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Frank Vallich

A Garland [tx] ammunition manufacturer is on the shortlist for part of a multibillion-dollar U.S. Army contract that could make its next-gen bullets [sic] a staple among soldiers and consumers alike. True Velocity, which makes lightweight bullets with polymer casing instead of brass, paired up with sister company Lonestar Future Weapons and defense contractor General Dynamics to bid on the massive Next Generation Squad Weapons contract that would replace the standard automatic assault weapons that Army soldiers use in combat... True Velocity and the General Dynamics coalition are competing against weapons titans Sig Sauer and Textron for the contract, and whichever company wins could become the leader in the future of ammunition, since future generations of military members would be trained on the product and use it in the field. There’s also the prestige that comes with being the Army’s preferred bullet choice. It would be a game-changer for True Velocity, which has developed a polymer cased bullet that makes ammunition 30% lighter and could save 20 pounds of weight for a fully equipped soldier. The company is capable of making about 58 million rounds of ammunition a year at its 80-employee, 66,500-square-foot facility. But the U.S. Army contract would require it to increase production exponentially. True Velocity’s leaders have a new area nearby picked out for expansion in anticipation of the contract... Using composites and plastic-like polymers has been a goal of firearms innovators for decades, but few have had any success until recently in containing the explosive forces needed to propel a bullet more than 2,000 miles per hour. True Velocity’s design uses a single piece of cartridge case made of lightweight polymer molded in and around a metal rim on the bottom. A brass [sic] projectile is still installed on the tip of the ammunition, making the bullet leaving the gun exactly the same as in previous generations. True Velocity’s ammunition made the cover of Guns and Ammo’s July 2018 edition with the headline “Is Brass Obsolete?” which the magazine later said was the best-selling issue of the year at newsstands. Sig Sauer and Textron are pitching their own futuristic ammunition to the Army. Textron is bidding with a “cased telescope” ammunition that puts the projectile inside a polymer cylinder, while Sig Sauer is making a “hybrid ammunition.” Both companies say their ammunition is significantly lighter than previous generations as well... Polymer does have advantages over older brass casings, too. It doesn’t heat up as easily and could save wear and tear on the gun. It can be manufactured with more precision to make the ammunition more reliable and more accurate. There are also health risks with excessive exposure to brass ammunition and manufacturing, True Velocity chief operating officer Chris Tedford said