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April 8th, 2009
 Grafs.com has loaded Lapua 6mmBR ammo in stock. This ammo is expensive (about $36 per box of 20 rounds) but the 6mmBR loaded ammo is really good stuff. We’ve tried it in a half-dozen custom 6BRs. In calm conditions, it has shot between 1/4 and 1/2 MOA. In the USA, this ammo is offered with two bullet weights — 90gr Scenar or 105gr Scenar. Both types of ammo shoot great.
If you own a 6mmBR rifle with a no-turn neck, we recommend purchasing at least one box. Test it through your gun with a chronograph. This will give you a useful benchmark to assess if your barrel runs faster or slower than average. (In a 25.6″ barrel, the 90s are rated at 2950 fps while the 105s are rated at 2790 fps.) You may be surprised at how accurate this stuff can be. It is loaded to be about .025″ off the lands in a .100″ freebore chamber.
April 7th, 2009
 Alliant Techsystems (NYSE:ATK) has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Army to continue operating the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant for an additional four (4) years. Under the new contract, ATK will continue to supply small-caliber ammunition through September 2013. The contract extension assures an uninterrupted supply of ammunition to the U.S. military beyond ATK’s current 10-year contract. The U.S. Army also awarded ATK $481 million under the new contract for production of 5.56mm, 7.62mm, and .50-caliber ammunition and to continue work to modernize the Lake City facility.
ATK is now the #1 producer of small arms ammunition in the world, manufacturing billions of rounds each year. Lake City is a key source of ATK ammo production. ATK began operating the plant, located in Independence, Missouri, in April 2000 and has increased production from 350 million to more than 1.4 billion rounds annually. The plant has the capability to produce a mix of 5.56mm, 7.62mm, .50-caliber, and 20mm cartridges, as well as ammunition links.
April 4th, 2009
6mmBR, 220 Russian, .308 IN STOCK
MidwayUSA just received supplies of Lapua brass for the hard-to-find cartridges: 220 Russian, 6mmBR, .243, 6.5 Grendel, and .308. If you need Lapua brass in a hurry, you might want to jump on this, as Midway’s inventory will probably sell out quickly.
 220 Russian, item 1270320316, $94.99 per 100-ct box
6mmBR, item 1270323515, $80.89 per 100-ct box
.243 Win, item 1270235456, $82.34 per 100-ct box
6.5 Gredel, item 1270213283, $104.99 per 100-ct box
.308 Win, item 1270187523, $70.99 per 100-ct box
Other Sources
Bruno Shooters Supply expects to have more Lapua brass within two weeks. Grafs.com expects another large shipment to arrive fairly soon as well.
April 1st, 2009
Major commodities exchanges announced that they would commence trading of cartridge primers and primer futures contracts, starting on April 2, 2009. This marks the first time that an ammunition component will be exchange-traded, alongside oil, gas, precious metals, and agricultural products. Federal, CCI, Remington, and Wolf primers will be listed on the NYMEX (N.Y. Mercantile Exchange), CME Group (Chicago Mercantile Exchange), and the USFE (U.S. Futures Exchange).
“Primers may be the pork-bellies of the future.” — V. DeMarco, Commodity Trader
 The price of primers has skyrocketed in recent months, with Federal 205M primers rising from the mid-20 dollar mark to $60.00 per box (see chart). Price hikes have been driven by increased demand as Americans salt away large caches of primers in fear of future shortages. The demand for primers (half of American households have guns), combined with the volatility of bulk primer prices, convinced commodity exchange managers that it was time to start trading primers and primer futures. Vince DeMarco, a trader on the Chicago Mercantile Exhange, explained: “Primers may be the pork-bellies of the future. Demand is at an all-time high. With the ability to buy and sell primer futures, now investors can make money on price movements.” Leslie Woods, an analyst for Forbes magazine, noted that “We are seeing significant hoarding. People are buying primers by the hundreds of thousands, yet many purchasers have no intention of ever using all those primers. Many of the buyers are not even active shooters. They are clearly acquiring large stocks of primers for speculative purposes. Now, with primers being traded as commodities, these investors can maintain their stake in the primer market without actually holding physical inventory.”
Marcus Singleton, a V.P. with the N.Y. Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) explained: “We should have done this (trade primers as commodities) years ago. More Americans buy primers than will ever buy gold or silver bullion. Primers are consummable, which means that there will always be a lag between supply and demand, which is what moves markets. And a moving market, whichever way it goes, makes money for the exchanges.” Singleton also noted: “Let’s face it, people don’t really want to have half a million primers stashed under their bed. That’s a potential fire hazard. And due to Haz Mat charges, large quantities of primers are very expensive to ship. For the small investor, concerned about rising primer prices, it’s much better to purchase primer futures contracts. That way he gets price protection in the long run and he doesn’t actually have to store anything.”
March 18th, 2009
Over the past few days, there has been a storm of controversy surrounding sales of surplus U.S. military cartridge brass. The concern arose because DOD Surplus, LLC had announced to wholesale brass purchasers that future shipments of spent cartridge cases would have to be “mutilated” and sold as scrap metal. (DOD Surplus, LLC sells surplus brass under a contract with the Department of Defense.)
Shooters nationwide, fearing that surplus U.S. military brass would no longer be available, protested loudly to members of Congress and Department of Defense officials.
We are pleased to report that the “mutilation” requirement has been rescinded, and vendors such as Georgia Arms and GI Brass will continue to sell reloadable surplus cartridge cases obtained from the U.S. military.
 How the Controversy Arose
The Department of Defense (DOD), on behalf of all the branches of the military, collects fired shell cases. Rather than sell surplus brass directly, the DOD has disposal contracts with DOD Surplus, LLC and Government Liquidation, LLC, two private companies. These companies aggregate and sell the brass in bulk to wholesalers, primarily through online auctions.
DOD Surplus, LLC had notified Georgia Arms that future lots of surplus brass would be subject to a NEW multilation requirement, effectively rendering the brass useless for reloading.
Where did that “mutilation” requirement come from? Was this some evil, new directive from the White House? Apparently not. Here’s what happened. Surplus brass has been handled under a “DEMIL B” product category. Prior to 11/2008, DEMIL B items required no mutilation for sale to the public. That policy changed last November, but several exemptions (waivers) were granted. Expended munitions brass was covered by a waiver.
After the new administration took office, some new manager, probably in the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), eliminated ALL exemptions for DEMIL B products. Why this was done, we don’t really know. It appears no consideration was given to the impact on the shooting industry. But this elimination of the DEMIL B brass waiver was communicated to DOD Surplus, LLC last week. DOD Surplus, LLC, in turn, told its purchasers that milsurp brass would have to be mutilated (rendered unusable) from here on out.
Surplus Brass Now Re-Classified DEMIL Q, so No Mutilation Required
Yesterday, March 17, at 5:15 pm a letter cosigned by Senator Tester (D-MT) and Senator Baucus (D-MT) was faxed to the Department of Defense asking DOD to reverse its new policy requiring destruction of fired military cartridge brass. That joint letter, combined with thousands of email messages sent to Washington, convinced the DOD to reverse the recent change in surplus brass policy.
At 5:30 PM on the 17th, the DOD faxed Senator Tester’s office announcing that the policy requiring multilation of surplus brass had been rescinded. Specifically, surplus military cartridge brass has been reclassified as a “DEMIL Q” product (not “DEMIL B” as before). DEMIL Q requires no product mutilation unless the item is sold to a foreign country.
BOTTOM LINE: Stocks of U.S. Military surplus cartridge brass will continue to be offered for sale, via wholesalers, to the general public. Problem solved. As announced by Georgia Arms: “DOD Surplus, LLC, has rescinded its prior directive that ALL small arms spent casings be mutilated rather than recycled. This was a huge victory for common sense and we would like to thank each and every person who made an effort and played a role in correcting this mistake.”
March 18th, 2009
 Berger Bullets has kicked off a special sale on Berger moly-coated bullets. Berger let us release this information first in today’s Daily Bulletin, so that AccurateShooter.com readers will have “first crack” at these super deals.
PURCHASE TERMS
The following bullets are available at significant discounts while supplies last. These prices apply to listed inventories of moly-coated bullets only. Bullets that are not sold by the end of March will be scrapped. (Berger will still produce these bullets uncoated at regular prices, but the moly version is being closed out.)
Bullets must be paid by credit card only unless someone has already established an account with us. Berger will NOT not hold bullets for payment by check. Add a 5% discount if you buy ALL available boxes of a given caliber, weight, and style. Orders placed for 30 boxes or more get free shipping.
Place your order with Andrea Cobos at (714) 447-5456 or contact andrea.cobos [at] bergerbullets.com.
LIST UPDATED as of 09:04 PST on 3/20
Here is the list of bullets still available. (Everything is selling fast…)
Berger 17 cal 30 gr Varmint Moly – 48 boxes – $27.21 per box (200 count)
Berger 22 cal 30 gr Varmint Moly – 18 boxes – $13.52 per box
Berger 22 cal 90 gr VLD Moly – 138 boxes – $17.30 per box
Berger 25 cal 87 gr Moly – 107 boxes – $24.14 per box
Berger 30 cal 110 gr Moly – 14 boxes – $20.69 per box
Berger 30 cal 155 gr BT Moly – 44 boxes – $25.70 per box
Berger 30 cal 168 gr BT Moly – 30 boxes – $24.00 per box
NOTE: The bullets listed above will remain in production in “naked” form, without moly-coating. These bullet designs are NOT being discontinued — just the moly-coated versions.
March 16th, 2009
 In an official press release dated March 10, 2009, the National Parks Service (NPS) announced its intention to ban all lead bullets, lead-containing ammunition, and lead fishing tackle in the lands under NPS control.
According to acting National Park Service director Dan Wenk: “Our goal is to eliminate the use of lead ammunition and lead fishing tackle in parks by the end of 2010. We want to take a leadership role in removing lead from the environment.”
The NPS announcement has drawn scathing criticism from groups representing hunters and anglers. The National Shooting Sports Foundation called the decision “arbitrary, over-reactive, and not based on science”. According to the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, the NPS lead ban “would needlessly push hunters to use more costly bullets made of tungsten, copper, and steel. The restrictions, set to take affect by the end of 2010, were announced without regard to science and without soliciting feedback from sportsmens’ groups.”
Outdoor groups were blind-sided by the NPS policy change, as the Park Service made no effort to consult hunters and fishermen before instituting the “no-lead” policy. “The NPS announcement demonstrates either complete ignorance or complete arrogance as to the effect that this policy will have on hunters,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. “There is no science to support NPS’s contention that the use of lead ammunition in hunting is causing environmental contamination, having a negative effect on wildlife, or posing a threat to the health of visitors or park staff. This policy, and the lack of communication in advance with the sportsmen’s community, is a deliberate attempt to reduce the number of people who will want to hunt in the 60 parks that are open to hunting.”
With the Park Service lead ban be fully implemented as planned? We’ll have to see whether the chorus of criticism can derail the NPS policy. Jim Shepherd of the Outdoor Wire writes: “When the National Park Service decided to ban lead in fishing tackle and ammunition from properties under their control, they probably thought this was another of their little surprises that would stay under the radar. Instead, they’ve found themselves justifiably pilloried by a wide array of organizations representing the hunting and fishing communities and several state legislatures who find their capricious rule-making more than a little offensive.”
March 14th, 2009
 The folks at Berger Bullets have just released an interesting technical bulletin that describes methods for optimizing bullet seating depths with Berger VLDs. The document explains how to find the OAL “sweet spot” for VLDs in your rifle. Interestingly, while VLDs commonly work best seated into the rifling .010″ or more, Berger’s research indicates that, in some rifles, VLDs perform well jumped .040″ or more. This is a significant finding, one that’s backed-up by real-world testing by many shooters.
The key point in Berger’s report is that: “VLD bullets shoot best when loaded to a Cartridge Overall Length (COAL) that puts the bullet in a ‘sweet spot’. This sweet spot is a band .030″ to .040″ wide and is located anywhere between jamming the bullets into the lands and .150″ jump off the lands.”
CLICK HERE to download Berger VLD Tuning Tips
Writing in the report, Berger’s Eric Stecker observes: “Many reloaders feel (and I tend to agree) that meaningful COAL adjustments are .002 to .005. Every once in a while I might adjust the COAL by .010 but this seems like I am moving the bullet the length of a football field. The only way a shooter will be able to benefit from this situation is to let go of this opinion that more than .010 change is too much (me included).”
For target competition shooters (for whom it is practical to seat into the lands), Berger recommends the following test to find your rifle’s VLD sweet spot.
Load 24 rounds at the following COAL:
1. .010″ into (touching) the lands (jam) 6 rounds
2. .040″ off the lands (jump) 6 rounds
3. .080″ off the lands (jump) 6 rounds
4. .120″ off the lands (jump) 6 rounds
Berger predicts that: “One of these 4 COALs will outperform the other three by a considerable margin. Once you know which one of these 4 COAL shoots best then you can tweak the COAL +/- .002 or .005.”
OBSERVATION and WARNING
Berger may definitely be on to something here, and we applaud Berger’s testers for testing a very broad range of seating depths. However, we want to issue a STRONG WARNING to reloaders who may be inclined to try the 4-step method listed above.
Be aware that, as you load your cartridge progressively shorter, putting the bullet deeper into the case, you will be reducing the effective case capacity dramatically. With smaller cases, such as the .223 Rem and 6mmBR, moving from .010″ into the lands to .080″ and .120″ off the lands can CAUSE a dramatic pressure rise. So, a load .010″ into the lands that may be safe can be WAY OVERPRESSURE with the bullet seated .120″ off the lands (i.e. .130″ deeper in the case, the difference between .010″ in and .120″ out).
To illustrate, using a QuickLOAD simulation for the 6mmBR cartridge, moving the bullet 0.130″ deeper into the case can raise pressures dramatically. With the Berger 105 VLD seated .010″ in the lands (with 0.220 of bearing surface in the neck), and a charge of 30.0 grains of Varget, QuickLOAD predicts 60,887 psi. (This is using ADI 2208 data, and a 5500 psi start initiation value). If we move the bullet back 0.130″ further into the case, QuickLOAD predicts 64,420 psi (even after we drop start initiation pressure to the “default” non-jammed 3625 psi value). The 64,420 psi level is way higher!
| Cartridge & Load |
COAL |
Jam/Jump* |
Start Pressure |
Max Pressure |
6mmBR, 30.0 Varget
Berger 105 VLD |
2.354″ |
+0.010″ in lands |
5500 psi |
60,887 psi |
6mmBR, 30.0 Varget
Berger 105 VLD |
2.324″ |
-0.20″ JUMP |
3625 psi |
59,645 psi |
6mmBR, 30.0 Varget
Berger 105 VLD |
2.264″ |
-0.80″ JUMP |
3625 psi |
62,413 psi |
6mmBR, 30.0 Varget
Berger 105 VLD |
2.224″ |
-0.120″ JUMP |
3625 psi |
64,420 psi |
* As used here, this is the variance in OAL from a load length where the bullet ogive just touches the lands (first jacket to barrel contact). Loading bullets to an OAL beyond that point is “jamming” (seating bullet into lands), while loading to an OAL shorter than that is “jumping” (seating bullet away from lands).
NOTE: This is only a software simulation, and the real pressures you encounter may be different. But, the point is that moving the bullet 0.130″ further down in a 6mmBR case can raise pressures more than 3,000 psi! Therefore, you must employ EXTREME CAUTION when moving your bullets that much in a relatively small case. Remember that going from .010″ jam to a very long jump will probably increase pressures in your cartridge so you MUST adjust your load accordingly.
March 13th, 2009
 Lapua cartridge brass has been in short supply recently. The good news is that a large shipment (of various cartridge types) recently arrived, and both MidwayUSA and Grafs.com are now again showing quantities in stock. Yes, MidwayUSA has 6mmBR, 220 Russian, and .308 Win brass now. You may still have to check multiple sources, and if you wait a week or so, the brass should get to other discount vendors such as Powder Valley. Cabela’s has Lapua brass in stock also… but no 6mmBR or .308 Win.
MidwayUSA now has Lapua 6mmBR brass at $82.99 per 100 (item 1270323515), 220 Russian brass at $97.99 per 100 (item 1270320316), and .308 Win brass at $72.99 per 100 (item 1270187523). MidwayUSA is also showing Lapua brass availability for: 20 Tactical, 222 Rem, 223 Rem, 7.62×39, 6.5 Grendel, 6.5×47, and 6.5-284, 6.5×55, and 30-06. Everything is pretty expensive — for example the 6.5×47 brass is $110.99 per 100 (ouch!).
Grafs.com hasn’t posted all the new Lapua brass it has received yet, but today Graf’s is showing availability of Lapua brass for: 222 Rem ($49.99/100), .243 Winchester ($72.99/100), 6.5×47 ($91.99/100), 7.62×39 ($46.59/100), 30-06 ($89.59/100). We don’t believe Grafs.com received 6mmBR brass in this shipment, but they should get some by early April.
If you still can’t find what you need, Cabela’s has the following types of Lapua rifle brass in stock: .243 Win ($69.99), 6.5×47 ($89.99/100), 6.5-284 ($99.99/100), 30-06 ($85.99/100), and .338 Lapua Magnum ($214.99/100).
March 8th, 2009
We announced that a new shipment of Lapua cartridge brass is due to arrive within a couple weeks. Both importers, Graf & Sons and Kaltron, have ordered large quantities. However, some cartridge types, including 6mmBR, do not appear to be included in this container.
We’ve checked around, and most everybody seems to be sold out of 6mmBR, 220 Russian, and .308 brass. You may want to check with E. Arthur Brown, www.eabco.com. That company’s shopping cart system is still showing availability of Lapua brass of most types, including 6mmBR. No guaranties however — you may want to call E. Arthur Brown first before placing your order: (320) 834-3000, or for Orders Only, 1-800-950-9088.
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