Sniper Ammunition: Homeland Security Revives The Purchases

James Smith
Activist Post

“My first shot at a hog with an AMAX out of the 300 SAUM was spectacular. Hit in the neck at 258 yards and there was only a little piece of fur holding the body together at that point. Good terminal performance.” – Mark Swab’s appraisal of the Hornady .308 AMAX sniper ammunition round

Despite rising unemployment, record number of people on public assistance, the US Government via the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed a solicitation for more sniper ammo, in this order – they are requesting 141,160 rounds of ammunition (7,058 boxes) of Hornady .308 Winchester 168gr A-MAX TAP Ammunition.

This is not their first foray into purchasing sniper ammunition.

In September 2012, we reported DHS’s intent to purchase 176,000 rounds of the .308 caliber 168 grain ammunition. And surprisingly, they abruptly cancelled the solicitation.

There has been no further requests for the ammunition until recently.

Sniper Ammunition

What makes the .308 ammunition so deadly is the long-range capability of the round. The ability is called ballistic coefficient, or the efficiency of a projectile in overcoming air resistance as it travels to its target. According to Speer Reloading Manual Number 13, the .308 165 grain has the highest coefficient of any hunting rifle:

.224″ (.22) 55 grain, BC .255
.243″ (6mm) 90 grain, BC .385
.243″ (6mm) 100 grain BT, BC .430

.257″ (.25) 100 grain BT, BC .393
.257″ (.25) 120 grain BT, BC .435
.264″ (6.5mm) 120 grain, BC .433
.264″ (6.5mm) 140 grain, BC .496
.277″ (.270) 130 grain BT, BC .449
.284″ (7mm) 145 grain, BC .457
.308″ (.30) 150 grain BT, BC .423
.308″ (.30) 165 grain BT, BC .477
.311″ (.303) 150 grain, BC .411
.323″ (8mm) 150 grain, BC .369
.338″ (.338) 200 grain, BC .448
.375″ (.375) 270 grain BT, BC .429

Hornady ammunition is not for the budget minded, and the Federal government will pay a premium price for their sniper ammunition: approximately $1.20 for each round, when they can get a lower grain .308 round for as little as $0.69 for a 147 grain .308 round from Lucky Gunner.

This article first appeared at Prepper Podcast Radio Network. James is a father of four and grandfather to four. He and his wife of almost 30 years have been prepping since 2003. They live in a small town, with neighbors as close as 10 feet away and have raised chickens for 2 years covertly on less than 1/5 of an acre. He is a former corrections officer, insurance fraud investigator, and he served in the Navy for 6 years. He currently works for a corporation dealing with the disabled population and their benefits. He is the host of The Covert Prepper show and the Prepper Podcast Radio Network News, both heard on Blogtalk Radio.