Month: April 2009

Categories
Ammunition

Hornady Dangerous Game Series Ammunition

Hornady's new 404 Jeffery loading.
Hornady's new 404 Jeffery loading.
Hornady’s new 404 Jeffery loading.

One of the things Hornady is known for is the manufacture of its Dangerous Game Series ammunition: serious cartridges for hunting the largest game on Earth.  These cartridges are loaded for the traditional big guns used to hunt elephant, hippopotamus and other large African game.

Expanding the line in 2009, Hornady has added four new calibers to the Dangerous Game lineup: 404 Jeffery, 416 Ruger, 470 Nitro Express, and the 500 Nitro Express.

All of the new offerings are loaded with both the DGS and DGX bullets.

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Categories
news

Tuff Quick Strips: Reload Your Revolver

The Tuff Quick Strips are injection molded from a flexible urethane material

For years, Bianchi Speed Strips have been an effective method of carrying an extra load of ammunition for your .38 or .357 revolver.  I have personally used and recommended the Speed Strips to a lot of people needing extra ammo when carrying concealed.

However, for calibers other than .38/.357, shooters were out of luck.  That has changed with the introduction of the Quick Strips from Tuff Products.

Tuff Products has brought a line of ammunition carriers to market that appear to be very similar to the old Speed Strips, but the Quick Strips are available in a wide range of calibers.  The currently available calibers are:

  • .22 rimfire (10 rounds)
  • .327 Federal Magnum (8 rounds)
  • .38 Special/.357 Magnum (6 rounds or 8 round models)
  • .410 shotshell
  • .44 Special/.44 Magnum (6 rounds)
  • .45 Colt (6 rounds)
  • .460 S&W Magnum (6 rounds)
  • .475 Linebaugh (6 rounds)
  • .480 Ruger (6 rounds)
  • .500 S&W Magnum (6 rounds)

Additionally, new calibers are scheduled for release in May: the .41 Magnum, .45 AutoRim, .500 Linebaugh, and .50 Bowen Special.

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Categories
Handguns

DoubleStar 1911 Introduced

doublestar_1911DoubleStar, known for their AR-15 products, has announced a new handgun: the DoubleStar 1911.

The DoubleStar 1911 uses a forged steel frame, and has a beveled magazine well, Novak sights and a National Match stainless steel 5″ barrel.  The finish is parkerized.  Customizations are available, including a variety of grips, and a choice in trigger guards.

MSRP is listed as “less than $1,200.”

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Categories
Ammunition

The Ongoing Ammunition Shortage

399768_5485-01In the past year, I have run ammunition price updates every few months.  I can’t do that anymore.  None of the cartridges I had followed are in stock, or expected to be in stock, in the near future.  In fact, a lot of ammo of all types is sold out at most locations.

The WalMart stores near me seemingly have people lined up at the ammo counter every morning, waiting to buy ammunition that is on the daily truck delivery.  Online vendors can’t keep ammo in stock, either.

Unable to find any .223/5.56 ammunition locally for a head-to-head test of AR-15 magazines later this month, I contacted some of the ammunition manufacturers to ask for their assistance in procuring some.  The responses I received were almost exclusively apologetic, as very few manufacturers have any .223, and those that do are shipping them to fulfill backlogged contracts.

I traded e-mails with Ed Grasso, the majority owner of Sellier & Bellot, USA.  Sellier & Bellot, USA is the exclusive importer of Sellier & Bellot (S&B) ammunition.

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Categories
Ammunition

Winchester Ammunition at Peak Production

Winchester Ammunition

winchester_ammunition1I have previously run articles about the increase in ammunition costs and ammunition shortages.  I have had a few people claim that the ammunition manufacturers were restricting supply to drive up prices.  Based on the contacts I have made in the industry, I knew that companies are producing as many rounds as they can, as quickly as they can.

However, it seems that the rumors persist.

Winchester Ammunition, in an effort to combat the notion that they, or anyone else, is cutting production, released this statement:

Winchester Ammunition, like other ammunition manufacturers, has seen the demand for our products increase significantly since last fall. To meet that increased demand, our operations are running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our team is literally working around the clock to make quality ammunition available for purchase. We remain absolutely committed to meeting the growing needs of our customers.

Update – Eventually the ammo shortages of 2009 eased up.  As supply increased, prices dropped.  That’s how a market economy works, don’t cha know.  I suggested (and so did a lot of other people) that shooters slowly build up supplies of ammo and reloading components for the calibers they shoot and/or load.

After several years of a soft market, the market panicked again in late 2012, and a ammo shortage hit again.  The 2012/2013 shortage seemed worse than the 2009 shortage in many ways.  Some calibers, like .22 LR and 9mm, were the hardest to find.  However, other rounds like 5.56/.223, .40 S&W and .45 ACP were also very difficult to locate.  People would stalk Walmart delivery trucks on delivery days hoping to be able to score a couple of boxes of their favorite caliber.

Demand for Winchester ammunition (and other brands) was such that 5.56 ball (and other calibers) was selling for more than $1000/case at times.  That seemed to be the top limit on the pricing, but there was a lot of push back from consumers as prices approached these prices.  Those prices were set by dealers, and not manufacturers like Winchester.