BLOAT!!
Posted on 08/07/2007 5:45:57 AM PDT by epow
GUN, AMMO SALES UP 14 PERCENT; $70 MILLION FOR CONSERVATION . . .
Sales by gun and ammunition manufacturers grew by 14 percent in the first quarter of 2007 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to one of the firearm industry's best economic indicators. The statistics are taken from the latest Pittman-Robertson federal excise tax collection report. Excise taxes are calculated as a percentage of wholesale receipts, paid quarterly by firearm and ammunition manufacturers, and earmarked for state wildlife conservation and habitat restoration programs.
From January through March, $70 million was generated for conservation, compared to $61 million in 2006. The latest tax collections suggest overall sales of $653.9 million during the quarter, not including retail markup or final retail sales. The increase was seen across the board in sales of handguns, long guns and ammunition.
I looked for some .410 shells with #7-1/2 shot for my wife’s shotgun the other day (a shell size that I don’t reload) and even Wallyworld was out of stock on .410 shells.
Correction: Wallyworld did have a few boxes of Winchester .410 3 inch shells loaded with 3- 000 buckshot pellets in stock, but my wife keeps some .410 slugs on hand for repelling boarders.
The little .410 doesn't get much respect as a defensive weapon, but IMHO an 88 grain .410 slug at 1800 fps muzzle velocity would probably ruin a BG's entire day. Or night, as the case may be.
The increase in revenue is probably not due increased sales quantities but due to increased ammo costs.
Try the bigger on-line ammo retailers (ammoman, cole, etc.) and the stuff we really need to see (Q3131/Q3131A, XM193, etc.) is out of stock or obscenely priced.
I’m still kicking myself for only picking up one case (2700 rnds) of South African .223 battlepacks. I paid around $35 a pack (300 rounds) and now I’m seeing dealers pricing it at $105 a pack (which is really out of whack and probably isn’t moving).
Even 20rnd commercial boxes are over $5 and they used to be around $2.50 a box.
If you're limited to 2.5 inch shells, Winchester has an excellent load (XB41000)which uses three 000 Buckshot. My wife handles it easily and it seems very adequate for "homeland security" in our Winchester 9410. They are available from most of the internet sales operations. I've bought them from Natchez.
Also keep in mind that at short ranges, even birdshot, by not having had much room to expand it's shot swarm is very dense, and will pack a much bigger punch than most people realize. Also, while devastating at close range, birdshot loads will minimize the hazard of overpenetration.
Switch to black powder - all you need is charcoal, sulfur and nitrates.
BLOAT!
Yeah, ammo purchases these days can be considered a good investment.
I’ve heard some predict prices will start dropping, but I’m still loading up on the stuff that I shoot whenever I see a good buy.
I’ll check ammoman. Midway has been pretty good for me.
I’m doing my part!! :)
I was going to invite myself over but I don't think I can squeeze the 4,000 mile round trip in this week.
Actually my "range" is just an informal homemade outfit with a couple of firing benches, some target stands, and a backstop made of logs. The maximum range is only 50 yards, but that's far enough for my watery old eyes anyway.
It's nothing fancy, but it beats the heck out of driving an hour each way to a commercial range and paying 5 bucks per 1/2 hour for range time. The retiree neighbors from FL who live about 150 yds away aren't real happy about the noise, but OTOH I'm not too thrilled with their thweet widdle poodle dog who yips and yaps half the night either. I'm not saying I would like to see the big black Heinz 57 dog that lives down the road a piece make a midnight snack out of the poodle some night, but I wouldn't get all broke up about it if he did.
Well, I read that article too. It said a shortage in police handgun ammo. Not good for me as I carry both a .38 and .40 S&W !
I’m not sure if I believe it either. I know there is a shortage of 7.62x39 but I think that’s nationwide as we try to outfit the Iraqi army.
So basically, my tax dollars go to pay for AK’s and ammo for some goons in Iraq while my own AK sits in my closet because ammo is artificially 1.5 times more expensive than normal. And I read another article a few days ago that said 190,000 AK47’s in Iraq are stolen/missing/otherwise unaccounted for.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1876918/posts
The law of Supply and Demand will not be broken. When the Iraqis are self sufficient in ammo, the prices will come down, barring a Arab Lead Embargo..........
The .410 can be tough to find cartridges for. You might consider getting your wife a 1200 Remington in 20 gauge. The 1200 is a great shotgun to introduce newbies to the shooting sports with. It is simple and has relatively low recoil. The .410 is generally classified as an “experts” shotgun. Maybe your wife is an expert with a shotgun.
About 30 years or more ago when I was living in FL an aggressively hostile drunk tried to break down the front door of an older couple's house in the wee hours of the morning for some unknown reason. After warning the guy to back off several times (according to the old guy's testimony that is) the homeowner fired a round of .410 birdshot through the wooden door and took off most of the lower part of the drunk's face. He survived after a long stay in the hospital at the taxpayer's expense, but his face was a real mess as long as I knew anything about him.
Don't take a .410 lightly, at close range it can be deadly even with small shot, and as you said, triple ought buckshot is also available in the .410, and 3- .36" diameter lead balls moseying along at 1200 fps is nothing to sneeze at. Wild Bill Hickock put down quite a few men with a .36 caliber Navy Colt that fired just one .36" round lead ball at a lot lower velocity than the .410 buckshot load.
In the meantime, '... make plans and prepare. You never have trouble if you're ready for it.' T.R.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.