The US Army Wants .338 NM AP, .300 NM Ball Ammo for Snipers

338 — The .300 Norma Magnum DRD Kivaari in action.

remington msr 338 norma magnum rifle — Former Army sniper—and the Remington Defense shooter who helped win USSOCOM’s PSR contract—Robby Johnson takes aim behind the MSR, which comes outfitted with an AAC Titan suppressor and a Schmidt & Bender 5-25X PMII scope.

remington msr 338 norma magnum rifle angle — Remington MSR

Last year, United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) released a solicitation for its Advanced Sniper Rifle system to replace its currently used Precision Sniper Rifle. The rifle is to be adaptable to fire 7.62mm NATO, .300 Norma Magnum and .338 Norma Magnum. The Army and Marine Corps are also reportedly considering adopting the latter two rounds. Adding fuel to that fire, US Army Contracting Command has issued a sources sought notice for the delivery and manufacture of the following cartridges for “precision sniper applications”:

.338 Norma Magnum (NM), XM1162, Armor Piercing (AP) Ammunition (DODIC: AC32)
.300 Norma Magnum (NM), XM1163, Ball Ammunition. (DODIC: AC33)

Sources Sought Notice Details

The FedBizOpps posting says the .338 NM AP and .300 NM Ball ammo will be made to “Government provided detailed specifications and accepted in Government specified test barrels.”

The Army is looking at awarding an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract spanning FY20 through FY25. In addition, the service says it wants to procure up to 2M of .300 Norma Magnum per fiscal year, and up to 1.2M for .338 Norma Magnum AP per fiscal year, at a rate of 150,000 per month and per cartridge type.

Interested parties are required to respond by 3:30pm EST today. Sources are required to submit their capabilities to produce a minimum of 1M of both .338 NM AP and .300 NM Ball ammo annually. If a source isn’t capable of producing both cartridges, they must “state which cartridges they are capable of producing,” the notice says.

The winner of the award will be chosen in Q1 of FY20.

USSOCOM’s Advanced Sniper Rifle

USSOCOM’s original solicitation for the Advanced Sniper Rifle provides a brief look at the desired specs:

ASR System specifics: The system must be adaptable to fire the 7.62mm NATO, .300NM, and .338NM cartridges. The system must have total system weight, less suppressor and with unloaded magazine, not to exceed 17lbs (T), 13lbs (O). Length with stock extended, less suppressor, not to exceed 50″(T), 40″(O), length for transport, by means of folding or collapsing shall be 40″ (T), 36″ (O). Accuracy shall be:

Configuration Precision
7.62 mm 1.0 MOA (ES) at 328 yards (300 meters) (T) 0.5 MOA at 328 yards (300 meters) (O)
.300 NM 1.0 MOA (ES) at 328 yards (300 meters) (T) 0.5 MOA at 328 yards (300 meters) (O)
.338 NM 2.5 MOA (ES) at 328 yards (300 meters) (T) 1.5 MOA at 328 yards (300 meters) (O)