Today's innovative leaders in ammunition manufacturing turn to Ecomass frangible projectiles to deliver safer, nontoxic lead free training ammunition.

Frangible Ammunition and Green Bullets

Frangible ammunition is designed to powderize upon impact with hard surfaces to prevent ricochet risks and improve safety during close-quarters combat. Frangible ammunition represents the first viable revolutionary change to firearms science in the past 100 years. Perhaps more significantly, frangible ammunition has become a huge player in the ammunition industry as it offers a lead free alternative to traditional lead rounds. Frangible bullets are not made from a lead projectile covered with a copper jacket, but rather are produced with composite materials of tungsten, copper, or tin utilizing an injection molding or powder metallurgical production process.

Thanks to EPA regulations, state regulations, and military goals, traditional lead ammunition is being phased out for “green bullets,” which National and World Practical Shooting Champion Todd Jarrett calls the “bullets of the future.” Expanded regulations issued by the Environmental Protection Agency have forced the closing of the country’s last bullet-producing lead smelter—a facility operated by Doe Run company in Herculaneum, Mo.—as of Dec. 31, 2013. To date, two dozen states, including California, have banned bullets made with the soft but toxic metal. Additionally, the military has announced plans to phase out lead bullets entirely by 2018. Given the direction of federal and state regulation and the military’s goals, experts agree that lead bullets will be all but phased out within a few years to be replaced by green bullets.

Ecomass Lead Free Frangible Projectiles

One of the first and most significant applications of Ecomass High Gravity Compounds to date has been in the production of nontoxic lead free projectiles. Originally developed as lead free training projectiles for military and law enforcement personnel, our tungsten and copper based composite materials are ideal for indoor ranges and close-quarters combat training. The use of Ecomass lead free frangible projectiles injection molded with either copper-filled or tungsten-filled compounds in small caliber rifle and handgun frangible ammunition improves safety and eliminates the risk of lead contamination at firing ranges. Moreover, our frangible projectiles are produced using a highly controlled injection molding process able to meet the strictest of tolerances to ensure repeatable performance with full function and reliability. Our projectiles have passed strict ballistic performance testing by the military and by many of the world’s leading ammunition manufacturers and are a 100% ballistic match to lead based projectiles at 25m for pistol ammunition and 100m for rifle ammunition. We are continuously refining and improving our composite materials and are developing new formulations to satisfy additional projectile and ammunition designs and applications. To date, Ecomass Compounds have been utilized successfully as frangible projectiles for the following programs:

• Military training ammunition projectiles (5.56mm)
• Military training ammunition projectiles (9mm and 40 cal)
• 40mm door breaching grenade projectiles for law enforcement personnel

Our innovative lead free composite materials combined with the production advantages of the injection molding process have allowed us to develop and produce superior quality, frangible projectiles. We are committed to continuously improving and refining our technologies to stay at the cutting edge of lead free frangible ammunition technology and to allow us to continue to supply you with “the bullets of the future.”

Contact us today, or fill out our RFQ Form, to learn more about how our frangible projectiles can be used in your ammunition application. Or, check out our case studies page to learn how our lead free composite materials have been used successfully as a lead free frangible projectile for our customers.