Best Big-Game Hunting Ammo for 2023

Ammunition for big game keeps getting better each year thanks to new materials and processes, from the primers and cases to powder and bullet designs. Hunters have a wide range of options with calibers, weights and bullets for all of their big (and small) game outings.

Here is some of the best big-game ammunition of 2023.

Browning Silver Series

Browning’s new Silver Series is specifically designed for whitetail deer and big game, thanks to the nickel-plated soft-point bullet. The soft point is a longtime favorite for immediate expansion as energy is released into the target. The nickel plating helps prevent corrosion, while offering smoother feeding and flight. The Silver Series comes in 20-round boxes and is available in .243 Win, .270 Win, .30-06, .308 Win, .30-30 Win, .300 Win Mag, 7mm Rem. Mag, 6.5 Creedmoor, .350 Legend and 6.8 Western. Browning also is offering its new Max Point line for hunting with a nylon tip, in 14 popular calibers. browningammo.com

Federal ELD-X, CenterStrike




Federal Premium is offering new big-game loads this year with its popular CenterStrike and ELD-X bullets. Known for its performance on big game, the ELD-X bullet is now being loaded into nine popular centerfire cartridges from .243 Win to .300 Win Mag. The match-accurate ELD-X has a polymer tip to resist deformities, a high ballistic coefficient and a design that provides effective expansion at a wide range of velocities. CenterStrike was designed for match competition, with an open-tip design and sleep profile. It is available now for hunters in .308 Win., 6.5 Creedmoor and .223 Rem. federalpremium.com

Federal Power-Shok 360 Buckhammer




Mention Power-Shok in your hunting camp and surely the stories will begin rolling, and possibly a debate or two about ammo. Federal is adding more fuel to the fire this year with the new Power-Shok 360 Buckhammer. This straight-wall cartridge is designed specifically for lever-action rifles. More states are legalizing rifles that shoot straight-wall cartridges, and the 360 Buckhammer will find a niche in those. The .358-diameter bullet is accurate to 200 yards thanks to energy and trajectory similar to the .30-30 Win, but with softer recoil. This bone-crusher should work great on hogs and other big game, too. federalpremium.com

Hornady Bore Driver ELD-X

The new Bore Driver ELD-X is the newest 50-caliber muzzleloader non-sabot bullet from Hornady, delivering an effective range to 300 yards. This .340-grain whomper has better ballistic coefficients, reduced wind drag and less than half the wind drift at 200 yards during testing. It has a polymer base, which seals the bore to preserve energy and improve accuracy, a concentric drawn jacket with improved production consistency, and InterLock ring for maximum weight retention. hornady.com

HSM Tipping Point2

HSM Ammunition’s new line is the Tipping Point2, which combines the Hornady SST bullet with HSM’s decades of cartridge manufacturing. The “Super Shock Tip” delivers maximum energy upon impact while helping the bullet expand to its fullest. This creates massive trauma that can anchor deer and other game. The boat tail design of the bullet is legendary for flat trajectories and consistency during flight, and for creating devastating wound channels. The new line will be available in .243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, .270 Win, 7mm-08 Rem., .308 Win and .30-06 Springfield. hsmammunition.com

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Remington 360 Buckhammer




The Buckhammer name is legendary with Big Green, and this year’s new 360 Buckhammer from Remington will turn heads. The cartridge is designed for lever-action rifles and will be available in two Remington Core-Lokt loads, with more options coming in the future. Key features include 35 percent more energy than the 350 Legend, muzzle velocities of 2,215-2,400 fps nad available in 180- and 200-grain sizes. Remington’s launch partner, Henry Rifles, is working on other lever-action and single-shot options. remington.com/360buckhammer

Remington Premier Long Range




Remington’s new Premier Long Range is designed for big game hunting at extended ranges. It uses Speer’s Impact bullet for the first time in factory-loaded ammunition. Impact is known for match-grade accuracy and terminal performance thanks to its design and bonded construction. Speer describes the bullet as having a “sleek construction, tightly tapered hybrid ogive, boat-tail, rear-adjusted center of gravity and SlipStream Tip (that) offers high ballistic coefficients, flat trajectory and extreme accuracy for ultimate long-range hunting performance.” Popular loads will be offered now, including 6.5 Creedmoor. .270 Win, .308 Win, .300 Win Mag and others. remington.com