Sig 6.8 Ammo - SIG Ammunition produced and delivered 825,000 rounds of 6.8x51mm composite case ammunition for the US Army's Next Generation Squad Weapons Program Prototype Test #2.
Last month SIG Ammunition delivered 825,000 rounds of their composite cased 6.8x51mm ammunition to the US Army for prototype test #2 of the Next Generation Squad Weapons program. This is in addition to the ammunition used for in-house development and testing in addition to previous deliveries as part of the program. All told, I'd guess they're approaching a million rounds of next-generation hybrid cased ammunition.
Sig 6.8 Ammo
The NGSW program will replace the 5.56mm M4 carbine and M249 squad automatic weapons with new rifles and automatic rifles at the squad level in close combat formations such as infantry and cavalry scouts. Other services are also monitoring the program to determine if they want to participate.
Sig Sauer P320
In addition to the ammunition mentioned above, the NGSW-AR Lightweight Machine Gun and NGSW-R Rifles, suppressors are also included in the program. Additionally, they are working with other vendor teams on dedicated fire control systems.
Ammunition is at the heart of this program. The military gave industry a 6.8mm projectile and a performance specification, but left it up to them how to deliver that projectile to the required performance standards.
Turns out, the performance they're looking for is the same as the 270 Win Short Mag. The speed required to achieve the desired effects for that 6.8mm projectile on target calls for much higher chamber pressures than 80,000 psi; Small arms were unheard of before.
If it is not enough that the ammunition is of a larger caliber than the one it replaces, it must also be at least 20% lighter. The SIG Ammunition hybrid design defeats that goal at 23.5% lighter than the weight of an equivalent energy cartridge (270 WSM). Below, you can see the hybrid case next to the traditional all brass cased ammunition.
The Sig P210 Origin Story
This is not a science project. The Army plans to resolve it by next year. While the engineering alone is daunting, industry should be able to actually produce ammunition and weapons, if they so choose.
The need has led to some interesting solutions. From an initial crowd of 16 industrial teams proposing different solutions, the Army narrowed it down to just three: SIG SAUER with their own hybrid cased ammunition with a brass body and steel head; General Dynamics-OTS introduces a recyclable polymer cased cartridge with True Velocity; And the Textron Systems case uses a telescope cartridge with a polymer case that completely surrounds the projectile and propellant, resembling a rimless shotgun shell. This slide shows all the candidate systems.
SIG is manufacturing this ammunition at its Jacksonville, Arkansas factory. Last fall, I had the opportunity to check out their operation. During the tour I saw commercial ammunition under contract for the US military as well as production of .300 WinMag ammunition and a new composite case round in 6.8x51mm for the NGSW program.
I will highlight their process for manufacturing composite cases during my visit. Over time, this may vary slightly due to regular upgrades in both processes and machinery. For example, when the cartridge case was first made, SIG used a three-piece design that included an internal aluminum lock washer to hold the head and case together. In the cutaway below you can see the washer in a three-piece design. Since then, they've refined it to a two-piece design that streamlines production and saves even more weight and cost.
Frozen Night Assault
The hybrid design not only reduces weight compared to traditional all-brass cased ammunition, but also has additional advantages. Steel heads also have plenty of strength where you need them, yet they retain a malleable brass case that performs well throughout the firing cycle. The way they build the brass case body means it's more uniform and they get an extra 200-300 feet per second of muzzle velocity from the same load compared to a traditional all brass case.
SIG Ammunition manufactures hybrid cases and complete rounds using the same type of machines used to manufacture all brass cased ammunition.
In this image you can see the traditional all brass 5.56mm case making process which is the lowest set in the image.
With a hybrid case (upper set of cases), the steel head is made separately and the case body and head are press-jointed. Otherwise, the procedures are the same as conventional bass cased ammo.
Spc Vs 6.5 Grendel: Ar 15 Caliber Comparison By Ammo.com
While SIG is working on their own primers, which are still a ways off, SIG uses commercial primers and propellants with government-furnished projectiles to create the 6.8x51mm next-generation ammunition.
Never fear. While this ammunition was developed for NGSW, SIG 277 is set to offer a commercial version known as SIG FURY.
SIG had planned to offer this ammunition to the consumer commercially since the inception of the NGSW program. "The thought of civilians not having access to a new military cartridge never crossed my mind," related Jason Imhof, director of ammunition engineering at SIG, during my interview.
SIG, working with the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI), went through the process of bringing the new cartridge to market in June 2019 when it submitted drawings and proof load information at the summer meeting.
Sig Fury: Sig Sauer Unveils New Caliber With Hybrid Case Design
Due to pressure from the Round High Chamber, the SIG had to work with SAAMI's Technical Working Group to develop new certification procedures. Despite the delay due to covid, the joint technical committee approved the technical data package.
Initially, the 277 SIG FURY will be offered as an alternative to the SIG cross bolt action rifle. In fact, Cross was developed using the 277 SIG Fury proof load. However, I wouldn't be surprised to see the MCX Spear offered for sale in 277 SIG FURY, a larger version of the MCX they developed for NGSW.
Jason Imhof also told me SIG doesn't plan to stop with the .277 variant. He predicts a 6.5 and possibly a .308 version of the SIG FURY that uses a hybrid case for higher velocities. Who knows where they will go after that.
Prototype Test #2 of the Next Generation Squad Weapons Program has already begun and the Army will soon decide which candidate system it wants to move forward with. Meanwhile, SIG will continue to refine its hybrid ammunition case technology and offer it to civilian and government customers alike.
Ammunition Size Chart
This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 27th, 2021 at 10:00 am and is filed under Advertiser, Ammo. You can follow any responses to this entry via an RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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