Gun Laws & Legislation

The Truth Behind The Russian Ammo Ban

Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty Images

Font Size:

The price of Russian-made, usually steel-cased ammunition went up overnight with the Sept. 7 U.S. State Department announcement that new or pending applications for its importation will be denied. Although officially labeled as an expansion of sanctions in response to alleged violation of the “Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991,” industry experts warn stateside gun owners are the real victims.

Ammunition manufactured in the Russian Federation is an inexpensive and reliable alternative, often the first choice for budget-conscious enthusiasts who shoot in high volume. The number of steel casings at any range confirm that fact, and it won’t be long until those gun owners will be purchasing other brands—your favorite loads among them. The development jeopardizes supply that has only begun to emerge from the serious shortage of 2020.

However, it should be noted that imports are not yet completely halted. Days after the Federal Register announcement, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) clarified confusion in a bulletin it to its member retailers. “Working with Congress, NSSF has learned that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will honor all Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Form 6 permits approved on or before Sept. 6, 2021 and allow the import of Russian-made ammunition and firearms even if they arrive at a U.S. port on or after Sept. 7, 2021,” it stated. “The new State Department policy will only impact applications not yet approved by Sept. 7, 2021.”

Despite that fact, costs did increase almost immediately. “Prices have definitely gone up across the board for Russian-made rounds since late August, but in a lot of calibers,” LuckyGunner CEO Jake Felde responded in an e-mail. “We’ve seen the channels we go through to get Russian ammo dry up significantly. As you’d probably guess, 7.62×39 mm ammo demand was the most affected. Now, it’s a waiting game to see what can get on the water before permits start to expire, etc.”

Charles Brown, president of MKS Supply—an importer of Barnaul ammo—responded that, “We have seen a 15- to 20-percent increase in retail prices since this order came to light, obviously the consumers out there are worried about being able to get ammo in the future—as they should be.”

Asked if he’s currently experiencing difficulty in cartridge supply, Brown responded, “Not yet, but that time is coming. We have several approved Form 6s—this is the approval from our government to import ammo and the exact caliber/description and amount we can bring in—a Form 6 has a ‘lifespan’ of 2 years. If you do not fulfill the approved quantities by 24 months, the Form 6 ‘dies’ and you cannot use it anymore. All new Form 6s are being denied so from this point on we will be working off of those older approved forms … that is, until they expire.”

“Keep in mind, ammo manufacturers were struggling to keep up with demand prior to Russian import changes,” Felde said. “So, it wasn’t like there was an unlimited supply of this ammo ready to ship out to retailers for shooters to buy. The supply chain was already in a tight spot and this complicates and exacerbates that.”

ATF estimates the total number of Russian rounds arriving in 2020 was 765,487,845. Mexico came in a distant second place among importers, with more than 600,000,000. Opinions vary on what percentage of the market those cartridges represent. Brown estimates it reflects as much as 40 percent of all ammunition sold in the United States, although his figure is likely on the high side. Mark Oliva, public affairs director at NSSF said, “Our best estimate on Russian ammunition is that it comprises between 4 to 8 percent of the total ammunition in the U.S. market.” Felde preferred not to disclose LuckyGunner’s figure, but confirmed it’s somewhere between the two estimates.

Every company contacted was eager to reaffirm their dedication to fulfilling their respective customers’ needs.

Thanks to Shooting Illustrated for this post. Click here to visit ShootingIllustrated.com.

Click here to follow SI on Facebook.

Tags : gun control
NRA Shooting Illustrated

PREMIUM ARTICLE: Subscribe To Keep Reading

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign Up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
BENEFITS READERS PASS PATRIOTS FOUNDERS
Daily and Breaking Newsletters
Daily Caller Shows
Ad Free Experience
Exclusive Articles
Custom Newsletters
Editor Daily Rundown
Behind The Scenes Coverage
Award Winning Documentaries
Patriot War Room
Patriot Live Chat
Exclusive Events
Gold Membership Card
Tucker Mug

What does Founders Club include?

Tucker Mug and Membership Card
Founders

Readers,

Instead of sucking up to the political and corporate powers that dominate America, The Daily Caller is fighting for you — our readers. We humbly ask you to consider joining us in this fight.

Now that millions of readers are rejecting the increasingly biased and even corrupt corporate media and joining us daily, there are powerful forces lined up to stop us: the old guard of the news media hopes to marginalize us; the big corporate ad agencies want to deprive us of revenue and put us out of business; senators threaten to have our reporters arrested for asking simple questions; the big tech platforms want to limit our ability to communicate with you; and the political party establishments feel threatened by our independence.

We don't complain -- we can't stand complainers -- but we do call it how we see it. We have a fight on our hands, and it's intense. We need your help to smash through the big tech, big media and big government blockade.

We're the insurgent outsiders for a reason: our deep-dive investigations hold the powerful to account. Our original videos undermine their narratives on a daily basis. Even our insistence on having fun infuriates them -- because we won’t bend the knee to political correctness.

One reason we stand apart is because we are not afraid to say we love America. We love her with every fiber of our being, and we think she's worth saving from today’s craziness.

Help us save her.

A second reason we stand out is the sheer number of honest responsible reporters we have helped train. We have trained so many solid reporters that they now hold prominent positions at publications across the political spectrum. Hear a rare reasonable voice at a place like CNN? There’s a good chance they were trained at Daily Caller. Same goes for the numerous Daily Caller alumni dominating the news coverage at outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, Daily Wire and many others.

Simply put, America needs solid reporters fighting to tell the truth or we will never have honest elections or a fair system. We are working tirelessly to make that happen and we are making a difference.

Since 2010, The Daily Caller has grown immensely. We're in the halls of Congress. We're in the Oval Office. And we're in up to 20 million homes every single month. That's 20 million Americans like you who are impossible to ignore.

We can overcome the forces lined up against all of us. This is an important mission but we can’t do it unless you — the everyday Americans forgotten by the establishment — have our back.

Please consider becoming a Daily Caller Patriot today, and help us keep doing work that holds politicians, corporations and other leaders accountable. Help us thumb our noses at political correctness. Help us train a new generation of news reporters who will actually tell the truth. And help us remind Americans everywhere that there are millions of us who remain clear-eyed about our country's greatness.

In return for membership, Daily Caller Patriots will be able to read The Daily Caller without any of the ads that we have long used to support our mission. We know the ads drive you crazy. They drive us crazy too. But we need revenue to keep the fight going. If you join us, we will cut out the ads for you and put every Lincoln-headed cent we earn into amplifying our voice, training even more solid reporters, and giving you the ad-free experience and lightning fast website you deserve.

Patriots will also be eligible for Patriots Only content, newsletters, chats and live events with our reporters and editors. It's simple: welcome us into your lives, and we'll welcome you into ours.

We can save America together.

Become a Daily Caller Patriot today.

Signature

Neil Patel