Categories
Ammunition

New Cartridge: 6.5 SOCOM

6.5 SOCOM Ammunition

PCP Ammunition will show its new 6.5 SOCOM cartridge at the 2018 SHOT Show according to information released by the company.

Although details about the new cartridge are scant, it would appear that the cartridge was designed for the new sniper rifle system that the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is exploring. Earlier this year, SOCOM indicated it was looking at 6.5mm cartridges for use in a semi-automatic snipe rifle platform.

Although the .260 Rem and 6.5 Creedmoor were mentioned in this Military Times article, a new cartridge that offered substantial benefits over existing ones could draw the attention of SOCOM. Those benefits would have to outweigh the known performance of the existing rounds, however. But weight may be one of the key factors in the search.

6.5 SOCOM CartridgeIn the same Military Times article, Major Aron Hauquitz said that SOCOM was also looking at developing polymer ammunition to reduce the weight carried by soldiers in the field. Since PCP Ammunition manufactures polymer cased ammo, it seems the company may be ideally suited to make a run at the sniper cartridge need.

Based on the limited information released by the company, the 6.5 SOCOM will indeed use a polymer case. So far, one load has been mentioned by the company, and it uses a 130 grain Berger Hybrid Tactical bullet. No information on velocity or other measurables was available at the time of this writing.

The cartridge will be paired with a new semi-automatic rifle called the GF-10 at launch. The rifle will be manufactured by Gorilla Firearms, a sister company to PCP Ammunition and Gorilla Ammunition. The GF-10 is designed as a lightweight AR-10 style rifle.

As additional information on the new cartridge and rifle come out, I will update this page. Thoughts on the 6.5 SOCOM are welcomed in the comments section below.

Categories
Ammunition

New Cartridge: 45 RAPTOR

Imagine a .460 S&W Magnum in a semi-automatic rifle. Now take a look at the very real 45 RAPTOR.

The new cartridge is essentially a rimless .460 S&W Magnum load. It offers a serious thump for hunting hogs and other game while fitting a standard AR-10 rifle. The rimless design matches the specifications of the .308 Win, which means a new barrel and slight magazine modification is all that is needed to run the cartridge.

Categories
Rifles

S&W M&P10 Selling Well – New Models Coming?

Smith & Wesson M&P10

In the most recent earnings call, Smith & Wesson indicated the new M&P10 rifles are selling very well.  As is typical for the company, S&W did not release any numbers for units sold or for how many are on backorder.  However, it seemed plain that the rifles are doing very well in the company’s line-up.