Went to the local(overpriced) gun shop to get powder for a new rifle I purchased on AR. At checkout they had bricks of American eagle 22lr. They were priced $ 120.00. I asked if the price was correct ? Yes I was told. Wow
When I was a kid, 22 shells were 59 cents for shorts, 69 for longs, and 79 for long rifles. That is for a box of 50. One cent in 1960 is now worth 8 cents. So a box of LRs should cost $6.32. That would be $63.20 per brick of 500 rounds. So they are charging/gouging double.
Posts: 17275 | Location: USA | Registered: 02 August 2009
There has been no increase in manufacturer, jobber, or wholesaler prices for rimfire ammunition. A retailer who gouges his customers like this is one who would not merit my business.
Posts: 13245 | Location: Henly, TX, USA | Registered: 04 April 2001
It's nothing but price gouging brought on by the shortage. 22's are really hard to find. I've seen them sell for $100 per brick at auctions. For a gunshop to gouge its customers like that is inexcuseable to me. Remember this when deciding where to spend your $$ when things return to normal.
Tom Z
NRA Life Member
Posts: 2326 | Location: Pennsylvania | Registered: 07 January 2005
I really had no idea. The last time I bought 22lr was for my Godson to shoot w/me at the gun club. 2 bricks burned that day. Total costs--$33.00. That was 2 yrs ago in August. Something is way wrong.
Just bought some 22 LR high velocity from Midwayusa.
$30.00 a brick.
Just checked and they are currently out!
No justice in gouging!
Rusty We Band of Brothers! DRSS, NRA & SCI Life Member "I am rejoiced at my fate. Do not be uneasy about me, for I am with my friends." ----- David Crockett in his last letter (to his children), January 9th, 1836 "I will never forsake Texas and her cause. I am her son." ----- Jose Antonio Navarro, from Mexican Prison in 1841 "for I have sworn upon the altar of god eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." Thomas Jefferson Declaration of Arbroath April 6, 1320-“. . .It is not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.”
Posts: 9797 | Location: Missouri City, Texas | Registered: 21 June 2000
Originally posted by ray in Wenatchee: Get used to the new prices, the old prices are not coming back........
Too bad that ammunition and components aren't traded on the major futures markets. I could make a killing off of the hoard/bust cycle. Ammunition will be back to "normal" prices in a relatively short period of time, and the manufacturers already know this and are planning on a major slow-down in their production and sales.
Oh, wait, ammunition -- or at least its component materials like copper and zinc -- are traded on the futures market. Seems as if metals prices are depressed and headed lower recently. Hmmmm . . .
Posts: 13245 | Location: Henly, TX, USA | Registered: 04 April 2001
When they passed the gun laws in 1968 I bought a lot of 22's so I wouldn't have to register. I'm still shooting them, tought three kids, two grandkids to shoot in the meantime. Unless it's like crude oil prices will come back.
Originally posted by Stonecreek: There has been no increase in manufacturer, jobber, or wholesaler prices for rimfire ammunition. A retailer who gouges his customers like this is one who would not merit my business.
This. +1
Regards,
Robert
****************************** H4350! It stays crunchy in milk longer!
I bought two bricks of Federal at the NRAWC in May: $24 & no tax each. Unless their need is pressing indeed, anyone daft enough to pay $120 gets what they deserve for helping keep prices high.
Posts: 610 | Location: Cumbria, UK | Registered: 09 July 2007
Went to our local gun show last month. Hadn't been to one in a few years. Used to be 50-60 people there at any given time and the vendors probably out numbered the customers. Now there was probably 3-400 people there and the places selling ammo had 6 or 7 lines with 25 people each. Saw 22lr bricks going for $65 to $125. Yeah, it's nuts.
Have gun- Will travel The value of a trophy is computed directly in terms of personal investment in its acquisition. Robert Ruark
Posts: 3830 | Location: Cave Creek, AZ | Registered: 09 August 2001
Many retailers are rightly afraid of offending customers by raising prices so high, but if more did so, the shortages would quickly end. Prices would then come down as the hoarding frenzy slowed down. Raising prices is a lot more efficient than rationing.
Speaking of which; Michael Bane had something to say about HOARDERS on his site last week. That they were much wiser than those who weren't. When you hear & see what is going on with the crazy anti gun anti ammo legislation coming to pass in some states; you have to agree.
I haven't bought any 22 shells since 1989, won't ever run out either.
Posts: 521 | Location: Alaska | Registered: 12 April 2010
There is no such thing as price gouging unless they force you to buy it. Whinging is not a desirable characteristic. If they make larger profit, they can buy more inventory. Learn supply-and-demand and live it.
Posts: 130 | Location: AZ | Registered: 17 July 2010
I was selling Federal 325 rd nitrogen filled cans for $26 ea 3 weeks ago (and making money-not gouging). Supply was halted after that and have had no .22's since. Hoarding here has been a big problem along with opportunism. Many of my loyal customers can't even take their grandkid shooting, while some customers brag they have 60-80,000 rounds piled up at home and they are still buying all they can.
Posts: 3780 | Location: SC,USA | Registered: 07 March 2002
Originally posted by noylj: There is no such thing as price gouging unless they force you to buy it. Whinging is not a desirable characteristic. If they make larger profit, they can buy more inventory. Learn supply-and-demand and live it.
You can view it like that but I won't support my local gun shop anymore because of the last two incidents of price gouging during the Obama administration. I just bought a Ruger Commander, probably paid a few dollars more but I bought it at Cabelas, a company that didn't price gouge during shortages. From now on, that's where my business is going.
Posts: 1941 | Location: Texas | Registered: 19 July 2009
I work part-time in a 'big-box' outdoor store and the prices have not changed.
Now, to defend the smaller shops, keep in mind that the big-box places have lots of different profit centers, such as clothing, shoes, boats, atv, etc., whereas the smaller gun shops really only have guns and ammo to make money on. Since they want to stay in business, and supplies are really tight, they have to raise the prices in order to stay open.
I would not hold this against them. After all, the buyer can always walk away if the price is to high.
Posts: 620 | Location: Colorado | Registered: 04 January 2005
I have no sympathy for folks that pay high prices for ammo or components. If you don't like the price, don't buy it. I just bought a couple bricks of Eley Sport 22RF from Killough Shooting sports for $32.50 a brick. Dan is a rimfire specialist and has one of 3 Eley Ammunition test centers in the World. If you go to his website www.killoughshootingsports.com you will see what he sells. He may show that he is out, but ammo is flowing through all the time. Just get on Dan's list and he will ship when it comes in. No need to cry about it.
Things do look to be getting closer to normal. Cabelas in town had 22 shells for three days and have had a shelf full of powders like RL22, 25, and 19 as well as 4831, 4350, and assorted pistol powders for a couple of weeks now. .224 bullets are still tough to come by, but 308 and all other brass except 223Rem seem to be staying on the shelf in some quantities. That said, if anyone has any 25WSSM brass that is always in the way, I'd take it off your hands
Posts: 849 | Location: MN | Registered: 11 March 2009
It takes two to gouge prices.....one to charge an outrageous price.....one that actually pays it and thereby encouraging more of it.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill
Posts: 28849 | Location: western Nebraska | Registered: 27 May 2003
I havent seen any gougung yet in Canada, where I buy powder at they raised the price $1 per pound recently and some of the bullets went up $2 per 100 but they are still fairly priced, they have quite a bit less in stock than usual. I bought a 525 rd box of cci blazer 22 lr for $29.99 yesterday at Canadian tire, the normal price here.
Havent been able to get a pound of varget for about 3 months now but got some 4320 to substitue for now.
Im usually jealous of the prices you guys get in the states but not right now! Hope things do get back to normal.
Posts: 159 | Location: New Brunswick, Canada | Registered: 24 September 2010
Just bought a case of Wolf Match Extra for $695, only up about $30 from two years ago when I bought two cases. Works well for indoor matches and practice outdoors so I can save the Tenex for bigger matches. The only response to gouging is to buy elsewhere. If you pay the high price, it won't come down.
Posts: 276 | Location: Upstate NY | Registered: 16 December 2003
I have used and also have a lot of primers, but I have never heard of the term "brick" used with primers. Would that be a 1000 or 5000? I am not trying to be a smartass as I can be, I'm just curious.
looks like I will not be buying any until my current supply is gone.
