Posted on 05/20/2013 4:00:08 PM PDT by Shawn M. Paul
It now seems clear that the Department of Homeland Security’s stockpiling of ammunition and other warfare supplies can no longer be dismissed as “conspiracy theory,” but is a very real development in the actions of an overreaching federal government. Many have suggested and assumed that the ammo and gun shortage experienced across the country is the result of private citizens’ unprecedented purchases, in recent years, in preparation for impending gun control measures. While this is true in part, it is only half of the logical explanation that can be assessed based upon available facts. This phenomenon has been described as creating a perfect storm for private gun owners when paired with the reality that the DHS and other federal agencies are buying up once-available guns and ammunition like never before. Mainstream news sources such as Rawstory and Media Matters have attacked Fox News’ Lou Dobbs and others for their statements affirming that the government has indeed purchased at least 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition (especially including hollow points), 7000 fully automatic assault rifles, and 2700 new light armored vehicles, as well as riot gear including body armor. DHS has also invested $2 million with a contractor that recently apologized for its production of shooting targets depicting elderly gun owners and even pregnant women and children in residential settings, after photos and publicity of the targets recently gained widespread exposure. As it turned out, these claims have proven to be very accurate, as even Media Matters admitted that DHS officials made the 1.6 billion rounds purchase as they were also busy denying it. The organization also insisted that “the order for 2717 new light armored vehicles [came] from the United States Marine Corps – not the Department of Homeland Security.” This claim seems baseless, as all photos have clearly shown the DHS emblem emblazoned on the tanks in question. All these dismissive reports against the supposedly “misleading” claim of the DHS stockpiling effort can be traced back to a February 14 Associated Press report, lacking any investigative basis, that simply repeated the statement from DHS official Peggy Dixon, who claimed the bulk ammo purchases to have been made in order to save money, and that the bullets were solely intended for military and federal law enforcement training purposes. This claim becomes weaker upon consideration that hollow-point ammunition is significantly more expensive than standard rounds, and military spokesmen and ammunition experts contend that such bullets are unsuitable for training purposes and have never been used for such a purpose.
Seemingly, at the very least, even if the government isn’t preparing to make war against its own people, they are preparing for civil unrest, which is suspect enough for the warranted concern of the American people. The government may well be, however, deliberately attempting to restrict the supply of ammunition, thus the functionality of firearms, from the American people. It has never been a well-kept secret that the Obama administration is no big fan of the Second Amendment. The longstanding fears of many have begun to be shared by several of our elected officials who are increasingly becoming more vocal in their concerns about the government’s attempt to strip citizens of their right to keep and bear arms. Recently, as a guest on Aaron Klein’s radio show, Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Inholfe accused the Obama administration of buying up unprecedented levels of ammunitions as a means to intentionally bypass the Second Amendment until law-abiding citizens “can’t even buy ammunition because government is purchasing so much.” Inholfe cited last month’s testimony from DHS Chief Procurement Officer Nick Nayak who said DHS has the right to buy up as much ammunition as it deems necessary. He mentioned that the ammo grab is an ongoing concern, as even still “they’re planning to buy 750 million rounds. Well, that is more than three times the amount that our soldiers are using for training to defend our nation. So, it’s just another effort to restrict gun activity and ownership.” The senator is in the process of introducing the Ammunition Management for More Obtainability (AMMO) bill that will limit “non-defense, armed federal agencies to pre-Obama levels of ammunition.” There now seems to be ample evidence that our federal government, namely the Obama administration, is up to no good when it comes to the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding American citizens. Historically speaking, this is a very alarming cause for concern. Hopefully, this concern then will continue to be shared by more elected officials in our local, state, and federal governments, as well as among our military and law enforcement communities. Lou Dobbs likely said it best with the following statement: “It’s like I tell anyone who brushes off what I try to tell them as simple ‘conspiracy theory.’ At some point it stops being a theory, and is in fact a conspiracy. I also remind them that we’re not talking about science fiction or aliens here. We’re talking about the very REAL potential of government misconduct towards its own people; something that has happened time and time again in history.”
“Confuse, disable and mislead the domestic enemies of our country.
Well, as Stonewall Jackson said:
“Always mystify, mislead and surprise an enemy, and when you strike and overcome him never let up in the pursuit. Never fight against heavy odds if you can hurl your force on only a part of the enemy and crush it. A small army can thus destroy a larger one, and repeated victory will make it invincible.”
Clearly Photoshop.
The Won’s legs are much skinnier than that.
Sorry, my bad. Thought they were the same.
I learned this a few days ago, when I posted an article in which the writer ran loooong paragraphs. I should have inserted break points (left caret br right caret) reflecting the column appearance in the original article. To do so would not have been editing it, just making it easier to read, though taking up more column inches here.
I won't do that again.
I am probably part of the problem. I am the guy that will buy a brick of .22 lr every time I see one available. I reload everything else, but I can't find bulk components at decent prices. That stops me from using my reserves.
That’s my favorite Bammy pic.
There are some slight differences in the cases which can cause problems. The way to solve it is to make sure your rifle is chambered for 5.56 NATO. No worries then.
There’s also a hybrid chambering available called .223 Wylde that supposedly solves the issue. I can’t say for sure as I don’t own one. All our M4geries are chambered for 5.56.
Since we hand load everything these days with .223 dies we are covered. That 55 grain Sierra Game King bullet is a wicked stopper at 2900 fps. LOL.
Good luck.
I got a malware hit on that site.
Most, 90%, of my stash is 5.56 since that is what my ArmaLite AR-180 is chambered for. But realized many months ago that I also needed to stock up on some 223. The 223 would be for barter and trade and used in my AR-180 if I needed them.
FORMATTING IS YER FRIEND..../S
They are close, but not the same. Reloaders and serious shooters know this.
http://www.rifleshootermag.com/2012/02/02/5-56-and-223-are-they-different/
No, they are not the same. There is a general misperception among the shooting public and Law Enforcement personnel that the .223 Rem and 5.56mm Military cartridges are identical – just a different designation used for commercial and military purposes– and can safely be interchanged. The fact is however that although somewhat similar, they are not identical and dangerous high pressures and safety hazards can result from firing some types of 5.56mm ammunition in .223 Rem chambered firearms.
The cartridge shellcases of each have essentially the same length and exterior dimensions.
Mil Spec 5.56mm ammo typically has higher velocities and chamber pressures than the .223 Rem. In fact, the chamber pressure of each is tested by entirely different methods in different chamber configurations. The resulting data cannot be meaningfully interchanged or interpreted by applying a simple correction factor.
The 5.56mm cartridge shellcase may have a thicker sidewall and a thicker head than the commercial counterpart - to better withstand the stresses generated by the higher chamber pressures. This situation, however, reduces the powder capacity of the military shellcases - which can create higher than safe pressures if reloaded using load data and components intended for commercial .223 Rem cartridges.
. The 5.56mm and 223 Rem chambers are also similar but are not identical. The primary difference is in the "Throat”. The throat is defined as the cylindrical portion of a chamber between the shellcase mouth shoulder and the conical “Leade” portion that tapers down to the bore dimension. The throat in a. 223 Rem chamber usually extends only .085” in front of the shellcase mouth position. In a 5.56mm chamber the throat is typically .162”, or almost twice as long as in the 223 Rem chamber.
One can safely fire commercial 223 Rem. cartridges in military 5.56mm chambers with this longer throat, but will usually experience a slight loss in accuracy and velocity – compared to firing the 223 round in the chamber with the shorter throat for which it was designed.
Functional and safety problems may occur when firing the higher pressure 5.56mm cartridge in a 223 Rem chamber with its much shorter throat. It is generally known that shortening the throat can dramatically increase chamber pressure. In some instances, this higher pressure can result in primer pocket gas leaks, blown cartridge case heads, and poor gun functioning, each of which can be personal safety issues.
The 5.56mm military cartridge fired in a 223 Rem. chamber is considered by SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute) to be an unsafe ammunition combination and is listed in the “Unsafe Arms and Ammunition Combinations” Section of the SAAMI Technical Correspondent’s Handbook. It clearly states; “In firearms chambered for 223 Rem – do not use 5.56 Military cartridges.”
Federal’s XM193 packaging currently has a warning that states “For use in standard 5.56 Chambers. Do not use in non-standard 5.56 chambers.” This warning is also listed on the XM193 Product Specification Sheet. Winchester Ammunition has a similar warning on their USA brand 5.56 ammunition packaging: “Use only in firearms in good condition designed and chambered by firearm manufacturer specifically for this 5.56 ammunition and so marked on the firearm.”
Some commercially available AR15’s, M4’s and M16’s – may in actuality have been manufactured with 5.56 mm chambers although stamped .223 Rem on the receiver. it is the user's responsibility to know for which cartridge their firearm was chambered and choose their ammo accordingly. If you have any questions about chambering, check directly with the firearm manufacturer.
Please do not post potentially dangerous misinformation on this or other internet forums
bkmk
Man, that was a tough read. Could have used at least another half dozen paragraph breaks for readability.
Good article, though. Thanks.
Subject is interesting but it looks like too much work to read it. Some of us older folks can’t control our eyes as well as we used to and read the same line over and over again unless there is a break now and then.
By the time we figure out that something is wrong most of us lose our place and either start over or continue several lines down from where we should be.
Dang it, forget what the post was about now.
Actually, they're NOT the same. While you can fire .223Rem in a rifle chambered for 5.56mm, you should NOT fire 5.56mm rounds in a rifle chambered for .223Rem.
You can experience unsafe chamber pressures firing 5.56mm NATO rounds in a rifle chambered for .223Rem.
Mark
It they can’t shoot any better than that Marshal Law bunch did in Boston they may need all that ammo. Lead was flying all over the place. Best I can tell one of the guys was hit once and the other one perhaps two times. Cops in one car chase ran out of ammo. Hell only know how many houses and parked cars were shot full of holes. Miracle some innocents were not killed.
No Jane, they are not. While a barrel stamped 5.56 will cycle .233 without problem, a barrel stamped .233 will not cycle 5.56 without problems.
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