New Ammunition

New Ammunition - A quick look at new ammunition at the local gun shop near you.

By J. Scott Rupp, Payton Miller - Guns & Ammo Magazine

The big news here is sub-caliber. The .17 Remington Fireball--based on the .221 Fireball case--spits a 20-grain AccuTip-V bullet out the muzzle at 4,000 fps. It's claimed to be as flat-shooting as a .22-250 while burning 45 percent less powder. Another interesting new concept is .300 Ultra Mag Power Level ammo. Power Level 1 (a 150-grain AccuTip or Core-Lokt at 2,960 fps) approximates a .30-06. Power Level II (180-grain Core-Lokt Ultra Bonded or Scirocco at 2,960 fps) approximates the .300 Win. Mag/.300 WSM. Power Level III (200-grain Bonded A-Frame at 3,032 fps and a 180-grain Scirocco at 3,450 fps) is up at the top end of the .300 Ultra Mag specs.
Remington has a new Managed Recoil Copper Solid slug load that is claimed to have 40 percent less kick than the standard Copper Solid load. It's a 23?4-inch 12 gauge propelling a one-ounce slug at 1,200 fps. And for coyotes there's now a nontoxic load, the HD Predator, loaded with T-size pellets. Finally, Remington has a new 3-inch 20-gauge Nitro Turkey load featuring 11?4 ounces of extra-hard lead No. 5 shot at a muzzle velocity of 1,185 fps. www.remington.com, 800/243-9700

Every year we get the chance to call the gun, ammo and optics companies and cajole them into spilling the beans on what they have planned for the coming year. And believe us, it's not as easy as it sounds. But judging from what we got them to divulge, 2007 is going to a banner year for shooters looking to spend a few bucks. So dive in and start the New Year off right with a big 'ol wish list.

ATK
Fusion now has a 200-grain load for the .338 Federal that clocks 2,675 fps. Also in the Fusion lineup are three .45-caliber sabot loads designed for .50-caliber muzzleloaders. They include 240-, 260- and 300-grain offerings. Shotgun slug hunters should take note of three Fusion slug loads: a 3-inch 20 gauge featuring a 5/8-ounce projectile; a 3-inch 12-gauge load featuring a 3/4-ounce payload; and a 12-gauge 2 3/4-inch load, also propelling a 3/4-ounce slug. These sabot loads clock 1,900 fps at the muzzle.
The Federal Premium Vital-Shok line has shotgun slug users covered as well with two new loads using a Barnes Tipped Expander slug: a 2 3/4-inch 12-gauge that features a 3/4-ounce slug and a 3-inch 20-gauge load that features a 5/8-ounce projectile. Muzzle velocity for both loads is 1,900 fps. For handgun hunters, the Federal Premium Vital-Shok line now includes a smokin' hot new load for the .460 S&W--a Barnes-X, 100 percent copper, 275-grain projectile at 1,700 fps.

New Federal Premium Ultra-Shok Heavyweight nontoxic waterfowl loads combine high density with high velocity. We recently used them on a duck and goose hunt in Minnesota, and they absolutely crushed birds at extended range. Current 12-gauge loads in both 3- and 31?2-inch persuasion include Nos. 2, 4 and 6. On the rimfire ammo front, CCI's got a new .22 WMR load consisting of a 30-grain V-max bullet at 2,200 fps muzzle velocity., www.federalpremium.com, www.fusionammo.com, www.cci-ammunition.com
Hornady
Hornady appears to have the proprietary cartridge business pretty well in hand. First off, there's the new .30 TC, a short-action .30-caliber number featuring a 150-grain bullet at 3,000 fps. Look for more on this cartridge in our next issue.
Then, of course, there's the heralded Ruger .375 (see "Gun Notes" on page 22 for more details). And Hornady has gone and married its Lever Evolution concept to a hot new .30 caliber, the .308 Marlin Express www.hornady.com, 308/382-1390