$49.9M US Contract for 300 Winchester Magnum Ammo
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ATK subsidiary Federal Cartridge Co. in Anoka, MN received a $49.9 million firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for .300 Winchester magnum ammunition. Maximum quantity is 80,100 boxes of 480 rounds each, minimum is 117 boxes. This ammunition will be used by U.S. forces engaged in combat, and by the US Navy in Match Team competition.
300 Winchester offers longer range, better accuracy, and more hitting power than standard NATO 7.62 x 51 mm rounds. The MK248 MOD 1 cartridge grew out of the .300 Winchester Magnum Product Improvement Program…
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The .300 Win Mag PIP [PDF] aimed to improve the cartridge’s range from 1,200 yards to 1,500 yards, decrease the effects of wind on bullets in flight, and offer a reduced flash propellant that remained stable at temperatures from -25F to 165F.
The .300 Win Mag cartridge is already in wide production for competition use. As one might expect, Winchester 300 Magnum ammunition is equally popular with law enforcement specialty teams, and sport hunters like it, too. That popularity helps .300 Win Mag rounds offer considerable cost savings over the larger .338 Lapua round favored by other sniper systems like Britain’s L115A3. The other advantage is that the MK248 MOD 1 can be fired by snipers in the field armed with existing rifles.
D.E. Watters of The Gun Zone adds that .300 Win Mag is used in the Mk13 sniper rifle, another Remington 700 long receiver derivative that’s assembled from parts at NSWC Crane. The most recent version is the Mk13 MOD 5, which allows the use of the same sound suppressor as the Knight’s Armament Company SR-25/MK11 sniper rifle.
Meanwhile, there is movement within the Army to modify their Remington 700 derived M24 sniper system to .300 Win Mag, starting with individual units. Some Special Forces units have already made this conversion. The concept of wider .300 Win Mag conversions is now being explored by Picatinny Arsenal.
Work on this order will be performed in Anoka, MN, and will run until June 2014. Contract funds in the amount of $1.3 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with multiple proposals solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website. One offer was received by The Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division in Crane, IN (N0016409-D-JQ56). See also FBO solicitation.
Additional Readings
- US Army (May 15/09) – Snipers test rifle capabilities. The US Army is considering the MK13, or something similar, as a potential sniping option that would fit between the current M24, and .50 caliber sniping options. This would essentially mean that a .300 Win Mag rifle would step into the niche occupied by .338 Lapua rifles in other militaries.
