Posted on 11/07/2007 7:54:06 AM PST by BGHater
Just the bullets? No brass, primers, powder?
mil-spec is supposed to be about making sure that the quality of the product is adequate to support the troops in the mission. Dont buy bullets or guns that fail in battle and get our soldiers killed, that sort of thing.
But like most bureaucratic things, it can be taken too far, creating things like requirements on desk chairs that must swivel and tilt precisely so, things that are nonsensical and raise cost and reduce competitive bidding in areas that have no real impact on the mission.
So it becomes political when some congress critter starts micromanaging the military procurement system.
So back to my question - what is your beef really about?
i wouldn’t know if they’re going up- can’t get anything decent in .44 lead except the crap swaged lead. for what i’m shooting, that doesn’t work.
hopefully i’ll be able to get some next month at the local show.
>>>I suppose I should ask you what you know about mil-spec and where your coming from.
My post 7 covers that just fine. This is a news site. I posted a question. If you are bothered by my question, the standard here is to skip over until something of interests catches your eye.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1922266/posts?page=7#7
And several people answered your question wrt steel bullets. I am not trying to argue with you. I only asked if your point is a political one or not.
I don’t know what wrt is. And yes, several people did answer my question about what the bullets were made of. You are the one that keeps pinging me back here.
wrt = with respect to
Yes, they confirmed they had steel in them. You denied it though.
no...you read something into my post...and I may have oversimplified your original question...again not argueing...but the last comment that you made to me referred to the Berry Ammendment and I was asking you to educate me on your concern.
Bullets are not made of steel (unless you have some alloy harder than steel for your gun barrel).
These bullets would have been manufactured to mil-spec and full copper metal jacket would have been called for.
I would have guessed Taiwan would be delivering those to China, only on a more one-to-one basis.
We better order a lot more.
You know what they say. Within a few hours of shooting Chinese bullets you feel like shooting some more.
They wouldn't want to increase their capacity right now even if they could.
The military keeps saying they will be reducing our combat role in Iraq soon. The Dems want to pull us out now.
Why build capacity, when your customer keeps telling you that you won't need it soon?
The government isn't going to pay ammo manufacturers to have capacity available, just in case, they are going to buy what they need.
Our government should buy what it can from domestic suppliers, and then buy the rest from quality foreign suppliers, which appears to be what they are doing.
After all, if they buy up every round of domestic ammo, what are the rest of us going to shoot?
Sixty Blackhawk helicopters! Connecticut says “thank you!”
Learn to cast your own. Sure, it is more trouble than buying them, but it beats having none. Give a man a box of bullets and he'll shoot for a day; Teach a man how to fabricate ammo and he'll shoot for a lifetime.
The Berry Amendment is a WWII law that requires that the DoD give preference to American suppliers when procuring items. It has been amended many times, such that some items (including some types of steel) are required to be supplied by American companies. However, it was again amended in 2004 stating that it can be waived in times of compelling need.
Since our troops are currently using ammo faster than American sources can make it, this waiver applies. Also, I do not believe that the tiny steel core in M855 ammo would fall under the jurisdiction of the Berry Amendment, but I could be wrong. Regardless, even if it does the compelling need waiver is in effect.
I think I'd better correct this:
'SS109' isn't a cartridge, but is the NATO standard for a hardened 62gr projectile; SS109 is just the bullet.
M855 is a loaded cartridge that uses the SS109 NATO-spec projectile and is intended for 1x7" twist barrels. There is another type of M855 that's lead-free using a projectile made of a copper-nickel and tungsten alloy, but it's generally only used on marksmanship ranges if it's even used at all anymore.
The milspec cartridge with the 55-56gr projectile that has no penetrator component and is just a FMJ lead slug is M193. That's the old Vietnam round intended for the M16/M16A1.
The Army.
I would think the waiver would come from the DoD. This contract was initiated from a U.S. military subcontractor and not directly from the DOD.
Never. Bullets have to be heavy and soft to keep from destroying the barrel of the rifle.
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