UPDATE : Ammo Shortage
March 20th, 2006 by Kevin
I have gotten an obscene number of hits/emails/comments from a variety of sources on my previous post on the present widespread ammo shortage. I felt it only fair to clear up a number of questions and tie up some loose ends on that subject.
First of all, yes the shortage continues in most areas of the country. More on that later.
The main reasons are mostly due to the current conflict in Iraq. Outfitting and training a new Iraqi army as well as almost constant increased training of our own forces to prepare for deployment has required a massive surge of ammunition.
Previously, most of the military\’s need was met by Alliant Techsystem\’s plant in Lake City. However, assembly has long been conducted on antiquated machines, which results in limited production rates and low stockpiles. Recently, additional stocks have come from the private sector, as well as foreign sources including South Korea, Taiwan and Israel. General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Inc. in St. Petersburg, FL have since received a second source contract to produce additional quantites of small caliber munitions under a plan as follows:
The goal is for production of as much as 2.0 billion rounds of small-caliber ammunition annually.
The first 1.2 billion rounds of ammunition each year will come from ATK Lake City
Followed by an additional 300 million rounds from a second source.
The next 300 million rounds increment each year will again come from ATK Lake City
If the Army needs an additional 200 million rounds, it will be provided by ATK and/or the second source.
To help meet added demand, ATK begun an upgrade and modernization of their Lake City facility, which is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2008 (Note : Even though modernization has not been completed, their production has increased). Work on General Dynamics new facility is expected to be completed by Aug. 23, 2010.
Most commercial wholesalers have indeed had their stockpiles wiped out. There have been isolated cases where there is a ready supply but most of the nation still has had to do with their private stockpiles. Rounds affected have included 7.62mm, 5.56mm and the .50 caliber.
As near as I can tell, other than the dates listed above I don\’t see an end in sight for the shortages. I\’ve tried getting ahold of several of the commercial manufacturers, but so far both myself and others have gotten relatively non-descript answers of \”soon\”. I was able to find this somewhat dated response someone got from Wolf apparently indicating that by late March there should be plenty of ammo back on the market. However, this being late March and ammo still nowhere to be seen, I think we can declare that a fairly optimistic viewpoint.
Quite predictably, where ammo can be found, prices are high…deservingly so, as people with big stockpiles don\’t need to be buying right now (yes I know you\’d LIKE to…I\’m with you there).
So quite frankly my advice to everyone would be that if you have stockpiles, go easy on them for now. Now might be a good time to remember how much fun that .22 can be. Or else buy a new rifle that uses a round that the military doesn\’t use. If you can find ammo and you really NEED it (not just want it), then buy it. My long term advice would be plan ahead, and don\’t let your stockpiles dip below 1000 rds (more if you\’re a serious hunter/shooter). Besides, if things really went to hell and you had to \”circle the wagons\” what good was a paltry 200 rds gonna do you anyway?
More information when I get it.
Past posts:
Worldwide 7.62×39 Ammo Shortage??
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Posted in This Is My Rifle, This Is My Gun | 10 Comments »
March 21st, 2006 at 8:29 am
Those ND dogs might get off easy this year… except for the fact that most of us have new rifles that don’t encompass the forementioned rounds… The SKS is going to be jealous though. It doesn’t like sitting around when there is stuff to kill…
March 21st, 2006 at 8:33 am
Which reminds me, I need to get out and start looking for a new rifle. Keep an eye out for me drunkguy.
March 21st, 2006 at 8:34 am
FWIW, readout from the Big Reno Gun Show over the weekend of March 10-12, at the Reno Hilton. The big discount ammo dealer that’s always there (Miwall; http://www.miwallcorp.com) still had lots of ammo, including 1000-rd cartons of Wolf 7.62 x 39, but confimed that it’s getting harder to get and going up in price. The Wolf cartons used to be $129.95, as I recall; now they’re $169.95. And commercial 9mm reloads (115 or 125 gr), which were $89.95 for 1000 rds as recently as last month, have gone up to $95.95. They still come loose in a 30-cal ammo can. Non-military calibers don’t seem to be showing the increases, though; e.g., you can still get Federal .30-30 boxes (standard 20 rds, 150 gr. bullet) for ~$8.95.
March 21st, 2006 at 10:00 am
Dang! Just when I get the money set aside to have the .50 mounted in the fender of the Diva’s Mercury the cost of ammo goes up! Do you know if the same shortage applies to tracer rounds?
March 21st, 2006 at 10:30 am
kevin- I’m always looking to spend other’s money, if its on firearms, all the better.
I’ve never paid more than $.09/rnd for 7.63×39 ammo. Hopfully I won’t have to start now. I just hope my stockpile holds up, and we don’t need to circle the wagons anytime soon…
March 21st, 2006 at 1:14 pm
Kevin – just looking for an excuse to buy a new gun? Fun post.
drunkguy – what’s up with the 2005 in your name?
March 21st, 2006 at 7:40 pm
whoops… part of my email address… i type it sometimes without realizing it…
no worries, its me and not some troll trying to be cool… cuz doesn’t everyone want to be “Drunkguy”?
March 21st, 2006 at 10:52 pm
He’s lying. It’s actually the last time he was sober.
With a name like drunkguy you actually have to keep track of stuff like that.
March 22nd, 2006 at 8:41 pm
Ah HA!!! Suddenly the ‘ol 22-250 (50c) caliber is pretty cool, huh? Yea, ok, still expensive as hell to shoot…
April 14th, 2006 at 6:04 pm
I just spoke to someone from Cabela’s they said they would have a shipment of the 7.62×39 ammo at the end of this month. I hope thats true and if so I hope they don’t limit how much I buy…