The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) has announced the acceptance of three new rifle cartridges for SAAMI standardization. The organization has been at the forefront of promoting firearm safety by creating standards that ensure safety, reliability and interchangeability of firearms, ammunition and components since 1926.
The trio of new cartridges include 7 mm Backcountry, which was introduced by Federal. Standardized with a 170-grain bullet, traveling at a velocity of 3,000 fps, maximum average pressure is 80,000 psi.
Hornady’s new .25 Creedmoor, with a a 134-grain bullet travels at a velocity of 2,810 fps and is rated at a maximum average pressure of 62,000 psi.
Also new from Hornady is the .338 Advanced Rifle Cartridge (ARC). Its 175-grain bullet travels at 2,050 fps and has a maximum average pressure of 52,000 psi.
SAAMI Standardization is no Simple Task
A new cartridge and accompanying chamber design can only be submitted for consideration by a voting or associate SAAMI member company. Velocity and pressure limits for a design are required to be tested in a facility equipped with SAAMI-compliant ballistics test equipment and measurement must be in accordance with the organization’s strict protocols.
In addition, the cartridge needs to be manufacturable and quality ballistic range reference ammunition available for testing or production. Armorers, gunsmiths and manufacturers also need proof ammunition to verify a firearm design’s ability to safely handle the cartridge’s pressure, along with dummy loads to ensure cycling of actions.
Once a new cartridge is submitted properly to the SAAMI Technical Office, documents are formatted to the organization’s standards and distributed to its entire Joint Technical Committee (JTC). It, in turn, has a minimum of three months to review, solicit input and ask questions.
Only after that deliberation is complete, to their satisfaction, does a vote take place. New cartridges endorsed by the committee then go on for approval by the SAAMI Board of Directors. Barring objections at the board level, the cartridge receives SAAMI-acceptance—like the trio above.
