Earlier this year, Winchester Ammunition officially announced the addition of two new calibers to its line of predator hunting ammunition. The Varmint X line will now include the .17 Hornet and .22 Hornet cartridges.

Both of these lightweight loads are moving at very fast speeds. The 35 grain .22 Hornet bullet is moving at 3,100 fps when it leaves the barrel. The lighter .17 Hornet (20 grains) is zipping along at a higher velocity: 3,650 fps.

Lightweight bullets and high speeds define the cartridges in this line. For example, one of the .223 Rem loads uses a 40 grain bullet pushed to 3,700 fps while the .243 Win uses a 58 grain projectile at 3,850 fps. The speed king in this line, however, is the .204 Ruger. It runs a 32 grain bullet at an even 4,000 fps when it exits the barrel.

Winchester Ammunition uses lead core bullets with a copper alloy jacket. Both the jacket and core are designed for “explosive fragmentation” upon impact. Coupled with the polymer tip that increases the rate of expansion, these bullets have the potential for devastating terminal results.

“The .17 Hornet and .22 Hornet are versatile caliber choices for use on a variety of predators and make for natural additions to the Varmint X line,” said Brett Flaugher, Winchester Ammunition vice president of marketing, sales and strategy.

The entire line of ammunition includes the above mentioned loads plus the .22-250 Remington and a 55 grain .223 Remington load. Additionally, Winchester Ammunition offers shotshells and rimfire rounds designed for varmint hunting.