New for 2024, Federal Premium announces the introduction of its Fusion Tipped ammunition line. Building on the strong reputation of the Fusion line—though I have long felt that projectile is grossly underrated—Federal has added a polymer tip to the bullet to improve the ballistic coefficient (BC), and keep it as consistent as possible. Now, the original variant of the Fusion gave the hunter a whole lot of appreciable features at a highly attractive price-point. The Fusion projectile has its copper jacket electrochemically bonded to the lead core, and that jacket is skived along the ogive to enhance expansion in that portion of the bullet. This results in a bullet which offers a balance of expansion and high weight retention, as the bonding prevents the bullet from shedding too much of its weight. The Fusion often featured a boattail, but at longer ranges, the nose profile is sometimes seen as a hindrance.
There were a few complaints, primarily with the meplat, or nose of the bullet; some folks saw the meplat get banged up in the magazine from recoil, or from day-to-day handling. For hunting or shooting inside of 200 yards, any minor mark or ding in the meplat probably won’t make a noticeable difference in the hunting field, but outside that mark it can and will show the effects. Federal’s addition of a polymer tip solves the issue of a marred meplat, and well as increasing the BC value, and helps to keep it there. Fusion Tipped features bullets on the heavier side of the spectrum for each cartridge offered, presumably to increase the BC figures, as well as reduce wind deflection, increase retained energy and flatten trajectories. All of the positive attributes of the original Fusion design are there, and I feel this new line will prove more popular than the original. If you want to take the bonded-core technology out to longer distances, the new Federal Fusion Tipped warrants an audition from your rifle.
Available in 6.5 Creedmoor and 6.5 PRC at 140 grains, 270 Winchester at 150 grains, 7mm Remington Magnum and 7mm PRC at 175 grains, 300 Blackout at 190 grains (subsonic), and .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, and .300 Winchester Magnum at 180 grains.
For more information, visit federalpremium.com.
