Dear
Industry Partner
The 9x39 cartridge has gained renewed interest in the U.S. market, but its long-term growth is constrained by the lack of a consistent and enforceable technical standard.
Through our development and testing work at Roswell Manufacturing Industries, we have documented substantial variation among ammunition, barrels, chambers, and tooling currently marketed as “9x39.” These differences—originating from multiple legacy sources including Russian military, commercial export, and CIP-derived variants—have resulted in incompatibility, reliability issues, and avoidable risk to both manufacturers and end users.
The Purpose of 9x39 US
The purpose of the 9x39 US specification is to establish a single, practical, and repeatable baseline for U.S. manufacturing—covering ammunition, chambers, barrels, and critical components—so that products from different suppliers can be safely and reliably used together.
In informal discussions with the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI), it has been indicated that the existing 9x39 cartridge configurations would not be expected to pass their formal standards review process. This is due not only to the wide technical variation among existing 9x39 specifications, but also to the fact that the cartridge is of Russian origin and was never developed within, or aligned to, a modern U.S. commercial standards framework.
As a result, an industry-driven and technically defensible U.S. specification is currently the most realistic path to interoperability and market stability for this caliber.
Roswell Manufacturing Industries is fully willing to work directly with any manufacturer seeking to develop or bring to market 9x39-based ammunition, weapons, and components under the 9x39 US standard. We have already supported multiple companies in testing, validation, and product introduction across the 9x39 ecosystem.
We are also working hand-in-hand with Roswell Rifle Works on the upcoming U.S.-manufactured SR-3M-pattern rifle program, ensuring that the firearm platform, chambers, magazines, and ammunition are engineered and validated around the same 9x39 US baseline.
+Benefits for Manufacturers
Reduced Liability and Warranty Exposure
A defined chamber and dimensional baseline materially reduces customer-induced failures, unsafe combinations, and post-sale disputes.
Repeatable Tooling and Inspection Processes
A shared standard enables common gauges, chamber reamers, projectile diameters, and inspection methods across suppliers.
Platform Maturity and Investment Confidence
Firearm and component manufacturers are far more willing to commit engineering and production resources when a caliber is clearly standardized.
Supply-Chain Stability
A U.S.-controlled specification removes reliance on fragmented foreign legacy data and inconsistent reverse-engineered drawings.
A Collaborative, Non-Proprietary Ecosystem
The 9x39 US standard is intended to enable the industry—not restrict it—by giving all manufacturers a neutral technical baseline on which to build.
Available Today
To directly support manufacturers adopting the 9x39 US standard, Roswell Manufacturing Industries currently offers:
- 1Certified GO / NO-GO gauges
- 2Chambered barrels, reamed blanks, and finished barrels built to the 9x39 US specification
- 3AK-pattern 9x39 magazines
- 4Active development and validation of AR-pattern 9x39 magazines
Our objective is to make it practical and economical for manufacturers to bring compliant 9x39 ammunition, weapons, and components to market without duplicating years of tooling and validation work.
“A unified 9x39 US standard allows the industry to grow the platform together—safely, predictably, and sustainably—rather than continuing to fragment an already complex caliber.”
Ralph Infanti
CEO, Roswell Manufacturing
CEO, Roswell Rifle Works
Ready to Collaborate?
Join the growing number of manufacturers adopting the 9x39 US standard.