At AUSA, Winchester touted their new 12 ga shells for counter-drone use.
Utilizing Tungsten #9 shot, they achieve 100+ yard engagements with proper choke.
Archive for the ‘Ammo’ Category
AUSA 26 – Winchester Drone Defense Ammunition
Wednesday, October 21st, 2026Rheinmetall’s ‘Firepower’ Project: Albacete Site Commences New Medium-Calibre Production – Annual Capacity of Around Three Million Components
Saturday, October 17th, 2026Rheinmetall, one of the largest ammunition manufacturers in the Western world, is pressing ahead with its ‘Firepower’ project and continues to significantly expand its production capacity. In October 2026, its subsidiary Rheinmetall Expal Munitions will commission its new modern medium-calibre production facility at the Albacete site. An expansion ceremony was attended by the Spanish Secretary of State for Defence, Amparo Valcarce; the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Heiko Thoms; the Mayor of Albacete, Manuel Serrano López; and the Chairman of the Executive Board of Rheinmetall AG, Armin Papperger.
The Albacete site is set to increase its workforce by almost a third – from around 210 employees at present to around 300. Thanks to a high degree of automation, state-of-the-art next-generation production facilities enable key components for medium-calibre cartridges to be manufactured even faster and in larger quantities. Production capacity for mortar weapons and systems – the site’s traditional core competence – is also being significantly expanded.
Rheinmetall has invested around 20 million euros in expanding its production capacities at the Albacete site. A building has been modernised and extended to accommodate the new medium-calibre production line. Covering an area of approximately 5,700 square metres, the site now features a new technical building infrastructure, new machinery and new manufacturing capabilities. Similarly, a new building with 5,200 square metres of floor space was constructed in less than a year to expand the production of mortar systems. Aircraft maintenance will also be possible in this new hall
Armin Papperger, Chief Executive of Rheinmetall AG: “Albacete is one of our key centres of expertise in the field of ammunition components and weapon systems manufacturing. It makes perfect sense to draw on this expertise of our colleagues for our ‘Firepower’ project. We are introducing a new capability to this site in order to significantly increase medium-calibre production. At the same time, we are strengthening the plant’s existing core competence, namely the manufacture of mortar systems. Albacete will thus be of strategic importance not only for Rheinmetall, but also for Spain and Europe, and will contribute to credible defence capabilities.”
Amparo Valcarce, Secretary of State for Defence, said: “A credible deterrent requires armed forces that are well prepared, properly equipped and capable of sustaining their operations over time. This makes a strong defence industry essential, because the best way to preserve peace is to be prepared to defend it.”
In the medium-calibre sector, Albacete can cover calibres ranging from 20 mm to 35 mm. Annual production capacity will be around 1.2 million projectiles and approximately 1.8 million cartridge cases. These components are further processed at other sites within the Rheinmetall network – including the plant in Burgos – to manufacture various types of ammunition for infantry fighting vehicles and anti-aircraft gun systems.
These include kinetic energy time fuze munition, armour-piercing projectiles and AHEAD ammunition for anti-aircraft systems and counter-unmanned aerial systems applications. In the field of mortar systems, annual production capacity is set to reach 40 Dual-Eimos mortar systems in 81 mm calibre. It will also be possible to manufacture more than 650 mortars in 60 mm, 81 mm and 120 mm calibres per year.
The Albacete site will collaborate across Europe with other Rheinmetall sites in Spain, Germany and Switzerland to meet the needs of NATO partners and other allies. A local supplier network creates opportunities for businesses throughout the region.
SAAMI Announces Acceptance of a New Cartridge
Tuesday, October 13th, 2026
The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute®,Inc., (SAAMI®) has announced the acceptance of a new rifle cartridge for SAAMI standardization. SAAMI is the organization at the forefront of promoting firearm safety by creating standards that ensure safety, reliability and interchangeability of firearms, ammunition and components.
Click on the cartridge name to open the introduction package.
5.56 COMMERCIAL – The 5.56 COMMERCIAL (abbreviated name 5.56 COMM) was introduced by Hornady Manufacturing Company with a 55-grain bullet traveling at a velocity of 3,400 fps and a Maximum Average Pressure of 62,000 psi.
The 5.56 Commercial cartridge and chamber defined here provide a publicly available consensus standard describing a chamber and ammunition system for commercial practice using the procedures and equipment detailed in the American National Standard SAAMI Z299.4[1].
Conformance to this specification does not imply or ensure conformance with any military or NATO specification. The absence of publicly available standards for “5.56 X 45”, including variants such as “5.56 NATO”, makes blanket compatibility statements of those products to products manufactured to this new standard impossible.
The 5.56 Commercial specification is a commercial SAAMI standard and will be revised only through the defined SAAMI consensus-based standards development and maintenance processes.
As a voluntary standard, the existence of this specification does not require firearm manufacturers to mark firearms as 5.56 Commercial (or 5.56 COMM), nor does it require ammunition manufacturers to adopt a 5.56 Commercial (or 5.56 COMM) headstamp, although the use of this designation as a roll mark or headstamp is acceptable practice.
For specific questions on the compatibility of ammunition made to this specification in firearms carrying a roll mark other than 5.56 Commercial (or 5.56 COMM), or vice versa, contact the manufacturer of your firearm or ammunition for further information.
Existing guidance that ONLY 223 Remington ammunition is to be used in a firearm chambered and roll marked as only “223 Remington” remains unchanged. The use of any 5.56 ammunition, including all military variants as well as ammunition produced to this standard in a 223 Remington chamber creates increased pressure and is considered an unsafe combination.
For further information on this new cartridge please click here.
The standardization of cartridge and chamber designs, along with pressure standards, is key in the achievement of SAAMI’s principal objectives of ensuring the safety and interchangeability of ammunition, firearms and suppressors. These standards provide manufacturers with appropriate guidelines to ensure proper and safe operation and interaction of their products for shooting sports enthusiasts.
[1] This standard is available as a free download from the SAAMI website here.
USSOCOM HICAR Update
Thursday, October 8th, 2026A version of this article first appeared a few weeks ago in Issue 38 of our weekly Soldier Systems Digest newsletter. It was prompted by a vendor demonstrating their candidate carbine leading many to believe the program had already selected a carbine. That is not true. The article has been slightly modified from the original to clarify some points. This is a link to the article we posted after the program was announced in June. It details the requirements. We’ve learned a lot since then.
What HICAR is…
A USSOCOM effort to field a new Stoner-pattern carbine capable of firing the high pressure, 5.56mm cartridge known as M855A1+.
The cartridge has been under development with Federal on behalf of Picatonny Arsenal for several years and referred to as “5.56 Max.”
The cartridge uses Federal’s Peak alloy case technology to deliver chamber pressures in excess of 80,000 psi. This was originally developed for the 7mm Backcountry cartridge.
What HICAR is NOT…
It is not an Army program.
It is not going to replace the 900,000+ M4 carbines currently in Army service.
The Army currently has no plans to adopt M855A1+ ammunition. However, they have paid for its development and are monitoring the program closely.
NGSW remains the Army’s primary small arms modernization effort. In fact, the Army is moving forward with fielding of the XM8 carbine to replace the M7.
The Program as it stands…
There are currently three competitors in down select who will deliver rifles to the command very soon to undergo live fire evaluation. All three companies were directed to NOT publicly acknowledge their participation, so if a company is showing you what they’ve got, they aren’t part of the program.
USSOCOM has POMed (budgeted) for both rifles and ammunition and is dedicated to this program. They currently have courses of action which procure full weapons as well as an Upper Receiver Group-only option. This is why the candidate systems must be M4 compatible.
Numbers are not being publicly disclosed but I would put them as similar to USMC M27 numbers, eventually.
FY27 will see the command down select to one candidate weapon and transition to an OTA for rapid procurement in FY28.
The ammunition…
I have concerns over referring to the ammo as M855A1+. While the HICAR must be capable of shooting standard pressure rounds as well as the new ammo, the inverse isn’t true for legacy M4s. It’s quite possible that high pressure rounds will end up in standard M4s. This is particularly the case for enablers who will likely not be armed with HICAR but embedded within SOF formations operationally. Will this result in catastrophic failures? No, but those high pressure rounds will certainly curtail the life of the M4. However, the danger does exist that an M4 firing M855A1+ may face broken bolt lugs or other failures during a fire fight.
It is my understanding that the ammunition has been safety certified, including passing an obstructed barrel test on an M4A1.
I assert the ammo absolutely needs a new nomenclature and DODIC. I’m also not a fan of the “hyper” velocity moniker. We may one day actually create true hyper velocity ammunition which is in excess of 5,000 fps. This ammunition, while impressive, doesn’t even approach that velocity.
An additional point is that the current developmental ammo (M855A1A+) is tightly controlled and not available outside of this program. I fully expect the ammunition to change over time, as they continue to dial-in its performance. That means, anyone outside of the program is producing their own ammunition. There is currently NO commercially available high pressure ammunition.
While I fully believe that high-pressure ammunition is the future, it faces a serious commercial challenge.
The Sporting Arms Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute sets industry standards for ammunition. When a new ammunition is proposed, SAAMI certifies both the cartridge and chamber. This is because the chamber must be capable of safely firing the ammunition it is associated with.
Most companies in industry will be reticent to offer new ammunition which has not been built to a chamber spec. In this case, .223 for commercial sales. For years we’ve heard about the “dangers” of firing military-grade 5.56mm NATO ammunition in .223 chambers. Consequently, many commercial carbines use barrels chambers for 223 Wylde instead. However, those concerns are laughable compared to the pressures we are seeing with high pressure ammo.
Considering what happens to 300 BLK ammunition fired in .223 carbines, fear mongering will assuredly ensue in firearms social media once commercial high pressure ammunition is introduced.
We are likely stuck in a chicken-or-the-egg cycle, at least in the near-term as ammunition companies weigh whether or not it is worth loading ammunition for firearms that don’t yet exist in great numbers. This is the same thing that happens every time a new caliber is introduced.
The future is high pressure but I believe the military will lead the way in its adoption.
Eric Graves
Founder, SSD
Photo by K. Kassens
United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School
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New Rabbit Rounds Multi-projectile Ammunition from Franklin Armory Creates More Sporting Fun for America’s Favorite Gun
Wednesday, September 30th, 2026MINDEN, Nev. – September 30, 2026 – Franklin Armory, one of America’s leading manufacturers of innovative firearms, accessories—and now ammunition—today announced Rabbit Rounds™, a new multiple-projectile cartridge designed to more effectively harvest smaller game with the ubiquitous AR-style Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR).
Franklin Armory’s patent-pending Rabbit Rounds feature four spin-stabilized projectiles, encased in a multi-piece, self-discarding sabot. Rabbit Rounds are available in 5.56x45mm for use with AR-pattern firearms chambered in .223 Remington, .223 Wylde, and 5.56 NATO. The company plans to bring Rabbit Rounds in additional popular hunting calibers to market soon.
Rabbit Rounds provide coyote, wild pig and other medium-sized game hunters with an alternative to more cleanly harvest smaller game with non-expanding, shotgun-like pellets. Each 45-grain Rabbit Round projectile assembly provides more than double the typical shotshell speed and power, achieving 3,150 feet-per-second muzzle velocity and 992 ft-lbs. of energy from a 16-inch AR-15 rifled barrel. The imparted spin-stabilization on Rabbit Round’s four hard-hitting lead projectiles maintain an effective pattern beyond 40 yards, increasing hit probability on fast-moving targets over single projectile ammunition.
“Rabbit Rounds allow your AR to fire super-velocity, spin-stabilized shot,” said Franklin Armory President Jay Jacobson. “This ammunition greatly expands the sporting capabilities of .223 Remington and 5.56 NATO firearms.”
Rabbit Rounds are available directly from Franklin Armory and through certified dealers. For testing and evaluation of Rabbit Rounds, please email media@franklinarmory.com.
Ikonick Energetics Opens State-of-the-Art Primer Manufacturing Facility
Wednesday, September 30th, 2026
Stuart, Fla. (September 2026) – Ikonick Energetics today officially opened its new primer manufacturing facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in South Florida, marking a milestone for domestic ammunition component production. The invitation-only event, held from 10 a.m. to noon, drew guests who included industry leaders, government officials, and community stakeholders for a first look at one of only a handful of facilities of its kind operating in the United States. The ribbon-cutting ceremony included a complimentary brunch, a tour of the new primer facility, as well as a tour of the Ikonick USA ammunition facility. Keynote speakers included Peter Belk, Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Readiness; J. Alex Kelly, Florida Secretary of Commerce; Erich Pratt, SVP, Gun Owners of America; and ceremony host Barry Skolnick, owner, Ikonick USA/Ikonick Energetics/Ikonick Motors.
The campus represents a significant capital investment in South Florida’s manufacturing sector. At full production capacity, the facility is designed to produce approximately 1 billion primers per year, supplying a critical component used in commercial and law enforcement ammunition. With only a small number of comparable facilities operating nationwide, Ikonick Energetics’ new plant strengthens the domestic supply chain for energetics manufacturing.
The project is expected to create more than 200 new jobs in South Florida, spanning manufacturing, engineering, quality assurance, and administrative roles. Ikonick Energetics has stated that hiring is ongoing, with positions open to qualified candidates in the region.
“Today marks the realization of years of hard work, strategic investment, and an unwavering commitment to American manufacturing,” said Nelson Levy, CEO of Ikonick Energetics. “This facility is more than a production site; it’s a statement that world-class energetics manufacturing can and does happen right here in South Florida. We are proud to bring hundreds of good-paying jobs to this community and to play a meaningful role in securing the nation’s ammunition supply chain.”
With its expanded manufacturing footprint, Ikonick Energetics intends to scale production in phases as demand warrants. Its ammunition facility, Ikonick USA, continues to operate near the new primer plant and will benefit from the tighter vertical integration the new facility provides.
For more information on Ikonick USA, visit ikonickusa.com.
US Army Awards Contract to Modernize Ammunition Management
Friday, September 25th, 2026
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army announced today the award to Palantir USG Inc., Palo Alto, California, of a $48,094,071 firm-fixed-price delivery order for a software system to modernize how ammunition is tracked and managed at the enterprise level. This new software platform will replace nine legacy platforms, a critical step to consolidate and streamline ammunition management.
The delivery order was awarded competitively through a call for solutions under the Army Open Solicitation. It establishes a 12-month base period to develop, configure, and field the system’s core capabilities, with up to five optional years to support continuous optimization and scaling.
This award is the culmination of a competitive three-phase selection process completed in just six weeks, demonstrating the Army’s commitment to inject speed and agility into the defense acquisition process. Phase one included an evaluation of solution briefs in four areas: relevance, innovation, scalability and feasibility. Selected vendors progressed to live capability demonstrations in phase II, followed by formal proposals in phase three. Companies were competitively selected within each phase.
Vendors were evaluated on key capabilities including integrating data from disparate legacy systems, the ability to provide robust planning and forecast models, and support tactical users in disconnected or low-bandwidth environments.
This new enterprise ammunition management system will provide a single, authoritative view of ammunition assets and processes, replacing nine separate Army ammunition software systems currently in use, including the Standard Army Ammunition System – Modernization, Aviation and Missile Command Ammunition Tracking System, Ammunition Supply Point Management System, Industrial Base Assessment Tool, Lifecycle Management Solutions (for Rocket, Missiles, and Launcher Systems), Munitions History Program, Munitions Items Disposition Action System, Price Budget and Execution Suite, and Stockpile Inventory List Comparator.
The new software solution will leverage commercial low-code, no-code technology and will provide end?to?end total asset visibility across the entire munitions lifecycle – from planning, production, and procurement, to storage, surveillance, distribution, expenditure, and final disposition. Ultimately, this system is one element to modernize overall ammunition systems, retire legacy systems and improve audit readiness.
By US Army Public Affairs
Garmin Acquires Applied Ballistics, a Leading Provider of Research and Technology for Long-Range Shooting
Wednesday, September 16th, 2026Garmin Ltd. (NYSE: GRMN) has acquired Applied Ballistics, a leading provider of ballistic research, projectile data and integrated solver technologies dedicated to enhancing accuracy. The acquisition extends Garmin’s ability to provide comprehensive solutions for customers across its tactical, shooting sports and hunting markets.
“Applied Ballistics is a natural complement to Garmin’s outdoor and tactical product portfolio. Building on a successful relationship spanning nearly 10 years, this acquisition brings industry-leading software, proprietary projectile data and precision firing solutions in-house. By bringing our teams together, we can accelerate innovation and deliver even more capable, integrated solutions to customers who depend on accuracy.” —Brad Trenkle, Garmin Co-Chief Operating Officer
Applied Ballistics develops professional-grade ballistic solvers and radar-validated projectile models for hunters, competitive shooters and other long-range customers. The company continues to expand its ecosystem of connected products, helping users improve accuracy, better understand their equipment and share trusted ballistic data across devices and applications—providing an unparalleled, science-based approach to long-range shooting.
Headquartered in Howard City, Michigan, the Applied Ballistics portfolio includes the Applied Ballistics Quantum app, a premier ballistic solver and ecosystem management program that enables users to optimize their performance and make informed decisions. Financial terms of the acquisition will not be disclosed.
Engineered on the inside for life on the outside, Garmin products have revolutionized the aviation, automotive, fitness, marine and outdoor markets. Dedicated to helping people make the most of the time they spend pursuing their passions, Garmin believes every day is an opportunity to innovate and a chance to beat yesterday.
