Those idiots are at it again.
I see this as direct blowback from the ‘wrist brace’ issue. The ruling on the wrist brace suddenly put AR ‘pistols’ at the forefront of the AR marketplace for a while. As a result, more ‘pistols’ in .223 were out there than ever before. And, as we learned from the Olympic/Chinese-ammo debacle , it doesn’t take many handguns in a rifle caliber to get ATFE to start swinging the banhammer.
In a move clearly intended by the Obama Administration to suppress the acquisition, ownership and use of AR-15s and other .223 caliber general purpose rifles, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives unexpectedly announced today that it intends to ban commonplace M855 ball ammunition as “armor piercing ammunition.” The decision continues Obama’s use of his executive authority to impose gun control restrictions and bypass Congress.
It isn’t even the third week of February, and the BATFE has already taken three major executive actions on gun control. First, it was a major change to what activities constitute regulated “manufacturing” of firearms. Next, BATFE reversed a less than year old position on firing a shouldered “pistol.” Now, BATFE has released a “Framework for Determining Whether Certain Projectiles are ‘Primarily Intended for Sporting Purposes’ Within the Meaning of 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(17)(c)”, which would eliminate M855’s exemption to the armor piercing ammunition prohibition and make future exemptions nearly impossible.
Obviously the commercial market will handle the ammo needs if M855 is verboten. But M855 is available in quantity and usually at slightly better prices because when you’re tooled up to run off tens of millions of rounds of the stuff in one go, you can bring economies of scale into play. In other words, when you’re tooled up to make a couple million rounds a day its very easy to pull some off the production line and sell it out the back door.
This absurdity may get nipped in the bud or it may not, but it might be worth swinging by Cabela’s or Bass Pro and picking up one of those .30 cal cans full of ammo while you still can.
Just when I was moving up in caliber from the scarce .22lr, now I don’t know what to get. Is there a ban on old cannons, black powder and cannon balls yet?
Chris
*sigh* Well, there go the ammo prices again. Somewhat reasonable prices were nice while they lasted.
When will Obama realize that everytime he opens his wide mouth on guns or ammunition, all he really accomplishes is to drive the market into a frenzy of buying and hording?
Or hoarding, even!
Haha, is hording even a word? My cell phone’s spell check seems to think so, but I have my doubts.
“Hording” is not a word. “Hoarding” is.
Yep, got it. Thanks.
Or Whore-ding
Tooling around various sites and I’m not finding any stock. Dammit. Least not any tha advertise as M855…
Will the M855 stuff actually SAY it’s M855 or is any green tip 5.56 considered M855?
I have a ton of greentip but none of it says M855 on the round or boxes…
This only affects M855 not the 55g XM193 or other configurations of 5.56. The only shortage will be for the M855. There is currently an oversupply of 5.56/.223 on the market. So you should have already been buying and stocking up before this soon to be scare. Glad I already reached the levels of M855 that I wanted before this pending decision was announced by BATF.
Negitron, While M855 is the bullet that is being banned but it makes for a run on 5.56, particularly affordable bulk stuff in the form of M193. Case in point, I wanted a thousand rounds of M855 but couldn’t get it so I got a case of M193 instead.
TOR
That is why I buy from GT, they do not rape you by jacking up prices during a scare. They sell to you at the same price until their supply in gone.
http://www.gtdist.com/ProductDetail.aspx?PartNumber=FC-XM193AF90-CASE
Both Cheaper than Dirt and Luck gunner are already out of the Federal XM855 in .30cal cans.
Just looked at Montana gunbroker, already 4 guys selling at 1.00 a pop.
I wanted to pick up another case of M855 but it was all gone. Ordered XM193 instead as I’m not sure if this is the opening salvo of an ammo end run.
Cheaper than dirt in their good old fashion way has done it again. They have jacked up the price on XM193 from 158.00 to 280.00 in the .30 cal cans.
http://www.cheaperthandirt.net/product/8-FED-XM193LC1AC1
From my LE source supplier. So buy it while you can!!!!!
http://www.gtdist.com/ProductDetail.aspx?PartNumber=FC-XM855LC1AC1
To Late!!! You can no longer add to the cart.
Concerning the proposed BATFE ban on SS109 bullets and m855 ammunition. Just as they ruled against the popular sig brace from being shoulder fired and imported 7n6 5.45x39mm ammunition and redefining “manufacturing” etc. as well as the DEAs excessively expensive “war on weed”, the copious amount of NSA spying on our own countrymen, and countless other acts, etc. etc. etc…
Petition link here: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/stop-batfe-banning-xm855-ammunition/XrvVh1cj
But… If you want to stop the ATF, you must submit a letter directly to the ATF during their review period. Signing this petition does absolutely nothing and will not stop M855 from being banned.
CONTACT THE BATF:
ATF email: APAComments@atf.gov
Fax: (202) 648-9741
Mail: Denise Brown, Mailstop 6N-602, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Enforcement Programs and Services, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, 99 New York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20226: ATTN: AP Ammo Comments.
Further… If you really give a shit and want to do more to stop the ATF and other meddling and overreaching federal agency infringement than complain, here is a decent start. Listen to this episode of the survival podcast. Think about what was discussed, then follow the link to the tenthamendmentcenter.com and share with friends so they understand as well. The federal government has little power without state support:
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/1517-boldin-10th-amendment
http://tracking.tenthamendmentcenter.com/