Forget Banning Guns they are now shredding brass cases

[Windpower]

Nope. All they have to do is limit the amount of ammunition available to the civilian market, and when bullets dry up, guns will be useless.

Think we jest?

Here are copies of two letters sent to Georgia Arms just Thursday evening--effectively cancelling a contract he had to purchase 30,000 pounds of expended military brass in .223, 7.62mm, and .50 caliber:


Dear Valued Customer:

Please take a moment to note important changes set forth by the Defense Logistics Agency:

Recently it has been determined that fired munitions of all calibers, shapes and sizes have been designated to be Demil code B. As a result and in conjunction with DLA's current Demil code B policy, this notice will serve as official notification which requires Scrap Venture (SV) to implement mutilation as a condition of sale for all sales of fired munitions effective immediately. This notice also requires SV to immediately cease delivery of any fired munitions that have been recently sold or on active term contracts, unless the material has been mutilated prior to sale or SV personnel can attest to the mutilation after delivery. A certificate of destruction is required in either case.

Thank you,

DOD Surplus
15051 N Kierland Blvd # 300
Scottsdale, AZ 85254


more here

http://www.theshootist.net/2009/03/dod-ends-sale-of-expended-military.html

[Pox Eclipse]

Combined with the ban on the manufacture of new casings, this is really bad!

Oh, wait...

[ScottA]

It's just another conspiracy theory. Besides I haven't seen anyone trying to outlaw muskets yet! The founding fathers only had muskets...oh and a few cannons. Where can I get a cannon? 

[pagan]

My great grandfather made one, it looks like a small lawn ornament but my father told me when he gave it to me that he remembers his grandfather firing it on special occasions. Black powder and a home made lead ball. We looked all through the barn but we couldn't find the die for the cannon ball. Then again, I don't know if I'd want to fire it because that might violate some clause in the U.S. Patriot Act.

[MountainDon]

http://www.buckstix.com/HowitzerBarrel.htm




I believe it's alright to make them for yourself, not to sell. Peter nap would know

[ScottA]

Great! Thanks Don, now all I need is a really big lathe. Where's Glenn?

[MountainDon]

Glenn's lathe could make a doozie!

[Squirl]

This is only for purchase directly from the department of defense.  It is not the government's job to sell us ammunition anyway.

[MountainDon]

My only comment is part of a question. What can the government get more for; brass that's reloadable or brass that is sold as scrap? If they can get more money selling it as reloadable I feel they should sell it that way.

[Squirl]

Agreed.
By the looks of the letter though the "scrap venture" entity was buying used shells as scrap and reselling them as reloading cases.  There are many liability issues surrounding this. If the government new they were being re-sold as good shells if they deemed them as scrap, could they be held liable if one misfired? Frankly, I don't really care what their reasoning is.  This is simply a private contract between two private parties.  This does not effect the larger market and it is not a subversive plot against the 2nd amendment.  If it was, it is a waste of time.

Is the .50 cal. BMG shells?

[glenn kangiser]

Great! Thanks Don, now all I need is a really big lathe. Where's Glenn?

Could be fun but would we dare fire it? hmm

[MountainDon]

Why not?

And for those who don't have a large lathe....

http://www.steencannons.com/



...maybe ya' just need a license to sell 'em 

[Squirl]

A cast iron cannon shouldn't be that hard to build.  I like visiting the old colonial forges.  They are set up as national parks now.  They don't seam complicated at all.  They look like they could easily be built on a large farm.  The technology was around for hundreds of years.  I have seen forge design plans on line.  My understanding is coal burns hotter than the old charcoal they had.  If I had some coal and iron lying around, I might try it.

I see them all over the place as lawn ornaments.  I don't know the legality of them though.

[ScottA]

Could be fun but would we dare fire it?

Well if we did I don't think it would matter anymore if it was legal or not.

[glenn kangiser]

I went to Walmart tonight  - shelves still half empty but they had some .22LR and 30.06 150 gr so I bought 10 boxes of 30.06 and 2 more of .22 (1100 rounds). 

If they make it look like they don't want the citizens to get ammo then something must be up.

I'll get it because I can and while I can.

[Pox Eclipse]

Well, yeah, maybe it's because rumors about an ammunition conspiracy persist on message boards and blogs, creating a hoarding frenzy among those who are convinced some shadowy new world order wants to render them impotent by controlling ammo supplies.

That might explain it...

[muldoon]

Well, yeah, maybe it's because rumors about an ammunition conspiracy persist on message boards and blogs, creating a hoarding frenzy among those who are convinced some shadowy new world order wants to render them impotent by controlling ammo supplies.

That might explain it...

Pox, I agree with you on taking a reasoned view of things.  But it's not exactly speculation, and it's not even concern for what may happen.  The changes are happening openly, the comments made openly, and the shelves are really empty.   

All good bubbles pop in the end,(and people standing shoulder to shoulder to overspend on a case of 308 when they may shoot it twice a year is indicative of a bubble).  Showing up 4 hours early to a gun show with a dolly to buy ammo is exactly like camping out overnight to see the latest real estate development ala 2005. 

I also think this particular story is a non-story.  As far as I see it, its a contract between vendors being terminated, I wouldn't expect this to really affect the market price much.   I would think this is the kind of thing that happens all the time.  Is the reloaded brass - used bullet market really that big? 

but anyway how long will this continue?  4 years, 8 years?  a week?  who knows? 

bullets are cheap, seems easy enough to have a few bricks laying around. 

[peternap]

The Feds have rescinded the order to not sell spent brass. It is available as surplus again. This just happened.

Don, a cannon is a muzzleloader and exempt from Federal regulation. You can make them for yourself or anyone else.

You can make one out of a good grade of DOM thick wall tubing and use a 3" towing ball (with a reducer if necessary) for a breechplug.

[MountainDon]

Don, a cannon is a muzzleloader and exempt from Federal regulation. You can make them for yourself or anyone else.

   I knew you'd have the answer.   BIG muzzleloader, but a muzzleloader nonetheless.   

[glenn kangiser]

The fact that the case shredding was ordered and then dropped was not a coincidence and random thoughts.  It happened for a reason.

Here is more.

http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92395

The admin may have backed off when bullet sales and opinion again spiked but we cannot pretend it did not happen.