Nitrocellulose Shortage

[Buckshot Bear]

Read this on one of the latest (June issue) U.S gun mags, I think this could be a big reason ADI (Australian Defense Industries) haven't been putting much rifle powder and nil pistol powder out for domestic consumption -

 

 

 

[Frontier Lone Rider]

Ouch!!

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

Sad that the "Planners" in our Western countries could not envision that one day, we might have need of domestically produced material, rather than stuff produced off shore.

 

Whooda thunk it??

[Sedalia Dave]

Yep

Alliant has publicly announced the suspension of smokeless canister powder sales to everyone except government entities. Claim that it is because of a shortage of Chinese cotton that they use to manufacture nitrocellulose

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

Another reason to shoot BP. 

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

1 hour ago, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said:

Another reason to shoot BP. 

It is used in those 155mm shells too.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

5 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

shortage of Chinese cotton that they use to manufacture nitrocellulose

The chemistry of the process more correctly is that cotton (or wood pulp) fibers are nitrated to make nitrocellulose.  The old name of NC was gun cotton, which is where someone may have confused the two.  That nitration is done in China (major manufacturer), Russia and India, in large part.  None of which are really wanting to ship the nitrocellulose to us currently.   It's the powder maker who then buys bulk nitrocellulose to manufacture smokeless powder by adding extra ingredients then shaping and drying and packing.

 

So, it's not really a shortage of cotton.  It's due to lack of the US having nitration facilities anymore - except for the Radford Army Ordinance plant.  Which is being modernized and expanded by BAE Systems.  You can read a brief on it here:

 

https://www.baesystems.com/en-us/feature/radford-moves-to-commissioning-phase-of-a-new-nitrocellulose-facility

 

And the markets not wanting/able to ship us bulk nitrocellulose.

 

good luck, GJ

[Scarlett]

Vista Outdoors has a deal to sell their ammunition/component side of the of the business to a group

in the Czech Republic for $1.9B, currently our ally but one coup away from enemy… an American group has offered an unsolicited bid for the WHOLE of VISTA Outdoors for just under $3B.  
 

The Czech Group sale is awaiting approval from the US Government - which I cannot believe would even be considered… 

 

https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/vista-outdoor-gets-29-billion-takeover-offer-wsj-reports-2024-03-01/

Hugs!

Scarlett

 

[Buckshot Bear]

https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/defense-security/20230616-116590/

[Cholla]

10 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:

https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/defense-security/20230616-116590/

Having worked under Japanese business management, they will find a way to make it faster and better.