We are excited to see old friends, meet new people, do some business and make a big announcement! Stay tuned for our real time BLOG updates from the show at the bottom of this page.
If you’re attending SHOT then we would like to hear from you! Send us your pictures from SHOT Show 2015 to help us share the experience with our real time BLOG updates!
The second largest small arms propellant manufacturer in the world remains evacuated as a French hazardous materials company slowly continues to wet down and clear the site, hoping to avoid triggering a secondary blast or fire. An exclusion area extending 350 meters from the perimeter of the factory affecting 31 homes has been mandated until Wednesday afternoon at 4:00 PM, and may be extended. A local news site says it impossible to know when the clean-up will be finished, as each step of the clean-up has to be verified before they can advance. The PB Clermont facility in Belgium was rocked by an explosion the evening of March 5 at 5:00 PM local time, after most of the plant’s employees had gone home for the weekend. The blast destroyed a building that grinds rifle propellant components, and injured two employees. Pierre Buttiens, Commercial Director for PB Clermont, issued this statement to Bearing Arms today: The explosion has destroyed one of the 107 building of the company. The production is stopped at the moment as we are investigating the origin of the accident. We will resume the production when the causes will be identified and then we will be in a position to restart the production without risks for all stakeholders. Confidentiality agreements signed by PB Clermont with their customers prevent the company from telling us which ammunition companies in Europe and the United States will be directly affected by the factory shutting down. Bearing Arms discovered last week that Barnual uses PB Clermont propellant in two rifle cartridges, and a commenter on an industry forum discussing the blast suggests that a number of major European ammunition manufacturers will be affected, as well as U.S. manufacturers. One hopeful estimate suggests that the company’s rifle propellant line will be out of commission for just 90 days, though few industry sources seem to believe that this is a realistic figure. While we’re merely speculating—and want to make it very clear that we’re speculating—the damage done to key machinery inside the plant is likely the deciding factor on when the plant may resume production. Construction on a new building will likely take months, but the replacement of relatively rare equipment might take longer if it has to be fabricated from scratch.
Posted by Bob Owens on March 18, 2014 at 9:25 am
NOTE: The estimate provided by several industry experts of the soonest they could realistically return to full production is 1Q 2015.
AMERICAN PRECISION 22LR
Recently we have received several inquiries regarding our new rimfire series .22LR ammunition. Most want details on it’s quality, it’s price with several asking if we will ever produce an inexpensive “PLINKER” round. In an effort to clarify the quality of the round we would like to explain the characteristics that, in our opinion and standards, define a “MATCH” series ammunition specifically as it pertains to .22LR.
As you would expect, the production requires significantly higher quality components with much more exacting tolerances achieved in part through slower operating speeds. This is consistent through all of the phases of the ammunition manufacturing process. I.E. Case extrusion, projectile manufacturing, rimfire priming, drying, propellant metering, final assembly and even the packaging.
Next the true “MATCH SERIES” are a lead projectile with a wax lubricant and always subsonic. The reason for the lead/wax is for consistent rifling spin achieved out of high end F type rifles and no possibility of copper fouling the barrels in these ultra high end match rifles such as S&S Precision in north Texas manufacture. This projectile type is extremely sensitive to rough handling and easily damaged. It cannot even be loose packaged, it must be packaged in plastic trays that suspend the projectile in the box so nothing can touch it ever. If they are dropped while loading even from table height to the floor they can be ruined.
S&S Precision Rimfire Match 22LR Rifle manufactured by Stick in Argyle, TX. This was the highest quality rifle I have ever seen let alone fired. Note the carbon fiber stock.
The next characteristic is the energy for a match round. The energy is significantly lower than a standard series or plinker series .22LR for many reasons but the foremost two reasons being consistency and supersonic shock wave interference. The path of the projectile being affected by the shock wave as it breaks the sound barrier and again as it decelerates back below the speed of sound both negatively affect the stability of of the projectile during its flight path. This can be compensated somewhat by an adjustable muzzle brake or with a barrel tuned for a specific supersonic speed but by remaining just below supersonic this variable is eliminated. Although incredibly accurate the negative byproduct of the subsonic .22LR is that it will not have the energy to cycle most automatic pistols or rifles or have the kinetic energy to use to hunt small game. It is strictly designed for unequalled accuracy in paper targets at 50 yards in bolt action rifles where most rimfire match competitors can place 10 rounds through the same hole with ease and hit 25 pea size bullseyes on a sheet target in 20 minutes or less rarely being off by more than a 1/2 an inch.
10 rounds at 50 yards American Precision 22LR 40gr TARGET SERIES
At Precision, we wanted to provide the highest quality round without being as limiting or costly as the MATCH SERIES rounds. First we wanted them to have enough energy to cycle automatic pistols and rifles so we increased the energy to the minimum we could and still cycling most (if not all) major manufacturers of pistol and rifle. By only increasing it to 120ftlbs of energy we were able to maintain a high percentage of the accuracy of the the MATCH SERIES. Since we increased the energy to be used in automatics that many family’s tend to use we decided to encase the projectile in copper so it would be in a kid friendly material. This is not only cleaner but it’s more durable. So if it’s roughly handled, stored loosely in large can’s or dropped between unpackaging and loading it will still fire true.
Lastly the cost of the MATCH ROUNDS are extremely high and just in as much shortage as regular .22LR. ELEY MATCH 1058 manufactured from machine #4 sells for in excess of .30 cents per round. We wanted to offer similar quality with a broader use and at the best possible price with a modest margin to offer to our clients and partners. The final costs associated with the materials of the lesser quality PLINKER SERIES round versus the highest quality MATCH SERIES are negligible at best but the reliability and performance discrepancy between the two are tremendous. The higher cost of materials prevents the manufacture of the “cheap” plinker round especially by a company the size of ours. Larger companies like Remington are exacerbating the problem by using their .22LR presses for the manufacture of centerfire primers and are simply not producing the lower margin .22LR.
The cost increase in production is due to many factors but they are all a symptoms of the unprecedented demand. Once the market corrects and the price of the components become more available we would like nothing more than to produce a great plinker series for .05 or .06 cents but right now this is not possible. We are doing our best to provide a high quality .22LR round at an affordable price. The quality and overall performance of this round is one of the best ever created. Me and one of my buddies have personally fired this in a rimfire match placing 5th and 3rd respectively and my 7 year old son and 11 and 13 year old daughters have fired them from the Beretta Target Semi Automatic pistol and the Colt AR style rifle chambered in .22LR without so much as a single misfeed let alone a misfire.
My 2nd TARGET where I scored an 1850.
Yes it’s expensive, it is very high quality, and significantly cheaper and more practical than ELEY TARGET let alone MATCH (in our opinion the benchmark for accuracy of a round) unless you’re a match competitor this is by far the best value and even if you are it’s still an acceptable MATCH round. Most importantly this round is available now. We are producing millions per month and we only intend to increase production further reducing our costs so we can offer a high quality 22LR to as many that want it.
I hope you found this informative and appreciate you taking the time to read our update. Feel free to post a comment or email info@precisionammunition.com if you have any questions or comments.
Shoot with Precision
WASHINGTON — The push and pull over the Second Amendment right to bear arms is heating up again, thanks in part to a former Supreme Court justice’s new book.
Friday, the high court will consider whether to hear a challenge to a New Jersey law restricting the right to carry guns in public. If the court grants the petition, it would be the most important gun control case since the justices upheld the right to keep handguns at home for self-defense in 2008.
While the justices ponder what the Constitution’s framers meant with the words “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,” former Justice John Paul Stevens suggests it be rewritten.
In his new book, Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution,Stevens, 93, advocates adding the words “when serving in the militia” to reduce the number of firearms-related deaths — roughly 88 per day — that occur in the USA.
Stevens was on the losing side of the court’s 5-4 ruling in 2008 that established the right to keep handguns at home for self-defense. Two years later, he was again in the minority when the court ruled that Chicago could not prohibit private citizens from owning handguns.
“Emotional claims that the right to possess deadly weapons is so important that it is protected by the federal Constitution distort intelligent debate about the wisdom of particular aspects of proposed legislation designed to minimize the slaughter caused by the prevalence of guns in private hands,” Stevens writes. “Those emotional arguments would be nullified by the adoption of my proposed amendment. The amendment certainly would not silence the powerful voice of the gun lobby; it would merely eliminate its ability to advance one mistaken argument.”
The “gun lobby” seeks to move in the opposite direction. Despite losses at federal district and appeals courts, groups including the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners Foundation back the effort by New Jersey gun owners to legalize gun possession outside the home.
“The Second Amendment guarantees the right to carry weapons for the purpose of self-defense — not just for self-defense within the home, but for self-defense, period,” the NRA argues in its brief to the high court.
New Jersey law enforcement groups defend the state’s requirement that citizens prove a “justifiable need” to carry handguns outside the home, whether openly or concealed from view. In their brief, they claim the law “qualifies as a presumptively lawful, longstanding regulation that does not burden conduct within the scope of the Second Amendment’s guarantee.”
Posted by Bob Owens on March 11, 2014 at 5:37 pm
PB Clermont, the Belgian subsidiary of EURENCO which claims to have “one of the largest spherical powder production capacities in the world for small and medium calibre ammunition” experienced a significant explosion this past Friday afternoon after most employees had gone home for the day.
[English-language news outlets have completely ignored the story, and so Bearing Arms is attempting to report on the story via articles written in French and Dutch and translated via Google Translate, the search giant’s machine translation tool. Please bear with us if the translated text sounds stilted or just plain bizarre.]
Belgian news source RTBF reported Friday (via Translate):
There was an explosion, about seventeen hours, blowing snow Engis, the company PB Clermont. This firm huttoise the suburb is classified Seveso. The balance sheet, according to preliminary information, is limited to two minor injuries. But as a precaution, the “white plane” communal mobilization phase of the emergency services had been triggered. the plane was lifted in the early evening, around 19:30. The home is now under control.
The explosion apparently blew a grinding unit. Early indications for the emergency services, a building was seriously damaged, but only minor injuries to two workers are reported.
This is blowing for nearly two centuries. It belongs to the French multinational Giat, the former owner of the FN. It employs a hundred persones. She works gunpowder, ammunition for small and medium size, and loads of explosives for civil use.
Translated from Google Gibberish French into English, the article tells us that after most employees left for the day at around 5:00 PM local time, a building used to grind gunpowder components exploded, injuring two employees still on site.
As the photo above shows, the building (top left) was destroyed in the blast and fire, with only the frame apparently remaining. On-site company fire crews were able to quickly contain the blast. Local firefighters showed up, stood around, and looked bored.
An update from RTBF notes that the plant is still shutdown today [again, via Translate]:
The activity of blowing Engis, PB Clermont Society, is still at a standstill Tuesday. Several days will still certainly necessary external experts sent there since Monday to determine the exact cause of the explosion last Friday destroyed a building on the site, fortunately causing two minor injuries.
What is it exactly happened last Friday on the website of PB Clermont?What caused the explosion that destroyed 107 buildings on the site? Investigations are underway since Monday in collaboration with several external experts. Identifying the causes should still take several days. The site classified “Seveso” is, since the accident, fully secure.
Translate is obviously having some issues, as there is no way 107 buildings were “destroyed” by a blast and fire that was contained before local firefighters could respond. I think it more likely that 107 buildings were damaged by the blast, which did shatter many windows.
It doesn’t sound like that big of a deal on the surface. A company in Europe has an explosion that barely makes the news, even there.
But when you start looking at who partners with PB Clermont , and who the company supplies with gunpowder, and things start getting much more interesting. PB Clermont supplies powder under their own name, and also apparently supplies powder for Barnual, Bofors, and Vihtavuori (Bofors and Vihtavuori are both part of EURENCO).
How soon the company will be able to replace the lost production capability, and what this may mean to the already stretched-thin U.S. ammo market, is unknown at this time.
3/12 Update: ATK’s Tim Brandt confirms that ATK does not purchase powder from PB Clermont. Bearing Arms is attempting to contact other manufacturers to discuss who uses PB Clermont propellants.
Barnual (marketed in the U.S. under Golden Bear, Silver Bear, and Brown Bear lines) does use PB Clermont powders for two loads, but took shipment of an order shortly before the blast. We’ll report back once we discover which loads this might affect.
We finalized our initial production of .22LR and will be taking orders soon for delivery within a month! Check back for further updates. We are offering a special discounted price for our existing centerfire clients. This is not a plinker round, this is a high quality TARGET SERIES .22LR round nose 40gr copper @ 1190fps with 120ftlbs of energy so it will cycle automatic rifles and pistols. We have fired this ammunition at rimfire match competitions with outstanding results. It is extremely accurate, clean and consistent . This is one of the most versatile .22LR rounds, it’s in production and although it costs more than a standard plinker round it is truly a great value high quality round. Our first production run was 500,000 rounds and are working to increase that to millions. Look for updates to be coming shortly.
Shoot with Precision
From smartphone-sized guns through to naked guns that let you see their action in action, the floors of the world’s largest shooting show were chock full of interesting gear.
More than 60,000 convened in Las Vegas for the 36th Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show), where more than 1,600 exhibitors are showcasing their latest and greatest. It’s theworld’s largest gun show, and there was something for everyone there.
Companies like Remington took inspiration from classics, even those nearly a century old, and reinvented them for today’s shooter. Other companies brought innovations aimed at law enforcement and the military, such as Sig Sauer’s new family of pistols.
Here are some crowd favorites that scored high marks.
Smartphone-Sized Guns
In the market for a smart weapon fit for concealed carry? SHOT Show 2014 introduced lots of new options. Small was clearly big this year, with many companies pushing their “backup”-sized products.
Two microguns that led the pack were the Glock 42 and the Beretta Pico. Both are high quality single-stack 6+1 off-duty and all very lightweight. At only 11.5 ounces empty and super thin — it’s less than an inch wide in places — the Berretta Pico is a great choice for when you’re jogging or sprinting.
By week’s end, the slightly heavier Glock 42 (12.35 ounces empty) still seemed to be the crowd favorite in the smartphone-sized gun category.
SIG Sauer’s New Family for Operators
SIG Sauer unveiled its new P320 full-size service pistol.
Based off the company’s NRA Golden Bull’s Eye Award, very popular P250, this model takes the P250’s characteristics and combines them with smart design for the military and law enforcement user.
The P320 pistol family includes two sizes and three different calibers.
The smaller model weighs just under 26 ounces with a 3.9-inch barrel length and 7.2-inch overall length while the larger weighs just over 29 ounces with a standard 4.7-inch barrel length and 8-inch overall length.
Fed by dual stack box magazines, they also have striker safety, disconnect safety, and a three-point disassembly safety.
Four additional safety features can also be added as options including an ambidextrous manual safety and a loaded chamber indicator. They have an under barrel M1913 Picatinny rail for attaching accessories and can be available with a threaded barrel for those who require a suppressor.
A .45 ACP model will be available later in the year.
Remington’s Retro Chic
In a welcome surprise to many, Remington reintroduced the Model 51 — the R51.
This model had not manufactured since the 1930s — talk about bringing back a classic … with a twist. Remington took this nearly 100-year-old model and revamped it as a concealed-carry special.
A single-stack 9mm, it has a 7+1 capacity and it super smooth for quick draws.
For those looking for some extra oomph, the R51 can take +P ammunition.
Custom Wheel Gun: Smith & Wesson M686
Smith & Wesson’s Performance Center, the company’s custom firearm shop, drew some crowds curious about their new wheel gun.
The Smith & Wesson 686 PLUS takes a past legend and updated it for today’s user.
The seven-shot, 2.5-inch barrel .357 Magnum has the Smith & Wesson classic lines and based on the enthusiasm it was generating on the SHOT Show floor, looks like a contender for popular concealed carry revolvers this year.
Retailing for about one thousand dollars, it has a slimmer grip adding to its appeal for some shooters.
No Conceal, All Reveal
Ever wonder what it looks like inside the gun while it is shooting?
The Taurus View .38 Special revolver based on the Model 85 was a hit for revealing, rather than concealing. It has a translucent side plate – meaning you get to see inside the gun and watch the mechanics at work.
Weighing in at about 9-ounces unloaded, the five-round revolver has 1.41-inch barrel. The frame is aluminum, the interior barrel is steel and the cylinder and outer barrel are titanium. It will be available for about $600.
We will be working all but Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day until we leave for our annual training and conference at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas on January 13th for the entire company and most of our partners.
We have TARGET SERIES REMAN 380ACP 100gr RN CMJ, 9mm PARA 115gr RN CMJ & 124gr RN CMJ, 40S&W 180gr RNFP CMJ and 45ACP 230gr RN CMJ available.
Email info@precisionammunition.com with quantities and calibers for your holiday special discount pricing!
Look for our inventory to be updated to include TARGET SERIES in NEW brass case ammunition in .22LR, .380ACP & 9MM PARA in January! We have several large shipments of brass coming in over the next few weeks.
Shoot with Precision
The Army’s new round replaces the current M855 5.56mm cartridge that has been used by U.S. troops since the early 1980s. The Army claims the M855A1 is more dependable, a more consistent performer, improves accuracy, moves faster. (U.S. ARMY)
When the last bullet-producing lead smelter closes its doors on Dec. 31, it will mark a major victory for those who say lead-based ammunition pollutes the environment, but others warn ‘green’ bullets will cost more, drive up copper prices and do little to help conservation.
The bid to ban lead bullets, seen by some as harmful to the environment, started slowly more than a decade ago. But with two dozen states, including California, banning bullets made of the soft, heavy metal, the lead bullet’s epitaph was already being written when the federal government finished it off.
First, the military announced plans to phase out lead bullets by 2018.
“Whatever the EPA’s motivation when creating the new lead air quality standard, increasingly restrictive regulation of lead is likely to affect the production and cost of traditional ammunition.”
– National Rifle Association
Then the federal Environmental Protection Agency, citing emissions, ordered the shutdown of the Doe Run company’s lead smelter in Herculaneum, Mo., by year’s end.
Whether by state or federal regulation, or by market forces, lead bullets will be all but phased out within a few years in favor of so-called green bullets, experts say. While many believe that this will help the environment by keeping lead from contaminating groundwater, others say switching to copper-based bullets will cost hunters and sportsmen more and have little effect on the environment.
“Whatever the EPA’s motivation when creating the new lead air quality standard, increasingly restrictive regulation of lead is likely to affect the production and cost of traditional ammunition,” the National Rifle Association said in a statement
Critics of lead bullets say that in addition to lead finding its way into the water supply and food chain, people who handle ammunition have been found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood. Lead poisoning harms organs and tissues and can result in brain damage.
“Switching to nontoxic lead ammunition will save the lives of eagles, condors and thousands of other birds every year – and, importantly, will keep hunters and their families from being exposed to toxic lead,” the Center for Biological Diversity said in a statement after California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a phaseout of lead bullets for hunting by July 2019.
The Army has been researching a more environment-friendly bullet at the Picatinny Arsenal, in New Jersey, since 2010. A lead-free version of the 7.62-mm rounds fired from M-14 rifles will be issued to troops in 2014. That will follow a prior switch to a greener 5.56 mm “Enhanced Performance Round” the Army switched to in 2010..
“The EPR replaces the lead slug with a copper slug,” Lt. Col. Phil Clark, product manager for small-caliber ammunition at Picatinny, toldthe Daily Caller. “This makes the projectile environmentally friendly, while still giving soldiers the performance capabilities they need on the battlefield.”
The army has projected that use of green bullets for small-round ammunition could eliminate the purchase of nearly 4,000 metric tons of lead between now and 2018.
Jim Yardley a retired financial controller and blogger foramericanthinker.com, estimated it would cost $18,431,000 to replace the lead with copper.
“Nearly $20 million, not to improve the effectiveness of the ammunition used by our troops, but to protect the environment,” Yardley wrote.
In 2010, Doe Run settled with the EPA and state regulators for $65 million and a pledge to close the 120-year-old smelter by year’s end. Doe Run General Manager Gary Hughes said the company tried to bring its smelter into compliance so it could continue to produce lead products, but abandoned plans in 2012 due to federal regulations.
“We hoped to be building another such plant by now; however, constructing a full-scale plant, given other regulatory compliance spending requirements, puts our company at financial risk,” he said.
It is unclear if another company will open a new lead smelter in the U.S. that can meet the more stringent air quality standards. But with the biggest buyer of ammo switching to copper-core, “green” bullets, and the number of state bans on lead bullets growing, ammunition makers are adapting. One such company is Florida-based Liberty Ammunition, which has ramped up production of green bullets by adding a second production shift.
“Copper is not cheap,” said Matthew Phillips, Liberty’s vice president of sales and marketing. “Luckily, we’ve managed to find a way to keep the cost down.”
Copper bullets have a similar pricepoint to high-end lead bullets, but can be as much as twice the cost of lower-end lead bullets, say experts. And diverting copper for bullet manufacturing could have other unintended economic consequences, critics warn.
“This will inevitably increase the cost of electronic devices that use copper,” wrote Yardley.”It will add to the cost of a wiring a new home, having an adverse impact on the housing industry.”
“The Treasury Department already wants to discontinue the penny due to the cost of producing it. A rising cost of copper will only add impetus to that, and might encourage them to repeat the response to a copper shortage during WWII, and produce pennies from steel.”
By Perry Chiaramonte
Published December 18, 2013
FoxNews.com
Precision Ammunition has listened to our clients and is in the final stages of finalizing a contract to manufacture millions of rounds of a very high quality .22LR 40 Grain Copper High Velocity rounds. The rounds are American Precision Ammunition headstamped, packaged .22LR @ 1190FPS (120ftlbs of energy) so they will cycle rifle and even pistol automatics while maintaining a high degree of accuracy. These are manufactured in a TARGET series, with the addition of copper to the projectile and increased energy to 120ftlbs being the primary reasons we have not designated these rounds as MATCH .22LR. These are not a plinker round and can be shot in MATCH competition. The exact date we officially add it to our inventory with the date of availability and quantities will be posted soon. This product will be offered at a discounted price to our existing centerfire clients first.
Shoot with Precision