“super magnum”

Shooters are drawn to rimfire cartridges primarily due to the per-shot costs being significantly less than those of comparable center-rifle rifle cartridges. However, their downfall is lackluster terminal ballistics—that is, until now. Winchester’s new economical .17 Winchester Super Magnum (WSM) cartridge defies convention, and in doing so handily becomes the highest-performance rimfire extant.

There is no doubt that the .17 WSM elevates rimfire ballistics to a new level. But will enough gun companies jump on board to produce rifles in this caliber?

BSA Optics has a new riflescope designed specifically for the .17 Winchester Super Magnum that promises to help varmint hunters with holdover at long range.

Federal American Eagle has joined the .17-caliber revolution, and will now offer its own version of .17 Win. Super Mag.

What follows is a primer on commercially available .17-caliber cartridges and their respective performance.

The Franchi Intensity, in many ways, delivers on its name. It capitalizes on some of the industry’s most respected technologies to reliably harness the most powerful shotshell payloads, and it does so in a slim, attractive package that betrays its middle-of-the-road price point. Hard to argue with any scattergun that offers both versatility and value.

The shooting world needs the new .28 Nosler centerfire rifle cartridge like it needs another in-line muzzleloader. But real shooters and hunters know that cartridge innovation isn’t about need; it’s about perfection!