Poll: What ammo would you buy if it were from a MA factory?

[HooVooLoo]

Hi all.

I ask the mods to please sticky this thread.

Myself and an associate of mine had been thinking about the problem about ammo and Mass. So we came up with an idea we are exploring...

We want to start a new ammunition manufacturing company here in Mass.

No, not a reloading outfit. A brand-new factory that manufactures virgin ammo.

Crazy? I don't think so. I have been tasked with sifting through the legalities of it all, but I do not believe anything is impossible. And if we truly believe in our dream, we WILL make it work.

We have decided that our friends here on NES will be the perfect "Litmus tests" we need to conduct to see if it will be viable. Therefore, I have set-up a poll to fish out what the most popular ammo would be requested at the start of this. (Costs to consumer will come later, along with FAQs.)

As you read this, you MUST assume that we are currently in business. Do not reply here with reasons why it cannot work, or should not work, etc. All we need to do at the moment is figure out what type of ammo we should start with. That is where y'all come in.

If you have extra suggestions, please post them. But again, please DO NOT reply with reasons why it cannot or will not work. We don't need that negativity here. We are serious. I myself am now partially disabled and cannot work FT, so have decided that this may be an opportunity to "expand my horizons". And I figured that in the meanwhile, expand the opportunity for all NE shooters to get a better deal on ammo. (Yes, we are thinking about the whole "shipping to the home issue". Stand by on that angle.)

So, vote away and post if you wish, and thank ye for your time.

 

[MassHack]

223
9mm
45
380
7mm08

 

[kevin9]

38spl
357mag
9mm
7.62x25 tok
45acp
223
308win
22lr

 

[mikem317]

Voted.

 

[wolf223]

.45 ACP
.40 SW
9mm (luger i suppose)

 

[pernox]

Voted.
Would like to add 7.62x39 to the list, if you're considering it.

 

[drumenigma]

I would definitely be all about supporting a local business if you did decide to start it up.

And like pernox said 7.62x39 is definitely another popular caliber around here.

 

[wmccurdy53]

.45 Long Colt

 

[theGringo]

7.62x39

 

[jhrosier]

.44 Special
.45 AutoRim
.45 Colt

 

[dannyk45]

I reload most of my pistol calibers but I would like to see inexpensive .223 and 7.62x39

 

[Big_Red]

.223
.40
.45

 

[Raoul Duke]

Voted

 

[Palladin]

voted.
Thanks

 

[Skald]

5.56N (different pressure than .223)
.45 ACP

 

[Twigg]

I voted for .45ACP and .223 but we have a fair number of AK & SKS shooters here also.

I believe there is a market for 7.62X39 too.

 

[Coyote33]

The answers are pretty much as one might predict. I bet if you added .357 to the .38 and shotgun slugs, that those two categories would do pretty well also. What I'd most like to see is some decent .22 ammo that doesn't cost a ton. You know, not high end hunting or target stuff, but not the cheap crap with 1 in 20 failures and dirty either. Just make it like they used to 30 years ago, only better. ;-)

Heck, I'd rather see the effort go into making large capacity magazines available though.

 

[jpattersonnh]

The problem is that w/ Mass "issues" the cost would be out of sight if possible at all. All that lead, powder in one place. An Evil thought!

 

[FalArAk]

Stock all military calibers at first,then worry about other calibers.

Good luck!

Although it would be cheaper to find a tax attorney and challenge the mail order ban in court.You will most certainly find resistance from all the MA gunshops that make a great living exploiting the fact they have little to no competition selling ammo.

You do this,and ammo WILL get cheaper in MA.

Shit,if I had no competition,I would sell Privi .308 at $17.00 a box as well.

 

[PaulD]

Voted for .22, 9mm, .45ACP and .223. I'd like to see .308 Win also.

Good luck.

 

[MassMark]

Why no love for .308???

 

[Romokid]

Voted. Hope everything works out for you, then it will for us.

 

[SKS Ray]

Another vote for 7.62x39 but military grade.

7.62x54 would be nice too! Lots of Mosins have been bought into Mass lately and many shooters are leary of surplus and can't get non corrosive ammo.

 

[Bob P]

.223 for me!

 

[Jamie]

I voted for the calibers that I currently use, but I also reload most of my stuff. Best of luck to you on your new enterprise! I really hope this works out.

 

[Len-2A Training]

The popular military rifle calibers would probably be a big hit. Much easier to reload for pistol than rifle.

Check carefully into MA laws on storage of powder/primers in a commercial location as they might be an impediment to such a business. I don't know, but the hassle that Carl (Four Seasons) has with his fire chief is why he has very little powder on the sales floor at any time.

 

[TonyDedo]

The popular military rifle calibers would probably be a big hit. Much easier to reload for pistol than rifle.

+1 You could do very well manufacturing .223, 7.62x39 and 7.62x51.

Also, you could develop a very profitable niche if you offered 5.56x45 in addition to .223. There aren't a lot of sources for true 5.56 NATO, and I could see quite a following emerge if you could keep up with the demand.


My only warning would be this; you will probably get a substantial amount of support in the beginning; the novelty of having a small, in-state manufacturer (not to mention one of "our own") will drive a lot of initial business your way, regardless of prices. But in the long run, you'll need to figure out a to sell at a price that's competitive with the Walmarts and Dicks.

 

[drgrant]

I would start with .223/5.56 NATO and .308. Those calibers are in absurdly high demand (and likely will be for the foreseeable future) and even if you
couldn't saturate the MA market with the ammo you could simply sell it elsewhere.

-Mike

 

[drgrant]

Although it would be cheaper to find a tax attorney and challenge the mail order ban in court.You will most certainly find resistance from all the MA gunshops that make a great living exploiting the fact they have little to no competition selling ammo.

Or even cheaper, just get an FFL and an MA dealers license and simply use the same suppliers they use with a smaller markup, and sell only ammo (and maybe do transfers, but otherwise keep no real gun inventory overhead) with limited operating hours/employees overhead to keep costs/prices low as possible. Sell it in case lots only to keep it moving
and keep the BS down. (EG, 500 or 1000 rounds + at a whack, only. )

BTW, the ammo price gouging crap is not exclusive to MA. I have a box of .45 ACP from Pelletiers in NH that was marked at like $18 or some crap, and that was a long time before the same thing was marked $15 at walmart. Even in free states I see lots of gun stores gouging on ammo prices. The only gun shop I've ever seen in striking distance with a reasonable price has been Riley's, Almost every other store I've been to in NH has been overpriced on ammo, save for -maybe- walmart on certain calibers.

-Mike

 

[Coyote33]

+1 You could do very well manufacturing .223, ...

... There aren't a lot of sources for true 5.56 NATO, and I could see quite a following emerge if you could keep up with the demand.

... But in the long run, you'll need to figure out a to sell at a price that's competitive with the Walmarts and Dicks.

That, or, if you are serious about this as a true production facility, sell TO Walmart and Dicks. The thing is, you have to offer either a better product, a better price, or both. Right now, the .22LR market has either cheap prices and lousy ammo, or OK ammo and decent prices. For the other stuff, I'd say stick to the .223 for starters, since that is pretty popular for many reasons.

I would start with .223/5.56 NATO and .308. Those calibers are in absurdly high demand (and likely will be for the foreseeable future) and even if you
couldn't saturate the MA market with the ammo you could simply sell it elsewhere.

Like the military.