than Magtech .45 ACP which is all boxer primed, brass cased, and reloadable. Wolf is no bargain any longer, hence there is little reason to shoot it. Even if you don't reload you can save the cases and sell them to someone who does. I reload everything I shoot so for me it makes no sense what so ever to shoot Wolf. Bill T.

My local gunshop, and Academy, have plenty of .223 and 7.62x39 here in Texas. Went to a gun show in San Antonio last weekend and saw plenty of .223 and 7.62x39 there, as well as 9mm and .45 acp

LLS

.223 / 5.56 flavored ammo isn't rare but it isn't $4.99 a box of 20 anymore either...

.222 ammo would be harder to find at a decent price. IIRC Ruger did make some Mini-14 in .222 for markets where "military" ammo was illegal.

A while back there was a .222 Mini-14 for sale in the classifieds. Guess that' why they made?
Robert

quote:

Originally posted by cobrajet:
Thanks for the reply. I really don't care for these foreign born cartridges and have no intention of shooting a non-US round. Why don't gun builders build these things to shoot good ole US cartridges. I know its prolly silly but thats just me.

The other rounds like you mentioned would only increase the price of the ammunition the gun fires. That's why rifles aren't chambered for them. Nobody would buy them. It's not availability of ammo that's the problem, it's the price.

That's the beauty of the newly avalible 5.45X39 ammo from Bulgaria. With surplus 5.56 ammo hitting the $.48-$.50 a piece price range these day's the 5.45X39 ammo really shines at $.12 a round. That's a 75% savings!

This is the deal of a lifetime for a casual shooter. Simply buy a rifle and a enough ammo the wear out a barrel and you're good to go.

You can save enough money on 3 tins of 5.45X39 ammo to pay cash for a Smith&Wesson 5.45X39 COMPLETE RIFLE compared to buying the same amount 5.56 ammo!

This stuff is the deal of the century and won't last long. The country selling it isn't under communist rule any more and I can't think of a single reason to not do it. The ammo does have corrosive primers but that's not a big deal.

Terry

Ammo is being sold at ridiculous profits to the US Government. Years ago the Government decided to rely on the private sector to make its ammo. And outside of LC, that’s who is making the brass, bullets, and powder for the US Government.

As for surplus ammo, the US Government has paid hundreds of millions of dollars for companies to buy that stuff and supply it to Iraq. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03...tml?pagewanted=print

Interesting, there are competing programs, to destroy surplus ammunition.

quote:

A NATO program that ended last year involved 16 Western nations contributing about $10 million to destroy 8,700 tons of obsolete ammunition. The United States contributed $500,000. Among the items destroyed were 104 million 7.62 millimeter cartridges — exactly the ammunition AEY sought from the Albanian state arms export agency.

So our Republican “friends” in the White House were doing what they could to keep cheap ammunition out of our hands.