Pass the New Ammunition; There’s Plenty for Everyone on the Way!
by Gun Week Staff
Firearms without ammunition are like cars without gasoline. They may be nice to look at, but they’re not very useful beyond that.
This year, there are plenty of new ammunition entries covering all the bases, from personal defense to big game and bird hunting. It’s all being introduced at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas, Feb. 9-12.
Expect to hear plenty about Hornady’s (PO Box 1848, Dept. GWK, Grand Island, NE 68802; phone: 308-382-1390; on-line: www.hornady.com) new LEVERevolution ammunition, developed in cooperation with Marlin. This ammo family features the new Flex Tip Evolution bullet, with an elastomer Flex Tip which is pointed but can still be used in lever-action rifles with tubular magazines, specifically the new XLR series from Marlin. LEVERevolution ammunition is available in .30-30 Win. and .35 Rem., but will soon be offered in .444 Marlin, .450 Marlin and .45/70.
Hornady is also introducing a new 20-gauge SST shotgun slug, with a 250-grain .45-caliber bullet in a sabot.
Remington (870 Remington Dr., Dept. GWK, Madison, NC 27025; phone: 800-243-9700; on-line: www.remington.com) is adding to its Managed Recoil ammunition line, with a new .30-30 Win. round with a 125-grain Core-Lokt bullet.
There’s a new 20-gauge BuckHammer load with a 7/8-ounce slug clocking 1,275 feet-per-second (fps) from the muzzle.
Remington’s Premier Managed Recoil STS target loads in 12- and 20-gauge produce up to 40% less recoil with a 7/8-ounce charge.
Black Hills/Barnes
Changes have been announced by Black Hills (PO Box 3090, Dept. GWK, Rapid City, SD 57709; phone: 605-348-5150; on-line: www.black-hills.com) in the projectiles in several of their rifle cartridges. They are now loading many rounds with the Barnes Triple Shock bullet, including these loads: .25-06 Rem./100-grains; .270 Win./130-grains; 7mm Rem. Magnum/140-grains; .308 Win./168-grains; .30-06/180-grains, and .300 Win. Magnum/180-grains.
Black Hills is also now using the Hornady A-Max polymer-tipped bullet on five loads: 7mm Rem. Magnum/162-grains; .308 Win./155 or 168 grains; .30-06/155 or 168-grains, and .300 Win. Magnum/178-grains. For varmin-ters, Black Hills is now using the Hornady V-Max bullet on the .223 Rem. and .22-250 Rem.
Federal (900 Ehlen Dr., Dept. GWK, Anoka, MN 55303; phone: 612-323-2300; on-line: www.federalcartridge.com) has a brand new proprietary load in the Premium Vital-Shok family called the .338 Federal, designed in cooperation with Sako. It’s a necked-up .308 Win. case with either a 180-grain Nosler AccuBond, a 185-grain Barnes Triple Shock, or a 210-grain Nosler Partition.
Other Vital-Shok entries with the new 180-grain Barnes Maximum Range X-bullet are in .30-06, .308 Win., .300 Win. Magnum, and .300 WSM. Federal is also unveiling several Vital-Shok loads with the Barnes Triple Shock X-Bullet including .243 Win./85-grains; .308 Win., 30-06, .300 Win. Magnum, and .300 WSM, all with 165-grain bullets, and three 180-grain loads in .300 Weatherby, .300 H&H Magnum and .300 Rem. Ultra Mag.
There are also new Vital-Shok loads for handgun hunters, in: .357 Magnum; .41 Magnum; .44 Magnum; .454 Casull; .480 Rem., and .500 S&W.
Federal Premium’s Cape-Shok cartridges are all topped with Barnes Triple Shock X-Bullets in .375 H&H Magnum, .416 Rem. and .416 Rigby, .458 Win. Magnum, and .458 Lott. There are two new V-Shok loads in .22 Hornet—a 33-grain Speer TNT, and a 45-grain Speer softpoint.
For shotgunners come new 12-gauge, 2&Mac186;-inch lead loads for turkeys in the Mag-Shok FliteControl line-up with a 1&Mac251;-ounce shot load in No. 4, 5, and 6 shot sizes. There are two new Heavyweight FliteControl turkey loads with No. 7 shot in 3&Mac251;-inch 12-gauge magnum with a 1-7/8-ounce payload, and 3-inch 12-gauge magnum with a 1-5/8-inch charge.
You’ll also find a trio of Vital-Shok FliteControl 00 buckshot loads; one a 3-inch magnum and the other two in 2&Mac186;-inch shells. There are also new entries for sporting clays, and a new 40-grain AutoMatch .22 Long Rifle load.
CCI (2299 Snake River Ave., Dept. GWK, Lewiston, ID 83501; phone: 208-746-2351; on-line: www.cci-ammunition.com) is introducing a new rimfire load called CCI Select .22 Long Rifle with a 40-grain round nose lead bullet clocking 1,200 fps from the muzzle.
This year’s Winchester (427 N. Shamrock St., Dept. GWK, East Alton, IL 62024; phone: 618-258-2204; on-line: www.winchester.com) entries include a couple of 3-inch 20-gauge slugs, a Supreme Elite No. 4 turkey load in 3-inch and 3&Mac251;-inch 12-gauge, and two new 12-gauge loads in the Super-X Super-Pheasant line, a high-velocity 2&Mac186;-inch shell with 1-3/8-ounces of plated lead shot in Nos. 4, 5 or 6, and a 3-inch load with a 1&Mac249;-ounce payload of No. 4 steel.
For rifle shooters, Winchester is introducing a new ammunition brand, Supreme Elite. This round features a bonded core XP3 bullet, with loads in the following calibers: .30-06, .300 WSM and .300 Win. Magnum, all with 150- and 180-grain bullets; .308 Win./150-grains; 7mm Rem. Magnum and 7mm WSM, both with 160-grainers, and .270 Win. and .270 WSM, with 150-grain bullets.
There are also four new loads in .30-06, marking the 100th anniversary of that cartridge, all with 180-grain projectiles, including two loads in the Supreme family and two more in the Super-X series.
Winchester also offers a new load in .204 Ruger, with a 34-grain JHP Lubalox-coated bullet.
Dakota Ammo (PO Box 369, Dept. GWK, Sturgis, SD 57785; phone: 605-347-4544; on-line: www.corbon.com) made by Cor-Bon is introducing DPX Hunter ammunition in several popular calibers including .223 Rem./53-grain; .243 Win./85-grain, .270 Win. and .270 Weatherby, both 130-grainers; 7mm Rem. Ultra-Mag/160-grain; .300 Win. Magnum and .300 Weatherby Magnum, both 180-grains; .30-30 Win./150-grains; .30-06/180-grains; .308 Win./168-grains, and .45-70/300-grains.
There are five new rifle loads and four handgun rounds from Fusion (900 Ehlen Dr., Dept. GWK, Anoka, MN 55303; phone: 612-323-2300; on-line: www.fusion-ammo.com) this year. New rifle choices include: a 120-grainer in .25-06 Rem.; two 140-grain loads, one for the .280 Rem. and the other in 7mm08 Rem.; a 150-grainer for .300 WSM, and a 225-grain round in .338 Win. Magnum. For handgunners there are new loads in: .357 Magnum/158-grains; .41 Magnum/210-grains; .44 Magnum/240-grains, and .454 Casull/260-grains.
From Magtech (6845 20th Ave. S., Suite 120, Dept. GWK, Centerville, MN 55038; phone: 800-466-7191; on-line: www.magtechammunition.com) come several new entries including: the Featherweight .400 S&W, a softpoint weighing 325-grains with reduced recoil; a .223 Rem. load with a 55-grain FMJ, and one in .308 Win. with a 150-grain FMJ. In .45 GAP, Magtech has a 230-grain FMJ practice round, and there is a new 624-grain FMJ bullet for the .50 BMG rifles.
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