True Velocity polymer case ammo

[M1A]

Has anyone used this polymer cased ammo.
Available at Cabela's in 5.56 and 7.62 x 51. $$$$
An interesting interview with Tucker on Fox Nation.

 

[pasound]

Polymer case? At possibly 56,000 psi? I don't think that is a good idea at all.

 

[GBertolet]

It's supposedly pretty good ammo. Not cheap or reloadable. Designed for military, as the ammo weighs less, so a soldier can carry more, and it does not transfer heat well, so in high rates of fire , the gun does not get as hot. They do have a steel case head internally.

 

[DWalt]

While polymer cased small arms ammunition might have some theoretical advantage in military applications, the Army has already decided against the idea in the NGSW selection process, and TV is now out of the running. I can see absolutely no reason to justify why any civilian would want to spend almost $4/round only to get imaginary benefits over brass-cased ammunition. It’s simply crazy.

 

[stansdds]

While polymer cased small arms ammunition might have some theoretical advantage in military applications, the Army has already decided against the idea in the NGSW selection process, and TV is now out of the running. I can see absolutely no reason to justify why any civilian would want to spend almost $4/round only to get imaginary benefits over brass-cased ammunition. It’s simply crazy.

Well, there is a sucker born every minute and that might be the target market.

 

[cmj8591]

True Velocity began producing polymer cases when the Army started to look for a replacement for the M4 and the M249. It's not a new concept. The Army has been using them for training rounds for years. This was an attempt to field them for general use. They actually held up well and did well in the trials. I think they were part of the General Dynamics submission. That's just my memory and I could be mistaken about that. Ultimately, the army chose the 6.8x51 in the Sig platform. They have already begun to field the NGSW version to replace the SAW. The 6.8x51, or 277 Fury for the civilian version, is a hybrid case with a steel head attached to a brass body. It operates at an ungodly pressure of 80000psi. It will be interesting to see how the new guns hold up in everyday use. To get back to the polymer cases, the main advantages are lighter weight and less transfer of heat into the upper receiver. Neither of which is a big deal to a guy banging away at the range on a Saturday afternoon. It is a big deal when your trying to figure out how you're going to get a half million rounds on a cargo plane without going over weight. Of course True Velocity is trying to get a return on their investment by selling to civilians. I don't think they will be very popular. It might be a good idea to buy a box and put them in your ammo collection. I don't think you have seen that last of military use of a polymer case. Don't be surprised if you see them being used for applications that have a high rate of fire.

 

[DWalt]

Polymer cased ammunition has been around for a long time. It’s called shotgun shells.

 

[cmj8591]

Polymer cased ammunition has been around for a long time. It’s called shotgun shells.

These are completely plastic. There is a steel insert at the base but it is encased in plastic. When I was shooting trap, a couple of guys fooled around with these. They reloaded just like a regular shotgun shell but they really had nothing to offer over normal shotgun shells.

This is a polymer 50 BMG round. It is a training round that is used in a M2. The normal bolt and recoil spring are replaced with a special bolt. They are fairly accurate out to around 100 yards. Their purpose is to have an under power round to train in places where there is not enough room for a regular range. As you can tell by the red tip, it is also a tracer. Visually, he case isn't much different from the True Velocity case except for the bullet. I've also seen them in 5.56 but I don't have one. The headstamp is 1988.

 

[mauser9]

Great thread. Four bucks a round ya say??!! Much worse than I thought. Price of traditional brass center-fire ammo in many calibers bad enough as it is. No thanks!

 

[Goblin]

I’ve been waiting for a sale, since I’d like to have a box for my collection.

 

[venomballistics]

These are completely plastic. There is a steel insert at the base but it is encased in plastic. When I was shooting trap, a couple of guys fooled around with these. They reloaded just like a regular shotgun shell but they really had nothing to offer over normal shotgun shells.

This is a polymer 50 BMG round. It is a training round that is used in a M2. The normal bolt and recoil spring are replaced with a special bolt. They are fairly accurate out to around 100 yards. Their purpose is to have an under power round to train in places where there is not enough room for a regular range. As you can tell by the red tip, it is also a tracer. Visually, he case isn't much different from the True Velocity case except for the bullet. I've also seen them in 5.56 but I don't have one. The headstamp is 1988.

I remember the activ stuff.
They did seem to be able to offer a little more on the upper fringe of the load range. Good for your special collection stock, but no advantage in trap whatsoever.

 

[DWalt]

The first all-plastic shotshells I remember were called Wanda, made by someplace in Houston. I have a full box of them. I think they date from the early 70s. The plastic used is very rigid, I think polycarbonate. It used a plastic top wad that snapped into place, and the shells came in different colors for different gauges. They could be reloaded by using something to remove the fired primer and a shot and a powder measure. I think they lasted only a few years on the market. Our friend Herter’s also sold all-plastic shell cases, I seem to remember that they had a conventional crimp closure. And then there were Activs. I actually fired quite a few boxes of those back in the 1980s and I seem to remember that I even reloaded some. I may even have some of those Active reloads somewhere. There were also some European brands of all-plastic shells but don’t remember much about them. There were also all-plastic case .38 Special cartridges made by U S. Ammunition Company. I have a few specimen pieces and some advertising material. They also didn’t last long.

 

[Skeet 028]

The Herter's came in 2 types...as you said a type of polycarbonate and another that had the over shot wad that was supposed to spin off. It clicked in place. I was a distributor for Activ. They made a very good shell. The straight shape internally and the very low basewad in the case required their own wads for good reloading. Lots of room in them. Originally they were a fair bit cheaper than the big 3 but they were trying to buy their way into the market which was doomed from the start. They died an agonizing death at the last. There was another all plastic besides Wanda... the ECLIPSE. Was a good factory load. cases did not last too long...not much longer than Fed papers and they REQUIRED a proprietary wad that was extremely tapered at the base. I told a "friend" not to load Win AA wads in them as they would be over pressured. He didn't listen and blew a barrel on a Winchester 12 ga Model 21. Split the forend too. I also have a sample of a 12 ga plastic shotshell I have never found the name of. I should post a pic of it. Someone here may know of it
Have to add I too have samples of the US ammunition. both loaded ammo key chains made with the cases some bullets that clicked in place...and I may still have one of the plastic loading tools

 

[DWalt]

The USAC cartridges required a special bullet design in order to reload them. And they did snap into the case. They also sold a simple tool for depriming, repriming, and bullet seating. However if you wanted to reload the cases, you had to buy the special design USAC bullets. I believe they were copper-plated lead. I don’t remember for sure, but I think the few rounds I have used white plastic cases. I remember only .38s, but there may have been other sizes available.

 

[Skeet 028]

Only ones I ever had were 38s I also got a box of 500 of the click in bullets. copper/brass plated bullets for sure. I used 'em up in 38 special loads years ago. All the stuff I got except the bullets and the little loader were give aways sales samples. I loaded some in the white plastic cases. They didn't last many loadings...seem to remember 5 or so. Got the ones I have from Ron Shirk's in Lebanon Pa. He had 'em on his desk as samples. Think they were boxes of 10

 

[Green Frog]

I drank the Activ Kool Ade that promised good life for reloads. I was kinda bummed when I had a round or two out of twenty five split on the first firing… that’s the factory load, not even one reload! I wrote them off as a bad idea, and went back to Double As.

Froggie

 

[s&wchad]

USAC offered plastic cased handgun ammo decades ago. The cases didn't require resizing and were easily reloadable. They did require proprietary bullets and weren't a commercial success.

 

[cmj8591]

USAC offered plastic cased handgun ammo decades ago. The cases didn't require resizing and were easily reloadable. They did require proprietary bullets and weren't a commercial success.

They literally put the "hand" in handloading.

 

[robvious]

anyone remember trounds... those are weird

 

[Skeet 028]

I thought I remember seeing 45 auto and possibly some 44s. Been a long time since I got the darn things. I bought new stuff from Shirks quite often. I got a Kimber Super America BGR in 25-06 at a tent sale up there. Just brought them out and it was introductory CHEAP.