Tracking the ammo shortage

[GunnyGene]

Cam Edwards 25min video about the current ammo shortage as of 14 April. Discussion includes component availability. He ties a lot of things together in this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... e=emb_logo

[Grunt67]

Good video, Gunny. Some of it we already know, of course, but he broke it down into individual aspects of the issues, that were very
informative. I hadn't given much thought as to where & how these components & raw material come into play.
Amazing that we cannot or will not process some of the raw materials at home. I know, it cost more, but unless you have ready access to it, it doesn't really matter. JMHO

[fortyshooter]

Wasn't it the EPA that shut down the last lead smelting company in the USA?

[GunnyGene]

Wasn't it the EPA that shut down the last lead smelting company in the USA?

That was Doe Run back in 2013. However, they mostly processed lead from ore (and was the last primary smelter in the US). There are other lead smelters that process recycled lead from batteries and other secondary sources in the US. In any case, only about 3% of lead produced goes to ammo, and ammo is fairly low down on the priority list. Lots of other industries compete for it at much higher volume, so the low priority users are last in line. It's all about raw material profit margins. Same for copper, and most other minerals. Processing from ore is fairly complex and yields other minerals (such as copper) in addition to lead. See this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_smelting

[Grunt67]

That's true of most things, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. The military gets priority on many weapon related products, and components. We're at the bottom of the lists. Nothing new there, but now with supplies scarce, it makes things worse for all.
Gonna be quite a while, I think.

[GunnyGene]

Gonna be quite a while, I think.

I agree. And the rather optimistic view (I thought) that we would get back to some semblance of normal by next summer largely depends on no further disruptions of any significance. Any hiccups between now and then are going to prolong the current difficulties - and not just in the firearms/ammo industry.

It should also be noted that what qualifies as a "significant disruption" today, and in the future, does not have the same definition as a "significant disruption" did a year or 2 ago; partly due to the fragility of our current society and systems, and the mental state of people generally these days. We're primed to panic over the least little problem.

[Grunt67]

. We're primed to panic over the least little problem.
[/quote]

Truer words were never spoken. People these days are just a wreck looking for a place to happen.