Posted on 05/20/2009 1:56:10 AM PDT by appleseed
FLORENCE - Every day, Darren Newsom's three Bitterroot Valley Ammunition facilities crank out 300,000 rounds of ammunition.
It's not nearly enough.
“I'm going about 100,000 rounds in the wrong direction every day,” Newsom said. “We probably have about six months of back orders right now.”
Newsom has been in the ammunition manufacturing business for more than 20 years and he's never seen demand this high.
Fearful of the Obama administration's potential to tighten gun control laws, people from all over the country are stocking up on guns and ammunition.
“I went through the Clinton years and there was a bit of a scare then,” Newsom said. “This is like the Clinton years on steroids. ? On the day of the election, our phones started going nuts. It hasn't stopped since.”
As a master distributor for ATK - the world's largest ammunition business - Bitterroot Valley Ammunition supplies other ammunition manufacturers around the country with the components needed to make bullets.
“I get a million primers in every other day and most are shipped out the very next day,” he said. “I have 100 million primers on back order right now. We just can't get enough of them.”
At a recent gun show in Salt Lake City, Newsom sold somewhere between 300,000 and 400,000 rounds in the first two hours.
“It's just unreal,” he said. “Somewhere in lots of basements around the country, there are millions of rounds of ammunition being stored.”
(Excerpt) Read more at missoulian.com ...
Ya know, the funny thing about it is that guns are basically a projectile at high speeds.
Basically throwing rocks at each other.
Much, much faster, and more accurate.
Lead rocks.
Don’t get me wrong. I have more guns than cars. And I have plenty of cars.
Self Reliant/Survivalist ping list
We’re just sending a message, DON’T TREAD ON US!
I can't believe the manufacturers can't meet the demand. Somewhere there is an induced shortage holding up production, IMHO.
Why have such a mixture?
Seems to me the best thing is to have as many handguns/long guns that can share/swap ammo as possible. Well, except for the shotgun category.
My scenario:
- Current inventory shortage is caused by a large amount of ammunition being shunted into stockpile, either by manufacturers or by distributors. This pushes prices up while it spurs demand through rumors of government betrayal.
- Unfettered by any meaningful checks and balances, the UN treaty on international arms is ratified. This restricts handloading by imposing extra-national laws on the U.S. citizenry.
- Further restrictions on ammunition are imposed. Based on "reasonable" requirements (perhaps matching "microstamping" of bullet and case), handloaded ammunition is made illegal beyond some arbritary cutoff date.
- The administration's proposal for excessive taxes on ammunition is made law, resulting in up to 1,000% tax on ammunition produced after a specific date.
- The stockpile is released. Since the consumer cannot tell the difference between pre-tax ammunition and post-tax ammunition, the price for both on the shelf is the same, resulting in a windfall profit for manufacturers and distributors as they pocket the tax moneys they collected on pre-tax ammunition, but are not required to pass on to the government.
*** Epilogue: A sizeable portion of the windfall profits from the tax $crewing finds its way into the pockets of lobbyists, and campaign funds of legislators.
I narrowed things down to 9mm, .45 ACP, 7.62x39, and 7.62x54R.
Of course, this doesn't factor in my .38 and .357 revolvers that I use for CCW and automobile carry, respectively.
I further complicated the whole consolidation thing when I recently picked up a Mossberg 590A1 12 gauge. It's going to be hungry for ammo, too.
Oops.
I have what I have collected over a 40 year period. Look at it this way, no matter what reasonably common caliber can be found, I can shoot it
America is arming itself for the coming onslaught from the government...
That sounds about right. I was only able to find 1 box of 6.5x55 for Swedish Mauser.
Sales have been 30% higher for over five months and demand, with back orders, has been much higher. What makes you think that they have to artificially create a shortage?
You can only shoot two guns at once, and should only shoot one at a time. Having guns of differing calibers makes having ammunition for all of them less likely, but ammunition for one of them more likely.
Also, if need be I can arm my neighbors, but they will be dependent on me to supply those wacky ammo types. Thus they'll need to do what their told to keep getting it.
Just a pre-coffee thought.
American capitalism, even what’s left of it, usually rushes to meet demand. If I were running an ammunition company and had these back-orders, I’d have a third shift, new rented facilities and additional staff to meet the demand before my competitors (who are also working really hard) get the business.
It took me a month to get some components...and I still cant get others. I am awaiting 2lbs of powder via UPS today and will get another 3 lbs in about a week. Primers were impossible to get online, but I found them in a store who jacked the prices way up.
bullets for certain calibers are impossible to find. I do have 150 lbs of lead and some molds for low velocity stuff like pistols, low power rifles like my trapdoor springfield and muzzle loaders.
I am looking now for jacketed bullets to load for certain calibers.
Simple answer. Have a pocket Constitution and ignore it!
Well, this part of the economy has been stimulated.
A very valid question.
I noticed he didn't answer it.
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.