Deer and other big-game hunters—and even .22 rimfire small-game chasers—have plenty of reasons to be excited about the latest ammo advancements for 2016.
After you’ve found the right gun, taking the time to find the right ammo can make you deadlier in the field, especially when seeking optimum performance for a specific game animal. What are some of the coolest new concepts in ammunition for 2016? To find the answers, Team HuntStand was among the more than 64,000 industry professionals who attended the 38th Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show held in January in Las Vegas. There we found some lethal choices aimed at big game, and even a few designed to revolutionize rimfire hunting.
Browning BXR Rapid Expansion
Deer hunters know that a bullet with fast expansion creates devastating wound channels, ensuring your quarry doesn’t go far. The BXR Rapid Expansion ammunition was designed specifically for all types of deer- and antelope-sized game with a bullet tip that ensures high downrange velocity and energy retention. On impact the copper matrix tip fragments, leaving a large expanding hollow point that opens and mushrooms back rapidly. This bullet will flatten most deer on impact, making sure your dream buck has no chance of escaping. It will be available in seven deer-specific calibers and bullet weights. MSRP $28 to $30 per box of 20.
Federal Power-Shok Copper
If you’re looking for a lead-free option in big game ammunition Federal Power-Shok Copper offers uncompromised performance with an accurate hollow-point bullet. The value-priced cartridges offer accuracy matched with performance, with the trusted quality of Federal brass, primers and powders. The copper-alloy bullet expands quickly and holds together to create large wound channels. Power-Shok Copper will be available this year in most popular hunting calibers. Copper is a great option for any hunter looking for performance, or those faced with lead restrictions. MSRP $34.
Winchester M-22 Subsonic
There are lots of reasons to utilize quiet ammunition for your favorite .22 caliber handgun or rifle. Whether the goal is less spooking of game, or to have your plinking be less-obtrusive, Winchester’s new M-22 Subsonic is a quiet option for both avid plinkers and hunters. Specifically designed for semi-automatic firearms, M-22 will work, and be quieter, in any .22 caliber gun. The 45-grain lead bullet has the same energy as a full velocity 36-grain rimfire product. Not only does it measure 129 db from an unsuppressed rifle, and just 116 db from a suppressed gun, it also has reduced muzzle flash. With the growing demand for quieter shooting options the M-22 is designed to deliver. MSRP $10/box for the 100-round pack; about $60/box for the 800-round pack.
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Hornady Precision Hunter ELD-X Bullets
Similar to the shields on the space shuttles, Hornady Precision Hunter ELD-X bullets are tipped with a special heat-defying tip to ensure they travel as true as possible. Aerodynamic heating occurs as a bullet travels at high speed, often causing changes in shape. If a bullet keeps its tip form, it will travel with stable flight, and provide optimal ballistic coefficient. Hornady’s new match-accurate hunting loads use the ELD-X bullet to maximize ballistic potential. On impact, the bullet tip drives back through the bullet, creating a large mushroom for energy release and knockdown power. When mixing downrange energy, bullet weight retention and the accuracy of a match-grade cartridge, you’ll know why the new ELD-X is in the Precision Hunter line. MSRP $43 to $127 depending on caliber.
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Eley High Velocity Hollow Point .22
At the last Summer Olympic Games in London, England, 14 of 18 medalists were shooting Eley ammunition. After dominating the Olympic market, the company is now offering speedy .22 caliber high velocity hollow point ammunition for hunters targeting small game. Eley uses an oxidization process to blacken the brass case, optimizing the time the bullet sits in the case while the propellant and primer burn. The result is a 40-grain bullet with a muzzle velocity of 1,250 fps and 139 ft./lb. of energy. Bullets are lubricated with paraffin to help sustain velocity of 1,088 fps at 100 yards. The special processes and lubricants simply mean better speed and hitting power for your standard rimfire cartridges. MSRP: $10.
