I didn’t check yesterday, but the local BiMart was stacked high with .40 S&W and 10 mm when 9 mm was scarce. Quite a few 9 mm pistols then, too, but no .40s. Glad I got while the gettin’ was good.
“Quite a few 9 mm pistols then, too, but no .40s. Glad I got while the gettin’ was good.”
I’m set, I just go around to check. The guys at my range have started shooting 200 yd .22 matches and I’m depleting rather rapidly.
If your line can handle 50 per day on old machinery, and the new machinery can handle 200 per day, you need to have enough increased demand for 5-6 years to cover the costs of the new machinery and plants to put them in. You can see why the U.S. government reached out to companies such as Singer Sewing Machines during WWII to keep up with demand.
For all that Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) machining can do, most parts still require finishing by hand to get them to fit properly which can't be rushed and it takes years to hone that skill.
Outside the liability issues, one option might be lower order (and lower cost) machinery where separate machinists/gunsmiths could perfect one component in their workshop, such as a barrel, and then increase or lessen their bench rates as the larger manufacturers sub the jobs to them. There's also room in that model for replacement parts, especially barrels and springs.
With ammunition, like any commodity, the more you produce, the lower the value is per unit unless you have a large increase in demand. Hand-loading could offset it...got to get started...