>>161961What does "SHTF" mean to most people? The way many talk, you all must think it means that as soon as there's some military coup in America, or as soon as the power structure goes bankrupt and collapses, that there will be a cross-spectrum economic implosion, from raw materials to factory production. Many preppers seem to expect a Mad Max type of situation where a few million "survivors" must make-do with supplies of manufactured goods like ammunition that are already in circulation because of course with no federal government, private enterprise is impossible.
No. Just no.
First of all, the reason .22 is scarce right now is because while production of all calibers is stressed, rimfire is the only type of ammo that home reloaders can't reload themselves, as loading it requires an expensive centrifuge. Combine a stressed production with this "prepare for the thunderdome" type of mentality that breeds hoarding, and all you have is temporary scarcity. The only reason people are still buying it is because it's still cheap.
Second of all, there are plenty of countries in the world using other countries' currencies instead of their own. Look up which country's dollars Ecuadorians use to pay for their food. It is 95% likely that should there ever be a financial implosion in the US comparable to what other countries of the world have already experienced, the general population will simply switch over to some other country's currency and continue on with their lives.
Lastly, even in a post-apocalyptic, fight-or-die type of scenario, you're going to make a lot more money hoarding a more useful caliber than .22 lr. Right now, .22 holds value to people because it's cheap to practice and have fun with. What happens when putting dinner (deer or other game) on the table becomes a family's top priority, rather than having fun? If you're expecting ammo production to totally shut down, you'll be much better off with something like .223.
