What's up with .22 rifle prices ?

[Wanderling]

You'd think with ammo still being scarce the prices will not go up.

I bought my kids a Marlin 795 for something like $145 a few years back. It was at a full price with a (crappy) scope. Only paid the full price because I had a Dunham's gift card so it came out below $100. I believe some other major stores had it around $130 or so.

Since they are now fighting over who gets to shoot it first, I decided to get a second one.

The same rifle, same store - $179 with scope. At Bass and Cabela's, $160 without scope. Cheaper than dirt - $155.

So, that's an American made rifle (so can't blame the workers' raising wages), in a caliber that's hard to get and a lot of people said they are walking away from it. And the price is up by 25% in just 2 or 3 years ? The Glock that I bought back in 2011 still costs the same today.

*** is going on ? OK so extra $40 won't bankrupt me but... why ?

 

[Reloadron]

Been a long time for me and the gun shop but on average we saw a 3% to 5% increase each year or so. That was during the early to mid 90s. So seeing the increase you are seeing for 2 to 3 years really doesn't seem that far out of line. Not to me anyway. The fact that it is a 22 LR and 22 LR ammunition has been a little scarce is here nor there. I don't see that affecting the retail price tag.

Just My Thinking....
Ron

 

[jmorris]

Prices go up due to cost or want of more profit. If no one pays asking price, they go down or stop making them.

 

[TruthTellers]

If you bought that Marlin before December 2012 that's the reason why.

I do believe prices should be going down with firearms because all the factors indicate they should. The Mayan Apocalypse never happened, the Sandy Hook scare is over, gas is cheaper so it doesn't cost as much to ship them, Obama's term is coming to an end, etc.

Check on those prices in late November and you might score a holiday sale price.

 

[Jackal]

Rampant devaluation of the dollar may have something to do with it...:banghead:

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

We have a winner! ^^^

900F

 

[C0untZer0]

I paid $159.00 for the Marlin 795 a year ago.

 

[Wanderling]

Rampant devaluation of the dollar may have something to do with it...:banghead:

Yes if it was made in China or Germany, but it's made in KY and I doubt that it has that much outsourced content. The workers in KY are being paid in dollars and most likely are nit making much more that they were a few years ago.

Now December 2012 - haven't thought of that.

 

[AStone]

It's funny that for me, in a sense, it was just the opposite. I sold a .22 rifle (Marlin 39a) recently on consignment. It brought less than expected. Now admittedly, he priced it to sell fairly quickly, which it did, so I have no issues. The owner -- whom I trust (runs a very nice shop, unlike some in this town) -- explained that it's because .22 ammo is so scarce, fewer people are buying .22's. I can neither confirm nor deny that, but it rang true when he said it.

 

[ford8nr]

I've seen them on sale for $139 in the past year. Almost bought one to leave at the hunting shack but decided on a Zastava bolt instead at $169

 

[JohnBT]

Real estate taxes go up. Utility bills go up. Insurance bills go up. And that's for everyone - the maker, shipper, wholesaler and retailer.

My bills go up anyway, I assume everyone else has the same problem.

John

 

[CoalTrain49]

I was looking around for a new .22 a few months ago and could never find the CZ I wanted. I finally gave up and bought a 77/357. They must be making fewer of them these days because ammo is so expensive and sales are down. When there are fewer to sell the profit margin has to go up. "We can't get it" has been the normal response at my LGS for just about everything for a long time now.

 

[mgmorden]

Rampant devaluation of the dollar may have something to do with it...:banghead:

The dollar isn't actually in that bad of shape.

As a matter of fact compared to Candian Dollars, Australian dollars, Yen, Pesos, and the Euro the US dollar has gained in the last 3-4 years.


The Chinese Yuan has surged in value comparatively, but I think that's just the increase of valuation of that relative to everything more than a devaluation in our currency. We buy a lot from China though, so for those products you'll see increased prices.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

Around here the Ruger 10/22 is now going for $229.00, or $219.00 on sale. I don't remember the exact time, but not really all that long ago it was one hundred dollars less. Therefore, I'll stick with "rampant devaluation of the dollar".

900F

 

[Jackal]

I dont even shoot my .22wmr anymore, due to the cost of ammo, when I can actually find it. With .22wmr hovering around the $0.20 cent per round mark, I just shoot my AK instead.

 

[Caliper_Mi]

The Glock that I bought back in 2011 still costs the same today.

I'd say that speaks more to how much the Glock was marked up in 2011 than anything about the Marlin. Glock has more competition than in the past. Ruger, S&W, Springfield Armory are all pursuing the polymer striker fired pistol market. It used to be that Glock owned that market but now they have to compete, which brings down prices.

OTOH, the 22LR semi-auto market is pretty stable, and has been for some time. Even as simple as they are, can you imagine making the 795 for that price? Plus paying all the other expenses a company has and making some profit on top? There's no fat in that price structure. When the cost of raw materials, property taxes, wages and distribution expenses go up, the price of the rifle has to go up.

 

[PJSprog]

I have the same initial notion when I see Savage MkII rifles selling for around $200. That's almost twice what I paid for mine. Then I realize I bought mine about 20 years ago. You might think about how long it's actually been since you purchased that first rifle. $34 isn't really that much of an increase if it's over a few years.

 

[TruthTellers]

I was looking around for a new .22 a few months ago and could never find the CZ I wanted. I finally gave up and bought a 77/357. They must be making fewer of them these days because ammo is so expensive and sales are down. When there are fewer to sell the profit margin has to go up. "We can't get it" has been the normal response at my LGS for just about everything for a long time now.

If I go to a small lgs, I get the same excuse of "we can't get it." but if I go to the city 30 mins south, they have crates lined up against the walls. If they can get it in those quantities, there's something the smaller lgs aren't doing.

One time I talked with a small lgs and he said he could get .22, but for $9/50 box. He didn't bother because his customers aren't willing to pay that price and it would end up sitting on the shelf until he sold it for less and lost money.

 

[MAKster]

The Marlin 795 is an entry level gun that is frequently on sale at places like Gander and Dicks. In a couple weeks one of these stores will have their fall hunting sale and you'll probably see it on sale for like $125.

 

[Steve S.]

My experience with .22 LR ammo is that I can buy all I want (especially on the net), I just have to want it bad enough to pay the new going rate.

 

[alexander45]

I talked to a small used gun shop owner here about 3 months ago about 22lr and 22lr guns, he said that any 22lr rifle under $400 flew off the shelf and he really couldn't say as to why considering the lack of ammo availability granted I have been in walmart a few times in the last year to witness people only now finding out about the shortage.

 

[Sniper66]

Where I live everything is going up. But, guns seem like a bargain to me for all the fun I get for the money.

 

[Casefull]

Rampant devaluation of the dollar may have something to do with it..

This gentlemen answered the question. Our currency has been losing its buying power for longer than I have lived. It was called inflation but with that definition wages rose along with the cost of goods. If you cannot grasp this concept good luck with your retirement plans.

 

[Vernon1]

.22 Rifle/Ammo Prices

Greed.

Lets charge what the market will bear.

Lets max out the profit

We will not have a 20% markup.

We will have a 500% markup.

When "they" quit buying it and questioning our honorable motives-THEN we will maybe decrease our markup.

In the stock market we all know that: bears make money
bulls make money
pigs get slaughtered

do not be greedy. Let the goose lay one gold egg per day-

if you kill the goose there will be no more gold...

 

[Reloadron]

Vern, you sure about pigs getting slaughtered?

Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.

It pays to be greedy, but not too greedy or else you’ll get in trouble. If you get too greedy like a hog, you can end up loosing it all.

I thought it was the pigs who did OK but the hogs who get slaughtered.

Ron