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American manufacturers race to relieve a pandemic-triggered ammo shortage
The Economist ^ | Nov 27 2021 Edition

Posted on 11/25/2021 9:11:42 AM PST by Right Wing Vegan

Soaring demand for guns and ammunition comes from a range of demographic groups

Just two companies, Vista Outdoor and Olin Corp, meet the bulk of America’s demand for ammunition, and chiefly through two long-established brands. Remington, part of Vista, was founded in 1816, and Winchester Ammunition, owned by Olin Corp, started in 1866. Because of soaring demand for bullets, both firms are enjoying the sort of heady growth that only new businesses usually enjoy.

Three times a day, queues of pick-up trucks appear outside Remington’s ammunition plant on the outskirts of Little Rock, Arkansas, to bear away the fruits of round-the-clock shifts. It is a sharp reversal from last summer, when Remington went bankrupt for the second time since 2018. Production had been reduced to a trickle of bullets made from whatever raw materials could be coaxed from suppliers, who had no certainty of being paid.

Even as Remington languished—it was then owned by a private-equity firm, Cerberus Capital, which appeared more focused on complex financial transactions than on expanding the firm’s sales—the ammo market took off. The biggest factor was covid-19 and associated restrictions, which encouraged millions of people outdoors to hunt and target-shoot. Background checks on gun purchases, a measure commonly used to track the market, had been increasing annually, but last year they shot up by an unprecedented 40%.

Remington has been able to increase prices seven times. It has unfilled orders worth billions of dollars. Retailers of ammunition surveyed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), a trade group, said they could have sold three times more ammunition during the first half of 2021 had it been available. Vista, Remington’s new parent, has infused working capital and increased the size of its workforce. The unit’s operating profits this year are expected to be similar to the $81m that Vista paid for the business. As for Winchester Ammunition, its revenues for the third quarter nearly doubled year on year, to $400m, and its gross operating profits nearly quadrupled.

The ammunition and gun industries pray the good times will last. In the past demand surges came when gun-owners—mostly white and male—feared new restrictions. Now it is about new demographic groups. A survey by the NSSF shows that the proportion of recreational shooters who are female has increased from 19% to 25% between 2006 and 2019. By now 28% of gun owners are Hispanic, 25% are black and 19% are Asian. Gun clubs are springing up for every niche. The Pink Pistols, for example, a shooting and social group for sexual minorities, has 48 chapters across America. Its motto: “Pick on someone your own calibre”.

Political opposition to firearms remains strong, causing businesses to shift operations of late to places that might be a tad friendlier. Remington’s licensed firearms division is moving from New York to Georgia, where gun laws are more permissive, and Smith & Wesson, another legendary brand, has recently said it will up sticks from Massachusetts to Tennessee. But customers for guns and ammo seem to be popping up everywhere.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 1816; 1866; ammo; banglist; bloat; brass; cerberus; cerberuscapital; demographics; littlerock; olin; remington; smithandwesson; smithnwesson; smotheredin; vista; winchester
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To: JusPasenThru

$24? Silly. Here’s one of the aggregate search engines: https://ammoseek.com/ammo/9mm-luger?ca=brass


41 posted on 11/25/2021 10:37:08 AM PST by No.6
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To: Pollard

I did not own a weapon until July 2020. At that time the mostly peaceful protesters were threatening to “take it to the ‘burbs”. I still was not comfortable with the idea of gun ownership so my wife reserved a Taurus G2s for me as it was all they had at the time. Now I’ve purchased 4 more firearms (Ruger, Sig and Taurus) and am studying to become a firearms safety instructor. I’ve probably fired 3000-4000 rounds since then. Fortunately I’m a man of means for now and could afford it. I think a wage earner would be screwed, as always.


42 posted on 11/25/2021 10:46:43 AM PST by JusPasenThru (Let’s go Brandon!)
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To: Right Wing Vegan

Doesnt matter for me.
Lost all my guns and ammo in a boating accident.


43 posted on 11/25/2021 10:48:02 AM PST by griffin
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To: ChildOfThe60s

“Pink Pistols” are historically a group of men with a preference for the company of other men.


44 posted on 11/25/2021 10:55:26 AM PST by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: S. D. Waters

Likewise large pistol primers.


45 posted on 11/25/2021 10:57:06 AM PST by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: S. D. Waters

When primers of any kind show up at local auctions, they are quickly bid up to stupid levels.


46 posted on 11/25/2021 10:58:22 AM PST by Noumenon (Black American flag time. KTF)
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To: Vaquero

I still can’t buy SD ammo without taking out a second mortgage.

I have to settle for that deadly armor piercing full metal jacket (practice) ammo. But really, how much over over-penetration am I going to get with .38Spl out of a 2 inch barrel?


47 posted on 11/25/2021 11:15:45 AM PST by Jeff Chandler (THE ISSUE IS NEVER THE ISSUE. THE REVOLUTION IS THE ISSUE.)
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To: Lurkinanloomin
The only lead smelter in the US was shut down.

For many years most US demand for lead has been satisfied by secondary lead, mostly that which is recovered from car batteries.

Every imported car comes with a battery and most of the lead ends up being recycled.

48 posted on 11/25/2021 11:16:01 AM PST by CurlyDave
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To: JusPasenThru

XLNT!
.
It’s a Fun Sport with
Great People and good
Benefits.
It remains to be seen How
It All pans out.


49 posted on 11/25/2021 11:16:46 AM PST by Big Red Badger (Make His Paths Straight!)
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To: Texas Fossil

What primers do you need? I have a fair amount. PM me, and let me know where in our Republic you are...perhaps we can do an in person transaction.


50 posted on 11/25/2021 11:42:32 AM PST by Ancesthntr (“The right to buy weapons is the right to be free.” ― A.E. Van Vogt, The Weapons Shops of Isher)
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To: This_Dude
...My 7.62x39 is gone. Not one single round available in 50 miles. It can only be found online for 3x what it was 6 months ago, if you could even find it back then...

There was a 'window of opportunity' about 3 months ago,when 7.62x39 was available some places for what I consider normal prices (i.e., under $6 a box, which is what I paid for Tula FMJ at Walmart for many years). I remember seeing 500 round lots of Barnaul HP for about $150 shipped on GunBroker - then the Feds cut off supplies from Russia, and prices doubled or tripled overnight.

Let's Go, Brandon!!

51 posted on 11/25/2021 11:55:08 AM PST by Who is John Galt? ("Shoeless Joe" played for the White Sox; "Clueless Joe" lives in the White House...)
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To: Right Wing Vegan

I’ve switched to dry fire, use and app on my phone for timing.


52 posted on 11/25/2021 11:55:12 AM PST by Rappini (Compromise has its place. It's called second.)
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To: This_Dude; Blood of Tyrants; Texas Fossil

You can buy ammo ON LINE through many sellers. 95+% of my ammo is my reloads


53 posted on 11/25/2021 12:43:03 PM PST by Vaquero (Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you. )
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To: Right Wing Vegan

Demand for personal firearms and ammunition going up?

What would you expect when the police sit back and watch rioting take place in cities like Kenosha WI and many others?

The loud message everywhere in America: “You are on your own.”

The police only rush into school board meetings filled with angry parents who want to voice their displeasure.


54 posted on 11/25/2021 12:44:57 PM PST by Gnome1949
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To: Vaquero

Yes, I currently buy from the best 5 on line vendors. Had to do that to get what I have now. Actually in pretty good shape, except for minor issues.

I reload many calibers. Did this so all the calibers my family shoots are covered. There were a lot of approaches to get there.

Thanks.


55 posted on 11/25/2021 12:55:33 PM PST by Texas Fossil ((Texas is not where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind & Attitude!))
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To: DuncanWaring

“Pink Pistols” are historically a group of men with a preference for the company of other men.”

Yep.... gives pink pistol a whole new meaning.


56 posted on 11/25/2021 2:57:59 PM PST by LastDayz (A blunt and brazen Texan. I will not be assimilated.)
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To: This_Dude

“Speak for yourself. My 7.62x39 is gone.”

Academy had a crap ton of that about two weeks ago.


57 posted on 11/25/2021 2:59:03 PM PST by LastDayz (A blunt and brazen Texan. I will not be assimilated.)
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To: Vaquero

Have you looked at the prices? $2-$3/ rd for .30-30


58 posted on 11/25/2021 4:29:55 PM PST by Blood of Tyrants (When elections fail, we will either live under tyranny or rebel and throw it off.)
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To: Spok
Primers and powder (in that order) are the scarcest components. 22 years ago, I would budget $20 for a sleeve of 1000 small pistol primers, $20 for a can of Win236 and $55 for a box of 1000 .357 cal 48 gr DEWC from West Coast Bullet. That met my needs for target shooting on Tuesday nights with the 686+. Same powder and sleeve of 1000 large pistol primers and 1000 230 gr FMJ .45 cal put me in good shape to feed the 1911.

I haven't been doing much reloading since moving to Idaho. Mainly a lack of time with 55 to 80 work weeks and a need to match good weather to time off to use the outdoor range. The indoor range cost $500 per year for couple. Last year I paid for a membership at the range, but only went twice (instead of every week) due to ammo shortages. I didn't renew this year. Ammo shortages and $4/gallon gas with a 106 mile round trip to the indoor range have made it fiscally unreasonable.

My local FFL has been able to cough up a few good deals of late. 500 rd boxes of 9mm 115 gr and 1,000 rd boxes of 7.62x39. Satisfactory coverage for personal defense and food harvesting.

59 posted on 11/25/2021 4:36:25 PM PST by Myrddin
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To: Blood of Tyrants

Haven’t bought a round in a while. I see Walmart getting shotgun ammo relatively cheap.

I personally have lots of powder, primers, bullets, dies ( for many calibers) should last me years including lots of target practice. I started buying extra components during the Obama administration ammo scare.


60 posted on 11/25/2021 5:49:31 PM PST by Vaquero (Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you. )
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