First Look: Browning's BXV Predator & Varmint Ammunition

by
posted on March 4, 2017
browning_bxv_cm_f.jpg

Browning's ammunition line hasn't been around long, and is still quietly expanding—but what we've seen so far has been quality stuff. The company's latest addition to its centerfire family is BXV, a load developed specifically with varmints and predators in mind. I got a first-hand look on it during a recent trip to Texas, and it certainly seems to be exactly what hunters going after critters like prairie dogs, coyotes and even pigs will want from their ammo. Here are four things you need to know.

1. There are four cartridge options available.
For now, the BXV line offers four cartridge options: .22 Hornet, .22-250, .223 Rem. and .243. Win. Bullet weights range from a 35-grain bullet in the .22 Hornet load up to a 65-grain bullet in the .243 Win. load. The .223 Rem. and .22-250 offerings both feature a 50-grain bullet.

2. It uses a polymer tip.
The bullet utilizes a polymer tip to increase BC, allowing for flatter trajectories and minimal velocity loss across the spectrum. The .22-250 load, for example, hits nearly 3800 fps at the muzzle. When zeroed at 200 yards, the bullet drops slightly more than a foot at 400 yards—where it’s going well over 2000 fps and carrying almost 550 pounds of energy. That's more than enough to put the hurt on predators and varmints.

3. It drives deep.
Though the BXV's bullet is a fragmenting round (I’ll get to that in a second), it offers considerable penetration for what it is. While some varmint bullets explode on impact, the BXV-loaded bullet pieces that remain after connecting with the target still have enough mass and velocity to reach a critter's vitals. That will certainly make for a bad day for anything it hits, even at a distance.

4. The results are explosive.
I had the chance to test the BXV line while on a hunt with Browning in Texas, and put the .22-250 to use on my first javelina and my first feral pig. Both dropped in their tracks. A 200-pound boar proved to be the most impressive animal I brought down with BXV. After a broadside shot just in front of the gristle plate at a little more than 125 yards, he fell over where he stood. After opening him up, there wasn’t a portion of vitals that wasn’t impacted by the fragmentation—meaning that it didn’t just punch a small, clean hole through and through, but rather wreaked havoc spanning the entire chest cavity. To be honest, I was hesitant, at first, to shoot a boar that size with a 50-grain varmint bullet. But after seeing the end result, I’m a believer.

Latest

Pease And Venison Lede 2
Pease And Venison Lede 2

Recipe: Creamed Venison and Peas

Brad Fenson creams together peas and venison in this wild-game take on a British classic.

Airport Conversation Leads to Wildlife-Related Charges

CDFW officers catch a pair of poachers after overhearing them on a plane.

NRA Files Lawsuit Challenging Colorado’s Excise Tax on Firearm and Ammunition Sales

On March 31, the National Rifle Association of America (NRA), together with the Firearms Policy Coalition, Second Amendment Foundation, Colorado State Shooting Association, Magnum Shooting Center and an NRA member, filed a lawsuit challenging Colorado’s 6.5-percent excise tax on the retail sale of firearms, firearm precursor parts and ammunition.

Tested: Magnum Research 10mm Magnum BFR Revolver

This 6-shot, single-action revolver may well be the first factory-made handgun chambered in this caliber in over three decades.

Hunting Heritage Trust Grant Applications Being Accepted

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearm industry, has opened the application period for the 2025 Hunting Heritage Trust Grants. They offer a total of $100,000 in financial support for programs that work to expand participation in hunting and the shooting sports.

Hardware Review: Marlin Model 1895 Dark

If you think lever-action rifles should only have walnut stocks and a blued-metal finish, then the new Marlin Dark series with its polymer buttstock and aluminum AR-esque handguard probably won’t be your thing. That’s a shame, because this recent offering in Marlin’s line of modernized, capable lever-action rifles has a lot going for it in terms of performance, functionality and fun.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.