Since Dr. Hess posed a question that may raise a Mod's eyebrow; I have a similar question.
Why is the Government buyin 1/2 million 30 round AK-47 clips? Not buying up the ones on the street, a new order.
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=38d3a1d5cc5a2de1c00cdc5b4836dde5&tab=core&_cview=0
Probably because we have friends that need ammo. Or more likely, the friends that we've helped out in the middle east over the past few years have exhausted our stockpile.
They are going to be sending those to Syria.
Probably because I already bought all the ones on the street. 
You'll never know but it's for your own good. Move along citizen.
Because trying to buy that many clips peace meal through gun show and buy backs will take an eternity, cost a fortune, and give you lots of junk clips that cannot be used.
Why do they buy millions of rounds of .357 SIG ammo? A caliber that as far as I know has not been deployed by any federal or military force.
Oh and it is magazine not clip.
N Sperlo wrote: Probably because I already bought all the ones on the street.
No kidding. This must be one of the only governments that competes against its own voters for guns and ammo. Good thing the supply of AK compatible 30 round magazines, and production capability for the same, is nearly limitless.
Probably for client states that already have warehouses full of AK's.
Magazines are analogous to tires on a car: They are critical to performance, but they are exposed to all sorts of hazards, wear, and loss. Detachable magazines for military rifles tend to live an especially hard life. New is the way to go when you need a lot of them.
That is what the Afgans use.
I am happy Magpul is working on an AK magazine now so we can have cheap, light, reliable AK mags. All of mine are steel and a single empty mag could be used as a bludgeon quite effectively.
rebelgtp wrote: Why do they buy millions of rounds of .357 SIG ammo? A caliber that as far as I know has not been deployed by any federal or military force. Oh and it is magazine not clip.
don't forget that they're ordering hollowpoint rounds, which are not allowed per NATO. the fact that they're buying non-LE and non-military calibers AND in hollowpoint is what gets peoples tinfoil hats rattling and talking about martial law and all.
of course, a lot of people would have laughed you out of the room 6 months ago if you'd told them the NSA was listening to all your phone calls and reading your emails. what sort of things seem totally nuts today that might be "no big surprise" in another few months.
may you live in interesting times.
My guess is that the manufactures of said ammunition were threatening layoffs if orders were not sustained, lobbied their politicians, who turned to folks who could make generate the faintest reason for their purchase to keep those folks employed.
The defense industry employs lots of people, and having stockpiles is apparently a better political position than having lower employment in that industry.
rebelgtp wrote: Oh and it is magazine not clip.
Sorry, I'm Artillery.
The AK-47 is used by many US Special Forces and they go through a lot of clips?
pinchvalve wrote: The AK-47 is used by many US Special Forces and they go through a lot of clips?
Our use of the AK is actually very limited in the grand scheme of things and would not justify a magazine order of that magnitude. More than likely these will be "gifted" out.
dipping your toe? Come on in. The water's fine.
They are buying them so everyone can come to this thread and speculate on why they're buying them.
PHeller wrote: My guess is that the manufactures of said ammunition were threatening layoffs if orders were not sustained, lobbied their politicians, who turned to folks who could make generate the faintest reason for their purchase to keep those folks employed. The defense industry employs lots of people, and having stockpiles is apparently a better political position than having lower employment in that industry.
If only someone would have warned us about this:
Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961 said: A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction... This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence — economic, political, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every statehouse, every office of the federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals so that security and liberty may prosper together.
http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/indust.html
rebelgtp wrote: Why do they buy millions of rounds of .357 SIG ammo? A caliber that as far as I know has not been deployed by any federal or military force. Oh and it is magazine not clip.
I thought the Secret Service and maybe the Air Marshals used that round?
slantvaliant wrote: Probably for client states that already have warehouses full of AK's. Magazines are analogous to tires on a car: They are critical to performance, but they are exposed to all sorts of hazards, wear, and loss. Detachable magazines for military rifles tend to live an especially hard life. New is the way to go when you need a lot of them.
That's my guess; they're intended for either somebody else's army that uses AKs, or some sort of special operations team that is pretending not to be US operatives - or most likely, both.
Rusted_Busted_Spit wrote:rebelgtp wrote: Why do they buy millions of rounds of .357 SIG ammo? A caliber that as far as I know has not been deployed by any federal or military force. Oh and it is magazine not clip.I thought the Secret Service and maybe the Air Marshals used that round?
DHS allegedly. Several State Police forces use it because its pretty good.
I stand corrected I did not think that they were using those rounds. I was under the impression both were still using .40 cals.
I still want to try the round myself, however I basically never see it on the shelves locally.
In reply to rebelgtp:
They're pretty nice. I can still find ammo here now, but I never could when I owned my g33. Oddly enough, the sub compact 33 was just as accurate as my full size 17. 
yamaha wrote:Rusted_Busted_Spit wrote:DHS allegedly. Several State Police forces use it because its pretty good.rebelgtp wrote: Why do they buy millions of rounds of .357 SIG ammo? A caliber that as far as I know has not been deployed by any federal or military force. Oh and it is magazine not clip.I thought the Secret Service and maybe the Air Marshals used that round?
I know that ICE, part of DHS, is still using 40 cal.
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