Federal Ammunition Boss Delivers a State of the Ammo Nation Update

[M-Tecs]

and that backlog was supposedly based upon them working a 10 hour workday, 5 days aweek. and NOT the near continous 24/7/365 schedule they have claimed since the ammo shortages started with obama 15 years ago after sandy hook..

kind of makes you wonder...

Again what actual evidence do you have? How many of the Federal/Remington employees do you talk to? Ever talk to the President of Vista?????

The storages did not start with Obama after Sandy Hook. Yes that was one of them. In between panic buying phases both the firearm and ammunition makers had some very rough times and no they have not been working 24/7/365 since Obama. How many laid off ammo workers do you know that have gone thru the lean verse feast times? I know several. Also how do you know the "backlog was supposedly based upon them working a 10 hour workday, 5 days aweek"??????????????

If you are not aware that we have not been in a continuous shortage for the past 15 years it's for one reason and one reason only. You weren't paying attention.

Sounds like you're the type that has other priorities when the stock is good and the prices are low. Are you really stating you could not find a time in the last 15 years when everything was in stock at low prices???????

I like to purchase component in volume once a year. Mid-Jan thru Mid-March seems to have the most free shipping and no hazmat offers plus the inventory is normally good. I never order less than 32 pounds of powder at a time and or 20K of primers unless I can find both free shipping and no hazmat. It normally is one or the other. I was planning on ordering 20K of Remington 7 1/2's in early 2020 but the election went the wrong way and Remington went under. Last time I purchased was in early 2019 but I have more than a 10 year reserve I have a few years before I will get concerned. Point is in the last 15 years I and most others found lots of times were prices and availability was very good.

Until Covid I didn't bother loading 9mm ammo since I could get it at $7.99 a box in volume for ball type ammo locally. I did order 2K of 9mm ball for $119.99 free shipping about three years ago. The limit was 2K at that price. After that it was $159.99 per thousand. At $119 add free shipping I would have order at least 10 K.

[No_1]

Easy there fellas.

[Bmi48219]

Point is Vista is trying. Faced with this kind of demand who wouldn’t be?
Ten million new firearm sales times 100 rounds per firearm equals an ADDITIONAL demand for a billion more rounds above customary production. Add in primers for guys like us. Fifty thousand reloaders times 2,000 primers each is a million primers.
It took a while to see toilet paper supply catch up with demand. It’ll take a while for our requirements to be met too.
Just pray Vista doesn’t have a fire in one of their plants.

[snowwolfe]

A shooter can pretty much find any ammo or primer size/brand they want in today’s market. The caveat is most don’t want to pay the current price.

[Handloader109]

I'll turn the discussion just a slight bit. My daughter has been trying to a new house built this year. One of the worst times in my life to do so since Jimmy carter left office. We are over budget roughly 40%. And we have been trying HARD to keep things as cheap as possible. Instead of one or two days to deliver concrete, both pours were 3 weeks from order. CONCRETE! Windows were 16 weeks at order, 17 when they showed up. Cabinets varied from 10 to 17 weeks, we found local company and got in 7. Appliances were a month. Countertops, granite and other stone were up in price 30% over 2 years ago, and 8 weeks to get, we went with corian,, simplest white we could get. Estimated 4 to 6 weeks, we are at 8 and counting..... We'll be 3 months over time expected due to delays.
Ammo? I bought 22s early last year cheap. nothing much available till last month anywhere close to me...

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

[country gent]

it is interesting to see the amount of time energy and money that goes into a new factory and manufacturing.

It starts in the design phase of what could be done changed to improve the product. This is usually a outside firm that goes thru and has experience in this.
From here it goes to the planning stages buildings, machines, other equipment ergonomics"flow" lighting heating safety ingress and egress, bring materials in shipping. At this point the basic improvements and "flow" of the product are set and defined. Also support buildings and equipment are designated.
Now its on to permits and dealing with the powers that be to get approval.
Once they are done building can start and the ordering of machines and or equipment, this can be a long wait as equipment may be made to order from the ground up.
Then the lines come in and set up can start. setting lines is a big process in itself. It may even require trades and worker to travel to manufacturer for training. as the lines are being built.
Also other things have to be considered and met. Is there an available capable workforce available that is also sustainable. Is the community support there, I would imagine an ammo plant would be about the same as a prison, nuclear facility, public shooting range. A lot of communicates dont want the added traffic and heavy trucks.

It can be a long process when everything goes right and only longer if it dosnt go right...

I ws part of the original start up of Prego spaghetti sauce. No new buildings needed but new lines and technology. From start to full production was close to 1 1/2 years for the first shift then faster to train second and third shifts.

[Handloader109]

There is NoOne in the gun industry that is going to build new ammo plant. I would hazard to say if someone wanted to, and just make brass, buy powder, primers and bullets, and then just load up, it would take 3 to 6 years. It would take at least a year and probably 2 to order and receive machinery to put in the plant. buying land permits, infrastructure around plant and then building, installing equipment and hiring and training would be a long road. Ain't gonna happen. Heck tire plant in central MS opened up in late 2019. Took over 3 years just to get door open. 400 employees and full capacity is 2500. Almost 2 years in and at 20% capacity.....

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

[kevin c]

Fifty thousand reloaders times 2,000 primers each is a million primers.

One hundred million actually, and I sure hope there’s more than a thousand of us per state.

[Bmi48219]

One hundred million actually, and I sure hope there’s more than a thousand of us per state.

Kevin, I did intend to say one hundred million, thanks.
I chose 50,000 reloaders to make it personal since there are about that many CB forum members.
Point is the gentleman from Vista said they had shipped hundreds of millions of primers which would by my calculations be enough for each CB member to buy 2,000 primers.

[M-Tecs]

Kevin, I did intend to say one hundred million, thanks.
I chose 50,000 reloaders to make it personal since there are about that many CB forum members.
Point is the gentleman from Vista said they had shipped hundreds of millions of primers which would by my calculations be enough for each CB member to buy 2,000 primers.

The vast majority of the primers are not making it to the individual reloaders. Re-manufacturing companies like Black Hills are getting the majority.

Black Hills is very large compared to some. http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/b...ls-ammunition/ They produce ten's of millions if not hundreds of million per year. Companies like Buffalo Bore, Garret, Super Vel etc need a lot of primers to keep the doors open.

I know of one small no name company with just a couple of employees that produce's 3 to 5 million rounds a years.

[Winger Ed.]

it is interesting to see the amount of time energy and money that goes into a new factory and manufacturing.

.

Building a new factory for anything is not for the timid.
A buddy was down near Austin the other day and went by the new Tesla factory.
I think its an assembly plant, not where all the parts & components are actually made.

He said it looked like it was 1/2 a mile long.
Before we get to training and employing people, the cost is beyond belief.... 1.1 billion so far,,,
and that's before one finished car or truck rolls out the door.

If it only cost 10-15 million to build a primer or ammunition factory, and the prices fell back to what
they were a couple years ago, it wouldn't be cost effective or profitable to build it.

[Bmi48219]

The vast majority of the primers are not making it to the individual reloaders.

Don’t think you’ll get an argument on that. Realistically we reloaders are at the bottom of the customer list. Manufacturers are happy to sell us primers when the primer inventory exceeds ammo requirements, we are then a source of revenue and a profitable outlet for excess inventory. Until all the ammo manufacturers have plenty of primers we likely won’t.

If a new, uncommitted source of primers comes on the scene we MIGHT get lucky since we are will pay more than Winchester or Vista, who both appear to be able to produce enough primers to run wide open 24/7. The fact that Brownells, Midway etc, occasionally and momentarily have primers available means someone is occasionally producing excess-to-current-requirements primers. If Vista is looking at a multi-year backlog we are, at a minimum, facing the same wait for reasonably available primers.

[Bmi48219]

Kevin, I did intend to say one hundred million, thanks.
I chose 50,000 reloaders to make it personal since there are about that many CB forum members.
Point is the gentleman from Vista said they had shipped hundreds of millions of primers which would by my calculations be enough for each CB member to buy 2,000 primers.

Expanding on the above calculations, if 500,000 reloaders order 2,000 primers each the total ordered would be one Billion primers. (Kevin c, please check my math). If M-Tec’s post #18 estimate of a 6 Billion round backlog for Vista is accurate we’re in for a long dry spell.

[M-Tecs]

This will help some.

https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2021/...AVOMgNzjGQi6dU

Fiocchi Ammunition’s Renaissance In The U.S.
by John Parker - Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Fiocchi Ammunition’s Renaissance In The U.S.


Fiocchi significantly increased its production capabilities in the United States last year after acquiring an existing ammunition plant in Little Rock, Ark. Not long after that, it made waves when it purchased upscale ammo maker Baschieri & Pellagri, an Italian company and a Fiocchi competitor in the shooting and hunting sector.

Approximately 80 percent of Fiocchi-brand products sold in the United States are loaded either in Ozark, Mo., or at the new plant in Little Rock. The Ozark facility alone manufactures more than 300 million center-fire rounds and shotshells per year.

Says Anthony Acitelli, the president and chief executive officer of Fiocchi USA: “Many people don’t realize how much of Fiocchi’s output is made in the United States. We are essentially a U.S. company with an Italian supply chain.”

Renowned worldwide for performance and reliability, Fiocchi’s ammunition is popular with competitive shooters. The best examples are drawn from Fiocchi’s shooters securing multiple Olympic medals in biathlon, trap and double trap events, along with world and national titles. Besides manufacturing ammunition for competition, law enforcement, personal defense, training and hunting, Fiocchi is a top cartridge component producer. The company expanded internationally in 1983 when Fiocchi USA opened its doors in Missouri.


Today, Fiocchi USA is mostly independent of the supply chain from Europe. Acitelli has committed to vertically integrating the company’s U.S. production. The new manufacturing operation in Arkansas is just the beginning.

“Current expansion plans that we have in place with Fiocchi are intended to capture a bigger share of the U.S. market,” said Acitelli. “When we look at the supply chain in Italy and the branding here in the United States, it makes sense to do more in the market that most of our sales are. For Fiocchi, the strategy is to expand here.”

Armed with 27 years of experience navigating domestic and international ammunition markets, Acitelli is about as qualified as one can be to helm a large ammo company. A Navy veteran and MBA graduate, he joined Fiocchi in 2019 after his tenure as chairman and CEO of the Remington Outdoor Company. Before that, Acitelli was the president and CEO of Taurus Holdings and senior vice-president of sales for Colt Defense, along with holding several executive positions within Alliant Techsystems’ security and sporting divisions. (He’s also a great shot when flushing Thomasville, Ga., quails.)

While the company’s plans to increase manufacturing output were announced during the ammo shortage, pre-pandemic Fiocchi’s predictions on the U.S. ammunition market have displayed remarkable prescience. One thing is for sure—Fiocchi USA has gone all in with integrating production and using every available resource.

“The new Arkansas facility doubles our capacity for handgun ammunition,” said Acitelli. “We’re going to add machines in Ozark, too. We’re looking at expanding our supply chain. In the future, Fiocchi USA will be a totally vertically integrated U.S. company.”

Some History
Fiocchi is an international leader in producing small-gauge ammunition, but it took time to get there.

Classic Fiocchi of Italy photo
Fiocchi’s original factory is located in northern Italy near the Swiss border—an area historically known for arms and ammunition production.

Fiocchi Munizioni was founded by Giulio Fiocchi in 1876 when he took over the ammunition producing department of a firearms and ammunition company in Lecco, Italy. The trend in firearms was moving from muzzleloaders to breech-loading rifles. By 1880, Fiocchi had begun manufacturing shotshell cases with primers for reloading. The company added gunpowder to its line 10 years later, and soon after extended its manufacturing to include primed cartridges loaded with both shot and bullets.

As mentioned, Fiocchi ammunition has contributed to several World Cup and Olympic medals. Employees pride themselves on helping customers, taking their requests and turning them into reality. One of Fiocchi’s goals is to continue producing ammunition with the same entrepreneurial energy and enthusiasm as it has done over the past 145 years. I say mission accomplished.


New Arkansas Facility
The new operation in Arkansas operates in tandem with Fiocchi’s ammunition manufacturing facility in Ozark, Mo. Located in southern Little Rock near Interstate 530, Fiocchi has invested $15 million in the Arkansas facility, purchasing new machinery for center-fire cartridge production. Expanding with purpose, the company tapped regional talent to fill many roles in its new initiative by hiring 85 employees right off the bat, followed by more workers as the operation cruised towards its theoretical capacity.

From a bird’s-eye view, the new Arkansas facility, along with the soon-to-be-finished headquarters in Ozark, has doubled the Fiocchi USA footprint.

Fiocchi USA is one of many in the firearms and ammunition industry to find a new home in Arkansas. “Fiocchi identified Arkansas as a primary target for its expansion based on the skilled labor of the state, business climate and geographic location. This investment is a unique opportunity for Fiocchi,” said Jared Smith, Fiocchi’s general manager.

A key figure in the company’s renaissance, Smith has been on point for Fiocchi USA’s transition from a family-owned company into a professionally managed one owned by shareholders.

“As I came on board, Jared Smith was instrumental,” said Acitelli. “Developing the formalized processes necessary for a company with shareholders is easier said than done. He really did a great job in setting up the team before I got here and making the transition go smoothly.”

Buying Baschieri & Pellagri
The ink was barely dry on the Little Rock facility press release when Fiocchi struck again with big news—the acquisition of B&P. Established in Bologna, Italy, in 1885, Baschieri & Pellagri is known throughout Europe and the U.S. for its high-quality shotshells and advanced components—including powders, wads and the innovative “Gordon case” developed to reduce recoil for hunting and competitive shotgun applications. Baschieri & Pellagri, as with Fiocchi, combines a rich heritage and old-world craftsmanship tradition with focused research and development to foster technological innovation.


In terms of product lines, management said that it will maintain B&P as a luxury ammo brand, complementing Fiocchi’s premium and high-end, yet more affordable, offerings.

With the purchase of B&P, Fiocchi expanded to a $235 million company with more than 800 employees (200 in the U.S. alone) that owns four manufacturing plants on two continents. Two are in Italy: the historic manufacturing plant of Fiocchi in Lecco, and B&P’s hunting and shooting center in Marano di Castenaso, along with the new Fiocchi USA manufacturing plant in Little Rock, Ark. Fiocchi USA also maintains its Ozark, Mo., facility, which was built in 1983 on an old dairy farm. The merger should generate significant competitive advantage for both brands in the red-hot ammo markets on either side of the pond.


While Fiocchi USA has some big names on its shooting team, past U.S. Olympic biathlete and action-shooter extraordinaire Lanny Barnes is one of the best in the business. Not only is she an IPSC World Shoot gold medalist and talented multi-gun competitor, Barnes (you may know her as “Lanny Oakley” on social) is also a big hunter. She swears by Fiocchi ammo for competition, especially the Jerry Miculek low-recoil 12-gauge slugs and .223 Rem. loads with 69-grain Sierra Match Kings. “In all my years of shooting and hunting, I haven’t found anything more reliable or accurate. There is a reason why Fiocchi has been around since 1876,” said Barnes. “I rely on Fiocchi to help me make that shot of a lifetime in competition and in the field.”

Another top Team Fiocchi member is Dianna Muller, of 3-Gun and IPSC fame (as well as the D.C. Project), who favors Fiocchi’s .223 Rem. 77-grain cartridge for multi-gun competition. “For peak performance in competition or in the field, ammo can separate the men from the boys, so to speak,” said Muller. “Fiocchi’s ammunition is accurate and consistent. And surprising to some, they have a full line of products—not just shotgun ammo.”

Learn more at fiocchiusa.com, call (417) 725-4118 or write the U.S. main office at 6930 N. Fremont Rd., Ozark, Mo., 65721.

Since 1983, Fiocchi USA has been based at its Ozark, Mo., facility. The company’s new headquarters there will be finished by end of year.
Since its 1876 founding in Lecco, Italy, Fiocchi has developed a reputation for producing high-quality ammunition. In the 1950s, Fiocchi began importing ammunition for sale in the United States. By the 1980s, the demand was high enough to build a manufacturing facility stateside to help satisfy the ever-hungry U.S. ammo market. Now the company produces ammunition and cartridge components in Italy and in the U.S. through Fiocchi USA. Remaining true to its Italian roots, Fiocchi USA focuses on quality craftsmanship and building innovative products for its dedicated fanbase.

[kevin c]

That’s an existing facility that Fiocchi bought; was it running or are they rebooting a decommissioned plant? The first means no net change in production unless they upgrade, the second would increase supply for sure.

[savagetactical]

Those of us who work in the business world are familiar with the concept of artificial scarcity. For those unfamiliar with the term you might want to read up on it so you can understand how it helps influence demand for a product .

I have no doubt the ammunition industry has suffered issues with supply and labor shortages... However I also believe that the industry wants to sell their product for all the money they can and artificial scarcity is used by many companies to accomplish that end. The greater the demand the more you can charge.

[ulav8r]

That’s an existing facility that Fiocchi bought; was it running or are they rebooting a decommissioned plant? The first means no net change in production unless they upgrade, the second would increase supply for sure.

Finally found the address of the Fiochhi plant. A Duck Duck Go search on the address found 3 different businesses mentioned for that location: Grandeur Fasteners Inc., Portable Storage of Arkansas, and Blackstone Ammunition.

"Doing Business As: Blackstone Ammunition
Company Description: Blackstone Ammunition is located in Little Rock, AR, United States and is part of the Industrial Machinery Manufacturing Industry. Blackstone Ammunition has 10 total employees across all of its locations and generates $696,208 in sales (USD). (Sales figure is modelled).
Key Principal: Nina Kazuzzi " Looks like Fiochhi will be doing a lot more than Blackstone will. During my search trying to find where Fiochhi would be I found references to the Sig Sauer ammunition plant in Jacksonville. Knew about the Sig Sauer plant but had forgotten who they were.

"Although headquartered in New Hampshire, Sig Sauer is investing millions and adding jobs in their ammunition plant in Jacksonville, Arkansas.

The expansion, coming after an unprecedented nationwide ammo shortage now dragging into its second year, comes as the company is investing millions in “The Natural State." As reported by local media, Sig has shifted its shipping and storage operations for its ammunition plant to 53,000 square feet of nearby office space to free up floor space for more manufacturing space at its existing facility. In all, the company is investing over $12 million in the expansion and hired both new operators and supervisors for the plant's staff of 220.

Daryl Hanna, chief strategy officer for Sig Sauer, told the Arkansas Democrat the plant will be adding an in-house primer-making facility while new high-speed horizontal cold forming equipment to produce pistol brass, along with machining and laser inspection machinery, will double the production of pistol-caliber ammunition. To help flesh out the line, Sig is looking to hire more than 40 new workers at the plant. "

[kevin c]

I’ve seen the occasional SIG head stamp on pistol brass. As best I could tell by plain inspection, it looked to be of good quality. Haven’t reloaded any, though.

USA made SIG primers being planned, eh? I wonder if any will trickle down to the reloading market.

[BunkTheory]

I’ve seen the occasional SIG head stamp on pistol brass. As best I could tell by plain inspection, it looked to be of good quality. Haven’t reloaded any, though.

USA made SIG primers being planned, eh? I wonder if any will trickle down to the reloading market.

thats all for the ammunition they wanna make in that plant.

[kevin c]

Know that.

But, provided you have the raw materials and the manpower, letting what I imagine to be a pricey production line stand idle when there is a secondary market available doesn’t make good business sense.

We can hope, can’t we?