This story makes very little sense to me. At the start it says the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are contributing to the shortage. Further down it says the military is getting its ammo from a dedicated factory and the police forces are using other suppliers.
Sounds like ammo manufacturers are indulging in some serious price gouging.
There’s also references to the cost of materials – we ought to talk to China, there seems to be enough lead there to put into every child’s toy, so how can there be a shortage?
I suspect it’s not that the military is shooting up all the rounds that the police want to use, but rather that the govt. is placing LARGE orders for 5.56, 7.62, 50 cal and 9mm, and the ammo manufacturers are prioritizing those orders over making stuff for the LE & consumer markets.
Ammo prices across the board have gone up significantly since a few years back, and in calibers that the military doesn’t use (357 magnum, .30-06, etc…)
There are also record highs in the metal markets- copper is way up relative to several years ago, and is a major component of bullets (cartridge brass is 70% copper, and bullet jackets are something like 95% copper) Lead is also significantly more expensive than it used to be.
Well, that indeed may be part of the problem: China is sucking up a stupendous proportion of the world’s supply of industrial materials (from metal ores to portland cement) for use in their commercial sector and construction, thus driving prices up. Meanwhile, the military may have its dedicated providers for making MilSpec, but then that itself means every train car load of raw materials that go into producing brass/lead/steel/chordite/molds/dies for the MilSpec factories is a load taken out of the open market: since the military will pay a premium for those supplies, it drives up the price. Meanwhile, it’s kinda evident that around the world both supply and demand for rounds in the various predominant calibers are strong – someone is making ammo for all those AKs – BUT then there’s the issue of quality control: American police departments and sports shooters require high quality control. Plus, in the case of police departments they are probably* required * to Buy American…
Old joke from the latter days of the Soviet Union:
A long queue of people waits in line at the village shop, hoping to buy meat.
Suddenly, the butcher slams down the front gate, announcing “No more meat! Come back tomorrow!”
Most of the people shuffle off. But one elderly man starts complaining loudly: “No meat? I’m a veteran of the Great Patriot War! Is this any way to be treated?”
Quickly another somewhat sinister looking man approaches, saying “Comrade! Be quiet and stop complaining before you get into trouble. Go home quietly, and we’ll forget about this outburst. Just be happy this isn’t like the old days”. At this point, he gestures, using his fingers to point a symbolic gun at his head and pull the trigger.
The disgruntled veteran goes home and is greeted by his wife, who asks: “Were they out of meat again?”