How long before the ammo shortage dies down

[RCCrawler]

I just don't understand. Are the ammo manufactures running their equipment 24/7? There are plenty of people looking for work, why aren't they hiring more people to work more machines for longer hours? Even if they are just temporary jobs, and it's a temporary demand why wouldn't all these companies do everything humanly possible to take full advantage of selling anything they could make as fast as they could possibly make it?

[Great-Kazoo]

I just don't understand. Are the ammo manufactures running their equipment 24/7? There are plenty of people looking for work, why aren't they hiring more people to work more machines for longer hours? Even if they are just temporary jobs, and it's a temporary demand why wouldn't all these companies do everything humanly possible to take full advantage of selling anything they could make as fast as they could possibly make it?

If the mfg cannot obtain the raw materials to mfg components they can't do anything. Big Bore in wellington told me ha's waiting on his lead supplier to mfg more before he can cast more bullets. Trickle down, they don't have , you can't make. Doesn't matter how may people you have working, if the work is not there they can't.

It's like off road parts. If shock co. A is unable to obtain internal comopnents to mfg the "hottest new off road" suspension everyone wants, they cannot produce it.

[Circuits]

I just don't understand. Are the ammo manufactures running their equipment 24/7? There are plenty of people looking for work, why aren't they hiring more people to work more machines for longer hours? Even if they are just temporary jobs, and it's a temporary demand why wouldn't all these companies do everything humanly possible to take full advantage of selling anything they could make as fast as they could possibly make it?

Any factory already runs 24/7, or close to it. To do anything less is inefficient, and keeping the machines running was the reason for the creation of shift work in the first place - two or three shifts to keep the expensive capital equipment running as much as possible.

Only if a factory was running below normal levels, due to slump in demand, perhaps, can they just "ramp up" output quickly - and ammo leading up to the election and newtown was anything but in a slump.

The only other way, then, to increase capacity is to add new production lines, or upgrade existing machinery to do more or go faster. That takes money, lots of money, and time. Why on earth would an ammo factory add, say, $100M in new equipment in order to keep your price down, and when supply catches up to demand, they're sitting with expensive new machines to make more product than they need? The way new capacity gets added overall is new companies starting up, or the big companies overhauling their old machines once they've recouped their capital investment, and building a bigger/better/faster/more efficient production line in due time as part of modernization and maintenance, not as knee-jerk reaction to market fluctuations.

The fact is that demand has outstripped supply even with the ammo companies making as much as they can, as fast as they possibly can make it - and they'll only add additional capacity if the demand stays high for a long time, and projections make them believe demand is going to keep remaining high even after and if they add additional capacity.

[BushMasterBoy]

Obama just came here to make an example of us. When he and his ilk are gone...

[Great-Kazoo]

Obama just came here to make an example of us. When he and his ilk are gone...

AND this has what to do with ammo?

[BushMasterBoy]

AND this has what to do with ammo?

Legislation and antigun attitude? I dunno...everybody buying cos' the .gov bought more than anybody? OP asked when it was gonna be back to normal and I gave my opinion.

[Colorado_Outback]

What Circuits said is spot on. Additionally everyone who works in a production environment knows that its never as easy as it should be. Your going to have problems that effect your delivery dates almost without fail. Machines break, operators call in sick, things happen..

[Colorado_Outback]

No matter how you slice it more equipment/tooling = more overhead. More overhead = less profit, and all these company's are in business to make a profit.

Yes you can add profit by increasing production but its not a cut and dry as you suggest. It takes a long time to engineer, order, produce, install and debug a production line of that size. You cant just call someone and order equipment like that and have the line up and running next Tuesday..

[streetglideok]

At this point, I would wait and see what comes of the Boston bombing, and the ricin letters. Depending on who Uncle Obama blames, will affect ammo supplies

[hollohas]

At this point, I would wait and see what comes of the Boston bombing, and the ricin letters. Depending on who Uncle Obama blames, will affect ammo supplies

Some Senator is already proposing background checks for smokeless powder because of the Boston bombs...dude doesn't even know what the bombs were made of and he wants to go after reloaders. Fits the agenda, don't let any tragedy go to waste, right?

Current law allows an individual to purchase as much as 50 pounds of explosive “black powder” without a background check, and also permits an individual to purchase unlimited amounts of dangerous “smokeless powder” and “black powder substitute” without a background check. Sen. Lautenberg’s proposal would change that and require a background check for any purchase of these explosive powders.
“It is outrageous that anyone, even a known terrorist, can walk into a store in America and buy explosives without any questions asked,” said Senator Lautenberg. “If we are serious about public safety, we must put these common-sense safeguards in place. While the police have not revealed what specific explosive materials were used in Boston, what we do know is that explosive powder is too easy to anonymously purchase across the country.”


Lautenberg will introduce the “Explosive Materials Background Check Act,”

This requires

http://www.lautenberg.senate.gov/new...cfm?id=341435&

Go after guns (AWB). Go after ammo (EPA) and go after reloading (^This guy). Trifecta.