Even as the Biden Administration has seemingly stepped up efforts to shrink the supply of ammunition by imposing a ban on the importation of Russian-made ammunition, it seems where there is a demand someone will step up to meet it. That’s how and why capitalism works.
SAR USA Has a Plan
It might be a bit harder to find 7.62x54mmR ammo, especially if the stuff from Russia dries up, but the good news is that 9x19mm Parabellum – also known as 9mm NATO – shouldn’t be as hard to acquire in the coming weeks and months, as SAR USA is now importing Turkish-made, 124-grain FMJ (full metal jacket) loads with brass casings.
“This is an incredible opportunity to bring high-quality ammunition to new SAR firearm owners and a market desperate for it,” Todd Pearson, chief operating officer for SAR USA told the NRA’s Shooting Illustrated this week. “SAR ammunition is designed, engineered and manufactured to perform to the highest standards.”
SAR USA was formed in 2018 to be the exclusive importer and distributor for the Turkish-based Sarsilmaz Firearms Corp. While perhaps a new name in the United States, the company was actually founded in 1880 in what was then the Ottoman Empire, and today it remains the largest small arms manufacturer in Turkey.
SIM-X Marks the Spot for .45 ACP
The NRA also gave a shout-out to SIM-X Tactical Solutions, which first entered the market in 2013 to develop lead-free ammunition. The company had previously introduced its DEFENSECORE Ammo Line, which included 9mm and .40 S&W that featured the company’s patent pending synthetic-polymer core and propriety jacket.
As Personal Defense World reported last month, “Manufactured in the United States, the SIM-X DEFENSECORE ammo is 100% lead-free and utilizes patented smart-bullet technology. The SubMass core provides an 80% – 90% reduction in weight, compared to standard lead core ammunition. However, it still has equal or greater impact and tensile strength.”
In addition to the aforementioned 9mm and .40 S&W, the company recently introduced the .45 ACP loads.
“We do much more than manufacture and sell bullets,” William D. Reilly, CEO at SIM-X. “Our Sub-Mass technology and proprietary designs have allowed SIMX to make a dramatic leap forward in bullet technology as we work to innovate an industry and market long reliant on legacy products.”
True Velocity’s Composite Ammunition
The third company noted by the NRA was Texas-based True Velocity, which also has a unique story to tell. The Garland, Texas-based company has more than 250 patents pending or issued for its products, technology, and even manufacturing process. While a boutique-sized business compared to some of the larger operations, the company’s 75 employees have more than 200 years of combined military service but are also experts in manufacturing, engineering, and quality control.
True Velocity was truly on to something when it began to develop a composite cartridge, which it claims is a step toward the future of self-defense, hunting and sport shooting. Its rounds are 30 percent lighter than traditional brass-cased cartridges, which provide significant shipping and logistical cost savings – but more importantly also deliver improved accuracy, enhanced efficiency, and consistency.
The company recently began offering its .308 Winchester composite-cased rounds, and also announced a partnership with Virtus Ammo that will make the cartridges available at retail nationwide.
The efforts of these companies and others in the industry might just ease the demand for ammunition in the ongoing great ammunition shortage of 2021.
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He regularly writes about military small arms, and is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com.
