One Case, Ten Trays: How the Universal System Covers Your Whole Safe
· Forward Point Industries
Buy storage one calibre at a time and you end up with a cupboard full of half-empty boxes. The Universal Tray Insert System takes the opposite approach: ten trays, one case, and enough coverage that most shooters need two or three of them for everything they own.
The trick is the base, not the calibre
Cartridges are named after the bullet, but what has to fit the pocket is the widest part that goes in: the case head, rim or belt. That's why a .243 Win and a .30-06 Sprg sit in the same tray despite one throwing a 6mm pill and the other a 30-cal: both are built on a 12.01 mm case head.
Group by that number instead of by calibre and 119 charted cartridges collapse into ten pocket sizes. One tray covers a shelf of different boxes.
The ten trays
| Tray | Capacity | Built for |
|---|---|---|
| .22 LR / Rimfire | 360 rounds | .22 Short, Long and Long Rifle, .17 Mach 2 |
| Varmint | 160 rounds | .223 Rem / 5.56, .222 Rem, .204 Ruger, .22 Hornet, .300 Blackout |
| Pistol — Small Bore | 135 rounds | 9mm Luger, .380 ACP, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, 5.7x28 |
| Pistol — Mid Bore | 126 rounds | .40 S&W, .357 SIG, 10mm Auto |
| Pistol — Large Bore | 104 rounds | .45 ACP, .45 Colt, .44 Magnum, .44 Special, .41 Magnum |
| Hunter | 104 rounds | .308 Win, .243 Win, .270 Win, .30-06, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08, 7.62x39 |
| Rimmed Lever | 104 rounds | .30-30 Win, .444 Marlin, .38-55, .32 Win Special |
| Magnum | 94 rounds | .300 Win Mag, 7mm Rem Mag, 6.5 and 7mm PRC, the WSMs, .303 British |
| Big Bore | 76 rounds | .338 Lapua Magnum, .45-70 Government, .416 Rigby, .500 S&W |
| 12 Gauge | 48 rounds | 12 ga shells from 2½" to 3½" |
Capacity climbs as the base shrinks, because smaller pockets sit closer together on the same 207 × 138 mm footprint. Every tray drops into the same Tactix Tough Case, so swapping families is a matter of lifting one out and dropping another in.
Working out which one you need
Measure the widest part of the base of your case (rim, belt or head, whichever is largest) and match it against the bore diameters on the Calibre Compatibility Guide, which lists every calibre each tray takes. Choose the next size up if you land between two.
A few cartridges sit outside the system: .17 HMR, .22 WMR and .17 WSM are too wide for the rimfire pocket, so use a Sleeve Case cut to calibre instead.
Where a universal tray stops being the right answer
Honest limitation: a pocket that has to accept every base in its family is sized to the largest one. If you shoot a cartridge at the small end of its group, the round will stand square and won't roll, but it won't be gripped the way a calibre-specific pocket grips it. For most people that's a fair trade for one tray instead of five. If you shoot a single calibre in volume and want a tighter index, tell us which one. Dedicated trays are part of what we do.
Two ways in
- Universal Tray Insert System: the tray on its own, dimensioned for a Tactix Tough Case (Small) you can pick up at Bunnings.
- Complete Case: tray and hard case together, ready to load.
Precision 3D-printed and manufactured in Australia. Running something unusual? Send us the cartridge and we'll confirm the fit before you order. Custom configurations are available on request.