Video Shows Lake City Ammo’s Production from the Start

What’s next best to a stockpile gleaming with freshly-loaded ammunition? How about a film showing the production of gleaming, newly-loaded ammo — from beginning to end? The video below, which is five minutes long, shows the production process of ammunition at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant located in Independence Missouri. Lake City is the U.S. Army’s largest small arms ammunition producer, producing approximately four MILLION rounds of small-caliber ammunition every day. This promotional video can be a bit over the top (too many smiling workers gushing about quality assurance). It is fascinating to see the entire process of making cartridges, from the drawing or extrusion of raw brass into casings up to the placement of primers and projectiles. Quick History of Lake City Ammunition PlantLake City Army Ammunition Plant is a 3,935 acre facility owned by the government and operated by contractors in Independence, Missouri. It was founded in 1941 by Remington Arms to manufacture small caliber ammunition and test it for the U.S. Army. The facility has been in continuous operation, except for a 5-year period after World War II. Remington Arms ran the plant from its founding until 1985. Winchester then took over the facility between 1985-2000. Orbital-ATK, which was acquired by Northrup Grumman last year, had been running the plant since 2000. Initially known as Alliant Techsystems(ATK), it operated the facility from late 2000. Olin Corporation recently announced that its ammunition unit, Olin Winchester, LLC, was selected by the U.S. Army for the next seven-year period to operate and manage Lake City Army Ammunition Plant.