With ammunition in short supply these days, we know ammo production is on people’s minds. Top industry leaders have said the USA will face ammo shortages well into 2021. So ammo-makers big and small are ramping up production to meet demand. If you’re curious how ammunition is created on the assembly by a relatively small, speciality manufacturer, watch the video below to see the entire process, start to finish.
This video from Fog Ammunition reveals how .223 Rem ammo is made. Starting with boxes of bullets and bags of cartridge brass, this video shows how components are bulk-sorted, then .223 Rem ammunition is produced on a modern, linear multi-stage loading machine. In assembly-line fashion, cases are primed, powder is added, bullets are placed, final seating depth is set, and then the case is crimped.
If you’ve never seen an automated loader in action you should definitely watch this video. With this kind of machine, a new round is produced every second or so (see video 1:15 to 1:55). The .223 Remington ammunition featured in this video is loaded with Sierra BlitzKing bullets. Fog offers both rifle and pistol ammo loaded with quality components.
Video Shows Automated Loading Process Start to Finish (Worth Watching):
Remember when primers were plentiful and priced affordably?
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Jason Hornady, V.P. of Hornady Ammunition Manufacturing, has a message for ammunition buyers about the shortage of ammo on retail shelves. He begins by stating that: “We understand there is, certainly, an ‘over-demand’ right now on ammunition availability.” That’s to put it mildly. An executive of Vista Outdoor recently explained that with 7 million new gun owners in 2020, if they all purchase just two 50-round boxes of ammo each, that represents 700,000,000 rounds of additional demand.
Jason assures customers that there are no hidden storage facilities, and there have been no government orders to halt production. In fact, Hornady is producing more ammunition than ever before, and the ammo is going straight from the production line out to vendors.
“We promise we are shipping everything we can. The stuff that goes out today was literally put in a box yesterday.” And Hornady’s factories are running at full capacity — “We’ve made one-third more [ammunition] than we did last year.”
Jason Hornady added: “In March, we were up 86 percent and that did it — the inventory was gone. We literally emptied our building. Since then, the sales increase is back to 15 percent a month because that’s all we can manage. Literally, we make it one day and ship it the next.”
Jason concluded: “We are shipping and doing everything we can to get product out the door. We appreciate you as a customer and we appreciate your patience.”
Founded in 1949, Hornady Manufacturing Company is a family-owned business headquartered in Grand Island, Nebraska. It proudly manufactures products “Made in the USA” by over 300 employees.
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Why is factory ammunition so hard to find? That’s the question on many gun owners’ minds. There are some crazy rumors — that production has been slowed on purpose — or that there is a secret warehouse somewhere, full of ammo. In fact, those rumors are nonsense — the major ammo production facilities of Vista Outdoor are running around the clock to meet demand.
That message was recently delivered in a video featuring Jason Vanderbrink, President of Vista Outdoor’s ammunition manufacturing division, which includes brands Federal, CCI, Speer, and Remington.
Millions of new gun owners have created an unprecedented demand for ammo in 2020.
Huge Demand from Millions of New Gun Owners
Vanserbrink points out some basic economics: “Seven million new shooters since March, times 2 boxes (a conservative estimate) is 700 MILLION new rounds of ammunition [that] our three factories have to produce. That is impossible to do in nine months.”
In this video, Vanderbrink asks for patience and seeks to quash rumors. While conceding that the pandemic has created challenges, Vanderbrink declares that the ammo plants are running at full capacity:
“We know, ammo seems hard to come by right now. But rest assured, we are building and shipping more and more every day[.] We are making ammunition every minute of every day … We are making more hunting ammo than we ever have. We are doing our damndest to meet the demand!”
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With ammunition in short supply these days, we know ammo production is on people’s minds. Top industry leaders have said the USA will face ammo shortages well into 2021. So ammo-makers big and small are ramping up production to meet demand. If you’re curious how ammunition is created on the assembly by a relatively small, speciality manufacturer, watch the video below to see the entire process, start to finish.
This video from Fog Ammunition reveals how .223 Rem ammo is made. Starting with boxes of bullets and bags of cartridge brass, this video shows how components are bulk-sorted, then .223 Rem ammunition is produced on a modern, linear multi-stage loading machine. In assembly-line fashion, cases are primed, powder is added, bullets are placed, final seating depth is set, and then the case is crimped.
If you’ve never seen an automated loader in action you should definitely watch this video. With this kind of machine, a new round is produced every second or so (see video 1:15 to 1:55). The .223 Remington ammunition featured in this video is loaded with Sierra BlitzKing bullets. Fog offers both rifle and pistol ammo loaded with quality components.
Video Shows Automated Loading Process Start to Finish (Worth Watching):
Remember when primers were plentiful and priced affordably?
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Olin Corporation announced that, effective 10/1/2020, its ammunition division, Olin Winchester LLC (“Winchester”), assumed full management and operational control of the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Missouri. The U.S. Army selected Winchester to operate and manage the Lake City plant in September 2019. The contract has an initial term of seven years and may be extended by the U.S. Army for up to three additional years. Winchester is now the world’s largest small arms ammunition manufacturer.
Winchester President Brett Flaugher stated: “We were selected to manage the Lake City plant because of our industry-leading capabilities and track record. For decades, we have successfully demonstrated those capabilities in quality, innovation and on-time delivery as well as through our partnership with the U.S. Army in developing solutions that service the U.S. Warfighter. Our team is fully prepared and 100% committed to the safe, reliable and efficient operation of the Lake City plant.”
Currently in its 154th year of operation and 90th year as part of Olin, Winchester has been providing ammunition to the U.S. military since World War I.
About Lake City Ammunition Plant
Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP) is a 3,935-acre government-owned, contractor-operated facility in Independence, Missouri that was established by Remington Arms in 1941 to manufacture and test small caliber ammunition for the U.S. Army. The Lake City Plant has remained in continuous operation except for one 5-year period following World War II. The plant also serves as a national test center for ammunition performance and weapons firing.
Remington Arms operated the plant from its inception until 1985. Then Winchester took over the facility from 1985-2000. Prior to its acquisition by Northrup Grumman in 2018, Orbital-ATK ran the plant since late 2000, initially as Alliant Techsystems (ATK). In 2019, Olin Winchester, LLC, was selected by the U.S. Army to operate and manage the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant for the next seven years. Winchester took full operational control of the Lake City plant on October 1, 2020.
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Why is ammo in short supply? Quite simply because Americans are buying ammunition (and reloading supplies) like never before, grabbing everything that comes off the production line. Consider this, ATK (NYSE:ATK), which owns Alliant Powder, CCI, Federal, RCBS, Bushnell, Savage and many other gun industry brands, reported a huge increase in revenues, mostly due to increased ammo sales.
ATK reported that second-quarter sales in its Sporting Group — which includes ammunition as well as optics, reloading gear and sport-shooting and tactical accessories — were up 48 percent to $421 million compared to $284 million in the same period last year. The company said the increase in sales was driven by higher volume in ammunition, sales from Savage of $57 million, and a previously announced ammunition price increase. ATK reported that its overall net income for the quarter was up 42 percent. Counting both military and civilian (Sporting Group) production, ATK produces over 6.5 Billion rounds of ammunition every year. Yep, that’s “B” as in Billion. That includes everything from .22 rimfire up to tank ammo.
$387,000,000 of Ammo for the Military
In related news, ATK announced that it has received orders for approximately $387 million for ammunition to be produced at its Lake City Army Ammunition Plant. The orders fall under the plant’s new production contract, which began Oct. 1, 2013, and include a mix of 5.56mm, 7.62mm and .50-caliber high-quality military ammunition.
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Olin Corporation announced that, effective 10/1/2020, its ammunition division, Olin Winchester LLC (“Winchester”), assumed full management and operational control of the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Missouri. The U.S. Army selected Winchester to operate and manage the Lake City plant in September 2019. The contract has an initial term of seven years and may be extended by the U.S. Army for up to three additional years. Winchester is now the world’s largest small arms ammunition manufacturer.
Why is ammo in short supply? Quite simply because Americans are buying ammunition (and reloading supplies) like never before, grabbing everything that comes off the production line. Consider this, 
