Free Republic

There is a serious threat to our right to bear arms because of narrow, monolithic and federally-controlled manufacture of essential ammunition components, smokeless powder (propellant), primers and cartridge brass. For example, there are only two manufacturers of smokeless powder in the U.S., one plant owned by defense contractor General Dynamics and another owned by defense contractor Alliant Systems (ATK). All other smokeless powder used in the U.S. is imported, and subject to immediate and arbitrary import restrictions. And, General Dynamics and Alliant Systems are subject to a standard condition of military contracts that 100% of their production may be commandeered...

"A group describing itself as a 'Militant Resistance' to a 'corrupt police state' has offered $5000 for details of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson's whereabouts, MailOnline can reveal. Officer Wilson, 28, has been in hiding on paid leave ever since he gunned down unarmed teenager Michael Brown, 18, on 9 August. Now, in one of a series of incendiary tweets the RbG Black Rebels have stated, 'We are paying $5k cash for location of Ofc. Darren Wilson. Real $, no joke, no crime we just wana get his photo an ask him a few questions.' And though the RbG Black...

One of the things that have prevented 3D printed guns from gaining popularity with the mainstream is the fact that they can't fire more than several rounds without wearing out. The plastic used to make the body of the gun is simply too fragile to accommodate the force of firing. A 25-year-old machinist has found an easy, although time-consuming, way to solve this problem. Michael Crumling has developed ammunition he calls .314 Atlas, after the .314-inch caliber and the Atlas lathe he used to make his bullets. Each bullet designed by Crumling is buried deep inside and reinforced with a...

Baghdad: In its fight in Syria and Iraq, the dreaded terror group, Islamic State or ISIS, has been using ammunition from the United States among other countries as per reports. As per reports in New York Times, field data gathered by a private arms-tracking organisation suggested that weaponry sent to Syria and Iraq to help the governments there had passed to the militants. This had in turn helped the rise of ISIS and had added to their combative strenght. One of the ammunition that the ISIS has used in the war has been the rifle cartridges from the US. This...

It’s white. It’s square. And at 1-by-1 inch in diameter, it is the perfect accoutrement to any entrepreneur’s smartphone. With its quick swipe capability and ultimate portability, the high-tech Square Reader credit-card processor has become an invaluable tool in today’s economy. How high-tech credit card vendors and customers get their Second Amendment rights infringed. Taxi drivers use it—as do trade-show vendors, online retailers and home contractors. It is, as the company’s slogan says, a “small credit card reader” that offers “big possibilities.” But some of those big possibilities are apparently being foreclosed by the Obama administration. Last summer, around the...

.22 rimfire is starting to become more available, as tremendous demand is being met.   From around the country I am hearing reports of more .22 rimfire being available, though supplies are still not sufficient to keep stores stocked. My friend Jerry needed to purchase some shotgun ammunition for dove hunting, as I was taking his son and friend out as beginning hunters.   We drove to Wal Mart.   Shotgun ammunition has never been in short supply.   Wal Mart was out of dove loads!  Shooting dove with duck loads or buck shot is not a good idea.   I should explain that...

Earlier this year, CBS News spotlighted a growing shortage of .22-caliber ammunition. "One of the most popular and common" -- and cheapest -- calibers of ammo for hunters and target shooters alike, CBS reports that .22 shells are in short supply these days. Interviewing one supplier, CBS reported that while as recently as two years ago it was still possible to buy .22-caliber ammunition "by the pallet-load... now they're putting restrictions on how much you can get and how you get that ammo." Retailers are shooting blanks This is a problem from ammunition retailers -- and for gun owners as...

It happens daily. Still. I get calls and e-mails asking where all the ammo is. Except it is not “all” ammo anymore. For the record, there is no conspiracy. There is no secret government contract. It’s not Bloomberg or Soros (even though their actions and pronouncements often increase demand. Ironic, huh?). The major domestic ammunition makers have been producing more ammunition than ever. They are all up in terms of total production—double, and in some areas, triple-digit increases. They are all running three shifts. And when it comes to center-fire cartridges, at least of three of the big makers are...

The two boxes of ammunition cost about the same on today's market The price of 12 gauge hunting ammunition has dropped back to near pre- ammunition bubble levels.    Wal-mart had 100 rounds of birdshot loads priced at $19.97 a couple  of days ago.   That is 20 cents per round, or $5 per box of 25.  Before the Barack Obama ammunition bubble, the ordinary price was a little lower, perhaps $4.50, with sales just before dove season as low as $3.00. .22 rimfire ammunition, particularly .22 long rifle (LR) ammunition prices are at an all time high.  This is a...

Gun owners who prefer a hollow point design to a full metal jacket might have found a new favorite. G2 Research (G2R) released it’s new Radically Invasive Projectile (R.I.P.) this month, hoping to “take the civilian and law enforcement markets by storm, and truly become the last round you’ll ever need.” G2R, based in Winder, Ga., highlights that the bullet points are manufactured with trocar angles — or simply put, edges with three angles reaching one point — to “penetrate the dermis layer more efficiently.” The G2R website explains the R.I.P. acts like a full metal jacket when it impacts...

The standard for anti-personnel bullets since time immemorial has always been the hollow point. It mushrooms out on impact, giving the bullet a much larger profile and stopping it inside the target. Unlike the full-metal jacket, which is designed to wound, it will more than likely not pass through what you’re aiming at. However, since we started using weapons, humans have never stuck with the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy and the bullet is not exempt. This newest anti-personnel round not only replaces the hollow point bullet, it also makes it look like a sissy. Meet the...

The Obama caused bubble in ammunition prices seems ready to bust.   Over the last few years people have seen ammunition prices double or triple.  Handgun and rifle ammunition has been hard to find at times.   .22 long rifle ammunition tripled in price over the last 18 months.   People would line up to buy ammunition at prices two and three times the level that they were just two years ago. All of that is about to change.   Ammunition supply looks as though it is ready to catch up with demand.   Centerfire pistol and rifle cartridges are available on most store...

One of the (if not THE) key battles for Jerusalem in 1967 was the battle for Ammunition Hill. Ammunition Hill, which we pass on our way to the Old City - it's probably a five-minute drive from our house - is a small hilltop which was a system of bunkers filled with weapons. The IDF had to conquer it in order to make it to the Old City of Jerusalem and the eastern part of the city. It sits practically on the green line. After the war, this song about the battle was written and performed by an IDF choir....

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- An explosion and fire at a Tennessee plant where ammunition is made has killed one person and left three others injured.

The first time I heard about a shortage of ammunition was from my father, who talked about how ammunition was impossible to get during World War II.  As I now own the .22 rifle that had kept much of the neighborhood in venison during the depression (he told me that it had accounted for about 200 deer over the decades, as it was loaned out to neighbors),  I made the mental note that I would not be caught short in a future conflict. As a young adult I noticed a special on Remington .22 ammunition under the Peters brand...

I had a fellow tell me this morning that he was completely unconcerned about the Ukraine situation, believing that Obama would take the "Chamberlain way out" of confrontation. No he won't, I replied, he'll take the Clinton way out -- do nothing about the larger issue but he'll cut off our access to Russian ammunition just like Clinton cut off our access to inexpensive Chinese ammo in the 90s, to "punish them for human rights violations." Didn't think of that one, did ya?

As I observed the scarcity of .22 ammunition over the last year, and considered the largess that I had accumulated over the previous decades, I considered what to do with it.   I had more .22 ammunition than I would likely shoot over the course of my remaining life.   I shoot less and write more these days. I could sell it.  Prices are high.  But, my church has reminded me that generosity is a virtue.  I decided to give some of it away.   The problem is that people do not value what they get for free.   I wasn't willing to...

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is contracted to purchase 704,390,250 rounds of ammunition over the next four years, which is equal to a total of about 2,500 rounds per DHS agent per year, according to a January 2014 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report entitled Ammunition Purchases Have Declined Since 2009.“If DHS were to purchase all 704 million rounds over the next four years, and if they were used by 70,000 DHS agents and officers, it would be roughly 2,500 rounds per agent per year,” David Maurer, author of the GAO report, told CNSNews.com. “That would be higher than what...

t turns out that the Department of Homeland Security isn’t buying that much ammunition per officer after all… and certainly a lot less per man than most avid shooters go through in a year. Of course, I won’t ask you to take my word for it (the mind control rays could have gotten me, too), so I’ll turn it over to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which provides a link to the Government Accountability Office report for the debunking (PDF) (here’s the direct GAO The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) annual ammunition purchases have declined since fiscal year 2009 and...

"My first shot at a hog with an AMAX out of the 300 SAUM was spectacular. Hit in the neck at 258 yards and there was only a little piece of fur holding the body together at that point. Good terminal performance.” - Mark Swab’s appraisal of the Hornady .308 AMAX sniper ammunition round Despite rising unemployment, record number of people on public assistance, the US Government via the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed a solicitation for more sniper ammo, in this order – they are requesting 141,160 rounds of ammunition (7,058 boxes) of...