Indians For Guns

My Grandmother used to say, "A word to the wise is sufficient."

Various events are taking place in the world nowadays that may compromise your access to ammunition, either with it being available at all, or whether or not the price for ammunition goes up by some amount, perhaps making it unaffordable to gun owners.

Because this is a world-wide issue, it will have world-wide effects.

One of the main components that is used to make modern smokeless gunpowder is nitrocellulose. Commonly, a main source of nitrocellulose is cotton, which is industrially processed to make nitrocellulose.

So, there are two issues here: a source of cotton, and the industrial plant to process cotton into nitrocellulose. Having just one of these factors is not enough, and even having both will not guarantee availability of ammunition to the ordinary gun owner. Here's why:

The picture today is dominated by the Ukraine-Russian war. a 150/152/155 mm cannon shell requires ~7.5 kilos each, which dwarfs the consumption of an individual gun owner Europe, Canada, and the USA are supplying ammunition to Ukraine, and Russia is importing ammunition from North Korean stocks and nitrocellulose from China for their ammunition supplies.

China, which is the world's largest supplier of nitrocellulose to all parties, has recently increased its exports of nitrocellulose to Russia and cut exports to countries that supply ammunition to Ukraine. Also, a large nitrocellulose plant in Hubei province, China, exploded, which will reduce the supply.

Ammunition made in the USA and in Europe is being strained from supplying Ukraine. The shortage of nitrocellulose from China will exacerbate this shortage. What this means for the Indian gun owner is that brands such as Norma, RWS, Sellier & Ballot, Fiocchi, and Prvi Partizan will become harder to obtain, and/or higher priced. I am not familiar with Indian sources of gunpowder, or whether India has large processing capabilities to make nitrocellulose from cotton. I'm sure that cotton is not a problem in India, but if Europe and the USA begin looking for sources of cotton and nitrocellulose and find a source in India, this could affect ammunition availability and price.

China shutting off Europe and the USA will not create a surplus of nitrocellulose, because the Russians are greatly increasing their importation and due to the factory explosion in China.

Personally, I have have been trying to find a certain Czech reloading powder unsuccessfully for well over a year. Other powders from this Czech powder maker (Lovex) are available, but this one is not, and coincidentally it is a powder that would be used in the manufacture of small arms ammunition in Ukraine. Consider that!

Another issue that affects ammunition is the availability of the element antimony. This is used as one of the key hardening agents for the manufacture of small arms bullets. Lead is combined with tin and antimony to harden lead bullet cores, and you guessed it: China is the world's chief supplier. This is a situation exactly like nitrocellulose: First, one needs mines as a source of antimony ore, and then one needs industrial refining to obtain the purified metal. Both are a key part of this equation, too.

Again like nitrocellulose, China is cutting down antimony exports to the USA and Europe.

Overall, what does this mean for the gun owner, including those in India? We can't change the world situation, but what we can do is stock up on ammunition to the levels allowed by individual quota. If we can obtain a way to increase the quota, that should be done and additional ammunition should be obtained up to that limit. This may require setting aside a little money from the budget to fill our personal supplies.

This is the route I am taking, and I'm constantly searching for deals to accomplish this by the cheapest means.

As sources of data for these observations, I've read these and recommend them to those interested, along with internet searches each may make beyond this list:

https://military.news/global-shortage-o ... readiness/

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/05/to- ... roduction/

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets ... r-BB1mx6tC

https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-eco ... put-cotton

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets ... r-AA1qHtEn

https://www.ammoland.com/2024/09/chinas ... -prepared/

Good read, and sound advice. I'm yet to have firearms, though I have two air rifles, for which I've enough pellets for upto five years.

Here in Australia, pistol powders like 4227 & 4198 - AR 2205 and 07 went off market about 3 years ago, prices of a 1lb tub shot upto $500 a lb! Trailboss was in great demand too.
Same with large rifle primers. They are not made locally.

A recent import of about 3 million IOF LR primers sold like hotcakes after the initial sledging of ‘will smell like chicken tikka’ they are hot, magnum equivalent and the buyers were not disappointed.
There seem to be a slow trickle of Vihtavuori and Lovex, Somchem this year and the crazy prices eased a bit. But still no 2205.
The handgun shooters were hardest hit because they have to participate in certain number of matches per year -a part of the licence conditions- we do not have a self defence of hunting category for handguns. Only Target.
People were buying shotgun ammo and pulling it apart for the powder to use in handguns- with good results. Shotguns and handguns share a similar burning rate powder.

The furure doesn't look very good as people in the know say that 2205 is primary propellant for artillery shells.
So the warning holds good

Asif: I got some 4227 awhile back for $56 USD, and 4198 can be found in stores for about the same. Also, I got some HP-38 for $40 USD. I picked up a small 5lb jug of Lovex/Shooter's World Clean shot -- it was relatively cheap (considering today's prices) but don't recall the exact number. I've been trying to squirrel away fast pistol/ shotgun powders and use them for squib loads in rifles.

I don't recall seeing any Trail Boss for ages. I want to try it in 45 Colt, but no chance.

The newer powders seem to go in the $55-$70 USD range, while the older stuff is more in the $40-$50 USD range, if you look for deals.

Primers here are normally 8¢ to 10¢ a piece, but some foreign Ginex and Argentine stuff has been coming in closer to 7¢. Small pistol is easy to find and large pistol can be found. Not quite as much small rifle as small pistol, but it's easy to find. Large rifle is near unobtainium. I walked into a farm supply store and scored two bricks of Federal large rifle recently for about 8¢ -- I must be living right!

I grabbed a brick (brick = 1000) of Winchester 209 shotgun primers for about 12¢ and also found 1000 #11 muzzleloader caps for a little more, but that's the first time I've seen them in ages. Norma USA has been selling Argentine large pistol and Ginex large rifle and I've picked up a couple bricks of each, as they were cheap.

I agree, the future doesn't look good. All of this consolidation in the component industry is terrible, with the Czechs buying out so much, and there's only two smokless powder factories left in the USA now. (Don't even talk about real Black Powder! I've been on the hunt for Swiss but the shipping and regulations makes everyone stop carrying it. Pyrodex and similar can be found, though) I was going to Vihtavuori but they have increased their prices, so now I'm on the watch for Lovex/Shooter's World, primarily D060 aka Buffalo Rifle, which is the original 5744 -- the prize of all big bore cast bullet shooters! No luck there for years, though.