Why does USA not have a target 22LR ammo that will compete ?

[Westex]

Seems like all ammo is not made in USA that is really accurate .

 

[Multiracer]

Too small of a market.

 

[VLNBYR]

If there was any money to be made the Chinese would already be doing it and you could buy it at Walmart.

 

[SteveOak]

Too small of a market.

So Eley and Lapua are going broke?

 

[tmwinds]

So Eley and Lapua are going broke?

Lapua is not. Eley, maybe.

 

[CharlieNC]

Federal made quality match in years past, no longer probably because it was not as profitable. Lapua recently announced an expansion.

 

[Multiracer]

So Eley and Lapua are going broke?

Doubtful, but to produce an Olympic quality 22LR with long term repeatability just does not make economic sense in the US of A. IMO...and just MO the market is too small for the cost of RD and testing.

 

[dgeesaman]

Too small of a market.

The cheap ammo market is too large within the USA. If CCI has a million dollars to expand production they’re going to make more cheap ammo because there is no risk and ample demand.

Match rimfire ammo is risky (look at Eley current struggles), expensive to get into, and small rewards. Until the cheap ammo market is fully saturated there will be no incentive to expand into match ammo.

 

[flatlander]

Given how difficult it's been to find SK & Lapua 22RF ammo here in the States for the past 4yrs, I find it hard to understand why several of the previous replies state that the demand is not there or that the market is too small?? I might've had some partial agreement with that opinion back in 2016, because at that time, I could still call any of several wholesalers and order a half-dozen lot samples of SK Rifle Match or Lapua Center-X....not any more. As soon as shooters find out that there's any of these two ammo lines available, it's gone...

 

[Hi-NV Shooter]

The cheap ammo market is too large within the USA. If CCI has a million dollars to expand production they’re going to make more cheap ammo because there is no risk and ample demand.

Match rimfire ammo is risky (look at Eley current struggles), expensive to get into, and small rewards. Until the cheap ammo market is fully saturated there will be no incentive to expand into match ammo.

Eley's struggles are why no USA ammo maker would try and produce match quality RF ammo. if you look back ever since Eley was sold to an investment group the quality went down. putting profit before quality results in what they are producing now.

Lee

 

[Hi-NV Shooter]

Lapua is part of Nammo Group a global munitions maker. rimfire is but a small part of what they make. some of the ammo they make people bet their lives on so quality is very important and we are seeing this same standard of quality in the rimfire ammo.

Lee

 

[xswanted]

There is a market here for quality rimfire ammo from a US manufacturer.

NRL22, PRS22 and PRO among local and smaller precision rimfire competitions have grown exponentially over the last 6-7 years.

There are a ton of people taking part and shooting a lot of ammo.

 

[Liven The Dream]

Just my 2 cents. I see less people at High Power Matches theses days, do to costs ?
I find myself back shooting .22 Rim just to keep shooting and not dropping $$$$.
I have a few .22's my 1957 52C never stops to impress me. Think of the rounds down that barrel?
There is even a .22 F/Class now ? .22 just may get a rebirth?
Ireland has a lot of .22 Rim Shooting theses days.

Just maybe if the demand is there ? Federal may make .22 Ammo as they once did?

 

[STOMP442]

Other countries don't have to put up with an excess of government regulation and EPA requirements either. The stupid rules and regulations we have to follow here for just normal manufacturing is ridiculous. Add in firearms related and things get even more convoluted.

 

[Will Henry]

Add to that the fact that they tried and couldn't match, let alone beat, what established European manufacturers were making. That is what is required to get and keep a market share. I remember, forty years ago, the attempts made by Federal and CCI to try and match what the Russians were shooting.
As it is, US makers can match mid-grade target ammunition from S-K, Eley, RWS, or Lapua, but they don't seem to be able to match the premium stuff. WH

 

[Tim Slater]

If there was any money to be made the Chinese would already be doing it and you could buy it at Walmart.

The PRC did at one time make match grade .22LR under the Triangle and Double Circle/Double Ring brands. I don't know if it's still made, and just used for the domestic market, or whether it was shelved. I'd like to know if these were used by PRC Olympic teams, and when. The point is valid that China seems to have decided importing European ammo and rifles (along with Indian clothing now) is cheaper than developing it in house.

 

[Westex]

I think there is market now ! Lots of 22 matches here in US ! Thats why there is always shortages of quality ammo ! If you want to compete at highest levels of competition you will not win with cheap ammo!

 

[padom]

Federal made quality match in years past, no longer probably because it was not as profitable. Lapua recently announced an expansion.

RWS actually made Federal Gold Medal Ultramatch for years before it was discontinued for Federal. Im not sure exactly when Federal stopped making Ultramatch in house in the USA or if they ever did....

I have pictures around here somewhere of my last few cases of Ultramatch with 50rd boxes with mixed F and RWS headstamps and R50 and Lot Number stamped on the inside of the box tab...

 

[Rsadams]

Simple , MONEY.... Most people including myself until recently don't understand why anybody would be dumb enough to pay $15-$35 a box for .22lr ammo when you can get a box of blazer that goes bang everytime for $2.99.... They make what sells the most... Most people don't spend the money on a rifle that can see the difference.... They buy a 10/22 or whatever is cheapest I mean it's a .22 and if it will hit a coke can or a squirrel it's accurate enough especially with that $39.99 scope they put on it.....

Like I said until recently I was exactly that guy and then I started shooting rimfire 200-300 yards etc.... Actually taking the time to crono ammo like centerfire ammo etc.... when you see an SD of 110 out of CCI SV not once but twice on both a lab radar and a Garmin and an SD of 8 out of other ammo you start to pay attention to what's going on.... Now I have about a grand in a river precision rimfire and my own spinner and swinging targets etc.... I can shoot at a 3-4 inch swingers all day at 300 yards and of course I won't hit it everytime but it's a ton of fun.... I normally shoot at a 2 1/4 inch spinner at 200 yards and once again I won't hit it everytime but I use eley force and it's $5.25 a box or Norma tac $4.99 occasionally... For fifty yards I had a spinner made that's a half inch on top and 3/4 on bottom.... I also use SK match , standered plus all sort of ELEY....

You can have sooooo much fun with a .22 with a decent scope and you will learn so much about wind it's painful..... If you shoot mainly at one place you will learn what the wind does there... You can spend an unlimited amount of money on equipment if you want just like anything else... Just like wind flags , you can spend $100 a flag or like me $4 a roll of survey tape from Amazon.... Either will work....I entered a rimfire match for pistol and won using a box stock Glock 44 up against all kinds of guns running red dots.... Instead I choose to spend my money on trigger time.... If you can hit the target and others can't it's alot easier to win...

In the end there's absolutely no comparison in SK match etc and cheap bulk .22 but it's hard to explain that to people.... Even when they can see the results on paper.... In the end people back at $130 a brick compared to that bucket O bullets of Remington gold dots... Some people won't believe what is proven to them right before their eyes... The definition of doing the same thing over and over and getting the same results....

 

[Tim Slater]

RWS actually made Federal Gold Medal Ultramatch for years before it was discontinued for Federal. Im not sure exactly when Federal stopped making Ultramatch in house in the USA or if they ever did....

The original Ultramatch with dimpled case heads was made by Federal in the USA from 1992 until 2000-ish; I'm told the team for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics effective had pre-production lots.

The later reincarnation was made by RWS I believe.