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[SHOT 2018]: Inceptor’s new ammo offerings
Inceptor has some new ammunition offerings for 2018, including a 10mm and a monster big bore .450 Bushmaster ARX load. We discuss shooting steel up close with Inceptor’s frangible ammunition.
Tag: Ammunition
Army Chief of Staff Milley Says Next Rifle Will Have Much More Range, Be More Accurate Than M4 Carbine
At an AUSA breakfast conference yesterday, US Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley gave us a hint at exactly what the US Army’s next rifle could look like, and the focus was on extended range capability. The rifle, Milley said, will give a 10x improvement in [Read More…]
New Powder From Hodgdon: Winchester WinClean 244
Hodgdon Powder Company announced the introduction of a new smokeless powder for 2018 under the Winchester Smokeless Powders brand. Called WinClean 244, this new ball powder is formulated to be a good powder for handgun cartridges like the .38 Special, 9mm and .45 ACP. [Read More…]
CTTSO Releases Solicitation for .264 USA Rifles, Carbines, PDWs
The Army Marksmanship Unit’s .264 USA – a medium-sized 6.5mm round in-between the 6.5mm Grendel and 6.5mm Creedmoor in size – is not yet dead, it seems. The round, about which little had been heard in official channels for a couple of years, is the [Read More…]
PICRA Family of Cartridges from Czech Republic
Browsing through the CIP cartridge standards while doing a research, I noticed several cartridges named PICRA. The name was unknown to me and apparently, it is unknown to many others too. So I thought why don’t I do a little research to find out who has designed [Read More…]
Speer’s New 10mm Gold Dot Load
Gold Dot has been a leader in defensive handgun ammunition for more than two decades. During that time, the Speer rounds have shown to be effective in both ballistic gelatin and in real-world lethal force encounters. Speer developed a wide range of options in this line [Read More…]
Can There Be Only One? Federal 9mm +P 124gr HST Short Barrel Gel Test and Review
If you aren’t already subscribed to us, you’re missing great content! Click here to subscribe. We have tested several 9mm defense loads from a 3.1″ S&W Shield and none of them have done very well. Even the Federal 9mm 150gr HST that is specifically marketed for short [Read More…]
BIG Freakin’ Cartridge Test 012: RUAG SS109 (M855 Equivalent) 5.56mm NATO, 16″ and 20″ Barrels
Next up for the Big Freakin’ Cartridge Test is RUAG Ammotec’s version of the NATO-standard SS109 round (equivalent to US M855). I believe the ammunition I tested may have been made in RUAG’s facility in Thun, Switzerland, although I have not confirmed [Read More…]
Simunitions and Reality-Based Training: Simulating what cannot be Replicated
Known by the companies that produce them, Simunitions or UTMs, or by their colloquially gifted name “Blue Guns”, reality-based training firearms for Law Enforcement and Military training exercises have been in constant use for the past several decades. Their high prices and strict [Read More…]
BIG Freakin’ Cartridge Test 011: RUAG SS109 (M855 Equivalent) 5.56mm NATO, 14.5″ Barrel, and Accuracy
Next up for the Big Freakin’ Cartridge Test is RUAG Ammotec’s version of the NATO-standard SS109 round (equivalent to US M855). I believe the ammunition I tested may have been made in RUAG’s facility in Thun, Switzerland, although I have not confirmed [Read More…]
POTD: Ammo Shopping in California – Part 2
California is at it again with their restrictive gun laws, this time around it’s regarding ammunition sales. In case you missed our post about Walmart ceasing ammo sales temporarily, the new law requires residents to purchase ammo only from retailers or dealers [Read More…]
Lyman’s New 8-Station Turret Press
Lyman Products is well known for its reloading and bullet casting equipment. For 2018, the company made a number of new gear announcements including several a new presses. The latest announcement is for an 8-stage turret press. Called the Brass Smith All-American 8 [Read More…]
BIG Freakin’ Cartridge Test 010: Mk. 318 Mod. 0 62gr SOST (T556TNB1), 16″ and 20″ Barrels
Next up for the Big Freakin’ Cartridge Test is Federal’s T556TNB1 load, which is the civilian market name for the Mk.318 SOST projectile developed by US SOCOM as a “barrier blind” round for the M4 Carbine and Mk. 18 CQB upper [Read More…]
BIG Freakin’ Cartridge Test 009: Mk. 318 Mod. 0 62gr SOST (T556TNB1), 14.5″ Barrel, and Accuracy
Next up for the Big Freakin’ Cartridge Test is Federal’s T556TNB1 load, which is the civilian market name for the Mk.318 SOST projectile developed by US SOCOM as a “barrier blind” round for the M4 Carbine and Mk. 18 CQB upper [Read More…]
BIG Freakin’ Cartridge Test 008: PMC M855 5.56x45mm 62gr LAP, 16″ and 20″ Barrels
Next up for the Big Freakin’ Cartridge Test is Korean manufacturer PMC’s clone of M855, called X-TAC M855 LAP. This ammunition features very uniform-looking external dimensions, attractively finished brass cases and projectile jackets, and a reasonable [Read More…]
Lyman’s New Brass Smith Ideal Single Stage Press
Lyman Products announced a new single stage loading press that is designed to offer good performance in a compact package. The press is called the Brass Smith Ideal. The new press is a C shaped press that is made with a cast iron body and stainless steel parts. While C [Read More…]
Can the “World’s Fastest” production pistol defeat body armor? FK Brno 7.5mm Armor Test lvl IIIA Lightweight Armor Solutions hard aramid plate
If you aren’t already subscribed to us, you’re missing great content! Click here to subscribe. The FK Brno 7.5mm Field Pistol is a high end boutique pistol based on the CZ75 and chambered in a rather intriguing proprietary cartridge. At first glance, it seems almost like 9x25mm [Read More…]
BIG Freakin’ Cartridge Test 007: PMC M855 5.56x45mm 62gr LAP, 14.5″ Barrel, and Accuracy
Next up for the Big Freakin’ Cartridge Test is Korean manufacturer PMC’s clone of M855, called X-TAC M855 LAP. This ammunition features very uniform-looking external dimensions, attractively finished brass cases and projectile jackets, and a reasonable [Read More…]
Conflict Armament’s Report on Islamic State’s Small Arms Sources
Conflict Armament Research has released a report featuring the results of in-person findings of what the so-called Islamic State has been using in the past three years. These findings (40,000 items, 845 small arms) have resulted from personal visits to the frontlines [Read More…]
Armenian Sniper Makes 2,145 Meter Shot on Azeri Border
An Armenian social media personality who closely follows the Armenian Military side of the extremely contested eastern border with Azerbaijan recently posted a narrated video on his Facebook page of what appears to be a filmed engagement of Azeri troops in the disputed [Read More…]
A Simply Excellent Solid Copper JHP: Asym .45 Auto 185gr TAC-XP Gel Test and Review
As much as the curmudgeons favor it, .45 Auto has a dirty little secret: its typically low velocity often causes it to perform poorly in heavy clothing. Some bullets do perform well, but many fail to expand when fired through heavy clothing. Calibers such as 9mm Parabellum benefit from higher muzzle [Read More…]
BIG Freakin’ Cartridge Test 006: PMC XP193 5.56x45mm 55gr FMJ, 16″ and 20″ Barrels
Next up for the Big Freakin’ Cartridge Test is Korean manufacturer PMC’s clone of M193 Ball, called XP193. This ammunition features very uniform-looking external dimensions, attractively finished brass cases and projectile jackets, and a reasonable [Read More…]
BIG Freakin’ Cartridge Test 005: PMC XP193 5.56x45mm 55gr FMJ, 14.5″ Barrel, and Accuracy
Next up for the Big Freakin’ Cartridge Test is Korean manufacturer PMC’s clone of M193 Ball, called XP193. This ammunition features very uniform-looking external dimensions, attractively finished brass cases and projectile jackets, and a reasonable price. [Read More…]
BIG Freakin’ Cartridge Test 004: Vympel .223 Remington Golden Tiger 55gr FMJ, 20″ Barrel
Next up for the Big Freakin’ Cartridge Test is Vympel’s budget 55gr FMJ load in .223 Remington, made in Amursk, Russia. This ammunition features a lacquered steel case, bimetal jacketed 55gr FMJ bullet and purple neck sealant. This is one of my favorite [Read More…]
Testing the “World’s Fastest” Production Pistol Ammo: The FK Brno 7.5mm 95 gr SCHP
We shoot 7.5mm FK 95 gr SCHP ammunition from a FK Brno 7.5mm with a 6″ barrel into Clearballistics ballistic gel to measure velocity, penetration, expansion/fragmentation, and retained weight. Guns in this video: FK Brno 7.5mm Penetration: 33.1″ Retained weight: 84.9gr Velocities: [Read More…]
BIG Freakin’ Cartridge Test 003: Vympel .223 Remington Golden Tiger 55gr FMJ, 14.5″ Barrel, and Accuracy
Next up for the Big Freakin’ Cartridge Test is Vympel’s budget 55gr FMJ load in .223 Remington, made in Amursk, Russia. This ammunition features a lacquered steel case, bimetal jacketed 55gr FMJ bullet and purple neck sealant. This is one of my favorite [Read More…]
BIG Freakin’ Cartridge Test 002: IMI 77gr Razor Core 5.56x45mm, 16″ and 20″ Barrels
The first round up of the Big Freakin’ Cartridge Test is IMI’s take on the Black Hill’s classic heavy precision load, Mk. 262. Branded as “77gr Razor Core”, IMI’s version sports annealed 5.56mm NATO cases, neck and primer sealant, and [Read More…]
.224 Valkyrie AR-15 Introduced by Savage
The .224 Valkyrie may be the most interesting AR-15 round to come out in years, but the question many have been asking in my comments section is: Cool, but where are the rifles? Approaching the 2018 SHOT Show in Las Vegas Nevada, we are already starting to get answers, [Read More…]
BIG Freakin’ Cartridge Test 001: IMI 77gr Razor Core 5.56x45mm, 14.5″ Barrel, and Accuracy
The first round up for the Big Freakin’ Cartridge Test is IMI’s take on the Black Hill’s classic heavy precision load, Mk. 262. Branded as “77gr Razor Core”, IMI’s version sports annealed 5.56mm NATO cases, neck and primer sealant, [Read More…]
TFB’s Big Freakin’ Cartridge Test! Introduction
Through the Modern Calibers series of posts, we’ve covered 40 different rifle and pistol calibers, ranging from the diminutive .22 Winchester Magnum to full power calibers like the 7.62x51mm NATO. The series was intended to give readers a baseline picture of how [Read More…]