5.55 .223 ammunition
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Yesterday we reported the Biden administration’s efforts to halt the sale of excess production of .223 and 5.56 ammunition from the Army’s Lake City plant on the retail market. The move is a transparent attempt by the White House powers that be to limit the supply of AR-15 ammunition and raise the price of ammo produced by other manufacturers, thus hurting tens of millions of gun owners.

TTAG got the following statement on the situation from Mark Oliva, the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s managing director of public affairs . . .

NSSF has been in contact with officials at Winchester Ammunition regarding the Biden administration’s consideration of halting sales of excess M855/SS109 ammunition. Winchester was informed that the government is considering restricting the manufacturing and commercial sale of legal ammunition produced at the Lake City, Mo., facility.

This restrictive action would immediately jeopardize 400-500 jobs, significantly reduce the availability of ammunition in the marketplace, and put the nation’s warfighting readiness at risk. Both NSSF and Winchester strongly oppose this action.

NSSF is working with Senators and Members of Congress to appraise them of these developments and turn back this counterproductive policy. Winchester officials are actively engaged with government leaders in Washington, D.C., to ensure their full understanding of the negative implications related to this type of sudden and reactive action.

This policy of ceasing the sale of excess ammunition is ill-timed and jeopardizes the fragile negotiations of the framework deal that was agreed to by the bipartisan group of Senators. Senators specifically requested The White House allow the Senate to negotiate in good faith and without interference to arrive at their agreement.

This policy to deny the sale of excess ammunition not only would freeze over 30 percent of the 5.56 mm/.223 caliber ammunition used by law-abiding gun owners, it risks the ammunition industry’s ability to surge production capacity for national defense if the costs to maintain the present workforce isn’t recouped through sales to the civilian market.

This threat of restricting ammunition sales is another example of political agendas interfering with lawful commerce of law-abiding gun owners. The Obama administration attempted a similar halt to sales of “green tip” ammunition through regulations proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). That maneuver was scuttled after gun owners and Congress cried foul on the regulatory overreach.

98 COMMENTS

  1. “This restrictive action would immediately jeopardize 400-500 jobs, significantly reduce the availability of ammunition in the marketplace, and put the nation’s warfighting readiness at risk.”

    That’s a feature not a bug. Exactly the way the leftist leadership wants it.

    There will come a day in this country, I probably won’t live to see it, but it will come, and they will be hanging from every lamp post on main street like Christmas decorations.

    • “…they will be hanging from every lamp post on main street like Christmas decorations.”

      Nice idea at first, but fvck that noise.

      I’m not interested in smelling decomposing Leftist Scum ™.

      Cut ’em down, and grind them up, farmers have PTO-driven silage choppers that can turn them into something currently needed, farm fertilizer… 🙂

      • Solyent Green? I knew there was a food crunch coming, but I didn’t think it was THAT bad!

        • Mark, read the book. Soylent Green was made from some kind of algae, if I remember correctly. High school was a long time ago. I remember laughing when I saw the movie. Soylent Green was not made from human flesh. Book was much better than the movie.

        • no, these creatures would be used as plant food so those plants can grow REAL food that WE can eat.

        • The movie Solyent Green, starring Charlton Heston was set in the year…. 2022. Yes, 2022. How’s that for an accurate prediction?
          So now the actual year 2022 has a shortage of baby formula, a worldwide shortage of grain thanks to Russia’s embargo, a shortage of chicken thanks to bird flu, and skyrocketing prices for food of all kinds. Solyent Green got the year right, I think!
          https://exgndzxhgug.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/soylent-green_UQnB0P-scaled.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1

      • “Tionico June 16, 2022 At 23:26
        no, these creatures would be used as plant food so those plants can grow REAL food that WE can eat.”

        Just to be clear, plants aren’t food. Plants are the things that food eats 😉

        • In the movie Heston is being carried away on a stretcher and screams “soylent green is people.”

    • We might get to see the end of government losing its authority. All of this overreach will get the point of what the government will call lawlessness. People will just not comply and then fight back.

      • Get to the point? Some of us already ARE there. I will not comply with vax mandates, gun grabs or anything else this fraud administration thinks it can demand from We the People.

    • THe US Armed Forces can order what they want. You will notice that the concern is on the sale of SURPLUS ammunition to the civilan market. Why have a surplus in the first place? How does the sale of ‘surplus’ ammunition markedly affect the ability of supply to the armed Services? Using a modicum of critical thinking and the whole bloody point in the opening comments are rather ingenuous to say the least. Other nations do not have a problem like this do they? . Just another rather ill informed attempt at self justifcation on the completely unnessesary availability of weaponry and ammunition in civilian hands.

      • In this case surplus is the ammo that is out of spec for one reason or another. Out of spec doesn’t mean that it is no good.

        • Letting perfect be the enemy of good, in all it’s succinctness.

          And FOADIAF fainting flower faux Brit.

      • NATO Nations get all their ammo… FROM THE US!! If you understood basic economics you would understand what the statement is saying. If Winchester can’t sell to the public, they won’t be able to maintain the workforce needed to produce government contracts in a timely manner. 400-500 jobs could be lost. So when the government says “we started another war we need bullets NOW!!”, there will be delays because the current workforce is too small, and it takes time and money to ramp up and train production lines. It’s the same problem with oil production right now, anyone who understands logistics and timelines for ramping up any sort of production knows the statements above to be true.

        • “NATO Nations get all their ammo… FROM THE US!!“

          Where do you people get this stuff?

          “BAE Systems can produce over one million rounds per day of Small Arms Ammunition in 5.56mm and 7.62mm NATO calibres including ball, tracer and blank natures. Packaging configurations include carton, link and clip to suit operational and training requirements.

          Having provided nearly all of the British Army’s requirements since 1940, we are trusted to provide high volumes of precision rounds that soldiers know they can rely on. Our long-term contract with the UK Ministry of Defence gives our business a solid and sustainable base.“

          https://www.baesystems.com/en/product/small-arms-ammunition

          And tell me, how can a company like BAE Systems produce one million rounds a day while not supplying any to the civilian market in the UK, and yet they are completely economically viable.

        • Vanishing jobs? Isn’t this precisely what the Democrats and the Great Reset are all about? Can the jobs, destroy the food supply.

          Then, as the reasoning goes, people will comply en masse as the Guaranteed Income Plan sways into place. It’s no secret; it’s practically all they talk about to one another.

      • The “surplus” is essentially the capacity to rapidly increase production for the military in times of crisis. Otherwise they would need to hire and train those 400-500 employees. They would need to procure/build the extra manufacturing equipment. It would take years to build that capacity, but if they are able to already produce that “surplus” and sell it, then they can instantly transition to producing it for the military instead of the commercial market.

      • I don’t think you understand critical thinking or logic and apparently not free Americans, not sure why you’re here…

      • If you could read with comprehension, the article lays out precisely why this is a bad idea.

        Running along and bake a cake sweetie.

      • The mechanisms would be in place to meet the demand of a wartime surge. That’s true in terms of both labor and production facilities. Without sales to the civilian market to offset the cost, the ability to surge is not extant. Just using a modicum of critical thinking of which you seem bereft.

      • So you’re one of those folks who think the military or police should protect you because your life is so much more valuable then theirs are. RIGHT? That’s what it boils down to. People like you won’t take the RESPONSIBILITY like a grown adult for your own protection because you think you are so much more valuable then that cop or soldier who you think has the job to protect you. Gag me with a place setting. People like you are mentally ill.

    • AND the dude at Legally Armed America refutes the claim. He sez he talked to Winchester & they said they were unaware of any slow Joe deviltry…either way I’m hoarding.

      • You mean like the NFA and GCA was struck down by the courts? The whole stinking apparatus has been working against us since the war for Southern Independence. It’s sad you and others don’t see it.

  2. Good Luck with that! What is it called when u tie a commie’s foot in a stirrup & smack the Jack Ass on the ASS……

    Good Riddance!

    • You have no bloody idea as to waht a commie’ [which I take to mean COMMUNIST] actually is, Why do people like you put a COMMIE or LIBERAL label on anything that does not agree with your rather limited appreciation and frankly illiterate take of political reality??
      To use the words COMMIE and LIBERAL in the same breath is beyond parody. If there is one thing that COMMUNISM is not it is not bloody LIBERAL in any way, shape or form. No extremist political sysyem is or can be LIBERAL . ‘LIBERAL’ is reserved for WORKING DEMOCRACIES. Its LIBERALIST inclined Democracies that allows idiots like you to own unnessessry firearms in the first place.
      Americans really do seem to have a somewhat illinformed view of the world outside of the USA. THe rest of the civilised world copes very nicely without all that ‘gun ownershp’ bollocks.
      I’m in my mid -80’s and spentb the two decades in the UK Armed Forces and a good edeal of it as an ARMOUER and SMALL ARMS Instructor in the Royal Air Force as well as serving in the UK Army/Infantry Reserves so I’m not ignorant of firearms and their uses -far from it. Howver since leaving the Service I have had no need or even the wish to own firearms. My eyesight is not what it was but I’d be willing to bet, though I’ve not even held a firearm for nearly 30 years, that I could still, given half a chance, shoot the bollocks of your average American Gun Nut with handgun, rifle, subbie, light or heavy machine gun.

      • Bizarre rant, like obviously you should have more skill than the average gun owning civilian Citizen, your government paid you for two decades as a weapons specialist, 🙄
        As far as the rest of the civilized world coping nicely without gun ownership, I disagree, but more importantly…whatever…
        I don’t remember desiring to be you.

      • Wow you sound like a Brit, none of your business what we here in America own you COMMIE Scum… Your a leftist therefore your opinion doesn’t matter a gnats dicK

      • Commie drivel. Better hope America can bail ya out in the future like we bailed ya out in the past, ya know, with the leftist scum weakening our Republic and all. But why bother debating with someone without a Constitution.

      • You worked for the government. Your training, by definition sucks. Fuck you and your service. You guys haven’t won a battle worth a damn in nearly a century.

      • Americans really do seem to have a somewhat illinformed view of the world outside of the USA. THe rest of the civilised world copes very nicely without all that ‘gun ownershp’ bollocks.”

        Yep, like Ukraine for instance….ROFL. Also check UK history as to what happened when the King said colonists in America couldn’t own firearms.

        Stay off my rights.

      • Albert, Albert, Albert…stay off of an American website with your pitiful limey responses. You and your ilk have let your country become a cesspool and have turned against your founding principle of the common law long before the US did. Drink your tea and leave us alone. We want our guns to be able to shoot the red coat soldiers that your “King” sent over to disarm us. And we would love to be able to do that again, but this time it’s our “own” government agents that are the issue. Sad to say. And if you really were “educated” you would realize that communists and left wing kooks are int he same bed together making them gay.

  3. I believe that the “excess” sales are what make taking contracts worthwhile at Lake City.

    Does anyone know if those jobs that will be lost at Lake City are “union” jobs?

    • and whilst we are asking, I’d like to know whether the terms of the contrast with WInchester does not guarantee their ability to take production above military needs and sell it at retail to the general public. Seems that is such a key part of finaincial viability of the contract that it would be in writing and clearly guaranteed. Of COURSE Winchester would bear the cost of materials and labour etc. That civilian market is likely what “sweetened the pot” sufficiently to get Winchester to run the plant. So important I’m certain it is written into the contract, and binding.
      I whoe Winchester push back hard. Seems like they are……

    • Most of the jobs at Lake City are machinist Union.

      There are over 1800 employees currently.

      I’m interested to see if Belgian owned Winchester releases a statement regarding this rumor.

  4. What does this have to do with military preparedness being impacted? If the ammo is only made for US military and “official” uses then how does limiting civilian access hurt preparedness aside from people LARPING as military? I don’t agree with the move to limit the ammo but I fail to see the sky is falling reaction.

    • Speed of production probably, there is likely a motivation to produce quickly as excess and rejected for military use but acceptable safety standards met can be sold to the civilian marketplace so long as the military contract quota is met. If there is no financial incentive to overproduce quickly the minimum amount of work at whatever time is cost effective is the likely result and that would mean a potential lag in supply availability in the case of unexpected demand (invasion) with a likely reduced investment in staff to ramp up production at short notice. And I will apologize in advance if this is a bit ramble happy as white claw may be involved.

      • normal is to produce quickly and ahead of schedule for the military needs. Then, as backstock builds up, they can begin selling known surplus, in normal civiliani packaging, to the poblc. This process enables Winchester to keep high productioin volumes, run the plant more efficiently, have backlog in case of a kerfuffle so they can still beet the military draws on time, keep their entire staff working full time.
        If Dopey Joey gets off with this cockamamie plan, they will have to lay off workers, cut margins much closer, as well as run closer to limits in production numbers to only supply militery, as the extra revenue from the overage once miiltary draws are filled will no longer be part of the equation. The additinal revenue that’ve been getting for sale of the overage will no longer be part of the equation. Winchester are in it to make a reasonable profit, but if Unka Dopey Joey cuts things too close they will probably not re-up. THEN who will Joey get to build all the boolits he wants to ship to the Ukraine?…

      • Speed of production, ability to fulfill contracts. I worked at Beretta on the 92/M9 cell. When those contracts come in, they expect big numbers and fulfillment, but sometimes we’d only see one or two orders per year, and each one was heavy with red tape and inspections. Our factory existed off of civilian sales, if all we were allowed to produce were M9’s, they’d have almost no staff and VERY LONG production times. It’s basic economics. The people who say “this makes no sense why would limiting sales hurt military readiness” are the same dolts sharing “the president has no effect on gas prices”…

    • Isn’t every gun owner essentially larping as “military”? Isn’t that the point?

      • Well if you want to get all history and tradition in your interpretation of the constitution

  5. If the Government were to prevail at this, Winchester and other manufacturers would proceed to take up the slack and produce the lost 30% as commercial ammo. This would thwart the Government’s efforts to limit commercial sales. The exact opposite of what they expected.

    • Diksum,

      I think all other manufacturers are running at 100% of their manufacturing capacity. That means they don’t have any excess manufacturing capacity available to produce another 30% and fill-in Winchester’s shortfall.

      • Yeah, picking up the slack would take several years. They’d have to build the plants, staff them and get them running.

      • Maybe there are other countries with ammo manufacturers who could increase production. The incentive to sell us the other 30% would be great.

        • “BAE Systems can produce over one million rounds per day of Small Arms Ammunition in 5.56mm and 7.62mm NATO calibres including ball, tracer and blank natures. Packaging configurations include carton, link and clip to suit operational and training requirements.

          Having provided nearly all of the British Army’s requirements since 1940, we are trusted to provide high volumes of precision rounds that soldiers know they can rely on. Our long-term contract with the UK Ministry of Defence gives our business a solid and sustainable base.“

          https://www.baesystems.com/en/product/small-arms-ammunition

    • All the makers are already prodicing as fast as they can.

      Dopey Joey just got done taking all the Russian made ammo off OUR market one more way to restrict our access to arms with askshoeul BOOLITS in them. Biden’s string-pullers have decided WE will be disarmed.

      Well, so did George Three the Kid King. He sent orcers to his Minion in Chief in December of 1773 to disarm that rowdey bunch of rebels occupying his colonies. That did not ruen out so well for his Minion in Chief, did it?

    • HELL NO. FULL STOP!!!

      YOU ARE EITHER AN ADULT WITH ALL RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES, OR YOU ARE NOT.

      IF OLD ENOUGH TO FIGHT AND DIE FOR THE F’ING GOVERNMENT, THEN YOU ARE F’ING OLD ENOUGH TO BUY/POSSESS YOUR OWN DAMN GUMN

      • Don’t let anyone under 21 join the military. 👍
        Don’t let anyone under 21 vote either. If the 2nd Amendment doesn’t matter, then neither does that one.

        Of course big government won’t do that. It is easier to trick 18 year olds into enlisting and/or voting communist (Democrats and Rinos).

    • And again you speak like you’re only one strand of DNA away from a rutabaga.

  6. Reducing the manufacturing capacity and supply of a common military caliber reduces the capability and readiness of the unorganized militia. This smells like providing aid and comfort to enemies of the United States. Last time I checked, that was treason.

    • “Reducing the manufacturing capacity and supply of a common military caliber“

      Manufacturing capacity is not being affected, the Belgians just won’t be allowed to sell surplus ammo to the US civilian market.

      Perhaps instead of selling the surplus, the government will store the surplus to provide for future contingencies.

      To sell off the surplus actually could leave our military without adequate reserves for unforeseen situations.

      • Miner49er,

        You obviously do not understand the definition of “surplus”. Surplus means anything left over after fedzilla consumes what they want. And what fedzilla wants includes both current operations and contingency stockpile.

        According to the information provided, it sounds like fedzilla is receiving enough ammunition from the Lake City plant to satisfy their current demand as well as adequately stocking their contingency stockpile. Thus, there is additional capacity available at that plant for more production which should be available for sale on the consumer market.

        Alas, the Executive Branch ordered the Lake City plant to NOT sell their additional capacity on the consumer market. That seems to be blatantly punitive, not strategic.

        • “receiving enough ammunition from the Lake City plant to satisfy their current demand as well as adequately stocking their contingency stockpile“

          Yes, I’m suggesting they consider increasing their “contingency stockpile” given the unpleasantness in Eastern Europe.

          I just received an email today, no price increases on Winchester M855:

          WINCHESTER AMMO USA GREEN TIP BRASS 5.56X45MM 62-GRAIN 500-ROUNDS FMJ
          1 QUESTIONS 28 ANSWERS OR BE THE FIRST TO WRITE A REVIEW
          Order 500 rounds of Winchester USA Green Tip 5.56 ammo from GrabAGun today. Each round of the Winchester USA 5.56 ammo is loaded with 62 grain full metal jacket projectiles and brass casings. With a muzzle velocity of 3,060 feet per second, this ammunition is celebrated for its accuracy and performance. Get bulk ammo and 5.56 ammo for sale online from GrabAGun today!
          $299.99
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          SKU GAG_WM855500-129084

      • From the article: “This policy to deny the sale of excess ammunition not only would freeze over 30 percent of the 5.56 mm/.223 caliber ammunition used by law-abiding gun owners…”

        But it also says the ban on excess sales is for green tip. I don’t see how that math works.

    • Why is that somehow unbelievable?

      5.56/.223 make up about 15.3% of small arms ammo sold in the civvie market in the US. 30% of that market would put green tip at 4.59% of total US sales. Based on what’s generally on store shelves that’s at least possible.

      Considering the number of websites devoting space to M193 vs M855 over the last number of years I’m not sure that 30% is, even at a glance, an obscene suggestion.

      I’m not going to pay several hundred bucks for a full market research breakdown, however saying that M855 as <5% of the overall market and accounts for ~3/10 rounds sold might not be spot on but it's not a patently ludicrous claim either.

      Honestly, if I went through my stash, I'd be willing to bet it's better than 50% of my personal stock too just because it was so much easier to get than pure lead core back a few years ago when they started shutting down lead smelters.

      • Cut out the Russian ammo (Tula, Wolf,Red Army Standard) and cut out the Lake City, and tou have put a serious dampening on .223-5.56 ammo.
        Maybe Biden can also ban Serbian, Mexican, Israeli, and Philippines ammo imports. That would screw us some more.

        • I’m simply curious as to JWTs thinking on the topic.

          I don’t recall off the top of my head if the Ruskie stuff makes a M855-type round…

        • After hearing this sht last night I went Winchester M855 shopping and on GunBroker purchase 300 rds. at a very good delivered price. By noon today no seller was sold out. Let’s Go Brandon.

  7. If you read the 1967 plan for the UN, the plan is to scrap all standing militaries of all countries and to place them into the UN…Each country will have a DHS/Stazi/KGB type agency for internal law enforcement…is their any wonder why the DHS has bought billions of rounds (and still buying them) …even the National Weather Service is buying guns and ammo..

  8. Do you think that the Brandon handlers care? Tustin do not care what kind of damage they do because they’re doing it on purpose.

  9. I agree that the administration intent is certainly to restrict the availability of ammunition and thereby drive up prices, but I note that all the comments about lost jobs come from outside Winchester.

    Winchester runs the Lake City Ammunition Plant on contract for the Federal Government — the operative word there is CONTRACT. Part of that contract is the provision that allows the operator (Winchester right now) to sell any ammunition produced in excess of government requirements. This provision is part of the contract. It was included for two purposes: 1) It incentivizes the operator to maximize efficiency and production which would make more ammunition available to the government during any increased needs; and 2) the ability to sell excess ammunition on the open market forms part of the payment that the operator receives for running the plant.

    The government cannot eliminate that part of the contract unilaterally — the government would have to negotiate a contract change with Winchester (which would obviously require increasing the amount paid to Winchester to make up for the loss of outside sales – this would increase the cost of ammunition FOR THE GOVERNMENT). The only alternative the government would have under the current contract would be to simply buy ALL the ammo being produced at the Lake City Ammunition Plant at the current contract rate. This would represent a loss of income to Winchester because the government price for the ammo is less than what Winchester makes selling it wholesale, but that would still be within the terms of the contract. Either way, this is going to increase cost to the taxpayers.

    • The government cannot eliminate that part of the contract unilaterally…

      Of course they can. They just ignore it.

      Sure, you can go to court over it and then the DOJ burns tax money defending the government and if the government loses they just ignore the ruling the way Obama did with a bunch of things. Remember the NLRB ruling? The upholding of the finding that his amnesty plans were illegal? The way he ignored the ruling on Federal power over state election rules and sued Texas anyway?

      It’s quite odd to me that anyone actually still believes that “the rules” apply. Quite obviously they don’t. If the last two years haven’t proved that I don’t know what will.

      • The Government can’t just ignore the terms of the contract. Doing so would result in a claim because of breach of contract. A serious matter.

        • Again, odd to me for a dozen or more reasons that anyone paying attention to the last several years believes that “the rules” still apply.

          And even if the rules still did apply how is breach of contract “a serious matter” from the government’s point of view? In recent years they ignore courts all the time and even if they were forced to pay Winchester some large sum of money it’s your money/debt they’re spending. The fuck do they care?

          It’s pretty hard to make someone take a matter seriously when they can easily put the cost of their behavior on someone else. None of them are going to end up in jail over this, so they’ll just rip you off for some more coin and keep on keepin’ on.

        • It could end up being an ‘amended’ contract, thus avoiding any semblance of ‘rule breaking’. I know that is routine with contracts done by some States, but not sure about with the Feds. Though Strych is right, they don’t care about the rules. I also agree that they don’t care about being forced to pay Winchester a larger sum of money, I’ll even go further and say they might even volunteer to do it to get the end result they want and keep the plant operating smoothly.

    • The Government can’t just buy up all the ammo if appropriated funds aren’t available.

      • LOL!

        Pull the other one, bud, it’s got bells on it.

        Ben Bernanke spits in your face and JayPow urinates on your shoes while Yellen claps and laughs. They do this quite openly and still you think appropriated funds matter.

        Try misappropriated funds. We’ve got several hundred trillion of those.

  10. Keystone XL,
    theres a long list of theBiden’s injustices, I suppose though that’s really not the word I’m looking for, more like being the President of The United States of America you should at least give a shit about the country and its citizen taxpayers. Oh I forgot, to build anything Back Better you’ve got to tear it down first, or maybe just the parts you dont like.
    ( my mind does wander from the path, forgive my wrong think)
    Lead us through the darkness, My Biden , glory unto to you, I give my blood to conquer thine enemies, I am your tool my most beloved glorious benevolent President Joseph Robinett Biden.
    Live long and prosper my Master🙏

  11. “would freeze over 30 percent of the 5.56 mm/.223 caliber ammunition used by law-abiding gun owners… ”

    Ok, i think this thing by Biden is horrible, a move he intends to use to ‘hobble’ gun owners and yet another attempt to advance his agenda of attacking the Second Amendment. But I keep seeing this 30% thing presented as if it would mean the end of the world for gun owners.

    The 30% is not 30% of the civilian market supply, its actually 30% of the excess that people chose to purchase. I said this differently in another post yesterday in comments for the other ‘breaking’ article on this but i’ll make it more clear —-

    In other words; The 30% is 30% of Winchesters sales of the excess, its not 30% of gun owners and its not 30% of the civilian market supply. The 30% is actually ‘approximate’ and not a hard and fast number as it varies so its actually ~30%. ~70% of the excess Winchester sales is sold off in agreements and purchases to other not-general public buyers, for example, law enforcement agencies and other countries and certified private buyers in ‘PD’ designated lots (bulk packaging lots). The Winchester sale of the excess is actually the government selling the excess by proxy because actually the ammo is owned by the government when its produced. Winchester is permitted to sale the excess under their brand name by the contract and the government got a cut of the profit.

    The excess is composed of ammo either; rejected because it has not been tested against military-spec, or does not meet military-spec for something minor, or from intentional production over runs the government does not order.

    Basically (the below);

    The plant is required to produce a certain amount of ammo, this leads to an amount produced that the government doesn’t order so this means a production ‘over run’ that’s designated ‘excess’. There are always over runs intentionally also, so in case there is a sudden emergency need by government (e.g. we suddenly go to war) there is ‘excess’ ammo available to help supply while the production is being increased and can get up to speed, and if this is not ordered its designated ‘excess’.

    So combined with the ‘over run’ production, that rejected (for filling a government order) because it has not yet been tested against military-spec, and that which does not meet military-spec for something minor – all this together forms the ‘excess’ of which ~30% was sold to the general public and ~70% of the excess sold off in agreements and purchases to other not-general public buyers.

    The plant will still produce ammo under contract to other companies that supply the civilian market, and other manufacturers also make the ammo.

    The civilian market supply is not going to suddenly decrease by 30%. The ‘excess’ from Winchester was actually in addition to the civilian market supply and not 30% of the market supply.

    The ~30% is ~30% of Winchesters sales and not ~30% of the market supply and not ~30% of 5.56 platform gun users.

    • correction:

      “The ~30% is ~30% of Winchesters sales and not ~30% of the market supply and not ~30% of 5.56 platform gun users.”

      should have been…

      The ~30% is ~30% of Winchesters sales of the ‘excess’ ammo and not ~30% of the market supply and not ~30% of 5.56 platform gun users.

    • So they tried to do it last year, and now they’re trying again? For an administration that brags about all of the jobs they’re going to “create,” they sure do go out of their way to destroy good jobs.

  12. So start excess production of 300BLK or 7.62? I mean… the AR15 comes in different calibers.

    Not to mention AR10s and ANY OTHER semi auto rifle not in 5.56/.223.

  13. Once again thank you to the gun owners who refused to vote for Donald Trump for re-election. Back when gasoline was way under $2 a gallon. And there were nearly 12,000 new oil worker jobs in the United States. And America became the number one exporter of oil in the world. But not anymore. And we had no new Wars.

    Especially no War with a nuclear-armed Russian nation.

    I know that you much prefer paying three or four times more for gasoline. And in your mind Joe Biden is much better on gun civil rights than Donald Trump.

    And since Donald Trump would never legalized drugs. Perhaps you will get your wish under President Joe Biden.

  14. It still leaves me speechless that ANY of these ammo manufacturers are still shipping so much as a single round to this rogue government.

  15. He’s a libtard dog faced pony fker! What a piece of dog excrement!🖕🐀💩🦨👎🏻

  16. I would think that the sale of the excess produced beyond the Military’s purchase of the bulk of Lake City’s output, is part and parcel of the contract Winchester signed upon taking over production at Lake City. Breaking the contract, in this fashion, may be ammo (pardon the pun) for a Lawsuit against this current regime. Winchester could walk, effectively shuttering the facility, as the Military does not have the staff to run the facility.

    Remember too, that the Military has adopted a new cartridge in 6.8 SPc to go along with the new XM5 rifles. What is the timeline predicted for fully integrating the new rifle and cartridge into use? Has tooling up for the new cartridge already begun? I’d like to know the answers, because it would then give us an idea of when M855 and M193 might be completely stopped, as the Military ceases purchase of the older cartridges, in favor of the new 6.8 SPC.

  17. I think something like that would run afoul of the constitution. Albert, that is one thing your country does not have. And don’t forget, it is because of your country that we have Bill of Rights and the 2nd amendment. Unfortunately your country only gets the news of all the missuses of firearms. How much do you get of the good side of firearms? When did you last see a good shooting competition or news on the last time a responsible gun owner used a firearm to protect their family? Speaking of which, You and your fellow subjects are not allowed to defend your selves or your family if you are the victim of a violent attack! So be careful about talking down about us American gun owners. Most of us the most decent people you would ever want to meet.

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