I’m surprised as hell that no unconventional entrepreneurs aren’t leaping into the breach.
Where are the wheeler-dealers buying up stockpiles of leftover 7.62x39mm, 7.62x51mm, 5.56mm, ancient 30’06, and 9mm from 3rd world stockpiles the world over?
If I was a turd world potentate, warlord or globe-trotting gangster, I’d be getting out of the killing business entirely and selling my ammo stockpiles to the yanquis.
Sigh! Too bad ol’ Viktor Bout (”The Merchant of Death”) is in the klink. This would be a tailor-made opportunity for someone like him.
There are no “large” stockpiles of surplus ammo left; there’s just little bits here and there of things like corrosive 7.62x51, there’s plenty of ancient 7.2x54R, but there’s very little .30-06 left. The 7.62x39 stuff... that’s become very spotty as well.
What I see coming through now is very recent stuff. When you go to buy once-fired mil-surp brass (eg, 7.62 or 5.56 US mil-surp once-fired) it is getting more and more recent. I have some 7.62 that has headstamps indicating 2002, 2005, 2006 vintage. I’ve talked to other guys who just got lots of once-fired brass from 2007 - entire 1K round lots.
There isn’t a whole lot of slop left in the supply chain. What we need is a new ammo manufacturing business for components - especially brass made off a .308 case (.308, .243, .260, 7mm-08, etc). There is .223 brass available, but the supply of .308 is very scarce from what I see.
Bullets are easy to make. Powder is dangerous to make, but relatively easy.
Primers are tough. Brass is tough. I’ve been doing research on how to make brass in quantity, but I’ve yet to find the right equipment. Anyone here on FR who knows where to get the punching and drawing presses?
Imports are the very easiest thing for the Graboids to shut down. Doesn't even take a new law or anything, Stoke of the pen, or just a word to the wise to the AG...who doesn't really need one, and they are either shut done, or tied up in paperwork.
Surprised it hasn't been done yet. Although we might not have heard of a slowdown.
Besides, the Mexican drug dealers are buying up a bunch of it, and no legitimate importer is going to be able to outbid them.