Ammo Maker Woos Hunters as War Wanes

Upstart ammunition maker Alliant Techsystems rode the military buildup in Iraq and Afghanistan to become the largest manufacturer of small- and medium-caliber ammo in the US, reports BusinessWeek. Now, with possible troop drawdowns on the horizon, the company is targeting a new market—hunters—with premium ammunition. "We've really gone to high-performance projectiles," says ATK's president.

An aggressive marketing campaign aims to get the shrinking ranks of hunters to pay more for bullets enhanced by what the company calls "lethal science." ATK's top-of-the-line brands cost from $70 to $200 a box. "Serious sportsmen do not tolerate people who cannot make a clean kill," says one hunter who's taken the bait. (More Alliant Techsystems stories.)