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War soaks up bullets; police feel shortage
SHIPMENTS DELAYED, PRICES INCREASING
By Rodney Foo
Mercury News
Article Launched: 04/08/2007 01:41:15 AM PDT
Police departments in the South Bay and around the country are encountering a nagging side effect from the U.S. military's long overseas missions: It's getting more difficult to obtain bullets.
The shortage, also being fueled by an unprecedented rise in the price of raw materials, is not so severe that local law enforcement agencies risk running out of bullets. But departments in Santa Clara County have agreed to share ammo if any of them runs low.
From California to Florida, police range masters say they are seeing ammunition shipments that once took only 45 days to arrive now take four to six months.
"It has become a nightmare," said Sgt. Don Moore, San Jose police range master.
To cope with the delays, police have been increasing their ammunition orders, replenishing storerooms to the limit. In January, the San Jose budget office disclosed to city council members that police were seeking an extra $44,000 to buy ammunition. In the fiscal year 2005-06, police spent $199,000 for bullets.
In the past six months, the department has used about 600,000 rounds in training and in marksmanship qualification tests; police rarely fire their guns in the field.
The ammunition shortages stem from a new reality in the post-Sept. 11, 2001, era: The U.S. military is firing its weapons at a breakneck pace.
Big changes
When Alliant Techsystems - the parent company of Federal, the nation's
Advertisement
largest small-caliber ammunition manufacturer - was contracted to operate the Department of Defense's Lake City, Mo., Army ammunition plant more than five years ago, it was churning out 350 million rounds annually.
How things have changed: From March 2005 to March 2006, about 1.3 billion rounds were made at the plant, said Alliant Tech spokesman Bryce Hallowell.
And according to February budget documents, the Army proposed to contract for an additional 300 million rounds from commercial manufacturers.
The military's need for more ammo, especially .223 Remington and 9mm cartridges, puts it in direct competition with police departments. San Jose's special weapons and tactics teams use the high velocity, flat trajectory .223 rounds in their carbines. Most San Jose officers use 9mm-caliber semiautomatic guns with clips that carry 15 to 17 rounds.
But when it comes to ammunition orders, Uncle Sam is first in line, industry officials say.
"If something comes down, the military ammunition is always going to get first call," said Eddie Stevenson, a spokesman for Remington, the Madison, N.C.-based gun and ammo manufacturer.
Peter Arment, a defense industry analyst for Rhode Island-based JSA Research Inc., said the military has "absorbed a lot of the capacity in the industry, and the industry has been trying to bring more capacity on line but not on as rapid a pace that is needed."
Combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan account for some of the increase. But the rise also stems from the Army's post-Sept. 11 emphasis on improving marksmanship. Arment estimates that 90 percent of the Army's ammo is fired during training.
With a tight domestic market, Moore said some ammunition distributors are purchasing foreign-made ammo and passing the increased cost - additional shipping and import fees - on to customers.
Prices increasing
During the past 2 1/2 years, as demand for copper and brass have surged in China and India, prices for the metals, which are used to make bullet jackets and casings, have almost quadrupled. The main component of most bullets is lead, and its price has doubled. The cost of tungsten, a component of armor-piercing bullets, has tripled.
No matter what, all that's certain is the cost of small-caliber ammo will rise as the worldwide demand for raw materials rises.
"All we've been told is the price will go up," San Diego police range master Ralph Garcia said. "We don't know how much."
Manufacturers say there is no shortage of ammo on the domestic market but acknowledge that military demand has made some calibers harder to find.
"The war is having some effect in a few calibers we do manufacture - not all calibers," said Ann Pipkin, a spokeswoman for Olin Corp., which produces Winchester Ammunition.
Pipkin cited the .223 Remington, used in M-16s, the Army's primary infantry rifle, as one of the calibers affected.
The Tulsa, Okla., police department has also experienced delays in ammo shipments. Orders that took 30 to 45 days to fill now take about three to four months, said officer Jason Willingham, a department spokesman.
"It is a concern as of right now, but it has not affected operations," Willingham said.
Miami Police Department spokeswoman officer Martha Carbana reported similar delays in getting ammo shipments.
"It's not an immediate problem for us, but there is a delay where normally that wait didn't exist," Carbana said.
Over at the Milpitas Shooting Range Target Masters West, owner Bill Heskett said he's experienced about five delays in ammunition shipments the last three years, but he said, "It's no big deal."
"Sometimes it's specific manufacturers," he said. "I know the war in Iraq has sucked up a lot of ammo."
Heskett used to keep a two-week inventory, but now he tries to keep a month's supply on hand to tide him over when deliveries are uncertain.
Need to stay sharp
The impact on San Jose officers has been negligible, officials say. However, target ammo is a staple for all officers - including the chief - who have to pass mandated marksmanship tests every six months. So they need to stay sharp by practicing.
But no matter how difficult it has been to obtain ammo, none of the departments contacted begrudged the Army from getting first in line for bullets.
"I want our military guys to have all the ammo they need," Moore said. "They're in a fight every day of their lives."
Mercury News Staff Writer Sean Webby contributed to this report. Contact Rodney Foo at [email protected] or (408) 920-5258.
War soaks up bullets; police feel shortage
SHIPMENTS DELAYED, PRICES INCREASING
By Rodney Foo
Mercury News
Article Launched: 04/08/2007 01:41:15 AM PDT
Police departments in the South Bay and around the country are encountering a nagging side effect from the U.S. military's long overseas missions: It's getting more difficult to obtain bullets.
The shortage, also being fueled by an unprecedented rise in the price of raw materials, is not so severe that local law enforcement agencies risk running out of bullets. But departments in Santa Clara County have agreed to share ammo if any of them runs low.
From California to Florida, police range masters say they are seeing ammunition shipments that once took only 45 days to arrive now take four to six months.
"It has become a nightmare," said Sgt. Don Moore, San Jose police range master.
To cope with the delays, police have been increasing their ammunition orders, replenishing storerooms to the limit. In January, the San Jose budget office disclosed to city council members that police were seeking an extra $44,000 to buy ammunition. In the fiscal year 2005-06, police spent $199,000 for bullets.
In the past six months, the department has used about 600,000 rounds in training and in marksmanship qualification tests; police rarely fire their guns in the field.
The ammunition shortages stem from a new reality in the post-Sept. 11, 2001, era: The U.S. military is firing its weapons at a breakneck pace.
Big changes
When Alliant Techsystems - the parent company of Federal, the nation's
Advertisement
largest small-caliber ammunition manufacturer - was contracted to operate the Department of Defense's Lake City, Mo., Army ammunition plant more than five years ago, it was churning out 350 million rounds annually.
How things have changed: From March 2005 to March 2006, about 1.3 billion rounds were made at the plant, said Alliant Tech spokesman Bryce Hallowell.
And according to February budget documents, the Army proposed to contract for an additional 300 million rounds from commercial manufacturers.
The military's need for more ammo, especially .223 Remington and 9mm cartridges, puts it in direct competition with police departments. San Jose's special weapons and tactics teams use the high velocity, flat trajectory .223 rounds in their carbines. Most San Jose officers use 9mm-caliber semiautomatic guns with clips that carry 15 to 17 rounds.
But when it comes to ammunition orders, Uncle Sam is first in line, industry officials say.
"If something comes down, the military ammunition is always going to get first call," said Eddie Stevenson, a spokesman for Remington, the Madison, N.C.-based gun and ammo manufacturer.
Peter Arment, a defense industry analyst for Rhode Island-based JSA Research Inc., said the military has "absorbed a lot of the capacity in the industry, and the industry has been trying to bring more capacity on line but not on as rapid a pace that is needed."
Combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan account for some of the increase. But the rise also stems from the Army's post-Sept. 11 emphasis on improving marksmanship. Arment estimates that 90 percent of the Army's ammo is fired during training.
With a tight domestic market, Moore said some ammunition distributors are purchasing foreign-made ammo and passing the increased cost - additional shipping and import fees - on to customers.
Prices increasing
During the past 2 1/2 years, as demand for copper and brass have surged in China and India, prices for the metals, which are used to make bullet jackets and casings, have almost quadrupled. The main component of most bullets is lead, and its price has doubled. The cost of tungsten, a component of armor-piercing bullets, has tripled.
No matter what, all that's certain is the cost of small-caliber ammo will rise as the worldwide demand for raw materials rises.
"All we've been told is the price will go up," San Diego police range master Ralph Garcia said. "We don't know how much."
Manufacturers say there is no shortage of ammo on the domestic market but acknowledge that military demand has made some calibers harder to find.
"The war is having some effect in a few calibers we do manufacture - not all calibers," said Ann Pipkin, a spokeswoman for Olin Corp., which produces Winchester Ammunition.
Pipkin cited the .223 Remington, used in M-16s, the Army's primary infantry rifle, as one of the calibers affected.
The Tulsa, Okla., police department has also experienced delays in ammo shipments. Orders that took 30 to 45 days to fill now take about three to four months, said officer Jason Willingham, a department spokesman.
"It is a concern as of right now, but it has not affected operations," Willingham said.
Miami Police Department spokeswoman officer Martha Carbana reported similar delays in getting ammo shipments.
"It's not an immediate problem for us, but there is a delay where normally that wait didn't exist," Carbana said.
Over at the Milpitas Shooting Range Target Masters West, owner Bill Heskett said he's experienced about five delays in ammunition shipments the last three years, but he said, "It's no big deal."
"Sometimes it's specific manufacturers," he said. "I know the war in Iraq has sucked up a lot of ammo."
Heskett used to keep a two-week inventory, but now he tries to keep a month's supply on hand to tide him over when deliveries are uncertain.
Need to stay sharp
The impact on San Jose officers has been negligible, officials say. However, target ammo is a staple for all officers - including the chief - who have to pass mandated marksmanship tests every six months. So they need to stay sharp by practicing.
But no matter how difficult it has been to obtain ammo, none of the departments contacted begrudged the Army from getting first in line for bullets.
"I want our military guys to have all the ammo they need," Moore said. "They're in a fight every day of their lives."
Mercury News Staff Writer Sean Webby contributed to this report. Contact Rodney Foo at [email protected] or (408) 920-5258.
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