The U.S. Department of Defense on June 8 announced that Sig Sauer was awarded a $157,300,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the production of .300 Norma Magnum M1163 ball ammunition and .338 NM armor-piercing M1162 cartridges. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 7, 2027. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Newark, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.
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Sig Sauer is to deliver millions of .300 Norma Magnum M1163 cartridges and .338 NM armor-piercing M1162 cartridges to US SOCOM, namely for its new MG 338, now dubbed the Lightweight Machine Gun-Medium (LMG-M) (Picture source: Sig Sauer)
The .300 Norma Magnum, also known as .300 NM or "300 Norma" for short, is a centerfire magnum rifle cartridge developed by Swedish ammunition manufacturer Norma Precision. The .300 Norma Magnum uses a .338 Norma Magnum case necked down to the .30 caliber, named to differentiate it from the older .308 Norma Magnum designed in 1960 and has begun to gain popularity in the long-range shooting community. According to the official C.I.P. (English: Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives) rulings the .300 Norma Magnum can handle up to 440.00 MPa (63,817 psi) Pmax piezo pressure.
The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) chose the new Mk22 Advanced Sniper Rifle which will be chambered in .300 Norma Magnum (designated M1163) as well as 7.62x51mm and .338 Norma Magnum.
Here is what Long Range Hand Book had to say on the new cartridge decision: The 300 Norma Mag is based on the 338 Norma Mag case necked down to accept a .30 caliber bullet. It launches a 220gr .308 bullet at just over 3,000 fps. That’s 4,400 ft/lbs of energy! This cartridge is not to be confused with the 308 Norma Mag. The 300 Norma Mag really shines when it is shooting either the 230gr Berger Hybrid bullet – this bullet has an out-of-this-world 0.743 Ballistic Coefficient (BC)! (If you’re looking to learn about BC, check out Chapter 10 of the Long Range Shooting Handbook) When loaded up to 3,000 fps, this bullet from the 300 Norma Mag will stay supersonic out to 1,500 meters! This is as far as a much heavier 300gr SMK shot out of a 338 Lapua can make it before it goes subsonic! Even though the 300 Norma will only have 80% of the energy of the 338 Lapua at that distance with those bullets, it can still make it there accurately with considerably less recoil. Another benefit to the 300 Norma Mag is the overall length is shorter than the 338 Lapua Mag – it is effectively the same length as the 300 Win Mag".
The .338 Norma Magnum is a cartridge first introduced in 2008 and came into production in 2009, designed by Norma of Sweden. In May 2017, the U.S. Special Operations Command, in conjunction with the U.S. Marine Corps, issued a source sought notice for 5,000 Lightweight Medium Machine Guns (LWMMG) chambered for .338 Norma Magnum polymer-cased ammunition. The aim is to identify a machine gun with a 24 inches (610 mm) long barrel weighing 24 pounds (10.9 kg) or less, which offers sufficient accuracy out to 2,000 meters (2,187 yds) to engage area targets and vehicles. In 2019, the U.S. Special Operations Command awarded Barrett Manufacturing a $50,000,000 contract, ordering the Barrett MRAD chambered in .338 Norma Magnum as the Mk 22 Advanced Sniper Rifle (ASR). In 2020 the U.S. Special Operations Command awarded Sig Sauer a contract, ordering the MG-338 machine gun chambered in .338 Norma Magnum.
