Best New Deer Loads

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Now that the heavenly wonders of August 2024—the Sturgeon Moon, a rare Blue Moon and Super Moon, and the Perseid meteor shower—have come and gone on the calendar, all eyes turn towards the weather map and the first hints of fall.

After all, the first of September means the opening of dove season, the middle of next month brings early teal season and it won’t be long before deer season rolls into town.

If you’re already gathering your gear for this year’s deer hunting campaign, having the right ammunition is key if you’re hoping to bag an 8-point, 10-point, 12-point, or a gnarly multi-tined, non-typical monster. 

If that’s you, consider packing away one of these new hard-hitting deer loads for the fall of 2024.

Browning 28 Nosler

For 2024, Browning Ammunition is expanding its MaxPoint line to include 28 Nosler, something a lot of rifle toters will certainly like. Built for deer and big-game hunters that demand exact precision and maximum lethal punch at the point of impact, this offering features rapid expansion of the polymer tipped projectile, deeper penetration thanks to its 140-grain, heavy-weight bullet design, a nickel-plated shell case, and a thick-wall copper jacket bullet.

Coming in 20-round boxes, the 28 Nosler MaxPoint has a muzzle velocity of 3315 fps and delivers 3,416 foot-pounds of energy downrange. MSRP $66.99 | browningammo.com

Federal Premium Freight Train Copper Slug

For many deer hunters, the weapon they're carrying into the field this fall and winter is a shotgun primed with slugs. If that's you, keep the Federal Premium Freight Train Copper Sabot Slug in mind, a round that delivers power thundering down the tracks and accuracy on the terminal end.

“Here at Federal, we are always looking for ways to improve our products to surpass customer needs and expectations,” said Alex Schmieg, Federal's Senior Engineer for Shotshell Ammunition, about the new round that comes in 2¾- and 3-inch versions for both 12- and 20-gauge shotgun shooters.

“With Freight Train, we tailored the copper bullet design to improve expansion and penetration for optimal lethality on big game. The all-new bullet has exceptional performance at all ranges giving hunters the confidence in thick timber or a 200-yard open shot across a field," said Schmieg.

Meeting lead-free ammo requirements required in certain spots, this locomotive of deer-stopping power has a muzzle velocity of 1900 fps, hits the bull's eye dead-on at 100 yards and drops only -1.9 inches at 125 yards—all while delivering a wallop of 1,567 foot-pounds of energy at 100 yards. Meaning that the last thing the big buck in your sights will hear this fall is the engineer crying out "All aboard!" MSRP $22.99 | federalpremium.com

Federal Power-Shok Rifle .360 Buckhammer

As some states have relaxed hunting regs to allow for the use of rifles chambered for a straight-walled cartridge, the rush to deliver loads for the Remington .360 Buckhammer cartridge has been ongoing.

Minnesota-based Federal Premium Ammunition has joined the parade, bringing the Federal Power-Shok Rifle .360 Buckhammer to market—a 180-grain soft point bullet that delivers solid accuracy, plenty of power, reliable components and solid accuracy in a 20-round per box offering that won't break the bank.

Better yet, with a muzzle velocity of 2,375 fps, this round drops -8.1 inches at 200 yards. And with a delivery of 1,485 foot-pounds of energy at 100 yards and 947 foot-pounds of energy at 200 yards, this bullet will send plenty of bucks to the meat processor and taxidermist shop. MSRP $39.99 | federalpremium.com 

Fiocchi KnockDown

With Fiocchi USA’s ammo designers aiming to help hunters find deeper bullet penetration and a flatter trajectory, this new bullet delivers the goods.

An all-copper hollow point that gives pass-through penetration according to Fiocchi USA, there is plenty of lethal energy transfer upon impact where the bullet's superb controlled expansion begins. Add in reduced barrel fouling, better accuracy, increased velocity, and flatter trajectory, and it all equals a cartridge that needs to be in your hunting bag this year if you want better performance and quick kills.

With Fiocchi's proprietary powders burning cleaner and hot, there's less barrel fouling, better efficiency and top-flight consistency in every one of the 20 cartridges per box. 

Known for their shotgun shell-making expertise, Fiocchi USA is also at the top of the game in terms of big-game cartridges, and this round is no exception for hunters who have rifles ranging from .243 Win to .270 Win to 7mm Magnum to 30-06 Springfield and beyond. Available in eight calibers, take one shot and see if you don't agree. Or better yet, take one shot and see if you don't pack a box of Knockdowns on your next hunting trip. MSRP $34.99 to $53.99 | fiocchiusa.com 

Remington Core-Lokt Handgun

If you enjoy a challenge in your deer hunting activities each fall, shooting a big buck with a handgun might be what you're looking for in 2024. And if so, the new Remington Core-Lokt Handgun round we saw at the 2024 SHOT Show in Las Vegas lets every deer slayer with a pistol or revolver shoot the same high-quality ammo that rifle hunters have used to put venison in the freezer since 1949.

Available in 10mm Auto (200 grain), .41 Remington Magnum (210 grain), .44 Remington Magnum (240 grain) and .357 Magnum (180 grain), the new Remington handgun hunting round is built with the company's classic Core-Lokt bullet. It provides high weight retention and deep penetration thanks to the round's unique hollow-point design that delivers a deadly downrange mushroom upon impact with a buck's vitals.

With a premier nickel-plated case, this handgun round will bring home smooth performance, reliable function and works in any type of handgun or revolver. Described by Remington as a flawless round for handgun hunters, this potent and deadly powerful bullet is heavy for each cartridge designation and will create plenty of notched deer tags in the fall and winter of 2024. 

Give this handgun round from Remington a try and see how quickly your freezer is filled with backstrap and venison steaks. MSRP $41.99 to $52.99 | remington.com

Remington .360 Buckhammer

Ok, so this is one of those rounds where you could say that it debuted last year, but it remained a big hit at the 2024 SHOT Show, so it still counts in my mind for this year. And there’s little doubt that a story about top new deer loads and as noted above, any subsequent conversation about deer rifles still has to contain a round with the moniker of Remington .360 Buckhammer, right?

This straight-walled cartridge not only has a cool name, it delivers a muzzle velocity of 2,399 fps, drops 7.8 inches at 200 yards and delivers 968 foot-pounds of energy at the same distance. Available in Remington's classic Core-Lokt controlled expansion soft point offerings in either 180-or 200-grain options, this cartridge hammers into a buck's boiler room with a deadly mushroom that puts down the biggest Midwestern corn-fed giant. 

With high weight retention; controlled expansion of the .358-diameter Core-Lokt bullet—built with Remington brass, primers and propellant—and optimized for lever-action rifles, this easy-shooting, low-recoil round comes at 20 rounds per box in the familiar green and gold Remington packaging. MSRP $39.99 | remington.com 

Remington Premier CuT

As regulations continue to shift, Remington has delivered with the Remington Premier CuT, a lead-free tipped copper alloy bullet that meets lead-free requirements and brings home plenty of buck-stopping power.

Thanks to the Premier CuT’s monolithic copper alloy bullet, you can expect a high degree of accuracy as well as superb terminal performance across a wide array of hunting ranges and via plenty of popular deer and big game hunting rounds including the 6.5 Creedmoor, .270 Win, 7mm-08 Rem, 7mm Rem Mag, .308, .30-06, 6.5 PRC, 7 PRC, .300 Win Mag and 300 PRC.

This round comes with Remington’s Accurate Tipped Technology, a precision tip that gives it a high ballistic coefficient and flat trajectory that will reach out with a lethal punch across a wide Texas sendero, a southern food plot or a prairie CRP field. When the round hits home, the tough copper alloy bullet will cut through medium to large big-game critters with 95 percent weight retention and arrive dead-on target thanks to the bullet’s precision grooves that maximize aerodynamic performance in flight.

With Remington’s superb design, reliable and premier components, and 20 rounds per box, a hunting duffel packed with this new round from Big Green will get the job done and then some this fall and beyond. MSRP from $59.99 to $81.99 | remington.com

Sig Sauer Platinum Hunter

As a line of ammunition created in partnership with Meateater—the television program that Steven Rinella birthed on the Outdoor Channel years ago—this offering is precision loaded with a Nosler Accubond projectile.

In delivering great weight retention and deep penetration upon impact on whitetails and other big game, each round of the Platinum Hunter is enclosed in a corrosion-resistant nickel case, according to Sig Sauer. This leads to smooth cycling, reliability in all weather conditions and even waterproofing for resisting the worst that Mother Nature can throw at a hunter in the outback.

And thanks to the Nosler Accubond bonded core bullet, the bullet's uniform expansion, and its precision loading with a polymer tip for accuracy, and this bullet can help you make the perfect shot in the field, even if you don't film a television show for a living. MSRP $59.99 | sigsauer.com

Winchester Power Point 400 Legend

Whitetail hunters are always hoping for deer loads that deliver amazing accuracy, deep penetration into a buck's boiler room and a quick knockout punch. The ammo designers at Winchester Ammunition have delivered on all accounts with the .400 Legend, a 215-grain Power-Point bullet that is one of the company's headline-grabbing, high-performing, straight-walled cartridges of recent months.

Delivering high velocity on the shot but still with low recoil, this powerful and precise round brings 100 percent more energy than a 12-gauge slug at 100 yards with 55 percent less recoil. Comparable to the energy of a .450 Bushmaster with 20 percent less recoil, this Winchester design brings 20 percent more energy than a .30-30 Win lever action and 25 percent more energy than the .350 Legend with greater penetration.

Thanks to a muzzle velocity of 2250 fps, the 400 Legend has 1,132 foot-pounds of energy at 200 yards while only dropping 4.9 inches. This made-in-the-USA round is perfect for deer, bears, and hogs, and comes in 215-grain offerings and 20 rounds per box. If you'd like to learn more about this round from Winchester Ammunition, see Game & Fish's Drew Warden's review earlier this summer. MSRP $34.99 | winchester.com

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