Olin-Winchester developed a training cartridge a number of years ago that poses a serious threat to life if inadvertently used. Designated M862 for military purposes, this round can be easily confused with a marking cartridge. Further, it feeds, fits, fires and functions utilizing the 5.56 conversion kit that SIMUNITION manufactures for use with their reduced energy cartridges marketed as the FX Marking Cartridge, the CQT Target Cartridge and the SecuriBlank training blank. Note that SIMUNITION no longer makes the CQT round available under SIMUNITION branding due to the potential confusion by an end user that because the identical conversion kit is required for firing marking cartridges, that the CQT round is somehow suitable for Force on Force training. THIS IS NOT THE CASE. CQT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A LETHAL ROUND and is the subject of a different Safety Alert. To read that Alert, CLICK HERE.
The M862 munitions require a specialized bolt sold by Olin-Winchester called the M2 Training Bolt. This bolt utilizes a rebated rim bolt face, meaning that the rim on the M862 cartridge is slightly narrower than that of a conventional 5.56 round. When the M2 Training Bolt is installed in a weapon, conventional munitions will chamber but they will not fire since the rim profile precludes the cartridge head from seating against the bolt face and the firing pin will not reach the primer. Unfortunately for end users, Olin-Winchester utilized the identical concept that SIMUNITION used for “live round exclusion” on the M16 variants. This means that the M2 bolt will fire all of the cartridges manufactured by SIMUNITION and the SIMUNITION 5.56 conversion bolt will fire the M862.
Because of the potential for confusing the M862 cartridge with a marking cartridge, there is an EXTREME safety hazard with this ammunition.