Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Ammo Choke-Point


Trainer John Farnam of Defense Training International puts out an occasional newsletter with his quips, quotes, and observations.  In a post sent out on Sunday, he described a conversation with the CEO of a major ammunition manufacturer.

It appears the choke-point for ammo production is not powder or primers but rather brass.
I spent last Friday with the CEO of a major domestic ammunition manufacturer. While there, I was able to get a small quantity of high-performance 40S&W and 45ACP ammunition, as well as some 9mm hardball. He also had some 40S&W practice ammunition and several boxes of high-performance 308.

No high-performance 9mm, and no 223/5.56x45 of any kind. I would surely have acquired some had it been there!

He indicated his current in-hand orders will consume his entire manufacturing capacity for at least the next twenty-four months, and that is assuming no major change in world events.

He also indicted the real choke-point is brass casings. Propellent powder, bullets, even primers are currently in at least adequate supply. Conversely, brass is chronically hard to get, and generalized shortages are holding-up production, industry-wide.

6 comments:

  1. Interesting that primers are now available... A couple of months ago they were the #2 reason behind brass for the slow down.

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  2. Midwest checking in: plenty of primers, casings, bullets. No powder to be found.

    I scored 2 pounds of Accurate No. 5 from a dealer from Nashville, TN at the last gun show in Indianapolis and felt like a master jewel thief.

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  3. One issue is that we are not getting the once used brass from Military and Government ranges that we did at one time. Much of it is now being destroyed instead of sold for re-loading.
    Maybe the time for Aluminium cases has come, CCI seems to do just fine in this area.

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  4. Yup, Obama has been doing everything he can do deny selling usable fired cases to US companies, preferring to either shred them or award single source contracts to Chinese firms.

    He's been stopped several times once Congress has found out, but keeps finding new ways to keep government fired brass off the factory reloading market, which further pinches the new brass cases market.

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