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Posted: 1/3/2016 12:19:33 PM EDT
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I can't find much information about this round, and the FCSA forums aren't really up yet. What bullet does this round use (the olive green bullet), and does anyone have anymore information on the round? Thanks. |
| It's a modification of the French PPI Anthena bullet, but with a zinc core instead of hardened steel core. It also deletes the "wasp waist" profile of the PPI bullet, going with a more traditional bullet profile. As the PPI design is noted for it's core extending out the top half of the bullet, a short, cup-like, copper jacket only, just enough jacket to engrave the rifling, the M1022's zinc core needed a coating of some type to prevent oxidation, hence the olive drab colored lacquer-like coating. That finish also acts to identify the load over any other .50 BMG round. The design was directed towards a "match grade" bullet (MOA groups) and a ballistic match to the Mk211 (aka 'Raufoss'). Specified to be COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf, NO R&D work), it still took the Army over 10 years to come to fuition. Last I heard it's dead, the requesting/funding agency gave up financing it due to length of time to field what was supposed to be a COTS item. |
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Quoted: It's a modification of the French PPI Anthena bullet, but with a zinc core instead of hardened steel core. It also deletes the "wasp waist" profile of the PPI bullet, going with a more traditional bullet profile. As the PPI design is noted for it's core extending out the top half of the bullet, a short, cup-like, copper jacket only, just enough jacket to engrave the rifling, the M1022's zinc core needed a coating of some type to prevent oxidation, hence the olive drab colored lacquer-like coating. That finish also acts to identify the load over any other .50 BMG round. The design was directed towards a "match grade" bullet (MOA groups) and a ballistic match to the Mk211 (aka 'Raufoss'). Specified to be COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf, NO R&D work), it still took the Army over 10 years to come to fuition. Last I heard it's dead, the requesting/funding agency gave up financing it due to length of time to field what was supposed to be a COTS item. Thanks for the information! Have you ever seen these for sale anywhere, can we buy them, or even the bullets? |
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The only way you'll ever get one is if a collector that has one sells it. Not many were made and imported, I as Keith were lucky enough to get one.
I actually got an AP round also from another collector. It's to bad the military never picked them up, the rounds are far superior to what Lake City makes. A guaranteed MOA ball, AP... off the shelf ammo isn't something you see offered by a manufacturer. |
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You can ask Keith, he might know someone who has one for sale.
Keep an eye on Gun Broker, problem is that everyone else does also. In the past year I haven't seen any Athena or XM1022 rounds posted. The only other contender that came close was TTI Armory. HSM bought all their stock and sold it, finding a true TTI round is another issue. I don't think I have an extra, I'll look but I have the two and a box of others was traded away for other collectable .50 rounds. |
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Quoted: You can ask Keith, he might know someone who has one for sale. Keep an eye on Gun Broker, problem is that everyone else does also. In the past year I haven't seen any Athena or XM1022 rounds posted. The only other contender that came close was TTI Armory. HSM bought all their stock and sold it, finding a true TTI round is another issue. I don't think I have an extra, I'll look but I have the two and a box of others was traded away for other collectable .50 rounds. Thank you for all the information. I would love to sit down over a beer or two and pick your brain one day.  |
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We're drifting a bit, so let me go deeper into the issue.
The XM1022 was the project that led to the M1022. ONE of the designs submitted for consideration during the XM1022 phase was the PPI/Anthena, which got modified as the project developed. So the final M1022 isn't the exact same as the PPI/Anthena, it's a derivative. But the PPI/Anthena wasn't the only contender submitted for consideration during the XM1022 phase. Winchester had an entry too. That one was significantly different than the PPI/Anthena. The WCC design was a solid brass "fairly" flat base, "fairly" similar to the traditional .50 BMG bullet profile, and had an open tip, not for expansion, but to reduce the forward located weight of the bullet, an effort at shifting the center of gravity rearward in the bullet. (Hornady has accomplished the same with their AMAX bullet, but using an aluminum tip to extend the bullet length without adding too much weight in the nose.) The two XM1022's, PPI/Anthena and WCC, didn't look anything like each other. When the Anthena/PPI derivative was selected as M1022, Winchester scrapped their XM1022 ammo/projos and HSM reportedly ended up with them, loading some for sale on the commercial market. I doubt they have any left. Now TTI figures in here only in that they had a solid brass bullet that looked virtually identical to the WCC/HSM design. As far as I know, it wasn't part of the XM1022 project, just a similar looking bullet. I've never had anyone confirm any connection between the TTI load and WCC/HSM. Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. To my knowledge, it's an open question. So I don't want anyone to conclude that the TTI load was somehow related to the selected M1022, or even an XM1022, without that question being answered. Now to make things MORE confusing, TTI and HSM loaded their solid brass open tip projectiles using new Winchester factory primed brass, so the loaded round looks identical to the original WCC XM1022 round. Only headstamp dates are the give away to differentiate WCC XM1022 from HSM and TTI variant loads. |
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Not certain but if I had to guess, Keith would have a good idea. Probably using a solid or AMAX loaded round.
At one time AAA- Ammo did supply the military with match grade ammo. There was some speculation to that back in the day on Biggerhammer. The owner posted a copy of the order and told the haters to fuck off! I think Lost River Ballistics did but never heard for sure. As a certain person connected to the company had a huge falling out with most of the Biggerhammer community. If anyone it's either Hornady, Winchester or a small company loading a lot of ammo for them. Then again you never know, they always go with the lowest bidder. I don't think Lake City loads match rounds on their presses. |
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