SAAMI Certifies First Composite Cased Round

Civilian shooters will soon have access to a commercial version of the 6.8 mm TVC cartridge that Texas-based advanced defense technology company True Velocity designed for the U.S. Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon program. The announcement came last week, immediately following a vote by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) board of directors to accept the new cartridge and publish its specifications.

The 6.8 mm TVC is a composite-cased cartridge offering significant weight reduction, improved accuracy and extended range versus comparable brass-cased cartridges. True Velocity introduced the 6.8 mm TVC cartridge for SAAMI certification at a maximum average pressure of 65,000 p.s.i. with a 135-gr. bullet at a velocity of 3,000 f.p.s. It is the first composite-cased cartridge accepted for SAAMI certification.

True Velocity plans to add the 6.8 mm TVC cartridge to a commercial lineup available direct to consumer on the company’s website, as well as at retail locations nationwide. The company is working with a growing list of preeminent rifle manufacturers—the likes of Daniel Defense, Beretta USA and Lewis Machine & Tool—to develop rifles or conversion kits for the 6.8 mm TVC cartridge. True Velocity will offer special ammunition subscriptions to customers who purchase these 6.8 mm TVC rifles and conversion kits, providing a discount off retail price and direct-to-consumer delivery.

True Velocity subsidiary LoneStar Future Weapons (LSFW) also plans to launch a commercial version of the RM-277 bullpup rifle it developed and submitted for the Next Generation Squad Weapon Program in conjunction with the military version of the 6.8 mm TVC cartridge. LSFW and True Velocity are currently one of two remaining contenders for the NGSW program.

“What we’re doing is putting the performance of the most advanced ammunition ever created for U.S. troops into the hands of discerning shooters who want to hit their target every time,” said Kevin Boscamp, CEO of True Velocity. “Without question, the future of shooting sports and performance can be found in our proprietary composite-cased rounds. SAAMI’s certification of the 6.8 TVC is further evidence of the adoption we are seeing for composite-cased ammunition.”

The 6.8 mm TVC round will be coming to major U.S. retailers in 2022 and will be available on True Velocity’s online store in the coming weeks.