SAAMI 2026 Ballistics Conference Registration Opens

Save the Date: Sept. 15–17

SHELTON, Conn. — The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute^® (SAAMI^®) has opened registration for its 2026 Ballistics Conference being held September 15–17 in Baltimore. The registration page can be reached through the SAAMI website, or via this link.

The final planned agenda is also posted to the Ballistics Conference page of the SAAMI website and will be helpful for those making their plans to attend.

This will be the sixth biennial SAAMI Ballistics Conference, and this year’s event coincides with a major milestone for SAAMI — the celebration of the organization’s 100^th anniversary.

The conference is designed to serve as a training workshop and discussion forum addressing a range of topics relevant to small arms ammunition and firearms design, ballistic laboratory/test facility operations, methods and related equipment and materials.

A two-day technical seminar and training course anchor the agenda, which also will feature a day for product demonstrations and a facility tour of the testing laboratories at Element U.S. Space & Defense.

Who should attend? The conference will be of special interest to small arms ballistic laboratory technicians, ammunition and firearm designers and test engineers, test facility managers and civilians, law enforcement and military who utilize the SAAMI standards in the manufacture or qualification of ammunition and firearms.

The SAAMI Ballistics Conference will run September 15–16 at the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court located in Baltimore’s scenic inner harbor. An optional site visit is scheduled for September 17 to demonstrate ballistic test equipment, followed by a visit to the testing laboratories of U.S. Element Space & Defense in Belcamp, Md.

Conference presentations will include:

• PCB Ballistic Pressure Sensor User’s Training and Practical Workshop
• Propellants — the science, selection and use considerations
• Legal considerations of test recordkeeping to mitigate product liability risk
• The FBI Terminal Ballistics Method
• Measuring pressures in next generation cartridge designs
• Advanced video analysis software

See the full agenda here.

SAAMI strives to keep its ballistics conferences pertinent to the sporting arms and ammunition and firearm manufacturing community. If there are specific topics you would like to see covered at this conference or future events, or if you are interested in presenting, please include that information with your RSVP or to provide those ideas directly to Alan Serven, SAAMI Senior Director of Technical Affairs, at [email protected].

Interested in being a sponsor of the SAAMI Ballistics Conference and having access to the highly targeted audience of attendees? Reach out to [email protected].

RSVP to [email protected] if you wish to receive further communications on this important industry conference.

Any other questions can be addressed to [email protected].

-30-

About SAAMI
The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, founded in 1926 at the request of the federal government, is dedicated to creating and promulgating technical, performance and safety standards for firearms, ammunition, suppressors, and their components, and is committed to being the preeminent global resource for the safe and responsible transportation, storage and use of these products.

________________________

Media contact:

The 2026 SAAMI Ballistics Conference

September 15-17, 2026

A 2-Day Technical Seminar and Training Course plus a range day for product demonstrations and facility tour of the testing laboratories at U.S. Element Space & Defense.

Presented by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, Inc.

OVERVIEW:  2026 will be the sixth biennial SAAMI Ballistics Conference. The purpose of the Conference is to serve as a training workshop and discussion forum addressing a broad range of topics relevant to small arms ammunition design, ballistic laboratory/test facility operations, methods, and related equipment and materials.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?:  The SAAMI Ballistics Conference will be of special interest to small arms ballistic laboratory technicians, ammunition and firearm designers and test engineers, test facility managers, and civilians, law enforcement, and military who utilize the SAAMI standards in the manufacture or qualification of ammunition and firearms.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP: The SAAMI Ballistics Conference will be held Tuesday, September 15 and Wednesday, September 16 in Baltimore, MD at the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court located on the scenic inner harbor. There will be an optional site visit on Thursday, September 17 to a local range to demonstrate ballistic test equipment followed by a visit to the testing laboratories of U.S. Element Space & Defense in Belcamp, MD.

The agenda for this year’s event is nearing finalization and includes presentations on:

• PCB Ballistic Pressure Sensor User’s Training and Practical Workshop.
• Building a Defensible Lead Testing Program.
• Propellants – the science, selection, and use considerations.
• Legal considerations of test recordkeeping to mitigate product liability risk.
• The US FBI Terminal Ballistics Method.
• Integrated Measurement for Ballistics & Firearms Dynamics.
• Challenges to Measuring Next Generation Ammunition Designs.
• Ballistic DAQ System Overview.
• Ballistic Pressure Sensor Calibration.
• The complete tentative agenda can be viewed here.

RSVP:  Please RSVP to [email protected] if you are interested in attending or wish to receive the further communications on this important industry conference.

ADDITIONAL TOPICS:  We are always looking to keep the Ballistics conference pertinent and valuable to the sporting arms and ammunition and firearms manufacturing community. If there are specific relevant topics you would like to see covered at this conference, or if you are interested in presenting, please include that information with your RSVP or to provide those ideas directly to Alan Serven, Senior Director of Technical Affairs at [email protected].

Any other questions can be addressed to [email protected].

SHELTON, Conn.— The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute,^® Inc., (SAAMI^®), has revised and updated its information publication, “Sporting Firearms: Safe Handling Considerations and Shipping Guidelines for Interstate Transportation.”

The publication, which can be accessed here, reviews general transportation regulations for both Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders and private citizens, common carrier restrictions, packing firearms for shipment and firearm safety.

The guidelines have been prepared by SAAMI to provide anyone concerned with the handling or shipment of sporting firearms certain basic and important facts about the subject. SAAMI notes that the statements and recommendations in the publication do not supersede local, state or federal regulations, or constitute legal advice.

“SAAMI regularly updates its publications to ensure it is providing the industry and the public with the most current, accurate information, in this case on the shipping of sporting firearms,” said Brian Osowiecki, SAAMI Director, Regulatory Affairs & Administration.

SAAMI is the organization at the forefront of promoting firearm safety by creating standards that ensure safety, reliability and interchangeability of firearms, ammunition, suppressors, and their components.

-30-

About SAAMI
The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, founded in 1926 at the request of the federal government, is dedicated to creating and promulgating technical, performance and safety standards for firearms, ammunition, suppressors, and their components, and is committed to being the preeminent global resource for the safe and responsible transportation, storage and use of these products.

________________________

Media contact:

SHELTON, Conn.– The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute,^® Inc., (SAAMI^®) will participate in the 2025 Conformal Ballistic Training in Buffalo, N.Y., on August 20 and 21.

Alan Serven, SAAMI’s Senior Director, Technical Affairs, will present on the new SAAMI American National Standard (Z299.6) for Suppressors for the Use of Commercial Manufacturers.

This standard covers the thread specifications for attaching suppressors (and other muzzle devices) to firearms, sound-reduction measurement and other design considerations such as stress testing and over-pressure testing.  Additionally, the presentation will delve into the statistical derivation of SAAMI pressure limits and discuss some common issues encountered in ballistic testing seen in the real world.

The Conformal Ballistic Training is a two-day exclusive training sponsored by PCB Piezotronics that will cover conformal ballistic testing in accordance with SAAMI Standards Z299.1 – Z299.4.  Learn more about the training session, including registration information, here.

SAAMI is the organization at the forefront of promoting firearm safety by creating standards that ensure safety, reliability and interchangeability of firearms, ammunition and components.

-30-

About SAAMI
The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, founded in 1926 at the request of the federal government, is dedicated to creating and promulgating technical, performance and safety standards for firearms, ammunition, suppressors, and components, and is committed to being the preeminent global resource for the safe and responsible transportation, storage and use of these products.

________________________

Media contact:

SHELTON, Conn.— The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute,^®Inc., (SAAMI^®), has issued the first “Voluntary Industry Performance Standards Criteria for Firearm Sound Suppressors for the Use of Commercial Manufacturers.”

SAAMI is the organization at the forefront of promoting firearm safety by creating standards that ensure safety, reliability and interchangeability of firearms, ammunition, suppressors, and their components.

“These new SAAMI suppressor standards have been eight years in the making and involved a great deal of research, testing and hard work by the SAAMI team and SAAMI member companies,” said Joe Bartozzi, SAAMI President and CEO. “Sound suppressors have become standard equipment for many firearm owners, and with more manufacturers producing these hearing-protection devices to meet consumer demand, SAAMI manufacturing standards were requested by industry.”

The “Voluntary Industry Performance Standards Criteria for Firearm Sound Suppressors for the Use of Commercial Manufacturers” contains thread and socket drawings, recommendations on how to communicate intended cartridge, minimum barrel length, maximum firing cadence and maximum rounds before required cooling, procedures and equipment required for suppressor sound measurement, measuring suppressor-to-bore alignment, testing for abusive mishandling, overpressure testing and stress testing.

-30-

About SAAMI
The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, founded in 1926 at the request of the federal government, is dedicated to creating and promulgating technical, performance and safety standards for firearms, ammunition, suppressors, and components, and is committed to being the preeminent global resource for the safe and responsible transportation, storage and use of these products.

________________________

Media contact: