Polymer Casings Could Mean the End of Traditional Brass

Polymer casings are up to 30% lighter than their brass counterparts, and they’re turning heads in the gun world.

A company named PCP is making a polymer-cased ammunition that’s seriously cutting down on the amount of weight that civilians and soldiers must carry. Cartridges can be up to a third lighter, meaning that commercial gun owners can carry more without worrying about fatigue.

Polycase Ammunition is hoping that their polymer and copper injection-molded bullets will make a dent in the armed self-defense marketplace. Their fluted bullets do considerable wound damage in tests, and could change the game in defensive ammunition.

The polymer and adhesive components of the cartridge aren’t only lightweight. They’re very accurate as well. The polymer makeup also lends itself to being much cooler in the chamber.

With prices comparable to other types of premium ammunition, consumers must decide between the future and the past. Plastics already play a large role in the makeup of gun frames in firearms currently being manufactured, so it remains to be seen if the benefits will transfer to ammunition.