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Speer Ammunition Awarded Record $112M Contract with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Tuesday, July 21st, 2020

LEWISTON, Idaho – July 20, 2020 – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has selected Vista Outdoor’s Speer Ammunition brand as the awardee for their 9mm Service Ammunition. CBP is one of the world’s largest law enforcement agencies and is charged with border security while also overseeing lawful international trade and travel. This is the largest duty contract won in company history and solidifies Speer as law enforcement’s number one choice of duty ammunition.

This single-award, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract is a Strategically Sourced contract for all DHS components and other federal agencies with a maximum value of $112 Million dollars. The ordering period is for a total of five years with product delivery commencing this August.

“We are proud to provide the highest quality duty ammunition to CBP officers charged with the monumental task of border security,” said Speer Ammunition President Jason Vanderbrink. “We know they require the best ammunition in their mission to protect our borders and keep the homeland safe. The use of Gold Dot technology in this contract ammunition ensures the highest performance threshold and absolute confidence in on-duty performance.”

CBP selected a round utilizing the Speer Gold Dot technology, which has set an industry benchmark for both self-defense and duty use, earning the trust of consumers and law enforcement world-wide. The bullet features a pressure-formed lead core that is bonded to an extremely uniform jacket a single atom at a time that virtually eliminates separation on impact for more retained weight and consistent penetration depths. The Gold Dot hollow-point design expands consistently through the full range of barriers. Reliable ignition and cycling are delivered thanks to sealed primers and nickel-plated brass.

Speer ammunition can be found at dealers nationwide or purchased online direct from Speer. For more information on all products from Speer or to shop online, visit www.speer.com

Posted in Ammo, Contracts, LE, Press Release | Comments Off on Speer Ammunition Awarded Record $112M Contract with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Purdue University – New Explosive Materials to Usher in Nontoxic Ammunition

Sunday, July 19th, 2020

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Every time a gun fires, lead leaches into the air. A scientific advancement could provide a comparable replacement for lead-based explosive materials found in ammunition, protecting soldiers and the environment from potential toxic effects.

Purdue University researchers, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory, developed two new lead-free materials that function as primary explosives, which are used to ignite powder inside a gun cartridge.

The work, funded by the Army Research Office, appears in a paper published in Chemistry – A European Journal.

“Right now, whenever you are shooting, you’re going to be spreading lead into the air around you,” said Davin Piercey, a Purdue assistant professor of materials engineering and mechanical engineering. “Any use of lead is going to end up polluting the environment in small amounts. The more lead you remove, the better it is for the environment.”

A past study found that people who have been shooting a lot could have elevated lead levels. But so far, the use of lead in explosives has been inevitable.

Matthew Gettings, a Purdue Ph.D. candidate, holds a cup containing silver salts, a new lead-free explosive. (Purdue University photo/Jared Pike)

When a gun trigger is pulled, a metal firing pin strikes a cup containing a primary explosive. The force from the firing pin deforms the cup, crushing the primary explosive and causing it to detonate. This explosion sets off a secondary explosive that burns and helps complete the rest of the firing sequence, accelerating the bullet out of the gun.

An experimental test shows the ability of silver salts to detonate just as well as commonly-used primary explosives. (Purdue University video/Jared Pike)

Because primary explosives are found in the cartridge of just about anything that fires a bullet, the Army has been searching for solutions for many years to develop lead-free versions of these explosives that satisfy environmental regulations associated with lead contamination.

“The development of these materials provides a potential pathway toward lead-free technology,” said Jesse Sabatini, an Army researcher who led the project’s investigation of which molecules to use for these new materials.

What enables the materials to be lead-free is a chemical structure that has not been used in primary explosives before. One material is made of silver salts while the other material contains no metal at all – just the basic ingredients for an explosive. These ingredients include carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen.

“Toxicity-wise, silver is an improvement over lead, but it’s still a little toxic. So we also made a nonmetal material that does not have heavy metal toxicity associated with it. Metal is dead weight, energetically speaking, and doesn’t contribute much to an actual explosion,” Piercey said.

The chemical structure used in these materials makes them very dense, meaning that only a small amount of either material would be needed to create an explosion.

Researchers at the Army Research Laboratory modeled these materials to get a sense of how explosive they would be. Piercey’s lab at the Purdue Energetics Research Center (PERC) made the materials and conducted experimental tests demonstrating that they work as primary explosives.

According to the researchers’ calculations, the materials they created have a detonation performance similar to or higher than commonly-used primary explosives.

The CCDC-Armaments Center at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, is interested in exploring these compounds for primary explosive-based applications for bullets and gun propellants. Purdue and Army researchers will continue to gather the data needed for determining which lead-based weapons systems these materials can replace.

“At PERC, our theme is ‘molecules to munitions.’ Our labs can do everything from designing and testing molecules to formulating and manufacturing those molecules into a useful compound,” said Steve Beaudoin, director of PERC and a Purdue professor of chemical engineering.

“Our partners can then take that useful compound and put it into a warhead, missile, rocket or whatever it needs to be.”

A provisional patent has been filed for this technology (track code 2020-PIER-69143) through the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization.

Posted in Ammo, Disruptive Tech, Guest Post, Materials | 2 Comments »

Federal Ammunition Introduces New Force X2 Personal Defense Shotgun Loads

Thursday, July 16th, 2020

ANOKA, Minnesota – July 13, 2020 – New Personal Defense ammunition from Federal turns shotguns into the ultimate defensive platform. Force X2 copper-plated 00 FX2 buckshot pellets are specially engineered to split into two equal-size pieces on impact. Shipments of this new product have begun to arrive at dealers.

Force X2 utilizes nine splitting pellets to create up to 18 wound channels which improves the transfer of energy from the payload to the target and minimizes the potential for over-penetration reducing the risk to bystanders. Force X2 is also loaded for more manageable recoil, allowing the shooter to stay on target for faster follow-up shots and better accuracy in a self-defense situation.

“Federal’s splitting buckshot is the first significant change to buckshot ammo in over a century. The expert ammunition engineers at Federal decided it was time for improvements in buckshot that would help in some Personal Defense situations,” said Federal Ammunition Shotshell Product Manager Dan Compton. “This new self-defense shotgun load is designed for tremendous energy transfer for a wider and larger amount of terminal damage.”

Testing by Federal engineers conducted at the Federal Ammunition factory in Anoka, Minnesota showed patterns of 4 ½ inches at 7 yards and 14 inches at 20 yards using an improved cylinder choke. Patterns of 4 ¼ inches at 7 yards and 12 inches at 20 yards were achieved with a modified choke. Tests using 10-percent ballistic gel were also conducted by Federal engineers. The range of penetration depth of the segmented pellets in ballistic gel is 5 ¼ to 14 ½ inches with an average of 9 ½ inches. The average depth when pellets start segmenting is 4.5 inches after impact.

Features:
• 12-gauge 2 ¾-inch nine-pellet segmenting buckshot
• Nine FX2 copper-plated buckshot pellets designed to split in half on impact
• Manageable recoil
• The pattern and power of buckshot
• Double the wound channels
• Less collateral damage risk from over-penetration

www.federalpremium.com/shotshell/premium-personal-defense/personal-defense-shotshell/11-PD12FX2+00

Federal ammunition can be found at dealers nationwide or purchased online direct from Federal. For more information on all products from Federal or to shop online, visit www.federalpremium.com.

Posted in Ammo, Press Release | 3 Comments »

Federal Ammunition Introduces New Hydra-Shok Deep 380 Auto

Friday, July 10th, 2020

ANOKA, Minnesota – July 9, 2020 – Federal Premium Hydra-Shok Deep’s bullet design brings the 380 Auto cartridge to all-new heights—or in this case, depths. This new micro-handgun ammunition offering is the first expanding 380 Auto load to consistently penetrate beyond the FBI-recommended 12-inch minimum in bare gel and through heavy clothing. Shipments of this product have begun to arrive at dealers.

“FBI protocol for handgun ammunition testing includes a series of rigorous scenarios. Bullets are shot through materials such as 10-percent ordinance gelatin, laminated automotive safety glass, plywood, wallboard and heavy clothing specified by the FBI,” said Federal Handgun Ammunition Product Manager Chris Laack. “While our larger caliber ammunition is designed to meet and exceed these requirements, the smaller 380 Auto is designed to offer the best possible blend of performance in a compact handgun platform.”

Testing done by Federal ammunition engineers in their Anoka, Minnesota facilities showed typical results of 13 to 13 ½ inches of penetration in bare gel and 13 ¼ to 14 inches through heavy clothing. Test gun barrel lengths were from common, compact handguns ranging from 2 ¾ to 3 ½ inches. The bullet and load are also fine-tuned to ensure delivery of consistent performance across all handgun platforms, including ones with longer barrels, to stay within that 13- to 14-inch goal range.

“It’s a completely new bullet design. We didn’t just take a 45 ACP, 40 S&W or 9mm Hydra-Shok Deep bullet and make it smaller,” said Laack. “During development, engineers looked at several design elements such as bullet weight, jacket, skiving, profile, and hollow point design elements to determine what modifications were necessary for the 380 Auto.

Hydra-Shok Deep 380 scores a blistering 1,000 feet per second at the muzzle and delivers full expansion in both the bare gel and heavy clothing tests when shot from a variety of common compact handguns.

Features:
• First expanding 380 Auto to consistently penetrate beyond FBI-recommended 12-inch minimum in bare gel and through heavy clothing
• Improved penetration through common barriers
• Iconic center post design has been improved for better, more consistent expansion through standard barriers
• Consistent, specially formulated propellant
• Extremely reliable Federal primer with sealant

www.federalpremium.com/handgun/premium-personal-defense/personal-defense-hydra-shok-deep/11-P380HSD1

Federal ammunition can be found at dealers nationwide or purchased online direct from Federal. For more information on all products from Federal or to shop online, visit www.federalpremium.com.

Posted in Ammo, Press Release | Comments Off on Federal Ammunition Introduces New Hydra-Shok Deep 380 Auto

Federal Ambassador Dakota Overland Wins the Ladies Division at the 2020 USPSA Multigun National Championship

Monday, July 6th, 2020

ANOKA, Minnesota – June 23, 2020 – Federal brand ambassador and competitive shooter Dakota Overland takes home the Ladies Division title at the recent 2020 USPSA Multigun Nationals Match in Frostproof, Florida.

“The match itself wasn’t ladies focused, however I won both the Ladies’ categories in the Tactical and Overall,” reported Overland. “I had no malfunctions, and my ammo worked flawlessly with unbeatable accuracy and reliability. Throughout my shooting career, Federal has been my ammo of choice and continues to be.”

“Dakota bested 17 other female competitors in 12 different stages over two days of competition to take top honors,” said Federal Vice President of Marketing Jason Nash. “This annual USPSA summer event attracts top multigun shooters from across the country, and for her to take home the Overall Ladies title is quite impressive. We congratulate her for a great match and representing Federal in such a big way.”

Although still in her teens, Dakota Overland is an avid hunter and ambitious competitor who regularly participates in United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) pistol and 3-gun matches. Her schedule, which typically includes an average of 13 major shoots each season, has taken her on a whirlwind tour of some of the country’s top ranges. Along with the thrill of rapid-fire competition, Dakota enjoys the camaraderie among shooters, as well as helping other young people get into the sport.

Federal ammunition can be found at dealers nationwide or purchased online direct from Federal. For more information on all products from Federal or to shop online, visit www.federalpremium.com.

Posted in Ammo, Press Release, Shooting Sports | Comments Off on Federal Ambassador Dakota Overland Wins the Ladies Division at the 2020 USPSA Multigun National Championship

Ready for Summer: New Federal Merchandise

Friday, July 3rd, 2020

ANOKA, Minnesota – July 1, 2020 – Demanded by hunters and shooters across the country, Federal Ammunition has launched a comprehensive line of high-quality branded gear for sale direct to consumer, alongside the company’s ammunition products. The new merchandise includes men’s and women’s apparel, home décor, hunting and range gear, educational tools, gifts and more, featuring exclusive products from Federal’s partners such as Black Rifle Coffee Company, Duluth Pack and others.

“Federal Ammunition’s products have been making a name for themselves at the range and in the field since 1922,” said Federal’s Vice President of Marketing Jason Nash. “Our ammunition has made a lasting connection with Federal fans who want to make our brand part of their everyday lifestyle. Now, our consumers can show off the Shockwave like never before with a full new line of Federal-branded products.”

Federal’s new line of branded merchandise has something for every hunter and shooter. For example, Federal fans can gear up for their next range day with Federal paper target packs, ammo storage boxes, and, for a limited time, an exclusive line of apparel showing support for USA Shooting.

Product Highlights for July 2020

• Federal Target 10 Pack

www.federalpremium.com/merchandise/gear

• Prairie Storm Ammo Box

www.federalpremium.com/merchandise/gear

• Federal/USA Shooting T-Shirt

www.federalpremium.com/merchandise/apparel/short-sleeve-shirts

During the month of July, check out this promotion – Choose a free Federal branded YETI® tumbler, camp mug, or wine tumbler when you buy two or more boxes of Federal Premium Terminal Ascent – Federal’s newest line of high-performance, all-range centerfire hunting loads.

With new items added frequently alongside exciting sales and promotions, customers are encouraged to check www.federalpremium.com/merchandise regularly to see what’s new.

Federal ammunition can be found at dealers nationwide or purchased online direct from Federal. For more information on all products from Federal or to shop online, visit www.federalpremium.com.

Posted in Ammo, Press Release | 1 Comment »

CCI’s Newest Clean-22 Option is Optimized for Suppressed Firearms and Packed in Convenient Cartons

Friday, June 26th, 2020

LEWISTON, Idaho – June 24, 2020 – CCI Ammunition is proud to announce new Clean-22 Suppressor 22 LR rounds, packaged in CCI’s new easy-to-pour, bulk-pack cartons. Shipments of this new product have begun to arrive at dealers.

This new ammunition uses an advanced polymer bullet coating to reduce lead fouling inside a suppressor by up to 60 percent. The exclusive feature allows much easier suppressor cleaning and maintenance, as well as excellent accuracy. With dependable CCI priming and consistent propellant, the loads cycle reliably through any suppressed firearm.

“Clean-22 ammunition provides an advantage because its polymer coating replaces the wax that is traditionally applied to 22 LR ammunition,” said CCI Rimfire Product Manager Dan Compton. “The goal of traditional wax is to protect the barrel of the gun from buildup of lead or copper created as bullets pass through it. But this wax does not totally encapsulate the bullet, so metal and wax deposits eventually build up and the gun needs to be cleaned. However, because the Clean-22 polymer coating completely encapsulates the bullet, it does a better job protecting the barrel from dirt and buildup than wax. The cleaner results are quite impressive.”

Features:
• Black polymer bullet coating reduces lead fouling in suppressors up to 60 percent
• Ballistically optimized 40-grain lead round nose bullet
• Reliable function in semi-automatic firearms
• Extremely reliable CCI priming and brass case

www.cci-ammunition.com/rimfire/cci/clean-22_suppressor

Posted in Ammo, Press Release, Suppressors | 1 Comment »

Federal Ammunition Now Offers 350 Legend in Its Fusion Line

Friday, June 19th, 2020

ANOKA, Minnesota – June 15, 2020 – The 350 Legend cartridge offers higher velocities than any straight-wall, deer-hunting cartridge. Federal initially launched the 350 Legend cartridge into its product catalog by offering two soft-point 180-grain options in its Power-Shok and Non-Typical lines. Now, Federal upgrades its product mix by adding a molecularly-bonded Fusion load in the lighter weight of 160 grains. Shipments of this product have begun to arrive at dealers.

“The 350 Legend delivers superior ballistics and fast velocities for a straight-wall cartridge. It has become quite popular because it’s legal for hunting in many areas where bottleneck centerfire rifle cartridges are prohibited,” said Federal Centerfire Product Manager Eric Miller. “Fusion is one of our most loved product lines because it offers best-in-class performance. Offering 350 Legend in our trusted Fusion lineup is something we know deer hunters will appreciate.”

The 350 Legend cartridge touts significantly less recoil than 450 Bushmaster and more energy than 223 Rem. It’s an ideal fit for compact, maneuverable MSRs and bolt-action rifles. It also delivers ample energy to take down any buck.

Fusion provides the largest expansion and highest weight retention in its class, making it the ideal choice for this modern straight-wall cartridge. With a molecularly-fused jacket and a pressure-formed core, Fusion transfers maximum energy on target with reliable, tag-filling accuracy.

Features:
• New 350 Legend 160-grain option
• Copper jacket is electro-chemically applied to its pressure-formed lead core
• Skived, pre-programmed nose provides consistent expansion
• Maximum weight retention for deep penetration
• Quality components and excellent accuracy

www.federalpremium.com/rifle/fusion/fusion-rifle/11-F350LFS1

Federal ammunition can be found at dealers nationwide or purchased online direct from Federal. For more information on all products from Federal or to shop online, visit www.federalpremium.com.

Posted in Ammo, Press Release | 1 Comment »