Ammo Manufacturers

Wbdisco · January 20, 2013, 03:53 PM

Has anyone actually contacted them?? Most of the posts that i have seen is people just talking to the retailers themselves. I am curious if there has actually been an announcement from the makers themselves or wholesalers for that matter.

I am just curious to see if there is an actual date in the future that will have production actually meeting demand, or is this going to be the norm??

UtahHunting · January 20, 2013, 03:59 PM

I haven't contacted them but this same thing happened on 2008. They eventually caught up and you were able to get ammo again. I think it will take longer this time around because there is too much uncertainty as to what is going to happen. People are panicking like no time in recent history. After 2008 I bought enough ammo to last me several years in case it happened again.....which it is.

Mobilebrian · January 20, 2013, 04:12 PM

I'm with you. I have/had plenty but got paranoid to shoot it with everything going on now. I just placed an order with Brownells for some surplus and, if I ever get it, I'll be set for a few years.

BarryLee · January 20, 2013, 06:44 PM

Many manufacturing companies will have a slow down at the end of the calendar year, so that could be contributing to this a little. I would think most of them are now running at full capacity, but can’t see them increasing capacity significantly until all of the legal issues are resolved.

kilimanjaro · January 21, 2013, 12:12 AM

A lot of firms slow down for a couple of weeks in December, folks take their Christmas holidays, and shipping slows due to gifts moving around the country. They'll ramp up production and ship it out soon. Retailers here report they are getting orders, but not quickly.

Webleymkv · January 21, 2013, 12:25 AM

Also bear in mind that the larger ammo companies do not produce all their loadings all the time. Instead, certain offerings are produced in runs at particular times (usually to correspond with the time of year that said ammo is most in demand such as a particular hunting season). When you have an unexpected spike in demand such as we're in the midst of now, it can often take quite some time for the ammo company to catch up with demand for offerings that they weren't currently producing.

Water-Man · January 21, 2013, 01:15 AM

It also depends if they're filling any large orders for the military and/or Law Enforcement.

Wbdisco · January 21, 2013, 12:00 PM

I was just curious, there is so much speculation, i didn't know if any of them had made an official statement about production numbers, or backlogs.

horatioo · January 21, 2013, 12:04 PM

maybe I am too conspiracy minded, but I think the govt buying all those rounds of ammunition was part of a plan to make ammo more scarce. It didnt cost Obama anything to order so much, and it keeps more of it away from the rest of us. I dont know what end result he hoped for though.

Uncle Buck · January 22, 2013, 01:25 PM

I usually get my bullets at the Sierra Factory, in Sedalia Missouri. (Factory seconds) Problem is, they are out of .45 ACP and are not planning on running until sometime in late Jan or early Feb.

They just finished the hunting season (Rifle Bullets), still have to keep up with the Lake City Ammo Plant orders and find time in between to get back to what I need.

Although I do not know the actual numbers, they may run, for example, the machines long enough to produce 60 Million bullets in caliber X, then they have to reset the dies and make them in caliber Y, then repeat for the next caliber (And each caliber gets three or four different weights).

AND, before they will release the bullets for sale, they have to go through quality control checks that include hand inspection and firing a test batch for each run of bullets they make.

If any of you ever get a chance to actually tour a bullet factory or a cartridge manufacturing factory, jump at the chance. I have toured the Sierra Factory and the Starline Brass in Sedalia MO. I also got a chance to tour Missouri Bullets, Kingsville Missouri. You will see employees and machines going full bore. (No pun intended)

The holidays also slowed them down quite a bit, as pesky employees really want to spend time with their family.

kilimanjaro · January 22, 2013, 03:27 PM

About those gigantic Gov't contracts : they are a Request for Proposals, and not actual contracts issued to a firm, is my understanding. The number of cartridges advertised is the maximum that would be purchased under the contract, over the life of the contract, 5 years.

chiefr · January 22, 2013, 06:17 PM

Ammo manufacturers are making ammo as fast as they can. Your problem is a sudden huge spike in consumption caused by politics has devasted all the retailer and wholesalers stock. It will take a few months to recover providing demand wanes. If demand keeps up at this tempo, it will could take much longer to return to normal.

NWPilgrim · January 22, 2013, 08:07 PM

On another forum a firearms dealer who visited with ammo manufacturers at SHOT said that he knows at least the Hornady and Federal ammo plants were running flat out with three shifts every day. He said they are estimating it will take until 2015 to catch up on current orders.

There is lot of logistics that go into this. They have to have the powder and bullets for various calibers, weights and styles in inventory. If there is a sudden rush they can't reach all the back into the supply line and focus everything on .223 FMJ and 9mm FMJ. Probably take weeks or months to do that, and to some degree that may be happening right now. But to produce carious grades adn types of ammo takes resetting machines, clearing out and loading new components and doing another run. It all take time. Then you add the two weeks or so to go from shipping dock to dealers' shelves.

January 20, 2013, 03:53 PM	#1
Wbdisco Member Join Date: September 3, 2012 Location: S. Pittsburg, TN Posts: 15	Ammo Manufacturers Has anyone actually contacted them?? Most of the posts that i have seen is people just talking to the retailers themselves. I am curious if there has actually been an announcement from the makers themselves or wholesalers for that matter. I am just curious to see if there is an actual date in the future that will have production actually meeting demand, or is this going to be the norm??

January 20, 2013, 06:44 PM	#4
BarryLee Senior Member Join Date: July 29, 2010 Location: The ATL (OTP) Posts: 3,946	Many manufacturing companies will have a slow down at the end of the calendar year, so that could be contributing to this a little. I would think most of them are now running at full capacity, but can’t see them increasing capacity significantly until all of the legal issues are resolved. __________________ A major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that it ... gives people what they want instead of what a particular group thinks they ought to want. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman

January 22, 2013, 01:25 PM	#10
Uncle Buck Senior Member Join Date: June 21, 2009 Location: West Central Missouri Posts: 2,592	I usually get my bullets at the Sierra Factory, in Sedalia Missouri. (Factory seconds) Problem is, they are out of .45 ACP and are not planning on running until sometime in late Jan or early Feb. They just finished the hunting season (Rifle Bullets), still have to keep up with the Lake City Ammo Plant orders and find time in between to get back to what I need. Although I do not know the actual numbers, they may run, for example, the machines long enough to produce 60 Million bullets in caliber X, then they have to reset the dies and make them in caliber Y, then repeat for the next caliber (And each caliber gets three or four different weights). AND, before they will release the bullets for sale, they have to go through quality control checks that include hand inspection and firing a test batch for each run of bullets they make. If any of you ever get a chance to actually tour a bullet factory or a cartridge manufacturing factory, jump at the chance. I have toured the Sierra Factory and the Starline Brass in Sedalia MO. I also got a chance to tour Missouri Bullets, Kingsville Missouri. You will see employees and machines going full bore. (No pun intended) The holidays also slowed them down quite a bit, as pesky employees really want to spend time with their family. __________________ Inside Every Bright Idea Is The 50% Probability Of A Disaster Waiting To Happen.

January 22, 2013, 08:07 PM	#13
NWPilgrim Senior Member Join Date: September 29, 2008 Location: Oregon Posts: 2,346	On another forum a firearms dealer who visited with ammo manufacturers at SHOT said that he knows at least the Hornady and Federal ammo plants were running flat out with three shifts every day. He said they are estimating it will take until 2015 to catch up on current orders. There is lot of logistics that go into this. They have to have the powder and bullets for various calibers, weights and styles in inventory. If there is a sudden rush they can't reach all the back into the supply line and focus everything on .223 FMJ and 9mm FMJ. Probably take weeks or months to do that, and to some degree that may be happening right now. But to produce carious grades adn types of ammo takes resetting machines, clearing out and loading new components and doing another run. It all take time. Then you add the two weeks or so to go from shipping dock to dealers' shelves. __________________ "The ultimate authority ... resides in the people alone. ... The advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation ... forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition." - James Madison

January 20, 2013, 03:59 PM	#2
UtahHunting Senior Member Join Date: March 26, 2009 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 428	I haven't contacted them but this same thing happened on 2008. They eventually caught up and you were able to get ammo again. I think it will take longer this time around because there is too much uncertainty as to what is going to happen. People are panicking like no time in recent history. After 2008 I bought enough ammo to last me several years in case it happened again.....which it is.

January 20, 2013, 04:12 PM	#3
Mobilebrian Junior Member Join Date: January 12, 2013 Posts: 5	I'm with you. I have/had plenty but got paranoid to shoot it with everything going on now. I just placed an order with Brownells for some surplus and, if I ever get it, I'll be set for a few years.

January 21, 2013, 12:12 AM	#5
kilimanjaro Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2009 Posts: 3,963	A lot of firms slow down for a couple of weeks in December, folks take their Christmas holidays, and shipping slows due to gifts moving around the country. They'll ramp up production and ship it out soon. Retailers here report they are getting orders, but not quickly.

January 21, 2013, 12:25 AM	#6
Webleymkv Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 10,446	Also bear in mind that the larger ammo companies do not produce all their loadings all the time. Instead, certain offerings are produced in runs at particular times (usually to correspond with the time of year that said ammo is most in demand such as a particular hunting season). When you have an unexpected spike in demand such as we're in the midst of now, it can often take quite some time for the ammo company to catch up with demand for offerings that they weren't currently producing.

January 21, 2013, 01:15 AM	#7
Water-Man Senior Member Join Date: March 23, 2008 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 2,126	It also depends if they're filling any large orders for the military and/or Law Enforcement.

January 21, 2013, 12:00 PM	#8
Wbdisco Member Join Date: September 3, 2012 Location: S. Pittsburg, TN Posts: 15	I was just curious, there is so much speculation, i didn't know if any of them had made an official statement about production numbers, or backlogs.

January 21, 2013, 12:04 PM	#9
horatioo Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2008 Posts: 332	maybe I am too conspiracy minded, but I think the govt buying all those rounds of ammunition was part of a plan to make ammo more scarce. It didnt cost Obama anything to order so much, and it keeps more of it away from the rest of us. I dont know what end result he hoped for though.

January 22, 2013, 03:27 PM	#11
kilimanjaro Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2009 Posts: 3,963	About those gigantic Gov't contracts : they are a Request for Proposals, and not actual contracts issued to a firm, is my understanding. The number of cartridges advertised is the maximum that would be purchased under the contract, over the life of the contract, 5 years.

January 22, 2013, 06:17 PM	#12
chiefr Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2010 Location: AR Posts: 1,401	Ammo manufacturers are making ammo as fast as they can. Your problem is a sudden huge spike in consumption caused by politics has devasted all the retailer and wholesalers stock. It will take a few months to recover providing demand wanes. If demand keeps up at this tempo, it will could take much longer to return to normal.