Posted on 06/19/2022 6:59:43 AM PDT by Chad C. Mulligan
Last night, news broke that the Biden Administration is taking behind-the-scenes steps to further strangle the already constricted market for ammunition in the United States. The move could result in a reduction of the commercial production of 5.56 caliber ammunition by over thirty percent. *snip* Supplies would undoubtedly plummet and prices would undoubtedly skyrocket, putting the availability of ammunition for self-defense, training, and competition out of reach to many Americans. *snip* Keane on Wednesday night published a tweet, which stated: “The U.S. Military is actively considering shutting down the sale [of] M855/SS109 ammo from Lake City to the commercial market.”
The cartridges mentioned in Keane’s post are very popular forms of 5.56 caliber ammunition, the most common caliber for the AR-15.
Close followers of Second Amendment issues will remember that these same rounds were targeted by the Obama/Biden administration under the guise of relabeling them “armor piercing ammunition,” which is banned from commercial sale by federal law. The resulting (and righteous) furor from the Second Amendment community was so intense that it culminated in Obama’s ATF director, B. Todd Jones, quitting his job. Jones had been the first and only confirmed ATF director since Senate approval became required for that post.
Lake City is a sprawling ammunition plant in Independence, Missouri, originally established by Remington in 1941 to manufacture and test Ammunition for the U.S. Army. It is currently owned by the government and operated by private contractors and produces well over a billion rounds of ammunition per year.
Ammunition in excess of the government’s requirements has long been made available to the private commercial market. Lake City’s output, according to some estimates, accounts for one-third of the 5.56 caliber ammunition available to U.S. consumers.
(Excerpt) Read more at nraila.org ...
A reckoning is coming.
Many are training smarter, using less ammo, to maximize reserves.
Been waiting for this to happen.
They finally remembered what Obama did……….the Feds bought millions of rounds of ammo for agencies like the Post Office and security at the Social Security Admin.
Now it’s a repeat.
Being able to sell ammo to the civilian market allows them to maintain production facilities at full capacity at a reasonable cost.
If they have to idle facilities and employees, while still paying for them, when there’s no military demand, then that will either increase costs or reduce capacity.
No problem. The Mexican cartels will bring it in across our open borders. Probably be cheaper.
The government owns the factory. They are converting to 6.5.
Their factory, their rules.
There are plenty of sources of 5.56 ammo out there.
Too late for this except as an inconvenience - foreign vendors stepped - flew - into the market when things were tight in ‘20 and ‘21. This stuff is NATO milspec and although you won’t be entering any target shooting matches with it, it goes bang just fine.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
The Fed Gov is Forbidden to infringe. Period.
Note: I do not shoot 5.56 Ammo. I do reload it for family. And note, there are a lot more deadly bullets than FMJ, most AR's don't shoot very well with heavier than 60-65 grain bullets.
“Many are training smarter, using less ammo, to maximize reserves.”
Practice with 22R to keep muscle memory on draw, target acquisition and firing. But still shooting less of that.
Hopefully, other facilities will ramp up. But I still suspect that the underlying motive is to control US, not where that particular ammo goes.
” most AR’s don’t shoot very well with heavier than 60-65 grain bullets.”
Ruger Mini 14 seems to like the heavier bullets than the 55 grain.
Yep.
I have one in Sig P320
Hey I’m sure when the Demoncrats are successful at disarming all law abiding citizens they will also be able to choke off all illegal firearms and ammo from coming across the Southern Border just like they do for illegal drugs and illegal aliens ... Oh wait, I’ve warped into the wrong universe again.
I load 60 grain Hornady V-Max for my wife’s youngest son as a hunting load. Very accurate and excellent expansion. Drive it with Varget.
Does anyone with an AR 15 NOT have more ammo than they need?
I am not suggesting they stop making it…but most folks I know are not running out any time soon.
Putin is really making life hard on us.
I don’t have an AR, but if I bought one it would be 7.62x39 or .300 Blackout. Not long range, but very effective.
For long range I have .308 and 30-06 bolt action rifles. And some heavier.
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