Quote Originally Posted by browningautorifleicon View Post
He later stated it was OLD ammo. I don't blame the firearm, his ammo should never have been chambered. Who knows how that ammo was cooked before he got hold of it?
50 caliber SLAP ammunition was developed by the Marine Corps during the mid/late 1980s. The stuff was only finally type classified in 1993. How old could it be?

M903 Caliber .50 Saboted Light Armor Penetrator (SLAP)

Used by M2HB machine gun. The SLAP is used in combat against current and future light armored targets and Armored Attack Helicopters (AAHs). The M903 offers the capability to defeat these targets at ranges two to three times that of currently available ammunition.

Armor Penetration.
500 meters: 1.34 in (34 mm)
1,200 meters: 0.91 in (23 mm)

Projectile diameter: 0.30 inches (7.7 mm)

The cartridge consists of a heavy metal (tungsten) penetrator that is sabot-launched at a much higher velocity than standard rounds. The sabot, which is designed to break up at the muzzle to release the penetrator, must also survive the gun environment until launch. It is injection molded of special high strength plastic and is reinforced with an aluminum insert in the base section. The cartridge is identified by an amber sabot (Ultem 1000).

Type Classification: STD. Type Classification Date: 31-MAR-1993
Unit cost: $8.87 (Fiscal Year 2005)

A fixed price contract for initial production of 3.5 million rounds of 4/1 linked M903/M962 for the U.S. Marine Corps use was awarded 1QFY94. Contractor for this activity is Olin Corporation. Cartridges are being loaded, assembled and packed by the Winchester Division, East Alton, IL. M962 tracer projectiles are charged at Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP). Production of 0.6 million rounds for Army use began 2QFY96.

How many tons of WW2 cal 50 have we slung down range in training without trouble?. We did have the advantage of breaking the seals on the crates. We did not shoot loose rounds from shady sources.