My 12 year old son and I are in Georgia this week to attend the Army Marksmanship Unit Junior Shooter Camp.

Today, he and I visited Atlanta Arms & Ammo in Social Circle, GA. I needed .40 ammo for a training class I’m having on Friday, and they graciously agreed to show Brian & I around their plant.

If you reload then you know how frustrating and fussy reloading machines can be. Just imagine a shop filled with these:

Note that these are inline not rotary. Also everything is automatic. The only thing the operator needs to do is keep the primer rod full. They have a machine which fills the rod, the operator has to switch in a new one over every few hundred rounds.

Each of these machines makes about 60 rounds a minute, there were about 15 stations. So you do the math

Each machine, which they generally buy used, costs $10,000 to $12,000. They then add customized switches and electronics to test that the machines are operating correctly. For instance the case sizer has an air line to it, if air slips out there is no seal and a switch goes off and drops out the bad round. Pretty slick!

As you can imagine they use a lot of bullets. And primers, which they also buy in 5 gallon buckets. They buy new brass, but also get a lot of once fired brass that they prepare in a whole another assembly line, including a system of brass sorters they designed themselves and that are quite clever.

Here is a front on view of an ammo making station:

To the left is a bucket of bullets, at top are brass and bullet feeders. The slender metal tube in the middle is the primer feeder. The machine at far right is a primer filler tube filler. Moving that filled tube to the machine is the only manual step and is done every few hundred shells. The black box with switches is the custom QA monitor they have tied to checks they’ve built in the machine.

After the ammo is made it goes in for polishing and then into a vibrator that gets them heavy (bullet) end up:

and are then hand packaged using a series of steps that flip them in a special die until all are facing the right way:

The elite shooters of the United States use their ammunition, including the Army Marksmanship Unit.

If you are looking for excellent ammo, made by a group of top notch and friendly people then Atlanta Arms & Ammo is for you. As we left our guide stressed that today, in these high reloading component cost times, in many cases they can get ammo to competitive shooters for about the same as reloading. Similar price… and I don’t have to spend hours running a reloader? Or pull my hair out when it doesn’t work? Sign me up!

Many thanks to Danny at Atlanta Arms & Ammo for setting up our tour. And to Kim for being such an agreeable and friendly host.

We are not currently in the process of developing our own 6.5mm round for the AR platform. We have mentioned the 6.5 in our communications on the ACR simply because that platform is capable of handling the Grendel or something like it. At this point, there are no plans to chamber the ACR for the Grendel. However, that may change if we receive enough input from the marketplace to make it seem necessary.

Remington Military Products Division still list it as a caliber on their ACR webpage.

Screenshot of the Remington ACR webpage.

I expect this has generated much confusion as the company now has an official statement regarding the issue. For now the only 6.5mm cartridge in the Remington stable is the .260 Remington¹

Many thanks to rootman for sending me the top link.

A survey of more than 50 servicemen who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan concluded that the 5.56mm calibre rounds used by British soldiers 'tailed off' after 300 metres yet half of all Helmand firefights are fought between 300 and 900 metres.

...

The study, co-written by Nicholas Drummond, a strategy consultant and ex-Welsh Guards officer, described British soldiers' rifles as "not much more useful than a peashooter".

...

The Ministry of Defence told the newspaper the 5.56mm calibre rounds used by United States and other Nato allies are "proven to be both accurate and powerful."

Typical government response.

Many thanks to RootMan for the link.

Many thanks, again, to Lusaka for the photo and info.

Not long after posting it, I was emailed by a well placed industry insider who told me that he very much doubted Remington would ever produce a gun chambering the Grendel. His reason? The management behind the development of the cartridge left a lot of bad blood in their wake. He suspected that the listing of "6.5mm" was a marketing ploy.

His prediction that Remington would not offer it has come to fruition. Adam Heggenstaller reported (emphasis mine) ...

Ongoing development will focus on the 6.8 mm Rem. SPC, 7.62x39 mm, a yet-to-be-disclosed 6.5 mm round and, get this, the .30 Rem. AR.

Will we ever see this cartridge? I don't know. At least we know why Remington are not just saying "Grendel".

UPDATE: My original source just emailed me to suggest that the .30 Remington AR necked down would make a lot of sense! He has a good point. (This is just speculation - not inside knowledge).

7.62x51mm NATO, 6.5mm Grendel and 5.56x45mm NATO

RUAG 9mm Luger SINTOX Action 4

It seems like they are more interested in law enforcement and government contract that they are in civilian sales. From the press release:

Precision Ammunition, established in 2001, holds extensive patents for their Copper-Matrix NTF® Non-Toxic Frangible bullet. Providing a healthier shooting environment, Copper-Matrix NTF is particularly well-suited for training law enforcement, military and security personnel, as well as being a perfect match for use in shooting ranges.

“RUAG Ammotec and Precision Ammunition are a perfect fit for each other and will drive forward RUAG Ammotec’s growth strategy worldwide by opening up new markets and strengthening individual product groups. The combination of innovative bullet design with large scale, high quality component production reflects the increasing demand for non-toxic frangible ammunition,” stated Cyril Kubelka, CEO of RUAG Ammotec and a member of the Executive Board of RUAG Holding AG. “Additionally, it establishes a US presence for the RUAG family of business to actively bid on US Government contracts.”

I hope they decide to sell to individuals in the future. They make some very interesting rifle and pistols round.

Just last week we discussed RUAG Ammotec on The Firearm Blog.

It demonstrates ...

• Frangible bullets on different angled surfaces
• What happens when bullets collide with flying objects
• Air gun pellets
• Shotgun pellets
• Bullets that hit the corner of a hard object
• ... and more.

Frangible bullets do live up to their claim of not ricocheting. I was impressed that the bullets did not ricochet from the low angled surfaces.

The video was shot by Kurzzeit, a company that sells a high speed video camera that can capture one million frames per second!

A big thanks to Jay for emailing me the video!

A new cartridge, called the 9x19mm NP (Netherlands Police), has been developed for their future service weapon. The 9mm NP features a 94 grain (6.1 gram) solid copper hollow point bullet with a plastic cap inserted into the hollow.

The "AA" stamp indicates that this is trial/prototype ammunition. Photo by Marco.

Ballistically it is the same as 9mm Luger / Parabellum. It is given a separate designation because some firearms, such as the MP5, will need to be modified to function correctly with the lighter bullet.

Many thanks to my source for this information.

There is also a smaller discussion on the same topic at SaysUncle.

Prvi Partizan is Serbia's largest ammunition factory. It produces military and hunting ammunition as well as gun powder and explosives.

Maric said firefighters had "doused the fires and there is no danger of more explosions." He did not elaborate about the causes of the blast pending the end of the initial investigation.

Interior Minister Ivica Dacic was on his way to the site, said a ministry spokeswoman.

Serbian defense industries have stepped up production in past two years, mainly exporting to Iraq, Libya, the United States and Myanmar. The total value of export deals in 2008 exceeded $600 million.

Prvi is notable for being the manufacturer of many obsolete cartridges. This year they started manufacturing the 8mm Lebel, which has not been manufactured by any other factory in the past few decades.

8mm Lebel

Thanks to mrwon and Himmel for the info and link.

UPDATE. Sadly the final casualty count was 7 dead and 14 injured.

Thanks Matt for the link.

The HD Ultimate Home Defense comes in two loads. The one load contains BB bird shot and the other has a mixture of #2 and #4 sized birdshot. The shot is made from the Remington HD (High density) tungsten alloy.

Both contain 1.25 ounces of shot (547 grain) which is launched at a velocity of 1250 fps. That works out to be 1898 ft/lbs of energy.

Just a few months ago Federal launched a line of self-defense .410 Shotshell, also loaded with bird shot. There was a long discussion on The Firearm Blog about the suitability of these shells for self defense. The consensus was, to borrow an old maxim, that birdshot is for the birds!

The fact that a two major ammunition manufacturers are selling bird shot for self defense makes me wonder if they know something we do not?

The HD ammo is loaded with very hard, but dense, tungsten alloy shot which would give it greater penetration than lead. On the other hand, 00 (”double-ought”) buck shot is .33″ in diameter, much larger than BB birdshot (0.18″) and more than twice the diameter of #2 (0.15″) and #4 shot (.13″). It is almost universally accepted than bigger == better for self defense.

For the sake of those who purchase it, I hope it performs well. Remington and Federal could certainly ease our fears by releasing their test data for public scrutiny.

If any of your want to test the ammo and do a write up for The Firearm Blog, get in touch with me.

UPDATE: I forgot to list the price. Both loads cost $34.99 for a box of 10 rounds.

Yes, it is a joke If it were fired the force would likely rip the copper jacket from the lead, disintegrating the bullet.

Hat Tip: Say Uncle

Cracked Remington 597 magazine


Blown out case head.


Split Case

Thanks to Joe for the photos.

Ordinary 12 gauge, BB Birdshot.

Well, I got some of that, but was I satisfied? NO! I needed something I could really use to “Reach out and touch…” Something that would penetrate at range with some accuracy.
I got a mold fabricated: 25.3mm thick Steel, drilled through at 16.5mm wide, and drilled right through to the other side.

A nut was welded to the bottom carefully to take a 10mm bolt that would serve to create a hollow on the planned slugs.

I opened up a 12 gauge BB shell using a basic knife to remove the lead shot.

Using modified sharp-nose plies I removed the plastic cover of the Shell.

The lead shot is poured out and cleaned, and the plastic bits removed…

A felt wad is pushed into the empty shot-shell, seated very well into the shot-cup. The diameter of the wad is same with the Shot-Shell.

The Lead Shot is poured into a Ladle, and melted. Working with Lead is VERY hazardous: ensure eyes are protected, use safety gloves, ventilate properly!

The Mold is carefully placed on a good flat surface.

Molten Lead is carefully poured into the mold.

The Bolt at the bottom is unscrewed carefully. NO wiggling it around!

Use a pointed item to push the cooled slug out…

You may have to knock it a bit to get it out…

This is the produced Slug…

There is a correctly centered hollow. So centre-of-balance is forward, like a Shuttle-cock…

More pictures of the finished slugs. Nice factory-like finish…

Next: Insert the Slug into Shell case…

Some force is needed to get the Slug into the Shell-case. This is due to the Roll-crimp which was not touched originally…

You can see the Slug inside the Shell-case, centrally placed, snug against the crimp…

LAST STEP: Glue or epoxy is used to seal and waterproof the Shell-case properly. Left standing upright to dry/ cure.

Glue or epoxy is used to seal and waterproof the Shell-case properly. Left standing upright to dry/ cure.

Slug is ready to be FIRED!

I test-fired a few slugs today (16 August 2009)! Perfect performance (for what i had at hand…).

5 slugs fired at 30 metres (33 yards, 98.4 ft). Target was piece of metal plate about 1.5ft x 1ft, 2mm thick. 3” x 3” bullseye painted on.

Target taken at 30 meters distance.

Close up.

Distance Fired: 33 yards
Sights: Bead sight
Ammunition: 5 home-made slugs

5 shots on target. Not bad!
1 round high/ left
4 rounds in/ near the bullseye.

This looks like a 2” to 3” group at 33 yards!

I couldn’t wish for better from home-made foster slugs!

MASS PRODUCTION COMMENCES! LET THE ZOMBIES COME!!

—
Y-man
16 August 2009

Steve says: I big thank you to Y-Man for the excellent howto. His ingenuity is amazing and is an inspiration to me!

Like all most of the Extreme Shock range, the bullets are made from compressed tungsten powder enclosed in a copper jacket. The round fragments when it hits a hard surface. As the name suggests this round is not intended for long range gun fights. It is a short range round suitable for self defense when over penetration of a standard 5.56mm or .223 Rem. round could have serious consequences. Extreme Shock says the round has enough energy to cycle a semi-automatic action.

The SRT’s 100 grain projectile is a frangible, lead-free design that will fragment on harder surfaces that would typically cause a lead-core bullet to ricochet. This projectile consists of a compressed tungsten powder core that is encased in a high quality copper jacket, with a special DuPont coating to reduce the velocity. This all works to produce lower recoil and minimize muzzle flash, thus enhancing the ability to acquire second shot placement faster.

The MSRP is $41.27 for a 20 rounds. Not at all cheap.

The new Hyper Speed HP load is a very hot load that matches the ballistic characteristics of the CCI Velocitor round. The Hyper Speed HP, like the Velocitor, features a copper plated 40 grain hollow point bullet. The bullet has a published velocity of 1435 fps at the muzzle, which works out to be 183 ft-lbs of muzzle energy.

A significant difference between the CCI load is that is will be sold in a 100 round box, rather than the CCI 50-round box. This suggests it may be quite a lot cheaper that the Velocitor. If it is, I will defiantly consider switching to this for my hyper velocity needs.

Winchester are also introducing a 555 round bulk pack, giving it a slight edge quantity wise over the Federal 525 and 550 bulk packs.

The bulk pack features high velocity (36 grain / 1280 fps) rounds with copper plated hollow point bullets. Nothing fancy.

Overall I am quite impressed with the new offerings from Winchester. I don’t think there is much else they can do as far as rimfire ammunition is concerned.

* 62-grain 223 Rem.
* 120-grain 260 Rem.
* 140-grain 6.5×55 Swedish
* 300-grain 45-70 Government
* 260-grain 460 S&W
* 275-grain 500 S&W

Aside from price, reloading also allows you produce better quality ammunition and tune the load for accuracy in your particular gun.

Thanks to Solomon for sending me the link

That looks sore.

The photos are from Photobucket via. the Blue Gun Blog.

UPDATE: Elvis for identifying the pistol.

The first driving force has been the huge demand for loaded ammunition through 2008 and continuing into 2009. The large primer manufacturers like ATK (which would include Federal and CCI), Winchester, and Remington are directing the majority of their primers into loaded ammunition.

…

the result has been consumers stockpiling and hoarding primers. Individuals are buying and keeping more primers in their own personal inventories and this has prevented some reloaders from having any primers at all. We normally see people buying 1,000 or maybe 5,000 primers at a time, now we are seeing customers buying 25,000 at a time.

…

Federal told us a couple of weeks ago to not be surprised if we don’t see many primers from them until the end of 2009.

A very dire situation indeed. I expect few of us will ever forget the ammunition drought of 2009!

I highly recommend reading the whole blog entry.

Thanks to Commodore for emailing me the link.

.410 Personal Defense opened and pellets dumped. Thanks to Stephen for the photo.

The round contains 60 pellets of #4 bird shot (each pellet is .13″ in diameter). The load of pellets weight 1/2 oz (218.75 grain). Velocity is listed as 1200 fps which makes the total energy delivered at the muzzle to be 700 ft/lbs.

Federal said to Guns Holsters and Gear that:

The #4 pellets (approximately 10) penetrate to a depth of up to 6″.

(the pellet number is wrong, but the penetration depth sounds right for .410)

So with these facts in mind do you think that this round is capable of delivering a blow that warrants its name? I am not sure it does, but I welcome your opinions in the comments. I have a few issues with this round and how Federal have marketed it.

Firstly, the FBI requires penetration of at least 12″ for their ammunition, added to this is the fact that the pellets are individually, only .13″ in caliber and weigh about 3.6 grain. I would not want to be shot by one, and they could certainty kill if they traveled around the body and hit a vital organ, but I seriously doubt an attacker would be stopped in their tracks.

Another problem is shot dispersion. Dick wrote this comment on the blog about he groupings he achieved.

NOT SUITABLE FOR PERSONAL DEFENSE AGAINST MUCH OF ANYTHING LARGE ENOUGH TO WARRENT “SELF DEFENSE” EXCEPT PERHAPS SMALL SNAKES! A large one shot with this round at 21′ will likely kill you before it bleeds to death! With 2 rounds it put 18-20 pellets inside a 12″ circle so the snake better be curled up and there were plenty enough large gaps to miss a head shot.

Another issue I have is the published velocity. When firearm manufacturers publish velocity they usually base it on their test barrels, which are usually longer than what you would buy. For example shotgun velocities would be recorded from 28″ or 30″ barrel. The 1200 fps this round achieves is very similar to other standard shotgun loads, the difference being it is intended for the Judge. Most of the Judge models have a 2.5″ chamber and 3.5″ barrel. Revolvers measure barrel length forward of the chamber, so compared to a normal shotgun this works about to be 6″ of barrel. I believe shotguns are loaded with fast burning powder (reloaders please correct me if I am wrong), but this seems pretty amazing if it can achieve maximum velocity in only 6″ of barrel.

Finally, if Federal believe this is an adequate round for self-defense, why have they not published their own internal studies? Telling me it has 6″ of penetration, presumably in ballistic gelatin, is just not enough information.

So far Federal have not delivered a .410 buckshot model of the Personal Defense Round, but likely will later this year.

I am interested in your opinions. I don’t consider myself very knowledgeable in this area.

UPDATE:

Other blogger have weighed in on the issue. Go read what they have to say (if you have blogged about it and I don’t know, tell me and I will add your blog to the list):

Michael Bane @ The Michael Bane Blog

Caleb @ Gun Nuts

Me: “Geez, I’ve got more rimfire ammo than y’all do.”

SalesGuy: “That’s not funny.”

Ha ha

Uncle (Says Uncle) is having to wait 5-7 weeks for his CCI subsonic HP ammo order (it also happens to be my chosen .22 round of choice).

This shortage is getting ridiculous!

(by the way, If you do not read View From The Porch or Says Uncle, you should start)

Polymer tipped v-max bullets.

TacticalGunFan has reviewed pre-production samples and they are in fact using steel cases, presumably to save money. He was impressed with the ammunition, although he incorrectly states that this is the first 7.62×39mm self-defense load. There are many hunting and self-defense rounds to choose from.

For the first time American shooters will be able to buy a modern expanding load designed for self-protection in this caliber. It’ll also be the first time a quality projectile will be available in this diameter to enhance the accuracy potential of this military cartridge.

So, American shooters will finally have a domestically produced 5.45×39mm load that combines accuracy and terminal performance.

Midway lists the price as $23.99 for a box of 20 rounds loaded with 123 Grain bullets.

A reader, who shall remain anonymous, emailed me this account of what happened to him.

Your message about the 9 mm Nato versus 9 mm Luger (9×19 mm, 9 mm Para) is correct and should be a warning to all users of 9 mm pistols. I found out the the higher pressure of the Nato round can be punishing. The same day as I received my first and brand new police service pistol, the Walther P5, I took it to my shooting club to show it to the lads and to shoot it.

Because I ran out of ammo, I borrowed a box from a military friend, who used 9 mm Nato rounds. After two shots my new pistol jammed, because the extractor broke off. I had some explanation to do the next day in order to get my service gun back in working order and got the message: Never use military ammo in non-military firearms. So, any surplus army ammo: use it in the Browning High-Power or the Glock, but not in “civilian” pistols.

.303 British (left), .416 Strauss (middle, loaded with a 350 gr Speer bullet in a Norma case)

The parent cartridge is the .303 British. It is blown out to .416 caliber and loaded with a 300 grain Barns-X or 350 grain Speer bullet and S265 Pistol powder (a local South African powder). The 350 grain bullet is propelled at 2300 fps and generates 4112 ft/lbs of muzzle energy. The lighter bullet is pushed out at 2500 fps and generates 4164 ft/lbs of muzzle energy.

The performance seems similar to the .375 H&H Magnum. According to Cartridges of the World (11th Edition), the .375 H&H can push a 300 grain bullet at 2530 fps, generating 4265 ft/lbs. The small caliber .375 bullet would have greater penetration than a .416 bullet. The cartridge works about to be about 20% less powerful than a .416 Rigby

Piet uses the cartridge in a with with a P14 (Pattern 1914 Enfield) action. The groups are not all that great as he does not have a custom die set and has to use a .405 Winchester die for seating the bullet.

The .416 Strauss P14 (click to expand)

I think this is a very compelling cartridge. I am surprised I had not heard of .303’s necked up and turned into big game cartridges before. It seems like a good idea as I am sure Africa is has more than its share of .303 surplus rifles.

A big thank you to Piet for emailing me the photos and information.

The M1 (.30-06) load pushes a 150 grain FMJ bullet at 2740 fps fps and the M1A (7.62×51mm NATO) load a 168 grain Open Tip Match (OTM) bullet at 2650 fps.

Also from Federal is a Power-Shok hunting load optimized for AR-10 style rifles chambered in .338 Federal. The loads pushes a 200 grain soft point at 2700 fps.

Norwegian solider with H&K 416

The report states that the gas exhausted from the rifles contained high levels of copper and zinc which account for all the symptoms suffered by the riflemen. A few, quite comical, short term solutions have been recommended. These include only shooting outside, slower rate of fire and spacing the shooters out more when at the range!

In 2003, under pressure from environmental groups and politicians the Army started using environmentally friendly ammunition. Since then they have had plenty of problems. The Norwegian ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) troops in Afghanistan were ordered to use the new ammo. The ammunition delivered either failed to fire or did not have enough energy to cycle the weapons. 300,000 rounds had to be dumped leaving the troops with no reserve ammunition. All the troops who did not need to leave the base had to hand in their ammunition so it could be distributed to those who needed it. The Army has also had to ban the green ammo from use in the MG3 machine guns because unspecified malfunctions occurred that could harmed the operators.

Nammo 5.56mm ammunition

I found a powerpoint presentation on the internet made by Nammo in 2006 extolling the virtues of their green ammunition. Here are a few very ironic slides (I added the red arrows):

Recently it was determined that the “green” tungsten training ammunition used by the US Military could be toxic.

So in summery: don’t use green ammunition.
Many thanks to Daniel Watters of The Gun Zone for the research he did for this blog post.

Part 1

Part 2

Fascinating! Start hoarding your spent primers, you may be needing them.

Hat Tip: Tech, Guns, and Food

The ammo industry uses something called SAAMI Standards to establish the pressures that ammo should be loaded to. The SAAMI pressure for 9mm Luger ammo is around 35,000 PSI, and C.I.P (think European SAAMI) rates 9mm Luger ammo at 34,080 PSI. According to documentation, the 9mm NATO rounds are pressured at 36,500 PSI (again according to CIP). That means that when compared to standard 9mm ammo, the 9mm NATO ammo is running a higher pressure, analogous to a 9mm +P load, which SAAMI rates around 36,000 PSI.

Read the full post here.

Would the ridge not cause chambering problems? Maybe the intended use is in a single shot rifle or pistol.

UPDATE: Mystery solved. Koko’s comment below:

This is a plastic bullet that was devised to provide the IDF with a bullet enableing a non-lethal way to stop Palestinian demonstrators during the first Intifada (1988-1993).

The bullet was to be fired at demonstrator legs – but ended up inflicting more drastic wounds then initialy imagened – even killing on accution.

The ballistics of the bullet proved to be strange – after a while the standing orders were changed to the ammunition to be used only by a trained designated shooter from a fixed ground position – then the bullet was dropped altogether and is not used today (as far the I know).

The load was also reduced – as noted on the package – this forced to shooter to manualy load the bullet after each shoot.

Makes sense that it needed to be loaded single shot!

Thanks to everyone for the translations and comments.

There have been growing concerns about tungsten for some years. An October 2008 Issues Paper from the state and federal waste managers’ group says that the “original position of the scientific community with regard to fate and transport, analytical testing and toxicology” of tungsten has “drastically changed.”

The report further warns: “Over the past years, soil and groundwater samples collected at certain small arms ranges have demonstrated that tungsten is very mobile and soluble once it is released into the environment. In addition, limited yet important health studies have also revealed that tungsten may pose risks to humans and ecological receptors.”

The Army has now stopped production of “green” tungsten ammunition:

The Army is concerned enough about possible risks that it has stopped making the tungsten ammo. “The U.S. Army developed a lead-free 5.56mm round during the mid 1990s with a tungsten-nylon alternate slug materiel. Environmental studies later determined that the tungsten-nylon combo had a possible environmental impact. The Army stopped production of its tungsten-nylon 5.56mm [rounds],” Tonya Townsell, a spokesperson for the Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, tells Danger Room. “The residual inventory of 5.56mm Tungsten-Nylon rounds is still available for use in training at lead-restricted sites as it is deemed safer than lead.”

While the majority of lead-free civilian tactical and hunting bullets are either solid copper or copper jacketed with a tin core, some bullets do use tungsten. Two examples are Barnes MRX Bullets and Extreme Shock Ammunition.

The core of Barnes’s premium long range hunting MRX bullet is made from a tungsten based compound called Silvex. One the Barnes website the compound is said to be “non-toxic”:

Screenshot from Barnes.com

The core of Extreme Shock frangible ammunition is made from a tungsten powder/flake compound called Ny-Trilium. It is also said to be non-toxic:

Screenshot from Extremeshockammo.net

I imagine some people are not going to be happy after paying a premium for ammunition that promised to be non-toxic, only to find it isn’t. Is this lawsuit material? I don’t know, but I do wonder how long it will take manufactures of tungsten bullets to remove the “non-toxic” text from their websites.

But doctors told her the bullet passed straight through her cheek and simply patched up her wound.

The truth was discovered a week ago when she collapsed in pain, and the 2.8cm-long bullet was eventually found.

“I was covered in blood and my husband took me to casualty where there were many people injured,” she told Albania’s Ata news agency of the 1997 incident.

“But the doctor told me the bullet had come out and cleaned the wound.

…

“The unique thing about this case is not the operation, but the fact she kept it unknowingly for 12 years in her head,” the surgeon told Reuters news agency.

From the press release

We are pleased to announce that CBC has acquired Sellier & Bellot, an industry leader of quality ammunition since 1825. Acquiring Sellier & Bellot’s proven brand with over 184 years of history will complement our existing product lines and enable us to further expand our global presence in the ammunition industry. Sellier & Bellot fits perfectly within our philosophy of investing in leading, high- quality, highly recognized brands which complement our existing portfolio of branded ammunition product companies

The full press release can be read at Gun Holsters and Gear.

I am not sure I like the conglomeration of the consumer firearm and ammo manufacturers worldwide.

From the press release:

Extreme Shock Ammunition, known for producing the world’s most advanced ammunition, continues to raise the bar with the redesign of their 50 BMG ammo. It is the only 50 in the world that will penetrate 1 inch of metal but will not exit a soft tissue target. Extreme Shock Ammunition continues to impress with the astounding performance and safety enhancements found in their 50 BMG.

The Fragmenting High Velocity (FHVL) Round is a lead-free replacement that offers far superior tactical capability over the lead core bullet. The FHVL has the same range and accuracy as a lead bullet of similar weight. Long range, reduced ricochet, controlled penetration, and exceptional accuracy make the FHVL the most technically advanced tactical round available today. The FHVL grants the operator enhanced tactical capability, such as controlled penetration (NO EXIT) and increased ability to eliminate threats instantly, all while eliminating ricochet and over-penetration hazards.

Impressive.

No military at this point in time is going to use expanding anti-personal expanding ammunition because it would be in breach of the Hague Convention (1899) (regardless of wether they signed it or if a 110 year old treaty is worth honoring). I cannot see civilians needing or wanting to use this ammunition and I cannot recall seeing photos of cops with .50 BMG rifles. I think this ammunition is likely being marketed to paramilitary / anti-terrorism / internal security forces such as the Mexican Army who regularly conduct internal operations and who like their .50 Barretts.

The cost is $161.14 for a box of 15 rounds.

Listing .380 ACP

It is pretty funny, even though it is making fun of us and that they do not know the difference between handgun and rifle ammo.

Thanks to David for the link.

Georgia Arms have updated their website:

Dear Loyal Customers,

Thanks to your voice, DOD has rescinded the order to mutilate all spent cases as of 4:30 pm on 3/17/09. We appreciate the time and effort that you expended, together we all made a difference. We will be posting the email we received from DOD as well as any additional information within the next 12-16 hours. Thanks so much and lets get to work!!! Georgia Arms

This post on ar15.com is apparently by an employee of Government Liquidation:

Tromatic is actually pretty close with his assessment. The facts as I know them, which come directly from candid discussions with my CEO, indicate the following:

- Prior to 11/2008, Demil B items required no mutilation for sale to the public. That policy changed in November, but several exceptions were granted. Expended munitions brass was one of those given a waiver.
- Enter the new administration. Since Demil B category items had been given a broad, general label as “national security sensitive” someone above the DRMS (likely in the DLA) reviewed the policy and immediately went with a CYA policy and yanked all exemptions. No thoughts or considerations were given to the implications of this policy change, but this directive was issued to DOD Surplus effective immediately last week.
- Shit storm blows up as a result. In particular, the letters, phone calls, and emails to our legislators, the media, and anyone else who would listen caused this policy to be review post haste.
- As of this morning our company was informed that expended munitions brass will now be reclassified as Demil Q –– which requires no mutilation unless sold to a foreign country.

There you have it. The policy change was simply the result of some n00b administrator attempting to close a perceived “national security” loophole and brass got caught up in the snare. There was no political motivation behind the policy change, but it is good that people like us were suspicious, got involved, and helped bring about a resolution.

Ed

This email was sent by the Montana Shooting Sports Association:

Dear MSSA Friends,

I just received a phone call from the office of U.S. Senator Tester of Montana to inform me that at 5:15 (EST) today a letter cosigned by Senator Tester (D-MT) and Senator Baucus (D-MT) was faxed to the Department of Defense asking DoD to reverse its new policy requiring destruction of fired military cartridge brass. At 5:30, I am told, Tester’s office received a fax back from DoD saying that the brass destruction policy IS reversed.

Others report to me that they are already seeing evidence of this on the Websites of entities that liquidate surplus DoD commodities.

Our thanks go out to Senator Tester and Senator Baucus, and their staff, for getting on this problem promptly and making the reversal happen

Staff for Tester and Baucus promise they will get me the documentation for this reversal tomorrow morning. I’ll forward that when I get it.

Best wishes,

Gary Marbut, president
Montana Shooting Sports Association
http://www.mtssa.org
author, Gun Laws of Montana
http://www.mtpublish.com

It looks like you can breath easy now.

Thanks to Cannoneer for keeping me updated.

7mm Blaser Magnum, .300 Blaser Magnum, .338 Blaser Magnum and .375 Blaser Magnum
Factory cartridges will be sold by Blaser and Norma and will be available in August along with Blaser R93 rifles chambered for them.

More info here.

It appears to work by striking the firing pin (a drill bit) with a stone. I would not want to be within 200 yards of somebody firing that weapon.

Russian VOG-25 40mm Grenade. Photo from gunbroker.

UPDATE: DrStrangegun noticed that the size of the launcher is very simular to Russian GP-30 launcher. The Grenade is propelled through the vents you see in the above photo. Much like a rocket.

GP-30. From Wikipedia.

Hat Tip: MP.net

Please take a moment to note important changes set forth by the Defense Logistics Agency:

Recently it has been determined that fired munitions of all calibers, shapes and sizes have been designated to be Demil code B. As a result and in conjunction with DLA’s current Demil code B policy, this notice will serve as official notification which requires Scrap Venture (SV) to implement mutilation as a condition of sale for all sales of fired munitions effective immediately. This notice also requires SV to immediately cease delivery of any fired munitions that have been recently sold or on active term contracts, unless the material has been mutilated prior to sale or SV personnel can attest to the mutilation after delivery. A certificate of destruction is required in either case.

One fired brass military brass being auctioned. Will now require mutilation.

The NRA is aware of the situation and are hoping to have a waiver put in place so that fired brass .50 and smaller in caliber will not be required to undergo mutilation.
Follow any new developments here.

UPDATE: I pulled this blog post pending confirmation due to concern this was just a misunderstanding concerning existing rules/regulations and I did not want to alarm anyone. Unfortunately this is not the case. Andy Byers sent me a twitter message to say that Georgia Arms have confirmed it. From their website:

Due to new government regulations concerning the purchasing of surplus brass, we are removing sales of all 223 and all 308 until further notice.

UPDATE: Cannoneer has more info and links here.

The pressure generated blew off the top of the chamber, caused a bulge in the slide, and gorged the frame and also destroyed the extractor and loaded chamber indicator.

Note the bulge in the slide next to the chamber.

I am pleased to be able to say that the shooter was not injured. He is one lucky guy.

More info at XDTalk forum.

Hat Tip: Blue Gun Blog

Very cool, it is even star-crimped. $97.77 at GreatBigStuff.com.

Soldiers may have been sick of the military’s new rifle

Army turns the alarm after a number of officers and soldiers have health problems after the shooting with the military’s new standard rifle, “HK 416″.

Gun are heirs to AG3, and is about to be phased in for all Armed Forces branches. Some departments, including the Norwegian soldiers in Afghanistan, has had the gun in about a year, writes Dagbladet.no.

Hærstaben have been in three different concern from messages incidents where about 40 skyttere have experienced various health problems. It has been reported that strong discomfort in the chest, neck and munnhule after the shooting, unpleasant cough for several hours after the shooting, nausea, fever, headache, joint and cold svetting after the shooting.

Chief of Staff in hærstaben, Brigadier Rune Jakobsen, have now initiated full investigation to find out what it evokes the most serious problems. It has already been initiated medical examinations of the involved personnel.

One of the main theories in the military is now working on the basis that it is the gunpowder gas from the ammo, and not the weapon, which causes problems. HK 416 uses a smaller caliber, and thus a different type than the old munitions AG3.

Norway has been using the H&K G3 which is chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO. The HK416 that is being adopted is an AR-15 derivative and chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO.

H&K G3 rifle. Photo from Wikipedia.

It is not uncommon for an ammunition producing country to develop a new powder specifically optimized for the a new cartridge / rifle combination when it is adopted by the nations’ armed forces. It is possible that this powder used in the Norwegian 5.56mm ammunition is toxic. Maybe the lubricant they are using reacts badly with the gas from the powder? Maybe plastic parts are melting and releasing a toxic vapor? It will be interesting to see how this story develops.

Thanks to Mauken for the link.

Odd Russia has many more photos but no link to the source of the images. It could be true, or it could be a hoax. I think both the French and Russians both used muskets or rifles of caliber between .60″ and .70″ and I do not know enough about the ammunition at the time to say if the mushroomed bullets look authentic.

Thanks to Jim for emailing me the link.