For the past several years, PRIME Ammunition has been offering ammunition made by Swiss manufacturer RUAG here in the US.
In this message by Jim O’Shaughnessy, CEO and Founder of PRIME Ammunition, he explains whats going on and why they’ve had trouble fulfilling orders.
Reload Swiss RS is celebrating this year’s IWA&Outdoor Classics with another world first. At Europe’s biggest hunting and sport shooting show, the Nitrochemie Wimmis AG brand is introducing its new RS76 rifle powder.
Newly developed, the RS76 is a universal powder for assembling rifle ammunition. It is suitable for multiple calibres, including .338 Lapua Magnum, 7mm Remington Magnum, .338 Norma Magnum and .300 Norma Magnum. America’s Special Operations Command (US SOCOM) is currently evaluating the latter two, for Nitrochemie an encouraging sign of government interest in the new product.
Ever since its market launch five years ago, Nitrochemie Wimmis AG with its top-notch Reload Swiss RS products has focused on becoming a full-spectrum supplier of propellant powder – from small-calibre pistol applications to large magnum assemblies. RS76 is now the thirteenth powder in the company’s product range.
The RS76 bridges the gap between its established, tried-and-tested RS70 and RS80 powders. As developer Reload Swiss RS Dominik Antenen explains, “the RS80 was ideal for the popular .338 Lapua Magnum with 300-grain projectiles. But when it was used with the equally popular 250-grain projectile, the results were no longer quite so good.” After consulting with Reload Swiss RS importers, the company decided to resolve this issue with help of the newly developed RS76. “The objective was to pass on the good genes of the RS70 and RS80 to the RS76.” In recent years the famous shooting competition in Bisley was won with the RS70, resulting in two European championship titles in the F Class, i.e. the rifle class. The RS80 also enjoys a robust reputation among competition shooters at ranges of 600 metres and over. “With this in mind, we endowed the RS76 with a good pressure and velocity ratio, sensible temperature independence and a de-copperizing additive”, continues Antenen, noting that “it goes almost without saying that we included a muzzle flash suppressor in the package as well as the best-possible stabilizer”.
The first batch of RS76 powder is currently being filled, and will reach the shops in the second quarter of 2019. The new powder is available in the accustomed 1-kg can and 10-kg drum.
IWA&Outdoor Classics takes place 8-11 March 2019 in Nuremburg, Germany. Reload Swiss will be on hand in Hall 7 at Stand 204.
NEWINGTON, N.H., (February 27, 2019) – SIG SAUER, Inc. is now offering component cases in 270 Win and 30-06 Springfield for precision handloaders. These are the newest additions to the SIG rifle components line which include 223 Rem, 22-250 Rem, 243 Win, 270 Win, 30-06 Springfield, 300BLK, 300 Win Mag, 308 Win and 6.5 Creedmoor. Currently, all SIG SAUER rifle component cases are unprimed and available in bags of 50.
SIG SAUER pistol component cases are available, primed or unprimed, in bags of 100 in the following calibers: 380 Auto, 9mm Luger, 357 SIG, 38 Spl, 357 Mag, 40 S&W, 10mm, 45 Auto.
“We entered the components business because we wanted a higher quality brass for our SIG Elite Ammunition and our customers who choose to handload,” said Brad Criner, Senior Director, Brand Management and Business Development, SIG SAUER Ammunition. “SIG component brass offers exceptional concentricity at the mouth which improves accuracy. This level of quality has not gone unnoticed which is why SIG components have been so popular with dealers and consumers alike since we launched our brass line.”
SIG Elite Ammunition shell cases are engineered to exacting tolerances. Each brass case undergoes rigorous in-line and post production quality assurance testing to ensure a flawless casing. The geometric consistency of these premium brass cases ensures each primer is held tightly in its pocket. Flash holes are precise with no burrs and the superior metallurgical properties of the SIG SAUER cases enable repeated reloading. SIG Elite rifle shell cases are induction annealed for consistent bullet retention. All shellcases are 100% inspected. The result is unparalleled durability and dependability.
The SIG SAUER 270 Win and 30-06 Springfield component cases are now available for purchase at the sigsauer.com/store.
NEWINGTON, N.H., (February 12, 2019) –SIG SAUER, Inc. is pleased to introduce its newest 300BLK ammunition – the 120gr supersonic 300BLK SBR Elite Copper Duty load, specifically designed for short barrel rifles. Available to the commercial market for the first time, this supersonic duty round is engineered for reliable, controlled, 1.8x expansion, and superior feeding out of rifles with sub-9-inch barrels.
The supersonic SBR Elite Copper Duty ammunition features an all-copper bullet and black oxide shell case to visually denote SBR capability. Velocity is 1,897 fps with muzzle energy of 959 ft-lbs out of a 6 ¾-inch barrel.
“The new 120gr supersonic SBR Elite Copper Duty ammunition delivers the highest terminal performance possible in short barrel AR-style rifles, something the professional community has been asking us to provide,” said Brad Criner, Senior Director, Brand Management and Business Development, SIG SAUER Ammunition. “Our various SIG Elite 300BLK ammunition loadings have been well received by match shooters, hunters, and law enforcement and government agencies, and there will be more exciting 300BLK offerings from SIG in the weeks to come.”
SIG Elite Copper Duty ammunition uses flash-reduced propellant to minimize visible signature while shooting in low-light situations. Premium-quality primers are also used to minimize variations in velocity
The SIG SAUER 120gr supersonic 300BLK SBR Elite Copper Duty ammunition is now available for purchase at the sigsauer.com/store.
Miami, Florida (January 2019) – National Police Ammunition (NPA), the world’s leader in lead free ammunition, is pleased to announce the development and soon to be released patent pending HELO SR 9mm 120 grain solid copper hollow point with a sintered alloy fluted ballistic insert. HELO SR is an acronym for High Expansion, Law Enforcement, Ordinance with a Sintered Ram.
The NPA Patented Pending HELO SR is designed for law enforcement and specifically to pass and exceed all FBI performance protocols.
NPA patent pending SR ballistic insert utilizes a metal alloy sintered tip that will not deform in flight and acts as a barrier blind round by allowing the ballistic tip to defeat intermediate barriers then release from the main body of the projectile once encountering soft tissue allowing complete energy transfer and controlled expansion of the main body of the hollow point bullet mitigating risk of over-penetration.
The patent pending sintered alloy fluted insert is much denser that other products on the market that use a polymer, nylon, or a plastic material giving the HELO SR greater ability to stay intact when passing through FBI protocol barriers such as auto glass, steel, plywood, and drywall.
Once the bullet encounters soft tissue a hydraulic effect is created when entering the cavities between the flutes thereby forcing the bullet to expand and releasing the ballistic insert from the main body of the hollow point.
NPA will first introduce the HELO SR pistol cartridge in the increasingly popular 9mm among law enforcement and will be expanding the line to all other major calibers.
There are two variants developed of the HELO SR one being restricted to the law enforcement market and a second designed for civilian self-defense distributed by NPA’s commercial brand Alchemist Ammunition.
LAS VEGAS, NV – Texas-based True Velocity announced today a strategic partnership with Dillon Aero to support the company’s current and future weapons systems with superior composite-cased ammunition.
Following a lengthy period of rigorous safety and functionality testing from ground and aerial platforms, the two companies have agreed to a strategic partnership aimed at providing the U.S. military’s rotary wing and ground units with a firepower solution that is far more effective and reliable than any other small-caliber solution available.
“We’re very proud of the work that went into forging this relationship with Dillon Aero,” said True Velocity President Chris Tedford. “This alliance represents a combination of Dillon’s unsurpassed rate of machine gun fire with True Velocity’s revolutionary case design, reduced cartridge weight and unmatched reliability. This is the alignment of two very innovative companies, based solely on the goal of better equipping our fighting forces.”
True Velocity’s composite-cased ammunition will support Dillon Aero’s M134D minigun, which is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. The M134D is capable of a rate of fire in excess of 3,000 rounds per minute. Since its establishment, Dillon Aero has fielded more than 6,000 M134D weapons systems in 30 countries.
The developmental partnership will also extend to Dillon Aero’s forthcoming M503D .50-caliber machine gun, which the company expects to field before the end of 2019. Designed for employment by air, land and sea, the new gun will have three barrels and shoot 1,500 rounds per minute. It will be lighter, faster and smarter than existing .50-caliber machine guns.
“Dillon Aero is excited about partnering with True Velocity,” said Dillon’s Nick Perfetto, vice president of business affairs. “Their advanced technology and weight reduction bring an advanced level of capability to today’s warfighter. The combination of True Velocity’s ammunition and the Dillon M134D on the battlefield is a game changer!”
For more information on True Velocity, Inc., please visit www.truevelocityinc.com.
Late last night, the U.S. Army Contracting Command – New Jersey (ACC-NJ), on behalf of Project Manager Soldier Weapons, released a much anticipated solicitation seeking proposals in regards to a Prototype Project Opportunity Notice (PPON) for Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW).
The NGSW PPON details how the Government intends to award up to three prototype Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) under the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 2371b, with each vendor developing two weapon variants under the NGSW program and 6.8 millimeter ammunition common to both weapons (this is NOT the 6.8 SPC cartridge evaluated by USSOCOM in the early 00s).
The weapons include the Next Generation Squad Weapon-Rifle (NGSW-R) and the Next Generation Squad Weapon-Automatic Rifle (NGSW-AR). The NGSW-R is the planned replacement for the M4/M4A1 Carbine and the NGSW-AR is the planned replacement for the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) in the Automatic Rifleman Role in the Close Combat Force.
Unlike the current PON for the Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifle currently underway, this PPON seems to be for all the marbles.
The companies currently involved in the NGSAR PON include:
W15QKN-18-9-1017 – AAI Corporation Textron Systems
W15QKN-18-9-1018 – FN America LLC. (Design 1)
W15QKN-18-9-1019 – FN America LLC. (Design 2)
W15QKN-18-9-1020 – General Dynamics-OTS Inc.
W15QKN-18-9-1021 – PCP Tactical, LLC W15QKN-18-9-1022 – Sig Sauer Inc.
We would suspect that they all stand a good chance of competing for this latest bid.
Curiously, the NGSAR PON currently underway was intended to inform this new solicitation, but none of these companies has even delivered a weapon, let alone ammunition yet. However, we have seen glimpses of what these weapons might look like.
SIG famously unveiled their Next Generation candidate and hybrid ammunition at AUSA and then demonstrated an upscaled 338 Norma Mag variant at SHOT Show.
Likewise, GD has shown their 338 NM machine gun design for years giving us some insight into their capabilities.
Although FN has held their cards close to the chest, we understand they have both belt fed and box fed designs and demonstrated a derivative of the SCAR HAMR for PEO Soldier, BG Potts during a visit to their facility last year.
But the weapon we’ve all seen the most of is Textron’s Lightweight Small Arms Technology demonstrator with its radical Case Telescoping ammunition.
Over the years, they’ve shown a great deal of adaptability in configuring the technology as carbine as well as Belt Fed Machine Gun in several calibers.
According to the solicitation, the duration for each prototype OTA is estimated to be up to eight years. The first 27 months will be for prototyping the NGSW-R, NGSW-AR, and ammunition. Following this prototyping effort, there may be additional iterative prototyping efforts for the NGSW-R, NGSW-AR, and ammunition. These iterative prototyping efforts will each have separate durations and will occur within the eight year duration.
Furthermore, in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2371b(f), and upon a determination that the prototype project (or any subsequent iterative prototyping efforts) was successfully completed under the competitively awarded OTA(s), a follow-on production contract(s) or OTA(s) may be awarded without the use of competitive procedures.
Because of the duration of the OTA, and that prototype OTA will undergo two prototype test events including Soldier Touch Points, they are asking for a lot more weapons and ammunition than in the current NGSAR PON. Deliverables for each prototype OTA include 53 NGSW-R weapons, 43 NGSW-AR weapons, 845,000 rounds of ammunition, spare parts, test barrels, tools/gauges/accessories, engineering support, and iterative prototyping efforts as defined in the Statement of Work.
The follow-on production award(s) is planned to be an Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) based contract with Firm Fixed Price Delivery Orders up to ten years or a fixed amount OTA up to ten years. The production award(s) may include 250,000 total weapons system(s) (NGSW-R, NGSW-AR, or both), 150,000,000 rounds of ammunition, spare parts, tools/gauges/accessories, and engineering support. The value of this follow-on production award(s) is estimated to be $10M in the first year and estimated $150M per year at the higher production rates. While the Government intends to make one production award for the NGSW-R, NGSW- AR, and Ammunition, it reserves the right to: 1) make one award for NGSW-R with Ammunition; or 2) make one award for NGSW-AR with Ammunition; or 3) make one award for NGSW-R with Ammunition to one Offeror and one award for NGSW-AR with Ammunition to a different Offeror.
Even considering those numbers, that still isn’t enough weapons to replace the current inventory of small arms. Currently, the US Army alone owns almost 1,000,000 M4/M16s meaning that the Next Generation Weapons will at least initially be fielded to close combat forces and that M4 and the 5.56mm ammunition it fires will continue to soldier on for decades. This means that the Army has to seriously consider what ammunition technology it will adopt for the new next generation 6.8 round, lest it find itself manufacturing two radically different types of small arms ammunition.
The prototypes must have these characteristics:
a. allow for ambidextrous operation and controls;
b. include a flash hider, removable suppressor (with or without flash hider installed), and a tool for suppressor removal after firing or for maintenance;
c. include a tactical carrying sling with quick release attachments;
d. include selection positions for Safe, Semi-Automatic Firing, and Automatic Firing modes;
e. be resistant to corrosion, abrasion, impact and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) defense contaminants, decontaminants, battlefield-chemicals, electromagnetic pulse and cyber-attacks;
f. reduce visual detection via a neutral non-reflective, non-black color not lighter than Light Coyote 481 and not darker than Coyote 499;
g. function in all environments and weather conditions, including ambient, cold, hot, marine, high humidity, rain, and desert conditions;
h. be compatible with combat clothing (including body armor and Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment), CBRN defense, wet weather, and cold weather gear;
i. provide interchangeable magazines between both weapons if NGSW-AR utilizes a magazine; and
j. include, at a minimum, a 12 o-clock position rail(s) that is compliant to Attachment 2- Picatinny Smart Rail Interface Control Documents. Weapon configurations include a non-battery and a battery configuration:
• A non-battery configuration: battery removed. This is the primary configuration for all weapon deliveries and is included in the overall weapon weight.
• Replaceable battery configurations: rechargeable battery assembly and non- rechargeable battery assembly that are fully contained within the envelope of the NGSW-R and NGSW-AR and common to both. The battery assembly shall operate at 6-32 volts. The rechargeable battery assembly shall interface with the Universal Battery Charger (NSN: 6130-01-659-7090). The weight of the battery assembly will not be included in the overall weapon weight.
Both the rechargeable battery assembly and the non-rechargeable battery assembly shall meet the requirements for safety and transportation per the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulation.
The Government will conduct the following tests on the NGSW-R, NGSW-AR, and the Ammunition:
Prototype Test #1 (PT#1)
This Government test will inform the COMPANY of current design compliance to select performance requirements. The test has an estimated duration of 3 months.
Soldier Touch Point A: Mobility & User Acceptance
This Government test will provide the COMPANY with Soldier feedback on areas related to mobility and maneuverability on Army relevant obstacles, and user acceptance scenario testing. Reference Attachment 6 – STP Mobility and Attachment 7 – STP User Acceptance.
Prototype Test #2 (PT#2)
This Government test will be used to assess compliance to the COMPANY proposed performance requirements and utilized in follow-on award decisions. The test has an estimated duration of six months.
Soldier Touch Point B: Mobility, User Acceptance, Controllability
This test is a Government conducted evaluation on areas related to mobility, maneuverability on Army relevant obstacles, user acceptance scenario testing, and controllability. Reference Attachment 6 – STP Mobility, Attachment 7 – STP User Acceptance, and Attachment 8 – STP Controllability
Soldier Touch Point C: Limited User Test
This test is a Government conducted limited evaluation with Soldiers in the loop to assess the suitability and effectiveness for combat operations. These evaluations may be conducted with multiple squads.
Live Fire Test and Evaluation (LFT&E)
This is a test and analysis effort required to support the ballistic lethality evaluation, focusing on the terminal ballistics of the system.
Written proposals are due on 24 April 2019 at 11:00AM EST and bid samples are due on 30 May 2019.
LAS VEGAS, NV – Texas-based True Velocity announced today a partnership with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS) to develop the Next Generation Squad Weapon systems to replace the M4 and M249 platforms.
GD-OTS was one of five companies awarded contracts by the U.S. Army in July 2018 to develop prototypes of the Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifle.
True Velocity has partnered with GD-OTS to support its new weapon system with a revolutionary composite case design that will yield significant ballistic improvements over traditional brass-cased ammunition, while also reducing the weight of a loaded cartridge, improving accuracy, decreasing thermal heat signature and diminishing wear and tear on the weapon system.
“True Velocity is committed to producing composite-cased ammunition that is superior to standard brass-cased ammunition in every way,” said True Velocity President Chris Tedford. “We feel strongly that our partnership with General Dynamics will result in a disruptive, technologically advanced weapon system that will afford our military a distinct advantage on the battlefield.”
The NGSAR is expected to improve upon the firepower and effective range of the M16 and M4 platforms, while simultaneously yielding capability improvements in accuracy and lethality, according to the Army. The weapon will weigh less than its predecessor, fire lightweight ammunition and have reduced acoustic and flash signature.
“By integrating the General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Next Generation Squad Weapon with True Velocity’s superior composite-cased ammunition, we can provide the U.S. Army with the right balance of lethality, weight reduction, and overmatch capability. We are excited for this partnership as we build on our capabilities as a system integrator” said Steve Elgin, vice president and general manager of armament and platform systems for GD-OTS.
The deadline for the submission of prototypes is anticipated prior to the end of 2019.
For more information on True Velocity, Inc., please visit www.truevelocityinc.com
