NEW AMMUNITION PLANT TO OPEN IN TEXAS
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Speaking of ammunition manufacturing, what ever happened to Thunderbird Cartridge Company. I remember going there a long time ago to get .308 and their yard was a forest of big equipment they said they bought from a surplus plant in the mid-west. Their web site still exists but the "store" part only has shotgun slugs.
Crippledtrigger
Member
I think it's supposed to be a primer plant?
A new primer or ammunition plant would be useful.
I started reloading to control my supply of ammunition when markets were stupid. As it turns out, everyone else had the same idea and now those stupid markets extend to reloading supplies too.
It's annoying.
I started reloading to control my supply of ammunition when markets were stupid. As it turns out, everyone else had the same idea and now those stupid markets extend to reloading supplies too.
It's annoying.
brandonsmash said:
Sounds like you figured this out already but if you're not already tooled up, this is not a good time to start reloading. I'll probably run out of small pistol primers by this summer. Can't wait for this new plant to come online.
Bigmalcolm
Member
This is good news! looking forward to see what they bring to the table.
I started reloading about 50 years ago, components come and go depending on who is in office. I'm shooting stuff I loaded over 20 years ago now and the primers are about the same age, no problems yet. I can still find stuff, but the price gouging is amazing. I think we have another 4 years of this before it gets better but only if we can get the Demorats out. Like the old saying, may we live in interesting times.
In case you haven't already heard,...this thing is dead,...and likely was doomed before it ever started.
The father and sons behind this venture (which others have called a scam) have apparently had quite a history over the years back in Virginia where they are from of several similar attempts at huge breakthroughs into the reloading supply market, only to always take the money and never deliver. Before this it was a powder manufacturing endeavor which failed.
About a year ago, the employees who had been hired at the site in Texas and had been working to set up the facility for about a year, were all let go except for 5 or so. Then back in September, Expansion Industries filed for bankruptcy.
Someone shared this with me from Reddit today while looking for something else. It was posted about two months ago. I cannot verify the information in this post and I do not know the poster, but the pattern of behavior fits with Expansion's past crooked deals:
"As a former employee of expansion, i can say that they have laid everyone off except 5 people. We made primers for about a total of 3 months and that was to ship them to different companies to see how they faired against other brands. The company wasn't "bought out" necessarily what happened was an investor didn't like how the Smissens failed to produce results (after the investor had spent millions on the project) so he decided to take over that was late December early January time after meeting him and he had assured us we where in "good hands" around the end of February (after producing some primers) they did a round of lay offs and got rid of all production excluding the supervisors, maintenance, and chemists. They began talks of bringing everyone back after the "upgrades" where done (we only had 1 cell producing primers at the time and the upgrades would bring more cells up) jump to the end of March and all of the supervisors where laid off (the only thing they where doing that whole time was sorting different caliber bullets that had been shipped to us via dallas) so all that was left was maintenance and management again constant meetings and talks of more upgrades and the investor got tired of throwing money at it and handed the company back over to Mr. Smissen as soon as he had it back he let all of maintenance go (without pay for the work they had done that week) and kept management including 1 security guard, 1 ground hand, 1 safety/shipping, 1 plant manager and 1 human resources. I have heard a few things about it since leaving expansion the last thing being they reached out to their old maintenance in hopes of them un wiring all of the machines so they can be shipped off. (They didn't pay them for the work they had done and then expected them to come back in and work for free.)
Don't support these crooks."
The father and sons behind this venture (which others have called a scam) have apparently had quite a history over the years back in Virginia where they are from of several similar attempts at huge breakthroughs into the reloading supply market, only to always take the money and never deliver. Before this it was a powder manufacturing endeavor which failed.
About a year ago, the employees who had been hired at the site in Texas and had been working to set up the facility for about a year, were all let go except for 5 or so. Then back in September, Expansion Industries filed for bankruptcy.
Someone shared this with me from Reddit today while looking for something else. It was posted about two months ago. I cannot verify the information in this post and I do not know the poster, but the pattern of behavior fits with Expansion's past crooked deals:
"As a former employee of expansion, i can say that they have laid everyone off except 5 people. We made primers for about a total of 3 months and that was to ship them to different companies to see how they faired against other brands. The company wasn't "bought out" necessarily what happened was an investor didn't like how the Smissens failed to produce results (after the investor had spent millions on the project) so he decided to take over that was late December early January time after meeting him and he had assured us we where in "good hands" around the end of February (after producing some primers) they did a round of lay offs and got rid of all production excluding the supervisors, maintenance, and chemists. They began talks of bringing everyone back after the "upgrades" where done (we only had 1 cell producing primers at the time and the upgrades would bring more cells up) jump to the end of March and all of the supervisors where laid off (the only thing they where doing that whole time was sorting different caliber bullets that had been shipped to us via dallas) so all that was left was maintenance and management again constant meetings and talks of more upgrades and the investor got tired of throwing money at it and handed the company back over to Mr. Smissen as soon as he had it back he let all of maintenance go (without pay for the work they had done that week) and kept management including 1 security guard, 1 ground hand, 1 safety/shipping, 1 plant manager and 1 human resources. I have heard a few things about it since leaving expansion the last thing being they reached out to their old maintenance in hopes of them un wiring all of the machines so they can be shipped off. (They didn't pay them for the work they had done and then expected them to come back in and work for free.)
Don't support these crooks."
Crooks suck.
At least component availability is back up, but to be honest, at the “new normal” prices I’m starting to question the economics of reloading some calibers. I just loaded 3k 147gr 9mm - $350 for the projectiles from Precision Delta and $240 for primers made me think this isn’t worth my time. I still have “old stock” of small rifle primers but moving into new stock at $.08-.10/primer makes me question pausing reloading and saving components for the next crisis or for after I’m retired and bored.
At least component availability is back up, but to be honest, at the “new normal” prices I’m starting to question the economics of reloading some calibers. I just loaded 3k 147gr 9mm - $350 for the projectiles from Precision Delta and $240 for primers made me think this isn’t worth my time. I still have “old stock” of small rifle primers but moving into new stock at $.08-.10/primer makes me question pausing reloading and saving components for the next crisis or for after I’m retired and bored.
Like last time, once Trump is back in, all gun stuff prices will chill out as the public feels their guns are safe again (the fools).
But if the reverse happens, and Biden (or Newsomb) "win", expect that all sorts of measures will be taken to make ammo and access to it as expensive as possible. With the new consolidation of the ammo companies under CZ Group, they will be much easier for gov't to mess with and manipulate. If/when that happens, making your own will be much more attractive then. But it will be almost too late at that point to try to get back in the reloading game again. Follow the Boy Scout motto and be prepared.
But if the reverse happens, and Biden (or Newsomb) "win", expect that all sorts of measures will be taken to make ammo and access to it as expensive as possible. With the new consolidation of the ammo companies under CZ Group, they will be much easier for gov't to mess with and manipulate. If/when that happens, making your own will be much more attractive then. But it will be almost too late at that point to try to get back in the reloading game again. Follow the Boy Scout motto and be prepared.
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