by Keith Evans, Vice President of Sales and Marketing

The word “commitment” means different things to different people. For some, commitment is dragging your half-awake body to the ice rink at 5 AM because that’s the only time your child’s team can get ice time. For others, commitment is bringing home a puppy and creating an entire world where that animal truly becomes part of the family. Commitment can be as simple as growing a beard!

One of the most beautiful commitments that I can think of is the commitment a soldier makes to defend their nation and fellow soldiers. We’ve lost many heroes to this commitment, but ultimately, it has laid the foundation for the United States to be the best country in the world.

At First Breach, our commitment is to manufacture world-class, match-grade ammunition components in the USA. Paul J. Meyer once said that “Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligence, planning, and focused effort.”

by CJ Dugan, Senior VP of Business Development

On the 25th of August 2022, U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman in Fort Worth ruled that the state law prohibiting most 18- to 20-year-olds from carrying a handgun outside the home violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms and is not enforceable. He stayed the ruling from taking effect for 30 days.  

I first saw this on social media from the Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition (FRAC). FRAC is a 501c3 whose sole mission is to aggressively advocate for and defend firearms, ammunition, and accessories manufacturers and importers from government overreach. Their duties include holding the government accountable for arbitrary and capricious policies and rulings and ensuring that its industry regulation is conducted openly and transparently.  

Upon further researching this ruling, I found it interesting that the decision came in a case brought last year by a gun rights advocacy group, with two individuals arguing their right to carry handguns for protection despite being under 21. Although Texas had kept age restrictions on handgun sales, the age limit to purchase long rifles in the state is 18.  

At First Breach, we are always staying updated on the industry landscape, ensuring that we remain compliant and vigilant in manufacturing the highest quality products for every American. 

by CJ Dugan, Senior VP of Business Development

There are countless incredibly detailed books all about ballistics. People spend their entire lives on the subject and still need to learn more. I was looking around on the good ole internet and ran across the Merriam-Webster definition of “ballistics.” It is defined as “Extremely and usually suddenly excited, upset, or angry” or “of or relating to the science of the motion of projectiles in flight.”    

Interestingly, there are three sub-categories of ballistics – Internal, External, and Terminal – which can be generally categorized as follows:  

• Internal: from the action of firing a cartridge and what happens until the projectile exits the barrel  
• External: from the moment the projectile leaves the barrel until it impacts something 
• Terminal: from the moment that the projectile impacts something until it comes to a complete stop 
  

The picture above gives a graphic representation of these three sub-categories. The projectile does not naturally climb once it exits the barrel due to the natural laws of physics. The weapon manufacturer artificially sets it at either a 10 Minute of Angle or 20 Minute of Angle based on the weapon’s design and the ammunition being used. A “system of systems,” as we like to call them.  

At First Breach, we understand that a lot goes into your weapons and ammunition. Our team is dedicated to ensuring that all of our ammunition components are match-grade quality to provide you with optimal ballistic performance, consistency, and reliability.

by Keith Evans, Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Based on this year’s trends, 2022 is expected to be the third-strongest year for firearm sales in America. According to the NSSF (National Shooting Sports Foundation), “FBI Background check figures show that over one million guns have been sold in America every month for the past 38 months”. In fact, there were 2,470,462 (NICS) National Instant Criminal Background checks in September, with 1.2 million specifically for gun sales. NICS background checks have set records monthly for 16 consecutive months and show no sign of slowing down. It appears that the gun companies have met the demand, but what about the shortage of ammunition that still exists? The ammunition industry has to follow suit with millions of new gun owners. The ammunition components manufacturers must rally and concentrate on providing the highest quality, safest, and most reliable products to ensure that these proud new gun owners have the best experience possible. At First Breach, we are committed to meeting these demands.

Over the past six months, we have been ramping up our hiring! A big part of our growth as a team has been our approach to training. This is especially the case for our Machine Operators. Each new operator gets to train with our Lead Supervisors to understand the machines they will be operating and the culture of our company including the gravity of safety and quality in all we do. After a few days, our new operators work with our more seasoned operators to dig even deeper into the use and care of the machines.  

One of our first Machine Operators, Jake Hohenstern, remarked when asked about training, “I look forward to coming in everyday, because I enjoy the challenge of training the next group of expert technicians.” I share Jake’s excitement. I’m continuously impressed by the conviction he brings to training up our team in professionalism and precision. And I, personally, am thankful that our company values training so highly. 

Beyond that, there’s an entirely separate element outside the business in how we view each other simply as people. We are a family here at First Breach. I am a better Lead Supervisor because of the relationships we foster, the traditions we create, and the stories we share.  

One of my favorite traditions is sharing stories about our lives and experiences before joining First Breach. It helps us understand where we came from and where we see ourselves fitting into First Breach.  

I enjoyed getting to know the team on this deeper level. We talk about many things, like machines we’ve operated, our families, faiths, and hobbies. And, of course, we bonded over ammunition and firearms, the Second Amendment, and politics.  

I am sincerely grateful for the richness of our corporate culture; it informs everything we do. 

While I did not serve in the military nor did I come from a military family, I recently experienced a brief glimpse of what it means to be from that world. The moment I knew that I was attending the A.U.S.A (Association of the United States Army) show this October, I was instantly curious and excited! It was my first time attending a conference within our industry, and I had it all planned out in my mind. I anticipated learning as much as possible about the products and organizations I came across. My mission was to explain First Breach’s products, values, and capabilities to prospective industry partners. As I departed Boston for Washington DC, our nation’s capital, a subconscious rush of patriotism overcame me, and I was ready.  

On the show’s first day, I entered the convention floor with two friends, one of whom was a coworker at First Breach. Both of these individuals are proud veterans of the U.S Army. Within the first 100 feet, we had encountered half a dozen Army veterans that my friends knew from their military careers. Each interaction was a microcosm of what it truly means to be a veteran and the connections made therein. When their eyes made contact, they embraced each other with smiles, hugs, and genuine excitement. They spoke about their current jobs and positions and all about their families. The sincerity and care between the members of this group were apparent, particularly when showing visible concern when speaking about their mutual “Brothers” who were currently suffering. Each interaction reflected these amazing humans’ emotions and passion for life. I knew then that the experience that I was about to have would trump any academic learning. For the next three days, I was fortunate to encounter some of the world’s most skilled warriors and advanced technology. Every person I met from the U.S Armed Services branches treated me with the utmost respect.  

My recent experience has influenced and re-shaped my view of what it means to respect those who have served our great country. I urge everyone to engage with military veterans and thank them for their service. I assure you, thanking our servicepeople never gets old. Our thanks show well-earned humanity and kindness to these heroes who personally risked and sacrificed for our country. I am blessed to work for First Breach with some of the best people in our industry, and the new friendships I’ve formed have given me an incredible new perspective on why we do what we do and who we do it for.  

A very big thank you to all of the service people of the armed forces of the United States of America! We at First Breach salute you!                       

World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers (WMEAT) is an annual report by the US State Department. The WMEAT was a required annual report of Military and Arms transfers worldwide. This requirement was instituted in a 1994 Statutory Provision that required publishing this information directly on their website.  

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 repealed this. For those of you that do not know, Congress passes the budget for the Department of Defense (DOD). This budget determines how money is allocated for all government entities under the DOD. This budget includes gear, ammunition, weapons, explosives, aircraft, ships, contracting, food, and more. Interestingly, that Statutory Provision was removed during the last budgeting cycle.  

The WMEAT report has been published since 1974, with little explanation why it has been discontinued. These reports remain available and publicly accessible as Adobe PDFs or Excel spreadsheets on their website, and you can access them from https://www.state.gov/world-military-expenditures-and-arms-transfers/. If you genuinely want to see the global arms trade, I would absolutely recommend researching these numbers. It is interesting to see how many products are manufactured, exported, or imported by other countries. The data is fascinating, particularly when compared to the timeline of significant world events over the years.  

At First Breach, we are constantly following the defense industry’s data and trends to do our best in staying ahead of the curve.  

Since the pandemic, companies have struggled to maintain their supply chain lines and produce “bread and butter” products such as 9mm ammunition. Today, they’re finally making a coming back (albeit slowly), with many dishonest brokers looking to exploit the vacuum in the market. First Breach is here to help reliably fill that void with our component manufacturing.   

At First Breach, we have secured a substantial amount of raw materials that will keep us in production for a significant amount of time. Our prices will not change because of the availability of components in the market. Pricing changes would only be in response to our Cost of Goods (raw materials) adjustments and the required shipping. We want all ammunition loaders to have a fair shot, and we will provide reliable match-grade components to ensure the opportunity is available.