The AAC ammo lawsuit question actually points to two unrelated companies that share the “AAC” initials. The wrongful death lawsuits making news target AAC Investments, LLC, the parent of Accurate Energetic Systems, after a October 10, 2025 explosion at its McEwen, Tennessee explosives plant killed 16 workers. The AAC-branded ammunition sold through Palmetto State Armory comes from a different company, JJE Capital Holdings, whose West Columbia, South Carolina plant is now idled and whose ammunition has drawn consumer quality complaints and one separate product liability suit involving a different manufacturer’s shotgun slug.
Two Companies, One Set of Initials
AAC Investments, LLC owns Accurate Energetic Systems, the Tennessee military explosives manufacturer at the center of the 2025 disaster. Its CEO is Wendell Stinson.1Fortune. Fatal Blast at Military Munitions Factory in Tennessee
The AAC ammunition brand is something else. JJE Capital Holdings, Palmetto State Armory’s parent company, bought the “Advanced Armament Company” name out of the Remington Outdoor bankruptcy in 2020 and used it for its ammunition division in West Columbia, South Carolina. The two AACs have no direct ownership link, though AES may have supplied energetic materials as a sub-vendor to the ammunition operation.2The State. AAC Ammo Closing West Columbia Plant, Laying Off Nearly 80 Workers
Wrongful Death Lawsuits Over the Tennessee Explosion
At about 7:47 a.m. on October 10, 2025, an explosion tore through Building 602 at the AES facility in Hickman County, Tennessee. Of the roughly 24,600 pounds of explosive material inside, an estimated 23,000 pounds detonated, deflagrated, or burned. The building was destroyed, debris flew more than 700 feet, and the blast registered as a 1.6-magnitude seismic event felt up to 15 miles away.3CSB. Accurate Energetic Systems Investigation Update All 16 workers inside were killed. One worker in a nearby vehicle was seriously injured, and six others reported injuries.4CSB. CSB Issues Investigation Update on Fatal Explosions at Accurate Energetic Systems
Within a week, the first wrongful death lawsuit was filed in Tennessee state court against AAC Investments. It was brought on behalf of the nine-year-old daughter of Jeremy Moore, one of the workers killed, through Cheyanne Towry as next friend.5WSMV. Wrongful Death Suit Filed on Behalf of Tennessee Explosion Victim’s Surviving Daughter6WBBJ-TV. Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Against AAC Regarding Explosion7WREG. Wrongful Death Action Filed on Behalf of AES Explosion Victim’s 9-Year-Old
In April 2026, attorneys for the families of victims Steven Wright and Reyna Gillahan sent AES a $150 million pre-litigation demand. AES rejected it, arguing that Tennessee workers’ compensation law is the exclusive remedy for workplace injuries. Attorney Darren Richie publicly criticized AES for providing families with a barbecue food truck event, a $50 Walmart gift card, and a T-shirt bearing their loved one’s image, calling the gesture insulting. Counsel said they planned to file a formal complaint and were considering additional defendants, including kettle manufacturers, distributors, the U.S. Department of Defense, and TOSHA.8WSMV. AES Sent Victim’s Family $50 Gift Card and T-Shirt in Wake of Deadly TN Explosion, Attorney Says9WSMV. Families of Victims of Fatal TN Explosion Demand $150 Million From Accurate Energetic Systems
What Was Happening Inside Building 602
Workers were running a “melt-pour” operation to make cast boosters, melting explosives in steam-jacketed kettles and pouring the material into tubes containing PETN detonator cores. According to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, workers had frequently observed debris in the demilitarized explosive materials being processed, including metal screws, nuts, rocks, and insects. Molten TNT is significantly more impact-sensitive than solid TNT. Building 602 had no sprinkler or deluge fire protection system.3CSB. Accurate Energetic Systems Investigation Update4CSB. CSB Issues Investigation Update on Fatal Explosions at Accurate Energetic Systems The CSB opened a formal investigation on October 27, 2025, and its work on probable cause, equipment design, and AES safety management remains ongoing.10CSB. Accurate Energetic Systems Fatal Explosion
The Plant’s Prior Safety Record
AES had documented safety problems before 2025. In April 2019, the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspected the plant and issued multiple “serious” citations tied to employee exposure to hazardous chemicals. Five employees had experienced central nervous system impairment after working in an area called the “Hot House,” where they handled powdered cyclonite, or RDX. Three of them suffered seizures shortly after their shifts.11WSMV. TN Plant Had History of Alleged TOSHA Violations, Employee Seizures
Citations covered failures to keep RDX off break room surfaces (including a table and a microwave), to warn employees about the chemical’s dangers, and to provide adequate protective equipment. Wipe samples from employee skin and break room surfaces tested positive for RDX. TOSHA initially sought a $7,200 fine. AES contested the citations, arguing that air tests showed RDX levels below safe limits and that the wipe sample amounts were “infinitesimally small.” A 2023 settlement had AES agree to safety improvements while TOSHA reduced the violations.11WSMV. TN Plant Had History of Alleged TOSHA Violations, Employee Seizures
The AAC Ammunition Plant Is Idled
If you were searching because you can’t find AAC ammo, here’s why. On December 1, 2025, SC Industrial Holdings, LLC (doing business as Palmetto State Armory) filed a temporary closure notice with the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce covering 78 employees at the AAC ammunition plant on Metropolitan Drive in West Columbia. Layoffs took effect January 30, 2026, and the facility entered a “cold idle” state.2The State. AAC Ammo Closing West Columbia Plant, Laying Off Nearly 80 Workers
The company blamed “catastrophic supply chain constraints of raw materials necessary for production,” specifically a gunpowder shortage. Primary powder suppliers had been redirecting energetic materials to military and government contracts, and the AES explosion in October 2025 removed critical capacity from the domestic energetics market, prompting regulatory scrutiny and safety stand-downs across the industry. The AAC facility could produce brass cases, copper jackets, and lead cores, but relied entirely on third-party vendors for powder and primers. JJE Capital Holdings said it planned to build its own gunpowder plant, estimating “about a year” to bring it online. As of mid-2026, no reopening date has been announced. Palmetto State Armory’s retail and firearms operations are not affected.2The State. AAC Ammo Closing West Columbia Plant, Laying Off Nearly 80 Workers
Consumer Complaints About AAC Ammunition
Separate from the lawsuits and the closure, AAC-branded ammunition made by PSA’s manufacturing arm has drawn quality complaints from users, particularly in 5.56 NATO and .300 Blackout.
Reported issues include overpressure rounds (sometimes called “hot loads”) with popped primers and excessive case expansion, cases cracked or visibly deformed straight out of the box, and extraction failures where spent casings become lodged in the chamber and require tools to remove. Some users reported stuck casings damaging bolt carrier groups and other firearm components. One user noted that .308 Winchester cases showed “significant flow around the ejector,” indicating abnormally high chamber pressure. There have also been reports of damage to suppressors.12Palmetto State Armory Forum. First Problems With AAC 5.56 55gr
Some forum users said earlier batches performed well and problems appeared in more recent production, pointing to possible manufacturing inconsistency. At least one user suggested some pressure issues might relate to bullet seating depth and rifling interference rather than a manufacturing defect. No class action or product liability suit over AAC-branded ammunition itself appears in the current record.
Howell v. Clever SRL, Et Al.
A separate product liability suit involving Palmetto State Armory sometimes gets pulled into the same search, but it does not involve AAC-branded ammunition. Jeffrey Howell, an Arizona resident, filed in federal court in Arizona, alleging that on May 3, 2022, he was loading 12-gauge “Blackwater Ammunition Heavy Hitter” sabot slugs into a Rock Island Armory pump-action shotgun bought from PSA when the ammunition detonated in the magazine tube as he racked the slide.13SC Lawyers Weekly. Palmetto State Armory Named in Lawsuit After Round Explodes
Howell claims severe injuries: degloving of his right arm, lacerations to both shoulders, chest, scalp, and left wrist, permanent hearing damage, and embedded metallic fragments. The suit names four defendants: Palmetto State Armory, Rock Island Armory, Blackwater Worldwide, and the online retailer that sold the ammunition. Blackwater Worldwide issued a recall for the Heavy Hitter 12-gauge sabot slug, acknowledging reports the round could detonate in tube-fed shotgun magazines. PSA owner Julian Wilson said the company had not been served with the complaint as of July 2024 and called the claims “frivolous,” noting PSA neither made the ammunition nor the firearm.14WIS-TV. Palmetto State Armory Customer Files Lawsuit, Alleges Ammunition Suddenly Violently Exploded