As the ammo market is starting to return to normal, many manufacturers are seeing this as a cue to introduce new loadings of our favorite cartridges and even a few new cartridges altogether. To that end, I have scoured the 2023 NSSF Industry Day at the Range and SHOT Show to find the latest and greatest. Here is what I came up with:
Remington 360 Buckhammer
Undoubtedly the biggest news in the ammunition world this year was the introduction of this new straight-walled cartridge from Big Green. The 360 Buckhammer is the first cartridge introduced by Remington in more than a decade and the first one that the company has released since the Vista Outdoor acquisition in 2020. The concept was as simple as taking a .30-30 Win. case, before it is bottlenecked and tapered, and sizing it to accept a 0.358” bullet. The result is a cartridge that is more powerful than its parent, straight-wall-state-friendly and lends itself well to lever-action service with Henry Repeating Arms already chambering rifles for it. Initial offerings will feature a 180- or 200-grain soft-point bullet, and Federal has hinted it has something in the works as well. remington.com
Hornady 7 mm PRC
Hornady’s release of the 6.5 and 300 PRC rocked the long-range biosphere and also sparked a debate over which makes the better hunting cartridge. The likely intention was for the 6.5 PRC to dominate at target shooting, while the 300 would see ample use in the field; the two started to fill each other’s roles in short order. This led to the debate over which was better than the other for either task and effectively split the PRC crowd into two camps. For 2023, Hornady introduced a 7 mm version to ease the debate and, as a result, has created the perfect all-purpose, long-range cartridge. Initial offerings include a 175-grain Precision Hunter load, a 180-grain MATCH load, and a 160-grain CX Outfitter load. Several manufacturers are chambering rifles for this cartridge, with Mossberg being the first to bring its own to market. hornady.com
Liberty Ammunition Overwatch
With concealed-carry restrictions starting to ease, we can expect to see better defensive offerings come to light. Known for its blazing Civil Defense line, Liberty Ammunition has doubled down with its new-for-2023 Overwatch line. The latest from Liberty is said to leave the barrel as much as 80 percent faster than some competitors and hit harder than nearly everything in its class. This is through the use of lightweight monolithic bullets packed with an aggressive powder charge. When you consider a magazine full of 15 or 30 rounds, there’s a noticeable difference, and Liberty Overwatch saves on loaded weight. Initial loads will be in 9 mm Luger, .45 ACP, .357 Mag., 10 mm Auto, .223 Rem, and .300 BLK. libertyammo.com
Federal Premium Gold Medal Action Pistol
Match shooting has changed, so naturally, ammunition needs to as well. The slow-fire, one-handed events of yesteryear are taking a backseat to the newer, faster-paced sports of USPSA, 3-Gun and IDPA. Federal’s Gold Medal Action Pistol line offers shooters in these disciplines with the company’s signature degree of accuracy and reliability through purpose-built rounds that meet the power-factor requirements of their intended arenas. These cartridges are packed with heavy-for-caliber bullets that are designed to feed better through magazines and more positively knock down steel. Initial offerings will be in 9 mm Luger and .40 S&W. federalpremium.com
CCI Clean-22 Hyper Velocity
I don’t want to say exposed-lead bullet technology is dead, but its friends are starting to visit more frequently, and its family is ordering a fresh suit. Years ago, when handloaders started using polymer-coated rounds, CCI took notice and incorporated the technology into a stable of rimfire cartridges deemed the “clean” line. Using polymer was cheaper and faster than copper-plating projectiles and kept lead residue and dust at a minimum. For 2023, the company will now be offering a hyper-velocity variant that is built with a 31-grain projectile and advertises blistering speeds of up to 1,550 f.p.s.. cci-ammunition.com
Hevi-Shot Hevi-Metal Magnum Blend
Sometimes, you need a payload of No. 5 shot, and sometimes you need No. 7s; sometimes, you don’t know which one until it’s time to pull the trigger. Hevi-Shot’s new-for-2023 Hevi-Metal Magnum Blend shotgun shells are designed to give you the best of both worlds, and more, in the most logical way possible, packing both into the same shell. Rounded out with a healthy dose of No. 6 shot, each hull is filled with a heart-stopping load of its hard-hitting 12-g/cc Tungsten shot for greater lethality than lead with unparalleled pattern consistency. As you might imagine, initial offerings include 12 and 20 gauge, but more surprisingly, Hevi-Shot remembered the 10-, and 28-ga. crowd as well. hevishot.com
Speer Gold Dot Carbine 9 mm Luger
Thanks to the USPSA Pistol Caliber Carbine division, 9 mm Luger-chambered AR-15s have seen a resurgence like no other, even in the realm of home defense. As these platforms offer more than three times the barrel length of most 9 mm Luger pistols, the right ammunition can make use of that length and build up more velocity. Speer Gold Dot stepped up to the plate in 2023 and has created a round to do just that with its highly-celebrated Gold Dot Projectile. These 135-grain projectiles leave the muzzle of our favorite long guns at scorching speeds and feature an elastomer-filled nose to prevent clogging and promote controlled expansion. speer.com
Remington Premier Long Range
It feels good to see this American mainstay restored to its former glory, as it’s going to be a big year at the Lonoke, Ark., plant for sure. As if 360 Buckhammer wasn’t news enough, it is also going to be the first company to load Speer’s exclusive Impact bullets into high-end cartridges intended for long-range, big-game hunting. The Impact features a polymer tip and is designed for rapid and reliable expansion at distances beyond conventional hunting shots. The preliminary lineup is rather inclusive, too, as it covers .270 Win., 6.5 mm Creedmoor, .308 Win., .30-06 Sprg., 7 mm Rem. Mag., .300 Win. Mag, and .300 RUM. remington.com
Browning Silver Series
While some hunters like to experiment with new designs, others hold the classics so dear that disrupting tradition is unthinkable. Browning’s Silver Series of rifle fodder is geared to satisfy hunters that are only interested in time-tested equipment. Conventional soft-point bullets are given a nickel-plating treatment to reduce drag, resist corrosion and aid low-light visibility. The new lineup has loads for most of the common hunting chamberings and even offerings for the newer 350 Legend and 6.8 Western shooters. browningammo.com
Winchester 6.8 Western Expansions
Winchester’s 6.8 Western is another example of a great cartridge that suffered unfortunate timing. Today, things have subsided enough for the renowned manufacturer to spin off more loadings for this hard-hitting ammunition that fill the needs of hunters and long-range enthusiasts around the country. The 162-grain Copper Impact load is built without the use of lead, making it legal for use in states that require that. In addition, the monolithic copper bullet features a polymer tip that initiates expansion and pumps up the ballistic coefficient a notch. A new Power-Point loading pairs the time-tested 170-grain soft point bullet into this modern cartridge to give woodland shooters an affordable mid-range ammunition option. It also makes for an excellent practice round. winchester.com
Fiocchi 4.6 x 30mm Hyperformance
We close with a bit of a cliffhanger for 2023, and that was the introduction of a new 4.6x30 mm round. Fiocchi chose this cartridge as an extension to its fast-growing, fast-flying Hyperformance line, leaving most of us scratching our heads. Does this mean there are more guns that can fire it on the way? Is there going to be some major rules change in one or more of the practical shooting sports? It’s hard to say for sure, but this new tipped hollow-point loading is going to be superb for high-volume varmint hunting, affordable plinking or defending the homestead. fiocchi.com
