Last year, Hornady introduced its ELD-X line of bullets and the Precision Hunter line of loaded ammunition that uses them. The concept behind the bullets is match grade accuracy with great terminal performance. There is a more detailed explanation of the bullet technology here.

For 2017, Hornady is expanding the Precision Hunter line to include five new loads. All of them use the ELD-X bullet. Some of the bullet sizes/weights are new this year, while some were introduced in the fall of 2015.

270 Win: This new 270 Win load uses the newly introduced 145 grain ELD-X bullet. According to the company, the bullet is leaving the barrel at 30 fps shy of 3k. This puts the energy at 2,840 ft-lbs. Like most rifle rounds, this is sold in boxes of 20. The price? $43.28.

7mm-08: The popular 7mm-08 gets a new load this year as well. This one loads a newly developed 150 grain ELD-X bullet to 2,770 fps. It also retails at $43.28 for a box of 20 rounds.

280 Rem: Loaded with a 150 grain bullet, this load is rated at a little over 2,900 fps and nearly 2,850 ft-lbs of energy. It is marginally more expensive than the previous two calibers at $43.59.

300 WSM: Unfortunately, Hornady does not list any ballistic information for this new load. It does use a 200 grain bullet. No MSRP was announced.

300 Wby Mag: The big daddy of these new loads is the 300 Weatherby Magnum. Using a 200 grain bullet, it makes for nearly 3,000 fps at the muzzle and a whopping 3,890 ft-lbs of energy. It is not generally recommended for pest control. The MSRP is also big: $63.92/box.

LEVERevolution

When Hornady launched its LEVERevolution line a few years back, it was perhaps the biggest thing to happen for lever gun hunters in a long time. By using relatively soft polymer tipped bullets and improved poweders, Hornady was able to load these special rounds to higher velocities and with better ballistic coefficients without concern of accidental detonation in tubular magazines. The result was extended range and harder hitting rounds.

For 2017, Hornady announced two new loads for lever guns. Both of these calibers are more niche than the .30-30 and .44 Magnum loads the company already offers…and I’m glad to see production line capacity is allowing the company to serve these customers.

.41 Magnum

At the height of its popularity, the .41 Magnum was popular wheel gun caliber for police work and self-defense. Hunters also discovered the round worked very well in the field. In many ways, it was a lot like the 10mm cartridge.

The new Hornady load uses a 190 grain FTX bullet. Unfortunately, Hornady has not yet published the specifications on this round. However, it will retail for $26.48 for a box of 20 rounds.

.25-35 Win

The .25-35 Win is not exactly on the cutting edge of new shooting tech, so it is great that Hornady is continuing to support this caliber with its modern designs. The cartridge is loaded with a 110 grain FTX bullet and is rated for 2,425 fps at the muzzle. The suggested retail price will be $41.67.