KNOWLEDGE CLOSE AT HAND

NSSF’s SHOT University™ Online is a one-stop e-learning platform for firearm retailers and ranges. On-demand and free for NSSF® members, this new library of interactive online courses provides a deep-dive on critical topics ranging from compliance and regulatory issues to operational guidance and business improvement for both business owners and employees.

FOR RETAILERS:

• Planning for an ATF Inspection

• Standardizing Operating Procedures

• Inventory Management

FOR RANGES:

• Road Map for Range Safety and Health

• Addressing Lead at Ranges

• Marketing Your Training Programs and more!

Federal Premium

Federal is rolling out a long list of cutting-edge new ammunition products, including new High Over All competition shotshell loads for 20-gauge, 28-gauge, and .410 firearms. Like the 12-gauge version, which is already helping top trap, skeet, and sporting clays shooters collect titles across the country, HOA sub-gauge ammunition utilizes hard high-antimony lead shot and Podium one-piece wads for consistent patterning and performance. Also new is HEVI-Bismuth, which is loaded with 9.6 g/cc bismuth pellets sourced from Federal’s partner HEVI-Shot. HEVI-Bismuth is 22 percent denser than steel shot.

Federal Premium is offering a single new rimfire option for 2023: Punch .22 WMR. Following on the heels of Punch .22 LR, this ammunition is designed and tested to offer the ultimate .22 personal-defense ammo option and is stringently tested for premium performance and reliability. The nickel-plated lead-core bullet reaches velocities of 1,000 fps from handguns with two-inch barrels and up to 1,800 fps from rifle barrels.

The 30 Super Carry is a good option for personal defense, and this year Federal Premium is offering Punch 30 SC ammo. Punch bullets feature skived jackets and soft lead cores that promote expansion and energy transfer, and the high-quality brass and sealed primer insure consistent ignition.

New centerfire rifle offerings include Federal Premium Gold Medal Centerstrike. Utilizing sleek, proprietary OTM bullets, this ammunition is specifically designed for shooters who want to stretch the effective range of their .308 Win., 6.5 Creedmoor, or .223 Rem. target rifles to the max. Federal’s new Varmint & Predator JHP and Champion JSP 5.56x45 loads offer excellent performance in 5.56 rifles at an affordable price point, and Federal’s new ELD-X centerfire rifle loads feature Hornady ELD-X tipped hunting bullets combined with Federal powders, primers, and brass. (federalpremium.com)

Fiocchi

Italian ammunition manufacturer Fiocchi is planning to substantially increase their footprint in the U.S. ammo market. Fiocchi’s facilities in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Ozark, Missouri, are churning out lots of excellent ammunition, and the company has a number of new loads designed for American hunters and shooters. For those who pursue big game there’s Knock Down, which offers all-copper projectiles with a hollow-point design for maximum energy transfer and shock. Knock Down will be available in eight popular loads from .243 Win. to .300 Win. Mag. Also new to the centerfire rifle ammo lineup is Hyperperformance Hunt ammunition, which is loaded with premium SST, Scirocco, Varmint Grenade, and GameKing bullets in calibers from .223 Rem. to .300 Win. Mag. New to Fiocchi’s Range Dynamics line this year are a 5.7x28 35-grain jacketed frangible load and a 4.6x30 3.8-grain tipped hollow-point offering. Fiocchi has long been known for their high-quality shotshells, and this year the company is offering hunters and shooters a long list of innovative new products for every discipline and game species. New Speed sTEAL ammo is available in 12-gauge 2¾ loads of either No. 4 or No. 6 premium steel at a velocity of 1,415 fps, perfect for bagging teal zooming past your blind during the early season. For all-purpose waterfowl hunting, Fiocchi’s Golden Bismuth is a great option, and in addition to their 12- and 20-gauge offerings the company now has a 28-gauge Golden Bismuth 3-inch load that fires 15⁄16th ounce of premium bismuth at 1,350 fps, a low-recoil load that works well even on large ducks like mallards and gadwall. More areas are requiring non-toxic shot for upland hunting, and Fiocchi’s Field Dynamics Upland Steel loads are the perfect option. Available in 12 gauge and loaded with 11 8-ounces of steel shot (No. 4 or 6), this ammo is suitable for birds or upland game even in areas where lead is still legal. Lastly, your turkey hunting customers will find Fiocchi Golden Turkey TSS to be a great choice. The 12- and 20-gauge and .410 options from last year carry over, but this year Fiocchi is offering a 3-inch 28-gauge TSS turkey load with 11⁄16 ounces of No. 9 TSS shot. This load has the potential to greatly extend the lethal range of 28-gauge gobbler guns while reducing the amount of recoil needed to cleanly kill a big tom.

(fiocchiusa.com)

HEVI-SHOT

The big news from HEVI-Shot is the launch of their HEVI-Metal Xtreme non-toxic shotshell ammunition. These stacked loads are comprised of 30-percent HEVI-XII 12 g/cc pellets and 70-percent steel inside a FLITECONTROL FLEX wad. The tungsten shot is three sizes smaller than steel, ensuring consistent and reliable downrange performance. HEVI-Metal Xtreme is available in either 12- or 20-gauge 3-inch versions with your choice of either No. 6 tungsten and No. 3 steel or No. 4 tungsten and No. 1 steel. HEVI-Shot is also expanding their sub-gauge ammo offerings with the introduction of eight new 28-gauge offerings, including two new 3-inch HEVI-18 TSS Turkey loads, two HEVIBismuth 3-inch loads, and both 2¾ and 3-inch HEVI-Bismuth upland loads. (hevishot.com)

Hornady

The biggest news coming out of Grand Island, Nebraska, is undoubtedly the launch of Hornady’s 7mm PRC. Positioned between the 6.5 and .300 PRC, the 7mm PRC is perhaps the most versatile of the lot. It’s capable of firing a 180-grain ELD match bullet with a ballistic coefficient of .796 at a velocity of almost 3,000 fps. The 7mm PRC fits in long actions and generates less recoil than the fast .30-caliber magnums. It’s one of the most efficient cartridges ever developed, with a neck and case design that allows the use of long, streamlined bullets without robbing internal capacity. The 7mm PRC 175grain ELD-X bullet shoots flatter than a 200-grain .300 Win. Mag. The ELD-X bullet and the 7mm retains almost 100 foot-pounds more energy at 500 yards than the .300. Currently Hornady is offering three loads for the 7mm PRC: a 160-grain CX monometal bullet with a muzzle velocity of 3,000 fps, the 175grain ELD-X that reaches a muzzle velocity of 3,000 fps, and an ELD Match load with a velocity of 2,975 fps. Over two dozen rifle manufacturers are chambering guns for the 7mm PRC this year, and you can expect this versatile and efficient target and hunting round to gain a strong following very quickly. SRP: $69.15-$73.07, box of 20.

The 7mm PRC is certainly the biggest news from Hornady, but it’s not the brand’s only new product offering for 2023. Hornady is also offering four new Sub-X bullets this year as well. Designed to expand reliably at subsonic velocities, these bullets feature Hornady’s patented Flex Tip that allows for expansion down to 900 feet per second. Sub-X bullets meet FBI protocol for terminal ballistic test performance and are now available in .308 175-grain, .357 200-grain, .452 395-grain, and .458 410-grain offerings. Sub-X bullets are designed to function in a variety of platforms (including gas guns) and include a lead core and cannelured jacket for a positive case crimp for use in semi-automatic firearms. Also new from Hornady is the Bore Driver ELD-X muzzleloader bullet that features a polymer base with a gilding metal jacket. These 340-grain .50-caliber hunting bullets help improve accuracy and offer exceptional terminal performance for muzzleloader hunters.

(Hornady.com)

Remington

The big news from Remington this year is the release of the .360 Buckhammer straight-wall cartridge, which was developed in conjunction with Henry Repeating Arms. Though the Buckhammer is similar in bullet diameter to the straight-wall 350 Legend, the Remington round is rimmed. This means that it will work effectively in leveraction, single-shot, and even double rifles. Two Core-Lokt loads (180 and 200 grains) will be available initially. SRP: $36.99.

Also new from Remington is their Premier Long Range line of centerfire hunting rifle ammunition. Premier Long Range is the first factory hunting ammunition loaded with Speer’s outstanding Impact hunting bullet. These projectiles combine high ballistic coefficients with the durability of a bonded bullet, utilizing the same SlipStream polymer bullet tip found on Federal Premium’s Terminal Ascent ammo. Premier Long Range is available in eight different loads ranging from 6mm Creedmoor to .300 Remington Ultra Magnum. SRP: $59.99-$97.99.

Premier Bismuth is loaded with HEVI-Bismuth pellets that have a density (over 9.6 g/cc) and are safe to use in older shotgun barrels. Premier Bismuth is loaded with Remington’s Premier components, and this shot is cast and alloyed in the United States. Available in 12, 16, 20, 28 gauge, and .410 bore. SRP: $57.99-$74.99, box of 25. Lastly, Remington is launching Golden Saber 10mm Auto ammunition. The 180-grain bullets are offered in trusted Golden Saber Bonded, Golden Saber Defense, and Golden Saber Defense Compact lines. SRP: $38.99-$47.99. (remington.com)

Speer

Speer’s Gold Dot bullets have been a favorite choice of serious shooters and law-enforcement professionals for years, and this year Speer is offering their trusted Gold Dot ammo for carbine platforms. The G2-style elastomer-filled bullet nose effectively penetrates through common barriers and transfers energy efficiently, making this one of the best ammo options for anyone who runs a pistol-caliber carbine for self-defense. The engineers at Speer designed this ammunition to operate at velocities that provide consistent, optimum performance through carbine-length barrels. Gold Dot Carbine ammunition will be available in a wide variety of popular carbine calibers.

(speer.com)

Winchester

It’s been a very busy year for Winchester as the brand is expanding several existing lines of ammunition as well as introducing new ones. Handgun hunters and big-bore fans will be excited to see the company’s new Big Bore handgun ammunition hit stores shelves in 2023. Available in 10mm, .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .45 Colt, Big Bore ammo is loaded with a new semi-jacketed hollow-point bullet with a concave hollow-point design that offers deep penetration and reliable expansion for biggame hunting and self-defense applications. Also new this year is M1 Garand, a .3006 Springfield load that is optimized to function in Garand rifles. These cartridges are loaded to the original velocity and pressure specifications of original .30 Caliber Ball M2 ammo, which are lower than the pressure levels of most modern .30-06 ammo. These cartridges also come with a custom headstamp that identifies that they are loaded to M2 Ball specifications, which will make them even more attractive (and practical) for fans of Garand rifles.

Winchester’s Copper Impact family of centerfire hunting rifle ammunition, which is loaded with expanding solid copper bullets, now includes a 150-grain 7mm Remington Magnum offering. Like other Copper Impact loads, the 7mm Rem. Mag. version is loaded with Winchester’s polymer-tipped Extreme Point Copper bullet that expands upon impact, yet offers better weight retention than traditional jacketed lead-core designs. There’s a new 7.62x39 offering in Winchester’s Target and Practice line of ammunition which features a 123-grain FMJ projectile and comes in a boxerprimed brass case that’s suitable for reloading. Available in either 50- or 120-count boxes, Target and Practice is an affordable ammo option for 7.62x30 owners that is loaded to Winchester’s standards using high-quality components.

There are two new Power-Point rifle offerings for hunters this year as well, a 150grain .300 Blackout load as well as a new 200-grain .35 Whelen option, both of which should be excellent for hunting whitetails and similar-sized game.

Winchester continues to support Folds of Honor with the release of several new USA Valor offerings. The new 200-grain .300 Blackout load is designed for target practice and training and features an open-tip range bullet. Loaded to subsonic velocities, this ammunition offers sure functioning in suppressed firearms. There are also new Folds of Honor shotshell offerings, including two 12-gauge-loads with 11 8 ounces of either No. 7.5 or No. 8 shot and a 20-gauge load with 7⁄8 ounce of No. 7.5 shot. These shotshells are ideal for shooting competitive clay games, but they’re also great for backyard practice or wingshooting.

Winchester’s new rimfire offering is their Xpert .22 LR load, which fires a 42-grain plated hollow-point bullet at a velocity of 1,320 fps. Available in 100-round boxes, this .22 ammo is ideal for plinking at the range, target shooting, and smallgame hunting.

(winchester.com)