Was talking to Alliant Customer Service yesterday on the phone.
I inquired about the cost of powder and the why it has gone up so much.
What I got for a reply, you can use your own judgement if it is something that is true, or just another excuse
we deal with in today's world. Supposedly there is a shortage of nitro cellulose. It comes from a tree, and where ever they grow it in the world, there has been a major drought, so production of what they get from the tree is down like 60%.
We always seem to get excuses for higher prices, and price gouging whenever there are democRATS in the White House and in control of Congress.
so:
How is nitrocellulose produced?
Nitrocellulose - Wikipedia
The process uses a mixture of nitric acid and sulfuric acid to convert cellulose into nitrocellulose. The quality of the cellulose is important. Hemicellulose, lignin, pentosans, and mineral salts give inferior nitrocelluloses. In precise chemical terms, nitrocellulose is not a nitro compound, but a nitrate ester.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrocellulose#:~:text=The%20process%20uses%20a%20mixture,compound%2C%20but%20a%20nitrate%20ester.
Is nitrocellulose used in guns?
Nitrocellulose carries the majority of the chemical energy used to propel a projectile from a gun barrel. It is the result of treating cellulose with nitric acid in the presence of sulfuric acid.
I seem to think what I got for an answer from the Alliant Representative is a bunch of BS. From the sources I just posted above, a little reading is telling me that nitrocellulose can't be made pretty much from a lot of things that is relatively plentiful.
Another example, of directly or indirectly as the public we are getting pissed on and are being told its just raining.
Always seems to happen under DemocRATS. But then people in the firearms business are making record profits on these price gouging marketing stands. They cut the DNCC in on it, and they are all happy. Let the public pay for it all, but deny they are breaking any laws.
I'll leave you to your own thoughts on why the pricing is so high and the public is being pushed. Is it the DNCC and the manufacturers, or panic buying by the public. In WW 2, the DNC fixed prices so the public wouldn't be hosed, and stopped panic buying of needs.
I remember this well, studying this when I was in college as a pre law major.: The Sherman Anti Trust Act;. Its still on the books and has not been repealed. Yet it seems no one in Congress pays any attention to it anymore.:
The Antitrust Laws
The Antitrust Division enforces federal antitrust and competition laws. These laws prohibit anticompetitive conduct and mergers that deprive American consumers, taxpayers, and workers of the benefits of competition.
The Sherman Antitrust Act
This law prohibits conspiracies that unreasonably restrain trade. Under the Sherman Act, agreements among competitors to fix prices or wages, rig bids, or allocate customers, workers, or markets, are criminal violations. Other agreements such as exclusive contracts that reduce competition may also violate the Sherman Antitrust Act and are subject to civil enforcement.
The Sherman Act also makes it illegal to monopolize, conspire to monopolize, or attempt to monopolize a market for products or services. An unlawful monopoly exists when one firm has market power for a product or service, and it has obtained or maintained that market power, not through competition on the merits, but because the firm has suppressed competition by engaging in anticompetitive conduct. Monopolization offenses may be prosecuted criminally or civilly.
Or a little other read, that shows price fixing is illegal and still on the books, for those who are not in the know. Ignored also by those in Congress in Washington DC and many of our state capitols.
The Antitrust Laws
The Antitrust Division enforces federal antitrust and competition laws. These laws prohibit anticompetitive conduct and mergers that deprive American consumers, taxpayers, and workers of the benefits of competition.
The Sherman Antitrust Act
This law prohibits conspiracies that unreasonably restrain trade. Under the Sherman Act, agreements among competitors to fix prices or wages, rig bids, or allocate customers, workers, or markets, are criminal violations. Other agreements such as exclusive contracts that reduce competition may also violate the Sherman Antitrust Act and are subject to civil enforcement.
The Sherman Act also makes it illegal to monopolize, conspire to monopolize, or attempt to monopolize a market for products or services. An unlawful monopoly exists when one firm has market power for a product or service, and it has obtained or maintained that market power, not through competition on the merits, but because the firm has suppressed competition by engaging in anticompetitive conduct. Monopolization offenses may be prosecuted criminally or civilly.
The Clayton Act
This law aims to promote fair competition and prevent unfair business practices that could harm consumers. It prohibits certain actions that might restrict competition, like tying agreements, predatory pricing, and mergers that could lessen competition.
An illegal merger occurs when two companies join together in a way that may substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly in a relevant market. This reduction in competition can harm consumers by potentially leading to higher prices or fewer choices for products or services. It can also harm workers by potentially leading to lower wages or fewer choices for employment.
An illegal tying agreement happens when a company forces customers to buy one product (the tying product) in order to purchase another product (the tied product). The two products are bundled or “tied” together, which gives the tying agreement its name. This practice restricts a customer’s choice and can limit competition. In a fair marketplace, business compete on price and on how good their products are. If an illegal tying arrangement is in place, a seller can use its strong market power on a popular product to force customers to buy a second, lesser product.
Predatory pricing is when a company sets its prices very low, often below cost, to drive competitors out of business. Once the competition is gone, the company can raise prices because it has less or no competition left. This practice harms competition and, in the long run, it can result in higher prices for consumers and lower wages for workers.
The Clayton Act also prohibits an individual from sitting on boards of competing corporations. This illegal practice can lessen the competitive vigor that would otherwise exist between truly independent rivals. By sharing a board member, the two companies might synchronize pricing changes, labor negotiations, and more.
The goal of the Clayton Act is to maintain a fair marketplace where various companies can compete, giving consumers more options and better prices, and giving workers a fair market for their labor. This law also protects individuals and small business from being unfairly treated by larger companies. Overall, it works to keep markets competitive and ensure that businesses play fair.
Draw your own conclusions.
