Ammunition shortage squeezes police nationwide

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Troops training for and fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are firing more than 1 billion bullets a year, contributing to ammunition shortages hitting police departments nationwide and preventing some officers from training with the weapons they carry on patrol.

An Associated Press review of dozens of police and sheriff's departments found that many are struggling with delays of as long as a year for both handgun and rifle ammunition. And the shortages are resulting in prices as much as double what departments were paying just a year ago.

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In Oklahoma City, for example, officers cannot qualify with AR-15 rifles because the department does not have enough .223-caliber ammunition — a round similar to that fired by the military's M-16 and M4 rifles. Last fall, an ammunition shortage forced the department to cancel qualification courses for several different guns.

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In Milwaukee, supplies of .40-caliber handgun bullets and .223-caliber rifle rounds have gotten so low the department has repeatedly dipped into its ammunition reserves. Some weapons training has already been cut by 30 percent, and lessons on rifles have been altered to conserve bullets.




Read more: http://www.startribune.com/484/story/1368791.html

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Wonder if problem is more budgets than supply? As a shooter I know that ammo prices are skyrocketing. Maybe the cops need to reload. Or maybe they need to ask for some donations from NRA and USPSA members. USPSA is a handgun/3 Gun(Pistol, Tactical Rifle, Tactical Shotgun) sport and there sure is a lot of lead sent downrange every weekend in all of the popular tactical calibers.

On edit a bit more from a Montana paper.

Mont. supplier still shipping bullets amid nationwide shortage
By MATT GOURAS
HELENA, Mont. - A warehouse in south-central Montana serves as headquarters for one of the nation's largest ammunition suppliers, a business that can ship an order for 100,000 bullets without missing a beat.

The Hunting Shack, a few miles outside the small town of Stevensville, is the primary supplier of ammunition to 3,000 police departments and ships 250,000 rounds of ammunition a day. And despite a nationwide shortage of .223-caliber rounds, largely due to the war in Iraq, The Hunting Shack is still able to ship 35,000 of the sought-after bullets each day.

General Manager Darren Newsom said the business has largely been able to insulate Montana police departments from the nationwide shortage because they typically request small amounts.

It's harder to fill orders for the big customers who ask for 100,000 bullets at a time, he said.

"There's just a major shortage on ammo in the U.S. right now. It's just terrible," Newsom said.

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/08/17/ap-state-mt/d8r2v0q00.txt

[matt819]

1. A Bake Sale

Your last suggestion got me thinking. How about a police bake sale so the police can buy ammo. Now that's likely to get some news coverage!

[napi21]

3. I assume you're joking. The shortae isn't because they can't afford to

buy them. It's because the mfg's can't make them fast enough!

[RamboLiberal]

4. Maybe - the sports shooters are still getting ammo

And believe me they put a lot downrange every weekend. A USPSA stage can call for 30+ rounds and there are several stages in a match. And many matches have 50-100+ shooters.

I don't shop for .223 rounds but I have no problem getting 9mm except for the price.

I bet there are local budgets that didn't count on ammo prices doubling. And fuel budgets probably also doubled as well.

[michreject]

26. I shoot a USPSA match every Sunday

I practise every Wed and some Saturdays. I'm fortunate to live in an area with several clubs. ;-) I reload and components are getting expensive. I average about 3000 rounds down range a month.

[youngdem]

9. Pfft....Bullshit.

Exactly how many rounds are fired each day by law enforcement nationwide in the line of duty? 100? 200?

A single Walmart could provide enough ammo based on how many times nationwide cops are shooting people. I know this doesn't cover practice rounds, but really, sportsman in 99% of the country will out-use law enforcement every day of the week.

There is plenty of ammo on the market here in the US for everyone to kill everyone and everything else. Rest easy, Americans.

[Posteritatis]

19. That's actually a good question. Anybody know? (nt)

[NickB79]

35. The article was about training on target ranges, not out on the streets

A standard 3-day tactical training course can eat up 2000 rounds of rifle and pistol rounds PER PERSON. When you factor in the number of cops out there that need training (and most of them need a LOT of training, IMO), you start ending up with major ammo needs.

The other issue is that cops can't just grab whatever rounds they like off the shelf at Wal-Mart, because most of those aren't up to their required specifications for duty rounds. For example, they could buy .223 Rem. 50-gr hollowpoints cheap for $75/200, but these are a bad choice for shooting a bad guy; the round will fragment without reaching the FBI-specified minimum of 12 inches of penetration needed for reliably reaching the vital organs from various angles. You also want to practice with what you are going to use in your duty weapons, because different brands of ammo have different points of impact. The same goes for various handgun rounds: only certain loads are approved by many police departments.

[napi21]

2. Well, they could always ask the existing cops to turn in half

of the bullets they carry in their belts! Surely the don't ever need THAT many anyway!

[RamboLiberal]

5. You forgetting about the NYPD cops that can shoot several

mags in an encounter? Just being sarcastic. Most cops are carrying a hi cap mag in their holster and 2 mags on the belt. Maybe around 50 rounds.

[Hangingon]

15. I think this is about training rounds - not carry rounds

This part of the huge increase in copper theft.

[kestrel91316]

6. Here's an idea: import them from China!

They'll be lots cheaper, anyway......

[RamboLiberal]

8. Yeah - wonder how many will be duds or blow up the gun

Could be interesting! Hell, we import all the rest of their junk.

[Endangered Specie]

16. Alot of people have shot (pre-ban) surplus chinese ammo...

occasional duds, no blow ups.

[thunder rising]

7. .223 is the cheapest high power you can buy

and the best comes from Russia .... Wolf.

[RamboLiberal]

10. Some shooters love Wolf - some shooters report problems

with Wolf. Many claim it's a dirty ammo. Don't know how it is now, but several years ago I tried their 9mm. I had no problems but it sure had a weird smell!

[razors edge]

13. I think Wolf is garbage.

After having two split casings jam in the chamber of my .223 Colt HBAR, I won't be buying any more.

If people think AR-15 ammo is expensive, they should try feeding my 300 Ultra Mag at $3.75 a round factory or about a buck a reload.

[Endangered Specie]

17. .223 is considered high power...

I always thought of it as an intermediate round (like 7.62x39 and 8mm Kurz).

Now if you want *HIGH* power you still can get surplus 7.62x54R at around 12-15 cents a round.

[thunder rising]

28. I wrote this long explanation but I'll leave it at:

I wonder why the US Mil carries .223 and likes to hand out AK's when making secret gun deals? I'm sure they wouldn't be handing out the better of the two weapons...would they?

minimalistic 30 caliber cartridge (7.62x39) and is meant to be easy to manufacture.

(same site)
The 223 ammunition has enough power to kill humans or deer if not bears and cape buffalo, is accurate out to several hundred yards and, with heavy (75 - 95 grain) bullets and quick-twist barrels, can shoot to 800 - 1000 yards. It is accurate and allows rapid, well-aimed fire.

And that paragraph above ... I know ... first hand.

[Endangered Specie]

31. hell, a .22 *can* kill a human or deer.

the question is... can it do that reliably, every time...

7.62x39 is not that accurate in part because the guns that shoot it aren't designed to be that accurate. In any event, how many times does the average soldier get an opportunity to shoot at something >300meters away? Frankly if you plan on shooting things past 300 yards one should be using a marksman rifle in a full size caliber (such as .308).

We give them aks because they are a) much cheaper, b)what they are used to using, c) a hell of a lot easier to maintain.

and in the end, even if an individual AK and its ammo is inferior to an M16 (quite possible), 4 AKs versus 1 M16 is a whole nother story, and probably cost the same.

[beevul]

29. Wolf...

Wolf is the dirtiest ammunition I have ever shot ...at least in 40 S&W.

Reloads with unique performed much cleaner.

[RamboLiberal]

11. Affecting New Hampshire police

New Hampshire police are facing a record shortage in gun rounds, causing months-long delays in ammunition orders and forcing some departments to postpone annual mandatory tests at local shooting ranges.

Ammunition demands linked to the war in Iraq, increased security after the Sept. 11 terror attacks and rising worldwide demand for raw materials have taken their toll on the supply of ammunition for police departments, according to officials familiar with the firearms industry.

In Goffstown, Police Chief Michael French recently told selectmen half the officers in his department could not pass the first of two annual shooting tests because there were not enough rounds for them to fire. The test was originally scheduled this spring, but ammunition ordered in February still had not arrived. Goffstown is still waiting and a make-up date has not been set.

"The question still remains... where is our ammunition?" French told the New Hampshire Union Leader.

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Ammo+shortage+puts+hole+in+police+testing+schedule&articleId=460d76a0-32ff-4ecd-a1dc-52a7bec2a372

[mikelgb]

12. don't shoot so many people?

:shrug:

[Posteritatis]

25. Or stop practicing with their weapons; I'm sure that'd cause fewer people to get shot. (nt)

[Davis_X_Machina]

14. 7.62x39 used to be a dime a round...

...which is why I shot it. I'm cheap and a lousy shot.

It's five times that now, for no-name stuff.

All gone, on a cost-plus basis, to the ME.

[Endangered Specie]

18. its not quite *that* bad...

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/copy_of_7_62x39.html

around 17 - 20 cents a round.

[Davis_X_Machina]

20. There's a steep drop-off for large purchases.....

...I usually only buy it box-of-20 at a time -- the CFO has her husband on a short leash...

[Endangered Specie]

21. Explain to the CFO the benefits of bulk purchases

;)

[Spinzonner]

22. Do what everyone else does

Go to Iraq and steal it from the US or buy it on the Black Market

[formercia]

23. Perhaps the police should go back to revolvers

and start walking a beat instead of militarizing and acting like they're an extension of the US Military.

My 2 cents.

[Megahurtz]

24. That's Because They Shoot Too Much.

I swear, they shoot at anything these days.

[clixtox]

27. "Fighting Crime" is only a portion of their duties...

Keeping Amerikkka safe for the very rich and fighting political battles like the "war on drugs" and keeping leftist demonstrators intimidated and weak...

They are the first line of "care" in mental health...

It's too often us against "them"!

[formercia]

33. and they use auto-get-em.

The police use inadequate weapons and compensate with volleys.

[uncertainty1999]

30. Will this shortage work its way to the streets of L.A. anytime soon?

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/homicidereport/

[DU GrovelBot]

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[Prisoner_Number_Six]

32. Why do ya think they've begun tasing everyone to death???

Pretty obvious if you ask me... :shrug:

[1932]

34. If it squeezes criminals too, we'll be in good shape.

Reminds of Chris Rock -- if you want to stop crime, make bullets expensive.