I have just finished reading the 113 page FBI Request for Proposal of December 2012, wherein the FBI was seeking to buy service, training, reduced lead training and frangible 9mm ammo.

I understand why the RFP has to be the way it is, but dealing with the government is obviously a big pain in the rear. If you don't think so, read the contract IN ITS ENTIRETY.

Highlights of the RFP are that the 9mm must be between 120 and 147 grain JHP of no greater pressure than SAAMI +P and it penetrate ballistic gelatin between 12 and 18 inches, and it must pass all of the FBI barrier tests. No failure to penetrate at least 12 inches is permitted. EVER.

The ammo must work and not cause damage or excessive wear to the following pistols: Any generation of the following models: Glocks 17, 19 and 26, SIG Sauer 226 and 228 and the HK MP5 and its variants.

It must have a power factor of between 135 and 155 (bullet weight in grains x velocity at 15 ft measured in ft. per sec. / 1,000).

The service ammo must have a bullet weight of between 120 and 147 grains. Training ammo bullet weight must be between 115 and 147 grains, and the frangible is between 80 and 100 grains.

This is rich: The ammo must not penetrate the FBI body armor.

In reading vendor questions and answers, it seems that the contract specifies materials required for testing that are not readily identified (i.e. no item number for a specified material to be used in the barrier test), and in one case, the instructions given in response to a vendor question was to call "Sandi Flowers at Dominion Steel" and order the "FBI bullet testing steel," and in yet another case, the denim specified in the contract (a specific type FBI obtains from a "JoAnn Fabrics" store) was apparently discontinued and is unavailable.

Merely reading this contract will make your blood pressure go up as you understand that it takes a year for these morons to decide on new 9mm ammo using our tax dollars, and it sounds like the specs were written by the Marx Brothers when you see the questions asked for clarification by the expert chemists and ballisticians employed by the ammo companies, and the government issuing revised contract specs at every turn.

Truly, it would be the equivalent of me trying to issue specs to build a nuclear reactor. I am just not qualified to do it, and the people who are would obviously think my "attempt" at doing so would be like "amateur night out."

Oh, and after 113 pages of contract BS, the contract says it has to be off-the-shelf production item.

Now, perhaps I am a simpleton, but it seems a better use of limited tax dollars would be to have some secretary at the office go to the nearest hardware store and buy a case of so of each brand, run it on the chronograph and the firing range and in the gelatin with the barriers and make a decision. Imagine how many millions it takes these creeps to decide what to spend some more millions on to buy for new 9mm ammo.

And, what is really wrong with the current off-the-shelf 9mm ammo that requires all of this effort to re-test 9mm ammo? I mean the testing protocol takes up dozens of pages, and is obviously a big pain to carry out.

Reading one of these ignoramus federal contracts will really convince you that the people who work at these places are "just not right," which would be ok IF they were not spending OUR money.

This is the RFP number:

RFP-OSCU-DSU1301

The award was finally issued in August 19, 2013 and Federal, Winchester and Hornady were given contracts.