Hot New Ammo for 2015

February 02, 2015 By Shooting Times Online Editors

New firearms get a lot of the glory when it comes to media attention at the SHOT Show, but without great ammo to feed them, they're nothing more than glorified safe queens. Although 2015 has been another great year for new firearms, it's also been excellent in terms of the new ammo introduced.

Whether it's a new self-defense round, turkey load or dedicated hunting cartridge, ammunition manufacturers are incorporating new technology to make ammo more effective.

Below we've rounded up some of the hottest new ammo for 2015.

Barnes Range AR Ammo

For 2015 Barnes has introduced a new line of ammo designed for MSR owners. The new Range AR ammo is designed to be used for target practice and training, or competition. It combines quality factory brass with a lead-free, copper-jacketed zinc core OTFB (Open Tip Flat Base) projectile. Priced to meet the needs of high-volume shooters, Barnes Range AR ammo will initially be available in 52-grain OTFB 5.56 NATO and 90-grain OTFB 300 AAC Blackout loads.

CCI Savage A17 .17 HMR Ammo

Although it is designed and optimized to be fired through Savage's new A17 rifle, CCI's new A17 ammunition works with any .17 HMR rifle. The new A17 ammo uses a Varmint Tip and produces muzzle velocities 100 feet per second (fps) faster than similar bullet weight .17 HMR loads.

Federal Premium 3rd Degree Turkey Shotgun Ammo

Today's turkey loads are some of the tightest-patterning and farthest-shooting that have ever existed, but these loads don't leave much room for error on close-range birds. Federal Premium has attempted to fix this problem with their new 3rd Degree Turkey load, which uses a multi-shot, three-stage payload to deliver lethal shots at a variety of ranges. The lead section — or first 20 percent of the pellet count — uses No. 6 nickel-plated Flitestopper lead, which feature a cutting ring for larger wound channels and disperse more quickly than other pellets for a larger effective pattern inside 20 yards. The next segment is made up of copper-plated No. 5 lead shot for moderate ranges, while the final 40 percent of 3rd Degree's payload contains No. 7 Heavyweight tungsten-iron pellets for longer shots.

Federal Premium 380 HST Ammo

Federal is adding to its popular Personal Defense HST line of ammo in 2015 with a new .380 Auto offering. The new load provides the same consistent expansion and reliable penetration and terminal performance shooters expect from other HST loads in the .380 Auto, making it a great option for concealed carriers who prefer the added concealment and comfort of smaller sub-compacts chambered for that cartridge.

Hornady American Gunner Ammo

New from Hornady for 2015 is their American Gunner line of handgun ammo. Manufactured entirely within the U.S. with high-quality Hornady cases and primers, American Gunner ammo utilizes the company's legendary XTP bullets for reliable expansion and penetration at a variety of handgun velocities. The new American Gunner handgun ammo is suitable for hunting and self defense, as well as law enforcement applications.

HPR 300 Blackout TX Ammo

The new 110-grain 300 Blackout Tac-TX load from HPR utilizes a Barnes projectile that is optimized for the 300 Blackout cartridge. The Barnes bullet features a specially designed profile to ensure easy loading in standard AR magazines and uses an optimized powder configuration for the lowest possible extreme spreads. At 300 yards, the load provides full expansion as well as more than 20 inches of penetration, and its all-copper construction results in good penetration and terminal performance through barriers.

Liberty Ammunition Civil Defense 10mm Ammunition

Liberty Ammunition has added the 10mm to its Civil Defense line of ammo in 2015. Incorporating all the same great features as previous Civil Defense ammo, the 10mm Auto load fires a 60-grain copper, monolithic, hollow-point fragmenting bullet at a velocity of 2,400 fps to deliver 770 foot-pounds (ft-lbs.) of energy.

Nosler SSA Ammo

For 2015, Nosler is offering a new Silver State Armory (SSA) line of brass and ammunition: SSA by Nosler. The new Nosler SSA ammo is specifically tuned for semiauto firearms, including the venerable M1 Garand. The ammo is 100-percent American made and is applicable for match or varmint shooting, hunting or self defense.

Polycase Inceptor ARX Ammo

Polycase Ammunition's new Inceptor ARX is unique in the world of personal defense ammo in that it is not designed to expand. Instead the load uses an injection-molded, lead free, copper/polymer bullet built to fully utilize the rotational force of the projectile for larger wound cavities and terminal performance that meets or exceeds conventional hollow points. The ARX weighs 70 percent as much as standard lead projectiles, resulting in a much higher velocity. The ARX is also safe for use in suppressors and is available in a variety of calibers.

SIG Sauer Elite Performance 300 Blackout

SIG Sauer added a new subsonic 300 Blackout load to its Elite Performance line of ammunition in 2015. The new offering uses a 220-grain Open Tip Match (OTM) projectile and produces a muzzle velocity just below the speed of sound at 1,000 fps. The new load delivers 489 foot-pounds (ft-lbs.) of energy and can be fired with or without a suppressor. It is designed to have low recoil with minimal muzzle flash and sound signature.

Winchester Deer Season XP

Winchester is continuing to develop cartridges tailored for specific hunting applications, and the company's newest is Deer Season XP. Crafted to meet the specific needs of deer hunters, the new loads use Winchester's Extreme Point bullets, which incorporate a redesigned polymer tip with a larger impact diameter than conventional polymer-tipped and softpoint bullets. This translates into rapid expansion and increased impact trauma for larger wound cavities. Available in .243, .270 Win., .270 WSM, 7mm Rem. Mag., .308 Win., .30-'06 Springfield, .300 Win. Mag. and .300 WSM.