GOOD NEWS / BAD NEWS ABOUT VISTA ACQUIRING REMINGTON AMMUNITION CO.

[TTSH]

I think we are going to see more new players in the ammunition and components business.

Don't get me wrong here - I think Vista is a terrific Company! I just get a bit nervous and a little worried when ONE Company controls 75 - 80% of a product line.

I believe the key to a stable supply (and stable prices) in the future will be the foreign players, assuming they are not going to be further restricted from doing business here. If they are, we're in big trouble.

 

[wetdog1911]

Vista has been good to me this past year with their rebates. I have never had much luck with Remington rimfire ammo. The golden bullets are ok for plinking, but the Thunderbolt ammo is junk. The worst experience was with that Viper ammo that had this truncated cone bullet. That stuff would print shotgun patterns at 50 feet from one of my High Standard pistols. That gun puts pretty much any ammo into one ragged hole at that distance. Maybe Vista can improve their rimfire line. I'd be all in for some target grade rimfire ammo that shoots like Lapua or SK, especially if it was priced like cci standard velocity.

Easy enough to do, just not as cheap.

SK/Lapua is more about Quality Control over volume and American manufactors are more the opposite, where volume is king, with some exceptions, like higher grade target ammo.

Components play a big role, of course. But the main thing seems to be, slowing the line down just enough to cut down on the 'oopsies' that might make it past past QC, but aren't really 'up to snuff'.

SK/Lapua seems to have hit this balance very well and I simply cannot remember having a ammo related failure using the SK Standard Plus. It's all I use now, in all my .22s.

Rob

 

[ggibson511960]

I believe the key to a stable supply (and stable prices) in the future will be the foreign players, assuming they are not going to be further restricted from doing business here. If they are, we're in big trouble.

A proprietor at a LGS told me the same thing. He is far more knowledgeable than most of us about the ammunition supply chain. He cited several reasons hindering foreign suppliers, most notable of which was COVID disruption of labor and delivery transportation. Makes sense.

 

[slickracer]

I would say Aguila is a pretty good competitor. I've bought way more Aguila .22 ammo in the last 2 years than anything else. I've been 100% happy with the performance.

 

[bigwheelzip]

This article says that Vista is hiring back 300 furloughed Remington employees at the Arkansas ammo plant.

Anoka's Vista Outdoor gets boost from Remington ammunition purchase - StarTribune.com

 

[J. R. WEEMS]

SALES

Well, going along with the OP post, wouldn't that be considered a monopoly thus disallowed?? Here in Winchester, they took out ALL the Food Lion stores saying they had a monopoly??? Really sucks because now we have to drive 10 miles or so to the store when we only had to drive two miles before. Been several years now and the building is STILL empty.

 

[Buford57]

Apart from the rimfire lines, which I agreed have been supplemented well by Aguilla and Lapua, this looks like an opportune time for some of the smaller players (Black Hills, Browning, Hornady, SIG) to step up production and expand their rifle caliber market.

The danger I see is the extinction of factory ammo, and even brass, in some of the obsolescent/niche calibers. Remington doesn't list loaded ammo for some of its own proprietary calibers (6.5mm .350 and 8mm Rem Mag) - and brass for only the last two. How long before these are dropped (and maybe .280 Unimproved, .35 Remington and .222) to ramp up production of .223, 7.62x39 and the cartridge du jour (6.5 Somebody, .350 Epic or .19 Megadeath)?

 

[slickracer]

This article says that Vista is hiring back 300 furloughed Remington employees at the Arkansas ammo plant.

Anoka's Vista Outdoor gets boost from Remington ammunition purchase - StarTribune.com

That's some great news, very glad to see that.