Taking Wing

Operating out of an old aircraft factory, First Breach impresses with its premium ammo, components and more.

Story by Phil Massaro
Photos by Massaro Media Group

In little-known Hagerstown, Maryland, housed in what was once an aviation manufacturing facility, you’ll find First Breach – a company dedicated to the manufacture of ammunition and reloading components. If that name doesn’t exactly sound familiar, you’re not alone, but First Breach might just be a more important part of a shooter’s day-to-day life than you realize.
My introduction to First Breach came through a phone call with Adam Edelman, First Breach’s director of marketing and business development, to discuss their ammunition. Very quickly I found out that their ammunition – which is excellent stuff, as you’ll shortly see – is only one small aspect of the company. Digging a bit deeper, I found that First Breach handles a number of duties that are integral to the shooting industry, with no signs of slowing down at all.

The company was founded by the father-and-son team of Jeffrey and Jordan Low back in 2018. But the path into the firearms/defense industry actually began several years prior. While serving in the Israel Defense Forces in 2014, Jordan Low and his squad were involved in a conflict with Hamas. A missile attack on the building his squad was occupying caused it to become engulfed in flames. Low got his squad to safety, at his own peril – the smoke inhalation cost him a six-week stint in the intensive care unit, with over 10 months of additional recuperation needed. Low finished his education, as well as his duty in the IDF, and knew he wanted to pursue a business in the defense industry. As a result, he and his father formed First Breach, named after the translation of the name of Low’s IDF unit.

FIRST BREACH CURRENTLY occupies roughly 80,000 square feet in that old manufacturing facility in Hagerstown, with plans to expand to nearly 200,000 square feet in the future. They are currently offering their Precision Series ammunition line, which features the .223 Remington and 5.56 NATO, both with a 55-grain FMJ match bullet, and the 9mm Luger, with either a 115-grain or 124-grain FMJ projectile. While First Breach purchases powder and primers (the latter being a temporary situation, until their primer manufacturing plant is online), all the other components are made on site; this includes cases and projectiles. And these components are offered to the buying public on the First Breach website (firstbreach.com).

As a connoisseur of ammunition, the first thing I noticed about the Precision Series of ammunition – and I had the 55-grain 5.56 NATO on hand for testing and evaluation – was the consistency. Grabbing for my digital calipers, I appreciated the uniformity of
the loaded ammunition. Overall length was extremely consistent, averaging 2.2310 inches, and primer seating depth seemed equally uniform. One means of observing component consistency in a loaded cartridge is to weigh them; there really shouldn’t be too much deviation in weight if the components are consistent. The Precision Series are impressively uniform in the weight department, with the deviation being only a few grains between the loaded cartridges.

Loading these up in an AR chambered for the 5.56 NATO, topped with a Leupold Mark 4HD 1-4.5x24mm scope, I got three-shot groups averaging just under ¾-MOA at the 100-yard target, with velocities averaging 3,078 feet per second. Extreme spread was just 25 fps, which for a gas gun is more than acceptable. First Breach also sent along some of their 9mm Luger cases and their 124-grain FMJ projectiles. I cobbled together a load using 5.2 grains of Unique and a Federal GM100M match-grade small pistol primer, and tested in a Ruger PC9 pistol-caliber carbine. The results were impressive, delivering three-shot groups measuring just over an inch at 50 yards.
First Breach also provides cups for companies wishing to draw their own brass cases, suitable for the 9mm Luger, .223 Remington/5.56 NATO, and the 7.62×39. Their brass cups go through rigorous inspections – using both laser sensors and high-pixel cameras – to ensure uniformity in both dimensions and composition. These cups are available in either 90/10 or 70/30 copper to zinc ratios. Both the Precision Series of loaded ammunition and the First Breach component cases bear the “FB USA” headstamp, and as a reloader I’d be hoarding this brass, as it is certainly of match-grade quality.

In the projectiles department, First Breach offers the 55-grain .224-inch-diameter FMJ match bullet, as well as a 62-grain variant, and in 9mm diameter, you have the option of 115-, 124- or 147-grain FMJ component bullets. The First Breach component cases are available in .223 Remington, 5.56 NATO, 9mm Luger and 9mm Luger +P; note that the necks and shoulders
of the .223 Remington and 5.56 NATO cases are properly annealed.

I HAD THE privilege of taking a video tour of the First Breach facility with CEO Jeffrey Low; it is nothing shy of impressive. From the sorting and scanning of the raw materials – raw brass and lead wire specifically – to the CNC machines used for production and quality control, First Breach is well thought out and efficient. Designed and constructed entirely by the First Breach staff, the facility takes full advantage of the old aviation plant, including filling in and reconstructing a freight elevator shaft, and utilizing some adjacent space to create an underground ammo testing range.

According to the good folks at First Breach, the 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington and 9mm Luger are the best-selling defensive cartridges on the market, and that’s where they intend to focus their efforts, working to supply the shooting public as well
as numerous governmental agencies. Though I’ve put in a formal request for bringing the venerated .45 ACP into the mix, I was informed that there is no guarantee of plans for that in the near future. Nonetheless, if you need a healthy supply of either 9mm Luger or the .223/5.56mm, give First Breach a try; I was very impressed with their products and would wager that you will be as well. ★