This week I (Byron) started on a fight quest. I took a week off of work this month and wanted to do something different than the normal shoot as much as possible. Granted, shooting as much as possible is fun and completely attainable due to access to private ranges. That being said, the time off has allowed for working around the schedules of gyms to get more work in.
On Friday night it was what happens every Friday night, work in a private group with a brown belt, Kenny Morales. This morning it was Demotte Boxing Club for some striking. It will likely be a ton more jiu jitsu as the week progresses with some other disciplines mixed in.
Stay tuned on facebook for the live videos!
Facebook.com/infinitysolutions2
Author: byrongentry
Thoughts on the ammo crunch 03/01/2019
The shooting season has arrived in NWI and ammo hasn’t become any more available. We had ammo as cheap as it had been in many years two years ago. Factories were still pushing out ammo and people were shooting less. Prices plummeted and those that were smart bought as much as they could. Quality 9mm ammo for $200 per 1000 rounds. Quality MOA rifle ammo for $300 per 1000 rounds. Overlooked, most gun owners just bought what they would need for the next couple of months and kept buying guns they rarely have time to shoot.
Then the riots started happening. People who would have never bought a gun went out and got one. The base of gun owners budged just a little bit and got bigger. Non gun owners began to notice what gun owners had said all along, someone will be here eventually to help you in your time of immediate need. The needle ticked slightly higher on percentage of Americans that own guns.
Then the pandemic hit. People started buying toilet paper. Yes, toilet paper. And food. And seeds. Overnight we became a nation of preppers that were worried about diarrhea. They eventually looked at their supply and understood they had to find a way to protect their precious supply of toilet paper. So then they went out and bought a gun. Maybe a couple of guns.
Then we had an election cycle, which normally drives up prices, however, a democrat won. They won all three houses. At this point the gun owners went crazy and bought anything and everything, no matter the prices.
So here we are. Ammo is exorbitantly expensive and the prospects of replacing it will happen with time or money. For those with neither this is a daunting time. We have finally gotten more people to find the 2nd Amendment worthy, but the supply chain wasn’t ready for the 8,000,000 new gun owners. If those 8,000,000 bought 100 rounds each that would push straight to 800,000,000 rounds, just for new gun owners! That is nearly A BILLION rounds just for our new found friends of 2A.
I’m going to say something completely crazy here but bear with me.
Shoot your ammo. Yes, I said it, shoot it.
Shoot your ammo so you can remain proficient with what you own.
Shoot your ammo to remember why you enjoy shooting.
Shoot your ammo because you could get hit by a bus tomorrow.
Shoot your ammo because being a collector is the same as a spectator.
Shoot your ammo because these new gun owners need a place to start.
The common cries of the long-time gun owner is “What if I don’t have any ammo?” Obviously you shouldn’t shoot every last round you have. However, what is a good number of rounds to have on hand? Well, it depends on the platform and why you believe you need that ammo.
You have a stock of ammo because you are worried about the state of the nation or some sort of doomsday scenario:
You have guns and so do your friends. You have a couple of cases of ammo, just in case and don’t want to use up what you have. A question for you then. Do you have all of this ammo loaded into mags? If not, how many protracted gun battles do you think you will win with loose ammo? Roving marauders have been murdering people and taking their ammo and you have been doing nothing. No shooting, no training, and you are alone. Ever consider you are buying and hoarding to equip the next better trained person? A gun safe full of guns and ammo are no match for a well trained person and a good plan. Be the better trained person that can resupply with each win.
What you need:
Rifle 400 rounds loaded into mags
Pistol 100 defensive rounds loaded into mags
You have a stock of ammo because you want to be able to barter:
If things have collapsed and we are using ammo to barter I’d recommend selling something else. Stock up on liquor, cigarettes, wet wipes, seeds, shoes, or a whole host of other consumables. Furthermore, you are woefully unprepared in the skills department (I don’t care what you know, it isn’t enough) so start learning. Also, do cardio and fix your diet. There won’t be cardiologists to save you from a heart attack in the world you are envisioning.
What you need:
Rifle 90 rounds loaded into mags
Pistol 100 defensive rounds loaded into mags
You have stock ammo because you want to stay proficient:
Obviously dry fire drills take you far in the manipulation of the platform. Draw and shoots, transitions, mag changes, up drills, turn to contacts, CQB shapes. Literally everything except for recoil management. Problem is, these aren’t (that) fun. It will take discipline to maintain skill if you choose to never shoot. There is an alternative. Apply the 80-20 rule to your shooting. If you get your dry fire training complete, you get to shoot. Make that ammo count.
What you need:
A reloader with components for 5k rounds of every platform used
Stock up when the prices reduce
I want to make sure I can feed my family if something ever happens.
Food is incredibly inexpensive if you are buying flour, sugar, spices, and seeds. Buying food now will offer a piece of mind that magically learning to hunt can never have. Hunting is a skill that people hone for years and still come up empty handed some seasons. The great depression took our wild game to nearly extinct levels. Start accumulating skills now. You won’t walk into woods and just happen upon food, not in the beginning and definitely not months in. If you tried it now you’d likely meet the angry owners of the woods. Learning to grow food, harvest, and preserve gives a satisfaction knowing what you are feeding your family. All without trespassing onto an angry gun owners land.
What you need:
10 chickens
Trees that produce fruit
Shrubs that provide fruit
1 goat
As many heirloom seeds as you can find
Take a count of what you shot last year. Now how many rounds did you use to be better rather than just have fun? Yes, shooting is fun. However, if the reason you are hoarding ammo is because you might have to use it you might want to set aside a specific amount for training and keep your cache intact.
The Firearms Freedom Project NWI
Infinity Solutions started at a political rally. After Newtown the opponents of the Second Amendment had lined up ready to steal away rights. They had been laying in wait for years and this was finally their opportunity. The Republicans held the majority in the House, but Democrats held the Senate and the Oval Office. Bipartisan bills were introduced to try to stop the next Newton from happening.
Somehow it all failed. But how? How could the brutal murder of 26 kids not enact any new firearms legislation?
It was simple. Gun owners finally found their voice. On a frigid day in March I stood on the podium looking at about 100 people on the courthouse steps in Valparaiso. Five generations of current and future firearms ownership stood in the cold and wind together for our common cause. Everyone put their petty differences aside in a show of solidarity. Concealed carriers, open carriers, NRA backers, GOA supporters, rifle carrying militia members, and police officers all standing shoulder to shoulder for the same cause.
Calls poured into the House and Senate. We were relentless. We as gun owners are not responsible for the actions of a madman. We will not surrender our ability to defend our families. We will not give up what so many had died for.
Fast forward to 2019. People are more polarized than ever. The opponents of the 2nd Amendment are now working on new ways to attack. In addition to federal level fights to restrict ownership we must fight for the right to shoot at the local level. Zoning boards and city/town/county councils are actively working to take away your ability to shoot. Yes, we have to be wary of anyone that wants to take away actual firearms. However, if we can’t use them, have to drive hours to get to shoot, or pay ridiculous fees just to practice, do the physical items have any value? Isn’t the practice of the right the fundamental aspect of a right?
Going forward we will be coordinating through the facebook page facebook.com/ffpNWI to keep everyone abreast of events that will have an impact of gun owners in Northwest Indiana. We will also put out calls to action for state level laws. While we have “supporters” of the 2nd Amendment in the state house we continue to have issues advancing our rights.
Make no mistake, we must not sit back and wait for someone else to do something. This fight starts with YOU and it starts TODAY. If we take that approach we will never lose.
If not you, then who?
When they banned shooting in Illinois I said nothing because I moved years ago.
When they restricted shooting to 200ft from any dwelling I said nothing because I had 5 acres.
When they restricted shooting to 1000ft from any dwelling I said nothing because I belonged to a private shooting club.
When they restricted shooting so long as any neighbor could hear gunfire I said nothing because I could shoot indoors.
When they closed the indoor range I had no where to shoot.
Make mo mistake. We are all in this together or we will all lose. It doesn’t matter if you are a member of a private shooting club, shoot in your back yard, shoot at Blythe’s or Point Blank, we must keep showing up to any meeting we can. Is a single vacation day worth the rights of future generations?
About us
Welcome to your blog!
The goals of our blog is to explore different situations we see during classes, internal training days, log our goals, explore new topics related to self defense.
Who are we?
Infinity Solutions is a cadre of instructors from the Northwest Indiana region from diverse backgrounds. We are medical professionals, former police officers, and combat veterans.
As we have transitioned into the business side of firearms we have delved into CNC machining, stippling, blacksmithing, and gunsmithing. As we started down the path with training we found there were so many barriers to gun owners in Northwest Indiana. Poor access to training and functional firearms modifications led us to begin to develop skills.
How did we come to be?
Infinity Solutions was born at a 2nd Amendment rally. One of our owners gave a speech about the need for training within the firearms community. After coming off stage someone was waiting there with a challenge. “Where do you suggest people get training?” The answer generally involved many hours of driving, thousands of dollars, and waiting for the big name trainer to come around. Between the coordination of schedules, financial cost, and distance most people can’t make it to a class.
At the end of the day you have to answer this question if you want something done and it isn’t happening: “If not you, then who?” So we started training each other. As we were pushing our abilities and the firearms to higher levels we needed to start modifying our weapons. As we shot more we found that certain firearms didn’t have many accessories made. After working with the scar within the first year it came out we found we would like new a new stock option other than the UGG boot. From there Infinity Solutions Machining was created. We are always growing and learning in this arena. 0311 Knife and Tool brings their extensive knife making experience which marries well with our combatives work. The training blades are a fantastic augment to the handmade defensive blades. The training blades give us the ability to use something the same weight and profile as the defensive blade.
What do we do?
We have a group that works internally. This group tests all of the experiments that come out of 0311 Knife and Tool and Infinity Solutions Machining. 0311 has made knives to our specific needs. The knife has to be easily concealed, gripped, and SHARP! They more than delivered. Infinity Solutions Machining has created stock adapters for the CZ Scorpion and FN SCAR to start and more to come! More products as we grow as machinists and continue to be dreamers.
The Infinity Solutions Development Group currently shoots, fights, does medical, and everything else involved in product testing and development multiple times per week.