On Wednesday, August 20, 2025, the Crane Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC Crane), under NAVSEA (Naval Sea Systems Command), signed on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract valued at up to 40,000,000 USD with Black Hills Ammunition Inc. to supply 6.5 mm Creedmoor (6.5×49 mm) ammunition for use by the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC).
Comparison of 6.5 mm Creedmoor ammunition with other cartridges. From left: .264 Winchester Magnum, 6.5×55 mm, 6.5×52 mm Carcano, .260 Remington, 6.5 mm Creedmoor, and 6.5 mm Grendel / Photo: Hellbus
The contract covers the delivery of 6.5 mm Creedmoor cartridge with a Special Ball Long bullet for long-range shooting, designated with the Department of Defense Identification Code (DODIC): AC58.
The five-year IDIQ (indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity) contract will expire in August 2030. Work will be carried out at the company’s facilities in Rapid City, South Dakota. The first funding installment of 968,348 USD, representing 2% of the framework agreement, comes from U.S. Navy and USMC ammunition procurement funds under the FY2025 defense budget, and these funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year (September 30).
The framework agreement is the result of a competitive tender based on the 100% small business set-aside principle. A total of six bids were received.
As for the applications of the 6.5 mm Creedmoor within the U.S. Navy and USMC, these primarily concern special operations units under U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). U.S. Navy SEALs use the FN Herstal MK 48 Mod 2 light machine gun variant introduced in 2020, while special operations units of both services, including MARSOC (U.S. Marine Forces Special Operations Command), employ Knight’s Armament Company M110K1 SASS (Semi-Automatic Sniper System) rifles.