Hunting ammo: New products, tests, experience reports

The ammunition manufacturer RWS supplies its products true to the motto "The ammunition counts", optimised for every purpose, from top Olympic sports and recreational shooting to hunting and training. Today we are presenting the rimfire cartridges and air rifle pellets from the RWS FIELD LINE – bet that you certainly don't know or have even tried all the variants? Let us inspire you...

In 2024 the European Commission is expected to publish a legislative proposal about the use of lead ammunition in hunting and sport shooting in all EEA countries and Northern Ireland. The European Shooting Sports Forum (ESSF) has published a “Frequently Asked Questions” document to provide everyone with clear arguments for a joint commitment against the looming “lead ban”. Read on to learn more.

We examine with Gianluca Garolini, a ballistics technician at Baschieri & Pellagri, the main cartridges that can be used in winter hunting, including great classics and new products developed by Baschieri's research and development department using alternative alloys to lead.

After the awards received for the new technologies used by the Baschieri & Pellagri research and development department, we also had the opportunity to field test the performance of the shotshells from the Privilege range: we tell you about it in our video.

The new driven hunting season is just beginning. To get you in the mood for it, we would like to take a look at how hunting with dogs is practiced in Spain. Steffen Foullon was able to hunt black and red deer at a traditional montería in southwestern Andalusia last year and relied on the RWS Driven Hunt cartridges in .300 Win. Mag. You can read his impressions of this hunt and his verdict on the …

The world-known ammo manufacturer Norma addresses the hot topic of the ban of lead in hunting ammo with a documentary series that follows Mette Karin Petersen, a passionate hunter from Denmark in her search for knowledge about lead-free ammunition. 

UK too is jumping on the EU bandwagon of those who want to restrict the use of lead in ammo and basically remove the substance from the industry in the name of environmentalism. But lead is not only important for ammunition: a case study shows that lead is a key enabler of the circular economy, playing an essential part in the recovery and recycling of other critical metals and materials. 

Hornady introduces the brand new 22 ARC (Advanced Rifle Cartridge) compact round, built to fit the AR-15 magazine and offering the same or better performance as the .22-250, thanks to the use of the 62-gr ELD-VT bullet. Following the lead of the 6mm ARC, the new 22 ARC is primarily targeted to the semiauto AR platform, but will be perfectly at home in a bolt action rifle; and it will also be …

The phasing out of lead in ammo is already a reality. On its website, the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FACE) offers a useful guidance on the current restrictions on the use of lead ammunition in the EU and UK, and to help hunters and shooters to address potential concerns about, for example, the humane dispatch of quarry, ballistics and safety issues.

Here comes a powerful new rifle cartridge, the .400 Legend. Like its predecessor, the .350 Legend, it was designed to offer a modern and powerful cartridge that can be used even in U.S. states where bottleneck cartridges are banned. But this is no mere legal expedient: at least on paper, the .400 Legend offers very attractive performance.

The REACH Annex XIV Authorization Listing includes substances “of very high concern” and “of the highest priority”. ECHA, the European Chemicals Agency, recommended to include lead metal in the list: This has severe consequences for a broad range of strategically important European industries and applications – among them, the ammo industry, of course. But finally it will be a political decision.

The ECHA committees (SEAC and RAC) sent their technical advice to the European Commission for scrutiny and to allow the REACH Committee to start the drafting activities over the legislative proposal to restrict the use and placing on the market of lead ammunition in outdoor activities. What will happen next?

IWA 2023: This year at the IWA, the well-known Norma brand from the far north is presenting new calibers and loadings for hunting as well as for match and training that are particularly suitable for longer ranges. These include the recently developed Norma Xtreme LR-22 as a rimfire ammunition for long range shooting. With the Norma Whitetail hunting ammo, the manufacturer presents a classic in a …

IWA 2023: Renowned manufacturer RWS is once again expanding its range of high-performance, lead-free hunting ammunition. The RWS Driven Hunt, which was introduced just last year and was specially developed for use in driven hunts, is now receiving special loads for short barrels. The tried-and-tested HIT hunting cartridge is also being offered in popular long-range calibers. Here we give you an …

For many hunters who like to use a shotgun, hunting waterfowl such as wild ducks is one of the most beautiful types of hunting. Rottweil wants to contribute to the success of waterfowl hunting with the two BI-Load and FE-Load cartridge types. What else is involved in waterfowl hunting is revealed in the following article.

The more popular silencers become, the shorter rifle barrels become. Did you know that this drastically reduces the effectiveness and accuracy of common ammunition? Standard rifle ammunition is optimized for barrel lengths of 61 cm, although many barrels today are often only around 50 cm long. In practice, this means that the charge is not completely burnt when the bullet exits the muzzle, which …