Posted on 08/26/2012 8:56:49 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Times-Union readers want to know:
Is it true, as an email says, that the Social Security Administration is buying 174,000 rounds of hollow point bullets to prepare for civil unrest?
As strange as it might seem as in what does the Social Security Administration need with hollow point bullets? this is mainly true, at least the part about the bullets.
The email talks of a request by the SSA to buy 174,000 rounds of .357 Sig 125 grain bonded jacketed hollow point pistol ammunition.
The email gets its info from the website Infowars.com, which published several stories about the request and referred to 41 sites across the country where the bullets would be sent (Jacksonville not among them). The email draws the conclusion that the bullets were for potential civil unrest:
Social Security welfare is estimated to keep around 40 percent of senior citizens out of poverty. Should the tap run dry in the aftermath of an economic collapse, which the Federal Reserve has already told top banks to prepare for, domestic disorder could ensue if people are refused their benefits.
The request for the bullets was real, obtained through the Federal Business Opportunities website, which all federal agencies use to post open procurements. You can see the request at tinyurl.com/9shjcvl.
After the Infowars.com stories were picked up by the Drudge Report and other such arenas, the questions caused the SSA to issue a statement that the ammunition would be used by field locations of the Office of Investigations, part of the Office of the Inspector General....
(Excerpt) Read more at jacksonville.com ...
Perhaps I over-simplify but if, after the first two years of the current regime, civilians don’t already each have thousands of rounds of ammunition, those folks are not paying attention
The pistol I carry daily on the ranch is a Browning Hi-Power chambered in 357 SIG and it’s one of the most accurate pistols I’ve ever shot. I must agree they are loud but not as loud as what I was carring, a Ruger Blackhawk in 30 Carbine pushing 85 grain bullets at close to 2000 fps is an ear ringer. Now before anybody jumps up an says Browning doesn’t chamber the Hi-Power in 357 SIG and they would be correct, this one started as a new Hi-Power chambered in 40. I sent it to Novak’s and had the comp carry package done plus had the 357 SIG barrel fitted.
Maybe the term “long term care” for old folks is about to be redefined.
There has to be a way to search the procurement database to see if this has been done in previous years. Admittedly I haven’t looked yet.
If it is to quell civil unrest and the SSA enforcement folks shoot as well as the NYPD did at the Empire State Building shooter, then 174k rounds of ammo MIGHT wound say 5800 rioters or less.
OMG! It's an arsenal. no one needs that much ammo unless they are crazy and bent on killing people
and 10 round magazines
OMG! It's an arsenal. no one needs that much ammo unless they are crazy and bent on killing peopleOh, I don't know... At about 580 rounds per person -- you can figure...
Total: 587 rounds per person?
Speaking from personal experience with normal line officers (not special units or anything), that seems cutting it close to me -- if you are budgeting duty & training ammo. Normally, you would have some extra for remedial training and extra practice for those who need it (and there are always a few who do).
The only thing unusual about this was that I was not aware that the SSA had an enforcement arm. I would have thought they used US Marshall's or Feebs or whoever...
Yep, there’s nothing as terrifying as an army carrying only pistols. The fact that they can be shot and killed at 100-yards and better by opponents with rifles is irrelevant. As long as the pistol-carrying army has ten trillion rounds to engage an enemy at 300-yards, they are invulnerable Rambos.
Battlefield souvenirs, anyone?
I think paul51 was being sarcastic, repeating what liberals say about ordinary Americans having 600 rounds of ammunition.
Not to mention the fact they specified a particular round. 125 Gr bonded HP. There are other rounds for the .357 Sig besides that one round.
IMO they are buying this ammo because they are expecting something to come down the pike.
“Hubby thinks it is to keep it out of the hands of civilians.”
Hubby may be right, but if this is then “they” are planning something soon as they cannot keep up such purchases.
It all still sounds fishy to me.
One or two feral (spelling intentional) agencies with its own armed "enforcement" element is not too alarming. Ten years or so ago the Forest Service put their first "LE" units into the woods. Tongue clucking from the local citizenry ensued, not much else.
As things stand, I don't think there is an agency or department that does not have an armed element.
Our tenders have been dispersed throughout the fabric of "government."
By the way, one of the most boring jobs on earth has to be the guard at the local Soc Sec office. Except for directing the occasional customer to the sign-in kiosk, it is wait for lunch, then wait to lock the doors at night. Start over tomorrow.
But great pension and benefits. Perfect job for an EEO sluggard.
Yep, you’re right!
It is a very common problem, especially with the surplus lacquer coated steel cartridges. If you switch to cartridges made from real brass or copper washed steel that the problem will probably go away. It is an extremely robust design, but most of the rifles available were made during WWII and are around 70 years old. They were mass produced under challenging conditions.
You could also have wear, rust, roughness or burrs causing the problem or you might just have some cooked cosmoline in it gumming up the works. The surplus rifles come packed with cosmoline which was designed to be a preservative not a lubricant. You need to be sure you have all of that completely cleaned out. If someone before you was using the rifle before they gave it a thorough cleaning there is a good chance your rifle is gummed up from that.
The other common problem is that pretty much all of the surplus ammo uses corrosive primers which requires the use of a water based solvent after every use before giving it a standard cleaning. If that extra step wasn't done regularly you could easily be having some difficulties relating to rust and pitting.
My suggestion would be to disassemble the rifle and bolt and thoroughly clean, inspect and even polish the parts especially those coming into contact with the brass, spray them liberally with some light oil such as Remington. Then reassemble it and use it with some non lacquered ammo. Chances are the rifle will start giving you good service. They were designed to take a beating and to be used under poor conditions.
This is a 1937 model. I suspected the bullet because it was a weird steel cartridge. He’ll be relieved to know. Thanks
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