BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation has joined four other gun rights organizations in an amicus brief supporting Olympic gold medalist Kim Rhode in her challenge of California’s onerous background check requirement to purchase ammunition.

SAF is joined by the Firearms Policy Coalition, Firearms Policy Foundation, California Gun Rights Foundation and the Madison Society Foundation. They are represented by attorney Joseph G.S. Greenlee. The case is known as Rhode v. Becerra.

Rhode, a world-renowned competitive shooter, is a California resident. She quickly challenged the California ammunition requirement, the first such background check mandate in the country, when it was adopted. According to the amicus brief, this scheme is “complex, deficient, and ineffective.” It places a burden on every law-abiding gun owner in the state and often requires people to make two trips to the store just to purchase ammunition, and it still refuses about 16 percent of lawful purchases. Read more

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – – RCBS, the leading manufacturer of ammunition reloading equipment for rifles and pistols, announced today that it has begun shipping the 6mm ARC SB T/C Die Set, a new addition to the AR Series Dies line for progressive reloaders.

The 6mm ARC SB T/C Die Set (#28007), is specially designed for the versatile 6mm ARC cartridge, which utilizes efficient, high ballistic coefficient (BC) bullets to deliver top performance from AR-15 rifles. Each set features a Small Base sizing die that sizes the case to slightly below minimum specifications to ensure each round chambers in an AR-style rifle, and a Taper Crimp seating die to put the correct crimp on the case. This combination helps make reloading easier for shooters and ensures the cartridge will rechamber properly.

“AR-15 fans are fired up about the versatility and performance of the 6mm ARC cartridge,” said Jason Slinkard, Director of Shooting Accessories for Vista Outdoor. “This die set is a great example of how we are always working to anticipate customer demand and bring new dies to the market as needed.” Read more

ANOKA, Minnesota –– Federal Ammunition is proud to announce a contract award to supply high-performance 7.62x51mm NATO and other novel ammunition for the U.S. Army’s Next Generation Carbine Technologies (NGCT) program. This suite of ammunition utilizes a specialized alloy cartridge case allowing for elevated chamber pressures and a reduction in ammunition weight as compared to legacy brass-cased ammunition. These performance benefits deliver a significant increase in overall weapon system effectiveness for the NGCT program.

“We are a company committed to providing ammunition support to the U.S. military, as defined through our mission statement to ‘Build better ammunition in America, to create community, power defense, and conserve our heritage’,” said Jason Vanderbrink, President of Federal Ammunition. “We are extremely pleased with this prestigious contract award, as it validates the high level of trust the U.S. military has with our new and innovative products.”

“Our use of a proprietary high-performance alloy cartridge case will provide the U.S. Army NGCT Team with an excellent ammunition platform for evaluation of advanced Next Generation weapon concept performance. Program results will serve to inform the direction of future Next Generation weapon technology decisions for the U.S. Army,” said David Leis, Federal’s VP of Law Enforcement, Government and International Sales. “Ammunition products utilizing this specialized alloy cartridge case technology will be made available for commercial and foreign sales in the near future.” Read more

LEWISTON, Idaho –– MeatEater’s Steven Rinella relies on high-quality rimfire ammunition to put small game on his plate. That’s why CCI partnered with this renowned conservationist, author and hunter on an exclusive new line of ammunition, featuring CCI’s proven Copper-22, Mini-Mag and Maxi-Mag loads. Shipments of these new products have begun to arrive at dealers.

Copper-22 is constructed from a unique mix of copper particles and polymer compressed into an accurate, potent, 21-grain hollow-point bullet. The time-tested and proven Mini-Mag 22 LR offers peak velocities, and a proven, accurate copper-plated hollow point bullet design. CCI Maxi-Mag is one of the most accurate and fastest 22 WMR cartridges on the market. Its jacketed hollow-point bullet design transfers tremendous energy to the target on impact. All loads feature clean-burning propellants and reliable CCI priming to ensure the most consistent ballistics. Read more

ANOKA, Minnesota – July 29, 2020 – Federal Ammunition was recently given a new $13.8 million delivery order based on its contract awarded in 2017 by the U.S. Army. The order is for 5.56 NATO MK311 Frangible Ammunition, which is better known by ordnance code AA40. This military-grade, training ammunition has a 50-grain frangible bullet comprised of a non-toxic, copper and tungsten powder matrix core, and a gilding metal jacket. It disintegrates into small fragments on impact, minimizing over-penetration and ricochet hazards.

“One of the differentiators of AA40 is the use of Federal’s exclusive Catalyst primer. It’s a lead-free technology that provides the most reliable, consistent ignition possible,” said VP of Law Enforcement, Government and International Sales David Leis. “Unlike many other lead-free primer formulations, Catalyst primers have unique properties that allow them to be effectively and safely used in service ammunition. Catalyst primers have been used in hundreds of millions of rounds of ammunition delivered to military, law enforcement and commercial customers to-date.” Read more

July 2020 – Fiocchi, a global leader in defensive, target, and hunting ammunition, is pleased to announce plans for a significant investment in a new, independent manufacturing facility in Little Rock, Arkansas. This plan is part of an ongoing strategic initiative by Fiocchi of America and the Italy-based Fiocchi Group to expand its U.S. and international operations.

Establishment of the new industrial platform follows Fiocchi’s recent infrastructure and proprietary technology acquisitions — all of which are intended to significantly broaden the company’s manufacturing capabilities in response to increased demand and projected growth trends.

“We are excited to start this new chapter of Fiocchi’s history here in Arkansas,” said Anthony Acitelli, President and CEO for Fiocchi of America. “The plant is a state-of-the-art production facility that will be instrumental in offering our customers premium products and unparalleled service levels.” Read more

(Grand Island, Nebr.) — A specialized group from the U.S. Department of Defense has purchased an undisclosed amount of 300 Blackout 190 gr. Sub-X™ TAP® ammunition from Hornady® for close quarter operations.

Hornady 300 Blackout features a 190 gr. Sub-X™ (Subsonic eXpanding) bullet with patented Flex Tip® technology, specifically designed to expand at subsonic velocities yet meet FBI protocol.

This cartridge is loaded with a powder that is optimized to provide flash suppression, clean burning yet function in short barrel to carbine length rifles.

The 300 Blackout features proven Hornady bullets, specially selected cases, carefully matched powder and stringent quality control. Read more

Five New Kits Designed to Simplify Reloading Needs and Help Save Cost

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas –– RCBS, the leading manufacturer of ammunition reloading equipment for rifles and pistols, announced today it has commenced shipping of five new product kits designed to simplify the needs of both novice and professional reloaders while reducing cost.

The four new reloading kits plus one case prepping kit feature the essential equipment needed to begin common reloading projects. The new kits have been designed to save users both time and money by providing them with a well-rounded assortment of tools without the added hassle of purchasing individual pieces.

“As more people look to reloading to solve their ammunition needs, there is a growing request to help simplify the tools needed for those getting started or to upgrade their current equipment list,” said Will Hemeyer, Senior Product Manager for RCBS. “The newest kits from RCBS offer a considerable cost savings and were specifically designed to assist these reloaders by providing them with all of the essential gear they need while saving time in the process.”

New RCBS items available include the Rebel Plus Reloading Kit, the Rebel Master Kit, the Partner Reloading Kit-2, the Explorer Reloading Kit-2 and the Case Prep Kit. With prices ranging from $274.95 to $649.95, these kits help answer the needs from both entry level and expert reloaders alike.

Each of the kits is packed with premium RCBS items along with several new items released for 2020. The Explorer Reloading Kit-2 and Partner Reloading Kit-2 have been upgraded from earlier offerings to include the new 1,500 Grain Digital Pocket Scale for the most accurate measurements possible. The Explorer Reloading Kit-2 also contains the new Uniflow III Powder Measure which was designed with a single metering screw to accommodate both rifles and pistols while promoting consistent, reliable accuracy for any load needed. Read more

LEWISTON, Idaho –– The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has selected Vista Outdoor’s Speer Ammunition brand as the awardee for their 9mm Service Ammunition. CBP is one of the world’s largest law enforcement agencies and is charged with border security while also overseeing lawful international trade and travel. This is the largest duty contract won in company history and solidifies Speer as law enforcement’s number one choice of duty ammunition.

This single-award, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract is a Strategically Sourced contract for all DHS components and other federal agencies with a maximum value of $112 Million dollars. The ordering period is for a total of five years with product delivery commencing this August.

“We are proud to provide the highest quality duty ammunition to CBP officers charged with the monumental task of border security,” said Speer Ammunition President Jason Vanderbrink. “We know they require the best ammunition in their mission to protect our borders and keep the homeland safe. The use of Gold Dot technology in this contract ammunition ensures the highest performance threshold and absolute confidence in on-duty performance.” Read more