The Federal 550 round bulk pack was $24.32 after tax. That comes to 4.4 cents per round.Now that CCI SV is showing up for $0.08 a round again, I never even go by the gun desk at Wal-Mart anymore, thank goodness. I used to just walk by it to verify they were out, they always were. I've seen a good selection and pricing of 22 mag at gun shows as of late, if that's your thing. Since they quit selling semi autos, I avoid them anyway but that's JMO.
As far as the more expensive .22 ammo goes, have you ever tried any Aguila Standard Velocity or Aguila Subsonic? It can usually be had online for the same price as CCI and I've found it to be a little more accurate than CCI.