Federal Adds 22 Creedmoor to Fusion and American Eagle: 75-Grain Loads at 3,300 fps

Channel fans and family, if you’ve been waiting for more factory ammo for your 22 Creedmoor, Federal just made that a little easier. Federal Ammunition added two 22 Creedmoor loads to its lineup: a 75-grain Fusion bonded soft point for hunting and a 75-grain American Eagle TMJ for the range. Federal lists both at 3,300 fps at the muzzle.

Quick note: this article is based on Federal’s press release and its product pages. We haven’t put these loads over a chronograph yet.

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What’s the 22 Creedmoor again?

Short version: it’s the Creedmoor case necked down to .224 so it can launch heavy .22-caliber bullets really fast. Think coyotes and varmints at distance, plus long-range steel with very little recoil. The tradeoff is that you want a fast-twist barrel to stabilize those long, heavy bullets, and a barrel life that won’t match your plinking AR. For a lot of people it’s been more of a handloader’s cartridge, so every new factory load helps.

Here’s how Josh Vickers, Federal’s Centerfire Rifle Ammunition Product Manager, put it in the release: “The screaming 22 Creedmoor can push heavier 22-caliber bullets more than 3,000 fps for flat trajectories, long-range accuracy, and hard-hitting power on coyotes and other predators.”

Fusion 75-grain soft point: the hunting load

Fusion is Federal’s bonded hunting line. The copper jacket is electro-chemically bonded to a pressure-formed core, and the skived nose is there for consistent expansion. Federal’s pitch is high weight retention and deep penetration.

• Product no.: F22CRDFS2
• Bullet: 75-grain Fusion Soft Point (bonded)
• Muzzle velocity: 3,300 fps
• Velocity (Federal’s ballistics table): 2,963 fps at 100 yd, 2,359 at 300, 1,833 at 500
• Energy: 1,813 ft-lb at the muzzle, 559 ft-lb at 500 yd
• Wind drift (10 mph): 8.8″ at 300 yd, 27.5″ at 500 yd
• Box: 20 rounds

American Eagle 75-grain TMJ: the range load

American Eagle is Federal’s practice line: reloadable brass, dependable primers, and in this case a Total Metal Jacket bullet. If you’re breaking in a new barrel, confirming zero or ringing steel, this is the box you’d burn through.

• Product no.: AE22CRD1
• Bullet: 75-grain Total Metal Jacket
• Muzzle velocity: 3,300 fps
• Velocity (Federal’s ballistics table): 3,047 fps at 100 yd, 2,581 at 300, 2,160 at 500
• Energy: 1,813 ft-lb at the muzzle, 777 ft-lb at 500 yd
• Wind drift (10 mph): 6.4″ at 300 yd, 19.1″ at 500 yd
• Box: 20 rounds

Interesting detail from Federal’s own numbers: same weight, same muzzle velocity, but the TMJ holds its speed better downrange than the soft point. By 500 yards it’s going over 300 fps faster and drifting about 8 inches less in a 10 mph wind. So don’t zero with one and assume the other hits the same spot past 300.

Who it’s for

• Predator and varmint hunters running a 22 Creedmoor bolt gun. That’s the Fusion load.
• New 22 Creedmoor owners who want affordable factory ammo to zero and practice with. That’s American Eagle.
• Competition shooters: sit tight for the 80-grain Sierra Tipped MatchKing load Federal says is coming.

Our take

I like seeing a big name like Federal put the 22 Creedmoor into its everyday Fusion and American Eagle lines. Those are the boxes you actually find on the shelf at your local shop, and factory ammo has been the weak spot for this cartridge. A 75-grain TMJ practice load is the part I’m most excited about, because it means you can shoot a fast .22 at long range without handloading every round. What I’d still want to know is real-world accuracy and velocity out of shorter barrels, since 3,300 fps is a book number and your rifle will tell you the truth. If you’re hunting, the bonded Fusion is the one I’d want for coyotes. If you compete, I’d wait for the 80-grain Tipped MatchKing. And as always, run a chronograph before you trust any ballistic chart.

Where to find it

Federal sells both straight from its site: Fusion 22 Creedmoor 75-grain (F22CRDFS2) and American Eagle 22 Creedmoor 75-grain TMJ (AE22CRD1). Federal says they are shipping to dealers now, so local stock will vary for a bit.

Related reading on SlavGuns

• Mossberg MVP Precision .224 Valkyrie: Good Gun, Bad Caliber?
• What’s a Chronograph and Why You May Need One
• Winchester 6.5 PRC Ammo First Look: Match and Big Game Expedition

Sources

• Press release via The Outdoor Wire: Federal Adds 22 Creedmoor Loads to Its Fusion and American Eagle Product Lines
• Federal: Fusion Rifle 22 Creedmoor and American Eagle Rifle 22 Creedmoor product pages

Are you running a 22 Creedmoor yet, or still sticking with .223 and 6.5? Let me know in the comments. Keep on squatting!

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