New Bullets and Ammo Mfg's

[300WSM]

Don't be surprised if you see several new players in our industry. With the shooting supply shortage one thing it is going to bring is some new bullets and ammo mfg's. There are a lot of people upset they can't continue doing the sport/hobby at the same pace and rate as they have been. Whether it is .22 LR ammo or center fire bullets, brass and everything in between, most folks have had to adjust the shooting they enjoy doing in some form or another. Some of these people have a lot of money and this extended shortage is going to force some to just design and build their own. Sadly this may be later than sooner because you don't snap your fingers and start a production line of ammo.

This may come from individuals, gun shops, or joint ventures from both but there is no doubt that new entries are coming.

 

[Guy Miner]

Tell you - if I could go out in the shop and turn on a machine that churns out .308 bullets... I'd do it!

 

[SJB358]

Same here Guy

 

[300WSM]

Tell you - if I could go out in the shop and turn on a machine that churns out .308 bullets... I'd do it!

yep and that is what is happening. People are getting beyond frustrated. Some are looking into tooling, materials, etc because at this point there is no end in sight. When things do turn around there will be some new players in the game in addition to the normal names. Should be interesting.

 

[FOTIS]

The more the merrier!

 

[AzDak42]

Competition is a good thing.

But I don't think we can underestimate the capital investment needed to start up a profitable production line. The tooling, machinery, bulk materials orders often with extensive lead times, mean a lot of cash up front. With R&D time, engineering and getting the process running smoothly, you also have a few years until you're actually fully operational. (And that's assuming deep pockets to tide you over until you're able to sell product.)

Not to mention, you're also entering into a market full of companies that have decades of experience in making sure they have as little waste as possible and maintaining ridiculously high quality standards. (Shooters are merciless, a few bad batches get in their hands and you'll forever be a second rate manufacturer.)

Man, I pray your prediction is true. I pray the existing companies are expanding and building out capacity and inventory to smooth out the next bubble. It's just hard not to think about how daunting and expensive a new entry in the market would be...

 

[duckcreekdick]

This shortage of bullets might put bullet casting and swaging in a whole new light. Any of you old timers remember what the letters RCBS stood for? About all of the reloading industry got started during the tight years following WWII.

 

[Oldtrader3]

Given the high cost of entry, or the real threat of further government ban, or having to laser ID every bullet, I don't see an easy window of entry into the bullet making business.