Military Gunmakers Endorse Composite-Cased Ammo.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew
• Position: BEST OF THE WEB

LAS VEGAS--Two military gun suppliers--including one competing to replace the Army's primary squad rifle--have chosen the maker of composite ammunition casing for their weapon systems.

True Velocity in January announced 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, according to a statement released during the SHOT Show in Las Vegas.

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. Patrick Hogan, the company's chief marketing and sales officer, said General Dynamics chose the composite-cased ammunition as its exclusive cartridge in the competition.

Depending on the caliber, the True Velocity cartridges are on average 30 percent lighter than traditional brass cartridges, he said in an interview. For a typical infantryman's load of seven 30-round magazines, that would amount to him being able to carry an additional 90 rounds, Hogan said.

They have also been proven in tests...