During these ammunition-challenged times, it has never been more important to provide your customers with quality cartridges to top off their cherished firearms. This requires forethought and planning as ammo companies struggle to keep up with demand. And since modern big-game hunters are specialists in that they have a wide variety of preferences when it comes to the types of guns they shoot and the bullets they feed them, the challenge is to stock as many as possible — again, difficult during these trying times. Here are a dozen choices that will have your patrons grinning from ear to ear.
Armscor .308 Win. 165-Grain AccuBond
With a muzzle velocity of 2,500 fps, Armscor’s 165-grain .308 Win. AccuBond offering ($51.84/box of 20) is a great choice for a wide variety of big-game hunting applications. Through an exclusive bonding process that eliminates voids in the bullet core, AccuBond couples Nosler’s proven copper-alloy jacket with its special lead-alloy core. The result is a bullet that flies true, penetrates deep and retains its weight without causing extensive barrel fouling. Its unique white polymer tip resists deformation and initiates expansion on impact. Nosler’s Solid Base at the rear of the bullet acts as a platform for large diameter mushrooms. Arscor offers a wide selection of competitively priced ammunition and components for shooters who demand precise and dependable performance.
DRT .308 135-grain Terminal Shock
Dynamic Research Technologies’ .308 Win. 135-grain Terminal Shock ammo ($39.09/box of 20) utilizes the same powder core technology as its other Terminal Shock rounds, but with less cost to the consumer. The core is made up of a less expensive material, copper, but sacrifices very little when it comes to performance. The 135-grain bullet is very accurate but has a lower BC (ballistic coefficient) due to its length and lower SD (sectional density). DRT’s .30-caliber bullets are a great choice for hunting moose, bears, elk, deer and hog-sized game animals — delivering high performance at mid- to long-range with a muzzle velocity of 2,850 fps and 2,335 ft./lbs. of muzzle energy.
Federal Lever Action HammerDown
Federal Premium’s HammerDown hunting ammunition ($25.99-$61.99/box of 20) is designed for optimal cycling and overall operation in the time-tested lever-action rifle platform — providing the velocity and terminal performance required for effectively taking down medium-size and big game with traditional handgun cartridges such as .357 Mag., .327 Federal and .44 Rem. Mag. Designed for optimal performance in tube feed as well as side gate firearms, its modified case geometry eliminates feeding issues. HammerDown velocities are customized to produce superior ballistics and terminal performance through lever-action barrel lengths, and the construction of its molecularly bonded soft-point bullets has also been adjusted for the best accuracy and expansion at those velocities. HammerDown is available in the most popular lever-action cartridges.
Fort Scott Munitions .308 SCS TUI Brush Hog
Fort Scott Munitions .308 TUI Brush Hog ammo ($48.74/box of 20) features a solid copper match-grade bullet engineered to tumble upon impact to provide devastating stopping power and is precision machined and loaded with the utmost care within tight tolerances for dependable accuracy. Upon entry into soft tissue, the TUI projectile begins to tumble, causing a high degree of energy transfer and massive internal damage. And hunters can enjoy the freedom to pursue wild hogs, deer and black bears with these solid copper-spun bullets where lead ammo is prohibited. With its tumble-upon-impact technology, Brush Hog ammunition is also a good choice for personal and home defense.
Grizzly Cartridge .300 Win. Mag.
When it comes to magnum rifle cartridges, there aren’t many that match the versatility of the .300 Win. Mag., and Grizzly Cartridge has three new loads ($44.99-$69.99/box of 20) for a wide variety of hunting situations. The Grizzly 180-grain Nosler AccuBond Spitzer leaves the barrel at 3,200 fps and is a great option for hunting elk, deer and other big-bodied game — its bonded-core, soft-point bullet retaining much of its weight on impact. Looking for a little more velocity? Grizzly’s 165-grain and 150-grain offerings — 3,275 and 3,350 fps respectively — produce stellar long-range hunting performance. Each round is carefully loaded in the USA under the strictest guidelines.
Hornady Dangerous Game Series
From InterLock SP-RP to heavy-hitting DGS and DGX bullets, each Dangerous Game series load from Hornady ($96.99-$179.99/box of 20) is topped with a deadly projectile designed for optimum terminal performance. The Interlock Spire Point-Recoil Proof bullet is designed to eliminate the problem of tip deformation for improved accuracy and trajectory. The DGS non-expanding bullet’s tough copper clad steel jacket provides maximum penetration from all angles on thick-skinned and heavy-boned dangerous game animals. DGX Bonded bullets are built to the same profile as the corresponding DGS bullets but expand to 1.5 to 2 times their diameter. They feature a copper-clad steel jacket bonded to a lead core to provide limited, controlled expansion with deep penetration and high weight retention.
HSM 6.5mm Creedmoor Low Recoil
Considering the plethora of MSRs now chambered for the popular 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge, HSM Ammunition has engineered a 6.5mm Creedmoor Low Recoil variant ($37.99/box of 20) that reduces felt recoil by 47 percent — perfect for recoil-sensitive shooters. It features standard weight-for-caliber 140-grain bullets with no compromise on impact, expansion or weight retention. To attain this, HSM partnered with a world-renowned bullet manufacturer in developing this proprietary bullet, with a distinct HSM orange ballistic tip. Premium cases and primers combined with a “secret” blend of temperature-tolerant powders drives those bullets to a muzzle velocity of 2,335 fps and generates 1,695 foot-pounds of energy for peak performance out to 250 yards. Low Recoil ammo is available in six other big-game cartridges.
Nexus Ammunition .300 Win. Mag. Match Grade
Adopted as a favorite by a wide range of hunters, target shooters and LE/MIL snipers, the .300 Win. Mag. is an extremely versatile long-range cartridge, capable of anchoring any big-game species on the North American continent ($57.99/box of 20; $579.90/case). The Nexus Ammunition Match Grade .300 Win. Mag. 220-grain cartridge utilizes Sierra’s Match King HPBT projectile and is optimized for medium- to long-range shooting in the wide array of hunting rifles that chamber this popular cartridge. With a ballistic coefficient of 0.629, it generates a muzzle velocity of 2,870 fps and 3,709 ft./lbs. of energy.
Sierra 6.5 Creedmoor GameChanger
Sierra has expanded its popular GameChanger ammunition lineup with the addition of the 6.5 Creedmoor ($44.99/box of 20) topped with its 140-grain Sierra GameChanger bullet — delivering top-shelf accuracy and bone-punching terminal performance, all packed in a precisely tuned cartridge. Sierra’s GameChanger ammunition is the result of more than 70 years of designing world-class bullets. Each GameChanger round utilizes the new Gamechanger bullet design that incorporates features from other types of Sierra bullets, resulting in a unique and enhanced product. It features a synthetic tip to maximize ballistic coefficient and increased jacket wall thickness to ensure deep penetration. This special bullet style gives users a true all-purpose bullet design for a wide application of hunting situations.
Sig Sauer Subsonic .300 BLK Tipped
Sig Sauer’s subsonic .300 BLK ammunition ($34.95/box of 20) features a yellow-tipped, 205-grain lead-core bullet designed for explosive expansion and exceptional accuracy — using the same single-base extruded powders as Sig Match Grade rounds, ensuring consistent muzzle velocity and insensitivity to temperature change. Optimized for the AR-15 platform, .300 BLK Tipped Hunting ammunition is engineered to allow hunters to load 30 rounds in a 30-round magazine and have the cartridges feed properly using a stepped-down bullet design with a shouldered ogive that keeps bullets from hitting the ridges of the magazine. This load is ideal for use with a suppressor, greatly reducing sound signature and muzzle flash. Muzzle velocity is 1,000 fps and muzzle energy is 455 ft./lbs. from a 16-inch barrel.
Weatherby 6.5 WBY RPM
Weatherby’s 6.5 WBY RPM cartridge ($59-$79/box of 20) is based on a lengthened version of the .284 Winchester. It has a rebated rim, making it compatible with standard .30-06 bolt faces and reloading equipment. However, the large body diameter, low body taper and 35-degree shoulder mean that case capacity is greatly increased, leading to higher velocities. In addition, bullet innovation in the 6.5mm category is highly efficient, with less drop and wind deflection than many heavier calibers. All of these details culminate into an accurate cartridge that delivers 1,500 ft./lbs. of energy at 500 yards. The Weatherby 6.5 WBY RPM comes in three bullet choices — 127-grain Barnes LRX, 140-grain Nosler Accubond and 140-grain Hornady Interloc.
Winchester/Browning 6.8 Western
Winchester Ammo and Browning have teamed up to introduce the 6.8 Western, a long-range hunting and shooting cartridge offering magnum performance with a modern high-BC projectile chambered in a short-action rifle for a shorter bolt-throw and reduced weight ($38.99/box of 20). The 6.8 Western was designed from the ground up as a long-range cartridge capable of excelling in any big-game hunting situation and a great fit for marksmen who enjoy long-range target shooting. With heavier bullet weights than the 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC and .270 WSM, it provides highly effective downrange energy, even at longer ranges — more than the 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC and 7mm Rem. Mag. with less recoil than the .300 WSM, .300 Win. Mag. and .300 PRC.
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