[DAC21]

I guess the fair question is to compare these purchases to previous Administrations. Surely if the job requires you to carry, there is going to be Range time. Also what is shelf life of ammo?

I’ll hold my concerned until these questions are answered.

[ctdonath2]

DHS has only been around for a decade. Not many prior administrations to compare to (i.e.: Bush 2), and ramp-up must be considered.

A couple thousand rounds per year is a decent ballpark for basic range time.

Ammo shelf life is pretty much unlimited. Basic rule of thumb: it’s a shelf-stable consumable whose price will always go up, so buy as much as you can as soon as you can.

Crunch the numbers with these principles, and the half-billion number is sensible ... but also justifies raising eyebrows.

[PowderMonkey]

"Also what is shelf life of ammo?"< br>

I've spoken directly with Remington, Federal, and Black Hills ammo manufacturers about this. Their response: "shelf life is indefinite." I've used .22lr ammo that had been rattling around in garage storage shelves and sock drawers for over 35 years. All went "bang!" when I pulled the trigger. Stored in cool, dry, steady temps, and the stuff will outlive you.
"Lead free" stuff on the other hand, won't work beyond 6-7 years shelf life, because it lacks lead styphenate to stabilize the primers.

[ArrogantBustard]

Also what is shelf life of ammo?

Ammunition, properly stored, lasts for decades.

What I notice about these bulk government buys is that they're buying premium hollowpoint cartridges for practice.

That's BS. If it's really practice ammo, they should be buying FMJ like sane folks do.