Hornady Superformance .308 Winchester 165 Grain CX Ammunition: Elevating Hunting Performance

For discerning hunters and precision shooters seeking an unparalleled blend of speed, accuracy, and ethical terminal performance, the Hornady Superformance .308 Winchester 165 grain CX ammunition stands as a definitive choice. This isn't just another box of bullets; it's a meticulously engineered solution designed to overcome common challenges faced by modern sportsmen, from maximizing effective range to complying with increasingly common lead-free hunting regulations. If you've ever asked, "What's the best .308 ammo for deer and elk that's also lead-free?" or "How can I achieve flatter trajectories and more kinetic energy without excessive recoil?" then this Superformance load is engineered to provide clear, decisive answers. Available at DEGuns, this ammunition represents the pinnacle of Hornady's innovative approach to ballistic science.

Unlocking Superior Performance: The Superformance Advantage Explained

What makes Hornady Superformance ammunition a game-changer? The core innovation lies in its proprietary propellants. Unlike traditional powders, which can be limited in their energy transfer efficiency, Superformance propellants are designed to accelerate the bullet for a longer duration within the barrel. This isn't achieved by simply increasing chamber pressure, which could lead to unsafe conditions or accelerated firearm wear. Instead, Hornady's engineers have developed highly efficient, progressive-burning powders that optimize the entire burn cycle.

The result is a significant increase in muzzle velocity—up to 200 feet per second (fps) faster than conventional ammunition of the same caliber and bullet weight. For the .308 Winchester 165 grain CX load, this translates to a blistering muzzle velocity of 2750 fps. This enhanced speed directly contributes to several critical ballistic improvements:

• Flatter Trajectories: A faster bullet spends less time in the air, meaning gravity has less time to pull it down. This results in a noticeably flatter trajectory, simplifying aiming at extended ranges and reducing the need for significant holdovers. For hunters, this means greater confidence in shot placement, especially when target distances are uncertain or vary rapidly in the field.
• Reduced Wind Drift: Just as a faster bullet is less affected by gravity, it's also less influenced by crosswinds. The decreased flight time minimizes the opportunity for wind to push the bullet off course, leading to superior accuracy in challenging conditions. This is a crucial advantage for ethical hunting, ensuring that shots remain precise even when environmental factors are not ideal.
• Enhanced Energy Transfer: Velocity is a primary component of kinetic energy. The higher muzzle velocity of Superformance rounds means the bullet carries more energy downrange. At the specified muzzle energy of 2771 ft lbs, this translates to devastating terminal performance, ensuring rapid, humane kills on game.
• Manageable Recoil: Despite the substantial increase in velocity and energy, Hornady’s intelligent propellant design ensures that peak pressures remain within safe limits. This means shooters experience little to no additional felt recoil, making follow-up shots quicker and more comfortable, and allowing for longer, more enjoyable shooting sessions without fatigue. This is a common concern for hunters and shooters, and Superformance directly addresses it.

The CX Bullet: Ethical Precision with Controlled Expansion

At the heart of this Superformance load is the 165 grain CX (Copper eXpanding) bullet. This represents Hornady's advanced evolution of their successful GMX (Gilding Metal eXpanding) design, providing a modern, monolithic, lead-free alternative for hunting. For those asking, "Why choose a copper alloy bullet?" or "What are the benefits of lead-free ammunition?", the CX bullet offers compelling answers:

• Monolithic Copper Alloy Construction: The CX bullet is machined from a solid piece of copper alloy. This single-material construction ensures incredible structural integrity and consistency. Unlike traditional lead-core bullets that can shed weight upon impact, the CX bullet maintains nearly 100% of its original weight, allowing it to penetrate deeper through tough hide, bone, and muscle.
• Environmentally Friendly (Lead-Free): With an increasing number of hunting zones and states implementing lead-free ammunition requirements to protect wildlife and the environment, the CX bullet provides a compliant and highly effective solution. Hunters can confidently pursue game in areas with such regulations without compromising on performance.
• Controlled, Devastating Expansion: The CX bullet features a precisely engineered hollow point cavity and a durable, polymer tip (Heat Shield® tip in some iterations of CX) that initiates rapid, wide expansion upon impact, even at extended ranges. This mushrooming creates a large wound channel, maximizing energy transfer and ensuring quick, ethical kills. Yet, its robust construction prevents over-expansion or fragmentation, maintaining integrity for deep penetration.
• High Ballistic Coefficient (BC): The sleek, aerodynamic profile of the CX bullet contributes to an excellent ballistic coefficient. This means the bullet flies more efficiently through the air, retaining velocity and energy over longer distances, which further enhances the Superformance advantage of flatter trajectories and reduced wind drift.
• Consistent Performance Across Velocities: The CX bullet is designed to perform reliably across a wide range of impact velocities, ensuring consistent expansion and penetration whether the shot is taken up close or at the limits of the .308 Winchester's effective range.

The Versatile .308 Winchester: A Hunter's Favorite

The .308 Winchester is arguably one of the most popular and versatile rifle cartridges globally, and for good reason. It strikes an ideal balance between power, recoil, and ballistic efficiency, making it suitable for a vast array of hunting scenarios and shooting disciplines. When paired with Hornady Superformance 165 grain CX ammunition, its capabilities are significantly amplified.

• Ideal for Medium to Large Game: The 165 grain bullet weight is often considered a sweet spot for the .308 Winchester, offering excellent performance on medium-sized game like whitetail deer, mule deer, and antelope, while also providing sufficient punch for larger animals such as elk, black bear, and wild boar. The deep penetration and reliable expansion of the CX bullet make it particularly effective for these applications.
• Widespread Firearm Compatibility: One of the .308's greatest strengths is its compatibility with a wide range of firearms. Whether you shoot a bolt-action, semi-automatic, lever-action, or pump-action rifle, Hornady Superformance .308 Win 165 gr CX is engineered to function flawlessly. The ammunition’s design avoids issues like excessive pressures that could hinder semi-auto cycling or place undue stress on older firearms. This ensures that a vast majority of .308 owners can experience the benefits of Superformance without concerns about their firearm’s integrity or reliability.
• Manageable Recoil Profile: Compared to more powerful magnum cartridges, the .308 Winchester offers a more moderate recoil, making it more comfortable for extended shooting sessions and accessible to a wider range of shooters, including those sensitive to heavy recoil. Superformance technology further refines this experience by boosting velocity without adding to the felt kick.

Real-World Applications and Solving Common Hunter Challenges

The Hornady Superformance .308 Winchester 165 grain CX ammunition addresses several practical concerns for hunters and shooters:

• Hunting in Lead-Free Zones: For hunters in states like California or other regions with lead-free ammunition mandates, the CX bullet provides a high-performance, compliant solution. There's no need to sacrifice accuracy or terminal performance to meet environmental regulations.
• Achieving Ethical, Humane Kills: The combination of increased velocity, flatter trajectory, reduced wind drift, and the devastating, controlled expansion of the CX bullet means cleaner, more humane kills. Shots are more precise, and the bullet's design ensures maximum energy transfer and tissue damage, leading to rapid incapacitation of game. This minimizes tracking and promotes ethical hunting practices.
• Extending Effective Range: While the .308 Winchester is generally considered effective out to 300-400 yards for hunting, the Superformance technology, with its flatter trajectory and less wind drift, subtly extends the cartridge's practical and ethical hunting range for skilled shooters. This can be particularly beneficial in open country where long shots are more common.
• Reliability Across All Firearm Types: Hunters often use various firearm actions. The assurance that Superformance ammunition performs reliably and safely in bolt-actions, lever-actions, pump-actions, and semi-automatics means hunters don't need to stock different types of ammunition for different rifles. This simplifies logistics and ensures consistent performance regardless of the rifle chosen for the hunt.
• Minimizing Meat Damage: The controlled expansion and excellent weight retention of the CX bullet means less fragmentation and less damaged meat, which is a significant benefit for hunters who value the yield from their harvest.

Optimizing Your Hunting Experience with Hornady

Choosing the right ammunition is as crucial as choosing the right rifle. Hornady has a long-standing reputation for producing high-quality, innovative ammunition, and the Superformance line, especially with the advanced CX bullet, exemplifies this commitment. Every box of this ammunition undergoes rigorous quality control, ensuring consistent performance from round to round.

For anyone looking to maximize their hunting success, comply with environmental regulations, and enhance their shooting precision with a reliable, high-performance .308 Winchester load, the Hornady Superformance 165 grain CX ammunition is an investment in superior field performance. Its unique blend of increased velocity, flatter trajectory, reduced wind drift, and lead-free controlled expansion makes it an outstanding choice for hunting medium to large game across diverse terrains. Experience the difference that cutting-edge ballistic engineering can make to your next hunt, available from DEGuns.

Hornady Superformance .308 Win 165 gr Copper Alloy eXpanding Ammunition Key Features

• Unmatched Velocity Increase: Proprietary Superformance propellants deliver up to 200 fps higher muzzle velocity without increased peak pressure or added recoil.
• Flatter Trajectories: Increased speed results in significantly flatter flight paths, simplifying aiming at longer distances and enhancing long-range accuracy.
• Reduced Wind Drift: Faster flight time minimizes the effect of crosswinds, leading to improved shot placement in varying conditions.
• Exceptional Terminal Performance: The 165 grain Copper Alloy eXpanding (CX) bullet ensures deep penetration and reliable, devastating expansion for quick, humane kills.
• Lead-Free Design: Monolithic copper alloy construction meets lead-free hunting regulations while maintaining superior ballistic performance.
• High Weight Retention: CX bullets retain nearly 100% of their original weight, driving deep through game.
• Broad Compatibility: Safe and reliable for use in all firearm types, including semi-automatic, lever-action, and pump-action rifles.
• Ethical Hunting Solution: Promotes cleaner, more humane harvests with minimal meat damage.

Attribute	Detail	Value
Brand	Manufacturer	Hornady
Model	Ammunition Line	Superformance
Caliber	Cartridge Type	.308 Win
Bullet Type	Design & Material	Copper Alloy eXpanding (CX)
Bullet Weight	Weight in Grains	165 gr
Muzzle Velocity	Initial Speed	2750 fps
Muzzle Energy	Initial Kinetic Energy	2771 ft lbs
Casing Material	Casing Composition	Brass
Application	Intended Use	Hunting
Game Type	Recommended Game	Medium to Large
Rounds Per Box	Box Quantity	20
Boxes Per Case	Case Quantity	10
UPC	Universal Product Code	090255809909
MPN	Manufacturer Part Number	80990
SKU	Stock Keeping Unit	140612