Best hunting ammunition balances accuracy, performance, and reliability in the field. Our editors highlight top picks that hit hard and stay consistent downrange in this year’s Editor’s Choice Awards for best hunting ammunition.
Best Hunting Ammunition
Hornady Outfitter 7 PRC 160-grain CX
Monolithic projectiles are popular in Alaska. The Hornady CX is one of the better ones on the market. This bullet is standard in the Outfitter line of ammunition. The CX bullet is made of a copper alloy. Weight retention is very close to 100%, so you are assured great penetration at close range with little or no fragmentation, making it a good bullet in the event you have a dangerous bear encounter, or if you’re intentionally hunting bears. At distance, the bullet will still expand at velocities as low as 2,000 fps.
Editor George Krumm says this is the ammo he’ll be taking on his Southeast Sitka blacktail hunt this fall. In his 7 PRC with a 22” barrel, George gets a muzzle velocity of about 2,900 fps with this ammo. At 500 yards, the 7 PRC Outfitter CX from George’s rifle is still scooting along at about 2,209 fps—well within the expansion window, and well beyond the range at which most Alaska game is shot. The Outfitter ammo is waterproof with sealed primers and case mouths, so you don’t need to worry about your powder getting wet in a torrential, days-long Southeast downpour. The cases themselves are nickel plated, resulting in better feeding and corrosion resistance. Alaska has tough hunting conditions. This ammo is perfect for such conditions. Outfitter is available in popular cartridges from .22 ARC to .375 H & H Magnum.
Hornady Precision Hunter 7 PRC 175-grain ELD-X
With this ammo, Editor George Krumm’s average velocity from a 22” suppressed barrel is 2,874 fps. 5-shot groups usually print at around .50 MOA at 100 yards. This is while shooting through a custom rifle built with a SOLUS Lightweight Long Action, Oregon Mountain Rifle 22” carbonfiber barrel, BANISH Backcountry suppressor, and MDT HNT26 Chassis. This was shooting off a bench with a bipod and rear bag. The ELD-X bullet is designed to reliably expand at all practical ranges, but this ammo really shines at longer distances due to the extremely aerodynamic ELD-X bullet. Like all non-bonded, cup-and-core bullets, the ELD-X expands considerably, typically fragments a little, and retains 50-60% of its weight at traditional hunting ranges (0-400 yards).
At longer distances the bullet retains more weight. The ELD-X is designed to effectively expand at velocities as slow as 1,600 fps. To put that in perspective, when shooting this ammo through George’s 7 PRC, you don’t see velocity slow to 1,600 fps until the bullet is about 1,000 yards down range—far beyond ethical hunting range. The Precision Hunter ammo is excellent, but for areas with dangerous game, the Outfitter line of ammo might be a better choice, especially if shot distances are predictably less than 400 yards. Precision Hunter is available in most common cartridges from .22 ARC to .338 Lapua Magnum.
Hornady 6.5 PRC 143 gr ELD-X Precision Hunter
Publisher Marcus Weiner hunts deer annually in Alaska, Washington and Minnesota. In all three places, while most shots are within 300 yards, Marcus has opportunities to shoot deer out to 600 yards. Having one round that works at both conventional- and extended ranges is ideal. After acquiring a Savage rifle chambered in 6.5 PRC, he started shooting this round. This factory produced ammunition shoots consistent, tight groups, and is designed to shoot flat and accurately beyond 1,000 yards. The round features Hornady’s ELD-X bullet and Heat Shield Tip, designed to continuously expand at impact at short ranges, and to provide controlled expansion and more weight retention at lower speeds and longer shots.
The Heat Shield Tip shield works to reduce the effects of aerodynamic heating, resulting in a projectile that retains its shape and has a high BC over its entire range as compared to other similar bullets. It leaves the rifle at 2,960 fps with 2,782 ft/lbs of energy; at 500 yards the flat-shooting bullet drops just 36.2 inches, and is moving at 2,248 fps with an energy of 1,604 ft/lbs.
Winchester Copper Impact 6.5 PRC 125-grain
Winchester’s Copper Impact features a solid-copper projectile for outstanding penetration and bullet weight retention. G1 ballistic coefficient is .428; G7, .209. Muzzle velocity is 3,100 fps according to the box, and still traveling at 2,069 fps at 500 yards, so it should be capable of killing deer-sized game out to that range. It is very flat shooting, dropping just 6.3 inches at 300 yards with a 200-yard zero. Shooting this ammo out of a Savage 110 Storm with a custom 24” Oregon Mountain Rifle barrel, we got velocities in line with those stated on the box.
With a 125- grain pill, recoil was very manageable, which should make it easier to spot impacts for most hunters, as well as allow them to shoot more accurately. This ammo features a comparatively large polymer tip to facilitate expansion. It might be possible to break off that tip by accident easier than ammo with smaller polymer tips, so you’ll want to be mindful of this feature.