NORTH BRANCH, NJ--(Marketwire - November 16, 2010) - Ultimate Training Munitions (UTM), a leading provider of weapon conversions and training ammunition for armed forces and law enforcement agencies around the world, today announced its Blue Magazine is now available for M16 and M4 rifles used by the military and various law enforcement agencies.
Designed with safety in mind, the UTM Blue Magazine is manufactured with internal components that will only accept UTM Non-Lethal Training Ammunition (NLTA): UTM's Man Marker Rounds, Reduced Velocity Rounds, Battlefield Blank Rounds and Silent Blank Rounds. Live, lethal ammunition is longer than UTM training ammunition and therefore can't be loaded into the magazine and then loaded into the weapon.
"As force-on-force training becomes more prevalent, it's critical that users and instructors can easily determine when a M4 or M16 rifle is in training mode. The magazine's blue coloring clearly indicates that the weapon is loaded with training ammunition," said Mark Meadows, director of sales and training for UTM and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel. "UTM is launching this product in response to troops and law enforcement professionals who've said they need a visual that clearly indicates when a weapon is loaded with training ammunition rather than live ammunition."
UTM's training ammunition system, which is currently part of the Army's Close Combat Mission Capability Kit (CCMCK) program, includes another important fail safe feature in its Blue Bolt conversion -- a 3mm offset firing pin. This patented feature prevents the denotation of live ammunition, M200 blanks or any other center-fired primer ammunition.
The new Blue Magazine has been shown through test results to be 99.9 percent reliable. The magazine is made of a plastic polymer, which is extremely durable and resists damage from repeated drops, rough handling and the rigors of realistic training. The material also prevents the magazine lips from causing feeding issues.
"For a relatively low-cost, soldiers and law enforcement professionals training with a M4 or M16 now have an absolute guarantee on fatality-free training," added Meadows.
The UTM Blue Magazine (cost: $15 US dollars) offers additional advantages. The magazine:
- Is designed with lifting rails, which prevent projectile damage on UTM training ammunition during the feeding cycle
- Includes a unique magazine floor plate that will not dislodge if the magazine is dropped but can be easily removed for maintenance
- Is a blue color to indicate that the weapon is loaded with only UTM Non-Lethal Training Ammunition (NLTA)
- Loads 30 rounds easily
UTM's 5.56MM magazine National Stock Number (NSN) is 1005-99-844-4108.
Editor's note: for high-res images of the UTM Blue Magazine contact Tracey Cassidy tcassidy@rosecomm.com
About UTM
Ultimate Training Munitions (UTM) is a leading provider of weapon conversions and training ammunition for armed forces and law enforcement agencies around the world. With headquarters in the United Kingdom and manufacturing facilities in England and the U.S., the company's patented products are designed to simulate realistic training to better prepare soldiers and law enforcement officers for their missions. UTM provides a complete training system solution for use with 5.56mm, 9mm, .357cal and .40 cal weapons. UTM offers man marker rounds (MMR), target bullet rounds (TBR) and blanks (SBR& BBR) for use in pistols, rifles, submachine gun (SMG) and selected machine guns. In addition, the company supplies safety and personal protection equipment. Products are available on the GSA schedule, contract number, GS-07F-5749P. For more information go to www.utmworldwide.com or email Mark Meadows, mark@utmworldwide.com.