Midway .22LR Thunderbolt 500 for $15

[DaleA]

Just a note to try to cheer people up a bit by showing .22LR at a reasonable price.

Midway is selling 500 rounds of Remington Thunderbolt .22LR for $15.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/59...ox-of-500-bulk

Now I know some folk would rather convert their firearms to flintlocks than use Remington Thunderbolts for some of the following reasons:
1. Flintlock black powder burns cleaner than Thunderbolts.
2. Flintlock would give more reliable ignition than Thunderbolts.
3. Flintlock loaded with black powder from a powder horn gives better consistency than Thunderbolts.

But it's out there.

Good luck.

[Aguila Blanca]

I have three or four bricks of Thunderbolt, and my experience with it has been much better than most reports I have read. But ... my supply was bought at least fifteen years ago. I have no experience with current production Thunderbolt, and my research suggests that the reliability "has not improved" over the past fifteen years.

[NAW]

The thunderbolts ran 100 rounds flawlessly through my ruger mark 3. Its cheap and runs. What else do you want from 22lr? The box i had was from 2018.

[JERRYS.]

I have a few bricks of thunderbolts that I bought when the hording was going on.... I cannot say anything bad about them. with my mkII, marlin 60, walther p22 and LCR they haven't misfired once in the few hundred rounds I've used.

[Doyle]

The old Thunderbolts weren't bad. I think I still have a few laying around. The new ones have gained a bad reputation - so much so that they are commonly called Thunder Duds.

[NoSecondBest]

Having shot at least a half million .22lr rounds in my life, I'd have to say that Remington ammo is about as bad as it gets.....even if it goes "bang" every time. No one's mentioned a very important feature you should expect from your ammo.......accuracy. It's about as inconsistent as any ammo you can find. There are several other brands that can be had at really low prices all the time that are way, way better in that area, and they too go bang each time. If you want cheap, reliable, and accurate (fairly accurate) ammo, get some GECO and have it delivered right to your door.
https://www.targetsportsusa.com/22-l...mo-c-202.aspx#

[pete2]

I'd rather have 150 Mini-Mags.

[Bayou]

Also, I just bought a bunch of bricks of Thunderbolts from my local WallyWorld for $14.58/brick of 500.

I've compared them to more expensive brands, and they compare quite nicely. The autoloading pistols and rifles cycle reliably with them. Also, I've experienced no lead fouling with the Thunderbolts.

Bayou

[riffraff]

CCI Mini Mags have been popping up for 6 cents a round too, twice the price of course but that a good price for quality ammo.

[Targa]

I heard they were unreliable, not accurate and dirty. I have not had a problem with them, for the most part they hit were I aim them and I have yet to find .22’s that weren’t dirty.

They aren’t my preferred rounds but they work.

[Pahoo]

Dale,
Find your listing to be pretty much on the mark and made me smile; except #3 as we don't load from a flask but rather a measured charge. You may be right as I'm not sure about the charge in Thunderbolts.....

3. Flintlock loaded with black powder from a powder horn gives better consistency than Thunderbolts.#3

Be Safe !!!

[Erno86]

I had one squib load in my revolver from a Thunderbolt round, and I will not take or buy any Thunderbolts, even if they offered it to me for free.

[Onward Allusion]

No thanks. I don't shoot 22LR much these days, but when I do, it's with CCI or Federal.

[T. O'Heir]

That's $15 on sale. Regular price is $24.99. Same price as Cabela's. It makes no difference if your firearm doesn't like 'em.

[USNRet93]

Now I know some folk would rather convert their firearms to flintlocks than use Remington Thunderbolts for some of the following reasons:

I just shot about 200 rounds of Thunderbolts on my new(to me) Henry AR-7 and found them to be reliable and accurate..

[Ricklin]

Am not a fan of thunderbolts.

Bud's had the Federal black pack, 3,400 rounds. Keep an eye out for sales. I paid about 60 bucks.

Accurate and sure fire.

[NoSecondBest]

Accuracy has a far different meaning from one person to another. Lots of people seem to think that they have "quality ammo" if it goes BANG every time they pull the trigger. If that''s "good enough" for you, just get the cheapest stuff you can buy. FWIW, that actually is good enough for a lot of people. For shooting skunks, possums, and assorted critters at ten or fifteen yards that's all you actually do need. If you like to shoot squirrels in the head, or crows, etc at a hundred yards, that stuff isn't going to work out. I guess it's all about what your needs and expectations are. Shooting groups at seven or ten yards though doesn't tell you anything. Even the junk stuff shoots OK for about everyone at those distances. Move out to fifty and try shooting small targets and your Thunderduds just won't make the cut on any kind of a regular basis. Once in a while you get a brick that shoots OK, and the next one won't. It's just horribly inconsistent. For just a couple of bucks more per brick and you can get some stuff that shoots pretty good. That GECO that I mentioned will shoot under an inch at fifty yards all the time with my CZ 455 rifle and with my handgun will shoot half an inch or better at twenty-five yards off a rest for five shots. I don't know how bad you need to save a couple of bucks, but it's well worth the little bit of extra for me.

[zukiphile]

Originally Posted by USNRet93

I just shot about 200 rounds of Thunderbolts on my new(to me) Henry AR-7 and found them to be reliable and accurate..

Identifying Thunderbolt as terrible ammunition is a popular hobby.

I've had rifles in which it shined, and back before the turn of the century I bought cases of it for about $100. I just tried some of that 20 year old Thunderbolt in a Lothar Walther barrel, and it was pretty awful. Some newer production Thunderbolt has been given a thumbs up by better rifle shooters than me in their 10/22s.

My experience has been that a gun that likes Thunderbolt will also do pretty well with Remington Subsonic, which does not share TB's virtue of a low price.

[2wheelwander]

For exactly the OP's 3 reasons is why I do not shoot Thunderbolts. I have a few bricks collecting dust at the very back of the safe. Stovepipe, fail to ignite, DIRTY, I hate those things.


The only thing that brings a smile to my face regarding Thunderbolts is that some schmuck has 100,000 of them they hoarded during the last ammo drought hoping to fund their retirement.

[kenny53]

I have some thunderbolts and I never had as much trouble with them as some folks. They have work well for me, I have had more trouble the Federal Auto Match. None of my semi's like those. I have use the Auto Match in my revolvers, lever actions, and bolt actions. I am slowly shooting up my bulk ammo and replacing it with CCI stuff.

[M88]

Originally Posted by kenny53

I have some thunderbolts and I never had as much trouble with them as some folks.

I blew through the better part of a brick of Thunderbolt about a month ago, and also didn't have any problems. Fed my 10/22 no problems and in that rifle consistently accurate at 50 yards with iron. But even putting them through my scoped Ruger 8401 Precision out to 100 yards they seemed to be just as consistent as my other stuff. As for being dirty... my 22 handguns and rifles seem to ALWAYS be dirtier than other calibers, but not a big deal for me. I actually get pleasure out of cleaning my guns after a range session. It's just part of the shooting experience I not only don't mind, but actually look forward to doing when I get home to the shop. I think the bottom line is the Thunderbolts APPARENTLY are hit or miss depending on when you bought the brick... so I suppose I always just got lucky as I've been using them, along with other brands, for years no problems.... yes even out to 100 yards with rifles that can do that.