Particular Ops Snipers in Line for New Ammo
5/13/2022
Left to Proper: .308 (7.62×51 NATO), .300 Win Magazine, .300 Norma
Scott Gourley picture
Whereas many anxiously await the Military’s determination on which of the 2 Subsequent Technology Squad Weapon 6.8mm ammunition designs shall be utilized by the Shut Fight Pressure, business efforts are being directed towards a spectrum of different particular ammunition enhancements.
Examples stretch from .300 Win Magazine to .50 caliber polymer case designs.
One current consultant instance entails the .300 Win Magazine.
For a few years, army snipers utilized weapons just like the MK 13 sequence or M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle, firing “A191” Division of Protection Identification Code ammunition, to realize a “government-published” efficient vary engagements of 1,200 yards.
An ammunition efficiency problem emerged within the 2000 to 2010 timeframe reflecting a brand new consumer requirement that referred to as for an efficient vary of 1,500 yards with a lower within the impact of wind drift on the projectile.
Ballistic experimentation with a number of totally different projectile choices led to a product improved design that — amongst different issues — changed the 190-grain projectile within the A191 design with a heavier 220-grain Sierra MatchKing bullet, with total outcomes that met the brand new necessities.
The 2 bullets additionally led to sub-designations of MK 248 MOD 1 and MK 248 MOD 0, with the MOD 1 in comparison with the A191 with some enhancements and the MOD 0 reflecting the heavier bullet enhancements.
The MOD 1 has traditionally been seen as an Military load, whereas the MOD 0 has traditionally been seen as a Navy load.
In January 2020, SIG Sauer Inc. introduced that it had been chosen to fabricate each of the .300 Win Magazine rounds on the firm’s ammunition manufacturing facility in Jacksonville, Arkansas, to be used in U.S. army sniper platforms.
“We’ve all the time felt that one among our core competencies is the manufacture of top quality, excessive precision, exceptionally correct ammunition,” provided Jason St. John, director of presidency merchandise at SIG Sauer. “So the MK 248 program actually fell into our wheelhouse, offering a part of our basis as a precision ammunition producer. We had been very aggressive and really aggressive in our technique, as a result of we believed this win, and the efficiency of this ammunition, would assist to place our ammunition line on the map.”
St. John asserted that most of the consumer efficiency necessities have been pushing the strain envelope for the .300 Win Magazine cartridge, noting some consumer studies of issues like “sticky bolts” on among the earlier ammunition manufactured by different corporations.
“We tackled the issue of excessive strain via how we manufacture our brass,” he mentioned. “For instance, we do issues to make our brass a bit of bit tougher within the head. We additionally do induction annealing [of the casings], as a result of we needed to unravel the brass from a hardness perspective in order that the ‘sticky bolt’ drawback wouldn’t be a problem.
At present, the difficulty is totally solved, he mentioned. The corporate has made 25 deliveries for a complete of over 2 million rounds, with one hundred pc on lot acceptance testing, which is 10, 10-round teams fired via two separate rifles at 300 yards, with all photographs lower than one minute of angle.
“We’re now 25 for 25 on over 2 million rounds delivered. And we’re very, very pleased with that,” he mentioned.
One other ongoing manufacturing effort focuses on ammunition for the Barrett MK 22 Superior Sniper Rifle fielded by Particular Operations Command and, extra not too long ago, by different Military components.
Very like the MK 21 Enhanced Sniper Rifle of the mid-2000s, the MK 22 permits altering between totally different calibers to facilitate coaching / city operations, anti-personnel and anti-materiel engagements. Whereas the MK 21 design had centered largely on 7.62x51mm NATO [.308], .300 Win Magazine, and .338 Lapua Magnum rounds, the MK 22 focus shifted to 7.62x51mm and two different comparatively new designs: .300 Norma Magnum and .338 Norma Magnum.
“The .300 and .338 ‘Normas’ are just like the .338 Lapua in dimension,” defined Emil Praslick, enterprise improvement supervisor for Capstone Precision Group. “Basically, they appeared on the .338 Lapua case as a place to begin, however needed to load longer projectiles, corresponding to a Berger 300 grain [bullet] hybrid at customary journal size,” he mentioned.
They barely shortened the case, which decreased powder capability by just some % however didn’t considerably change efficiency. In addition they tweaked the brass cartridge “shoulder” a bit, and possibly modified the case taper barely.
“The result’s an extended projectile you may nonetheless load and feed within the journal,” Praslick mentioned.
The .300 Norma design mirrored the efforts of “a few enterprising guys” who acknowledged the potential of all of the powder within the .338 case and labored to cut back that case neck dimension to .30 caliber, he added.
“They realized that .30 caliber [Berger 215 grain hybrid target bullet] would go at ‘warp pace,’ he mentioned. “For snipers, that’s all the time a plus. You probably have a really flat trajectory spherical, it offers the shooter extra flexibility. He could make slight vary estimation errors and has different choices for techniques, like leaving one sight setting on the rifle and interesting targets at totally different ranges simply by utilizing totally different maintain factors.”
As soon as the rifles had been chosen, a remaining problem concerned getting the ammunition out to the sphere.
Praslick mentioned the “first batch of reference ammunition” had been loaded by Jeff Hoffman at Black Hills Ammunition.
“Jeff all the time does an awesome job of loading ammo,” he continued. The subsequent batch of ammo was let loose on one other contract which was gained by UDC, who partnered with Capstone Precision Group because the producer for 800,000 rounds of .300 Norma and 200,000 rounds of .338 Norma in Mesa, Arizona.
Nevertheless, acknowledging that the MK 22 rifles are being delivered to Particular Operations Command and Military components, he noticed.
“There’s actually not lots of ammo on the market but. Proper now if you happen to discuss to speak to snipers and Particular Operations Command, the fellows are getting the weapons first, and so they’re like, ‘Hey, the place’s all of the ammo?’”
Thankfully, he shortly characterised the ammunition manufacturing as “fairly far down the street,” with the sniper rounds having already handed first article testing and lot acceptance testing.
“It’s taking pictures nice and we’re simply ready on some paperwork stuff to ship it,” he mentioned.
Together with new sniper calibers with enhanced tactical efficiency, different current ammunition actions contain efforts to “lighten” venerable rounds just like the .50 caliber. A consultant instance might be discovered within the .50 caliber polymer case rounds which have been fielded by Particular Operations Command and not too long ago examined by the Marine Corps. These polymer efforts are along with the 6.8mm polymer cartridge design at the moment being evaluated underneath the Subsequent Technology Squad Weapon program.
SOCOM representatives have pointed to the burden financial savings of the .50 caliber polymer case rounds when in comparison with conventional brass case designs, crediting the lighter ammunition with the power for platforms just like the AH-6 “Little Hen” with the power to hold extra gasoline, translating to extra time on station with most ammunition load.
Joe Gibbons, plant supervisor at Nammo MAC LLC —previously MAC Ammunition LLC — in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, highlighted expanded curiosity within the .50 caliber polymer case cartridges, in addition to expanded caliber explorations for the design.
“Most likely the largest factor going now with our ‘.50 cal polymer’ is that we accomplished the supply of the primary order for our Marine Corps contract,” he defined. “And we have now following order that we have now began manufacturing for as nicely.”
Gibbons advised Nationwide Protection that the preliminary rounds had been used for a consumer analysis by the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton, California, in November 2021, with a second consumer analysis deliberate for Marines on the east coast throughout March.
“The West Coast Marines mentioned that they didn’t even wish to look ahead to the East Coast Marines’ analysis,” simply go forward and get them the ammunition. They’re prepared to make use of it,” he mentioned, including that the evaluations centered on the M2 machine weapons with fast change barrels.
Some testing with the Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning has been carried out, he continued. “And they’re totally on board.”
It did an indication for the Maneuver Heart of Excellence at Ft. Benning in December on Stryker automobiles. They’ve assigned a necessities author, so they’re finishing a requirement.”
Trying forward, Gibbons mentioned that polymer ammunition developmental efforts embody the .338 Norma Magnum, to fulfill wants of the rising Medium Machine Gun program in that caliber.
“After all, we’re ‘gun agnostic,’ so we’re working with everyone who’s ‘within the recreation,’” he noticed. “We’ve got achieved some success, so this system continues, and we really feel pretty comfy with it. Moreover, we’re additionally doing a little work in 7.62 mm.”
Subjects: Particular Operations, Particular Operations-Low Depth Battle
