Shell Shock Technologies announced that its .50 BMG NAS3 ammunition passed live-fire evaluation in a belt-fed machine gun. Detroit Ammo performed the October 1, 2026 test on an M2Hb with 10 consecutive rounds that chambered, fired, extracted, and cycled correctly, completing the last major check before production.

Following small tooling changes, sample lots are slated for November 2026. Independent July 2026 testing by Vairog US found no primer or case failures over nine charge weights.

The nickel-stainless steel case provides 13.5 percent more internal volume than brass, generating about 280 extra feet per second at SAAMI pressures near 54,000 PSI, and at 33.7 grams weighs 40 percent less, reducing load by 46 pounds per thousand rounds.