U.S. Marines tested the new M1122 practice round for artillery training, exploring a cheaper alternative for the rising costs of the M795.

"This round could be beneficial to the Marine Corps because it's going to be a cost-saving initiative," Lt. Col. Mike McCarroll, operations officer for 10th Marine Regiment, said in a statement. "Artillery ammunition is expensive. This could help us acquire rounds at a third of the cost of the traditional M795 high-explosive projectile."

The new round was tested in a series of demonstrations, using several members of artillery and combat communities to analyze the results and provide feedback. The M1122 practice artillery round may be used by the II Marine Expeditionary Force as early as 2017.

"The M1122 practice round is built from recycled shell casings from the dual-purpose improved conventional munition round, which will be removed entirely from the inventory before 1 January 2019," McCarroll added. "We've recycled this round by taking out [some of the explosives] and filling it with concrete and from there we get to take advantage of having an efficient round at a lower cost for training than our current round."

The Marine Corps says training with the newer M1122 provides the same experience for Marines as the older M795, however the lower cost of the M1122 may allow for more training exercises and opportunities.