Modern Day Marine 2023: Nammo MAC to boost ammo production

Nammo MAC displays its .50-calibre polymer-cased ammunition at Modern Day Marine 2023 in Washington, DC. (Janes/Marc Selinger)

US-based ammunition provider Nammo MAC plans to double its production capacity “over the next couple of years” to meet growing demand, according to a company official.

MAC will implement the expansion by adding machines and staffing at its factory in Bay St Louis, Mississippi, which is about 60 miles (97 km) northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana, said Joe Gibbons, MAC's manager of government programmes. Founded in 2007, MAC produces “millions” of rounds a year and employs about 42 people, Gibbons told Janes on 28 June at Modern Day Marine 2023 in Washington, DC.

MAC is also looking at making undisclosed “improvements” to its main product, which serves .50-calibre weapons, and adding several more calibres to its portfolio, Gibbons said.

MAC makes polymer-cased ammunition, which is lighter than traditional metal-cased ammunition. Its customers include the US Marine Corps, US Special Operations Command, and the Belgian and Polish armed forces. Some of its customers have donated MAC ammunition to Ukraine's military.

Despite increasing demand for MAC's products, Gibbons does not expect metal-cased ammunition to disappear anytime soon. Replacing all the equipment that makes metal-cased ammunition would be cost-prohibitive, he added.

While weight savings is the main benefit of MAC's ammunition, users have discovered other advantages, including that it fires more quickly from recoil-operated guns and reduces wear and tear on weapon parts, according to Gibbons. “It's just easier on the gun,” he said.

Nammo, MAC's Norway-based parent company, made its initial investment in MAC in January 2018 and became the majority shareholder in January 2019. It announced in February 2021 that it had purchased the remaining shares from the founders.