Primers, Powder and brass

[Sean Thornton]

In central Illinois since December there has been the shortage of primers(mainly large pistol), powder and brass. After travelling through many states to Florida visiting friends and a little vacation I have found it really to be a national problem.  I have been able to pick up some primers and brass aling the way.

32 gauge Fiocchi shot shells are non existant and the Chedite just do not work as well for making blanks for the .56-50. Hopefully in the next few months things will settle done and the demand will ease a bit.

[JimBob]

This was posted over on the CMP forum-



There are several factors that affect ammunition production. I will answer one of the most obvious as it pertains to component production:

Primers. Primer manufacture, whether for rimfire or centerfire, remains a significant bottleneck in the production of small arms ammunition.

The priming of rimfire cases is performed by hand. Lead stypnate is an impact sensitive explosive compound, which is wetted to allow for safe handling. With the addition of a wetting compound (usually a non-flammable chemical with a low vapor pressure point) the explosive can be handled safely by a priming specialist. Special precautions are taken during priming operations for rimfire, the amount of priming compound available is regulated, and the number of operations being performed in a given area is regulated also. In other words, only so many people can prime in a given manufacturing area, and only so much priming compound is made available to that operation as a safety precaution. CCI has a video on Youtube that briefly shows the rimfire priming operation and the safety precautions that come with it.

For centerfire ammunition, most major OEM's physically separate priming operations from ammunition assembly. Winchester's operations in Lake City Army Ammunition Plant mandated the creation of "priming shacks" which are phyiscally distant from the ammunition production plant. When Federal/ATK took over LCAAP production, they wisely kept this physical separation. The employees who manufacture centerfire primers are some of the most experienced, and highly compensated employees on the production line. Their numbers cannot be increased rapidly.

Powder is also physically separated as a safety precaution. Powder for the day's production is kept separate from ammunition production and it is introduced as a ""just in time" operation by tube or belt to minimize the amount of powder in the assembly area.

Primer production remains a significant bottleneck for any OEM.

For manufacture of cases, projectiles, packaging, etc... These operations can be scaled up. The raw material for cases is usually gilding metal, which is manufactured offsite by a supplier to custom specifications. The ammunition OEM typically uses High Speed stamping and drawing machines to stamp, cut, and then draw cartridge cases. The legacy OEM's (Winchester, Remington, Federal) all used High Speed Bliss stamping machines that are of World War 2 vintage. These machines are easily maintained and repaired and and virtually indestructible. I have a photo of a data plate from a Winchester Stamping machine that carries a 1940 production date. It appears new.

Newer machines are in use, but ammunition manufacture follows a well established assembly line for safety and logistical reasons. The introduction of more modern equipment usually results in a smaller overall footprint, with a moderate increase in production capacity. For safety reasons, there is a limiting factor of how much capacity you can safely insert into a given square footage.

Remington's recent announcement of expansion at their Lonoke Arkansas facility may be the indication that they are reaching the limit of their current capacity (square footage) and have to add additional square footage in order to safely expand production.

No OEM crams more equipment and people into a smaller area to increase ammunition production. To expand production, it is a multi-layered process that requires careful planning and preparation.

The last factor is the availability of trained and skilled employees. To become an ammunition worker requires unique skillsets and training and investment by the employer. None of that is cheap, and the addition of skilled labor requires careful planning if you are responding to a sudden increase in consumer demand.

OEM's have to be prudent about expanding production as the Law of Supply and Demand states:

"Demand is elastic, supply is inelastic."

Any OEM that responds to short term demand by attempting to rapidly increase production will not be in business in the long term.

FWIW.

[sharps1863]

I think another problem with the Primer situation is some dealers are not putting them on their shelves ,but instead putting them up for sell on the Auction sights and jacking up the price. Gun broker is full of primers for sell at prices that are 3 and 4 times higher than I just paid for a 1000 primers at a local dealer. As for smokeless powder I cannot find any around here. Black powder and Pyrodex and 777 I can find.  Muzzleloading caps I can Find. So my Blackpowder guns have been getting a good work out,these past few months.  OEM production you have to remember the Government is at the top of the list for supply from them. We are at the Bottom.