Any cons of the Absolute Hammer bullets?

[Mike D Texas]

Probably because to wring out max velocity they require a ludicrous amount of fast burning powder.

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Yep there is no advantage to them if you aren’t going to take advantage of the speed gain with them.


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[Nealm66]

That’s debatable. My first purchase of them was for less meat damage

 

[wind gypsy]

That’s debatable. My first purchase of them was for less meat damage

Im guessing they are saying no advantage compared to standard hammer hunters if you're not going to wring the velocity out of them. Seems like a fair statement.

 

[jeremy.b]

Im guessing they are saying no advantage compared to standard hammer hunters if you're not going to wring the velocity out of them. Seems like a fair statement.

Clarification:

The original intent of the absolutes was to come up with a solution where some rifles would show a significantly lower BC for a given bullet compared to other rifles. They found one cause was due to some rifles having "higher" rifling than others, likely causing more engraving up on the ogive of the bullet, thus decreasing BC.

So by reducing the diameter of the bullet nose to less than caliber diameter, they found that it corrected the BC loss in the case where they KNEW a rifle had taller rifling and was showing much lower BC's than other rifles of the same caliber.

The faster powder = faster speed thing was purely a by-product of the design.

 

[Nealm66]

I’ve noticed they will actually shoot slow unless they are pushed with the right powder/primer combo. Can be frustrating/expensive if you’re working with the untried. I’m talking about the absolutes. The difference in bc for me doesn’t amount to much at the distances I shoot and realistically, the 1-300 fps gain likely won’t make anything any deader. Still, if the potential is there and they really are very easy to tune , less meat damage, no copper fouling, what the heck.

 

[Mike D Texas]

I’m not sold on any of the hammer bullets just yet.

In comparing with other bullets of the same caliber/weight/profile/length, etc their advertised BC is very disappointing.

Maybe their numbers are true and other are inflated but without personally verifying with shooting their numbers look pretty poor on paper if long range is in your plans.


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[Miflatlander91]

I’m not sold on any of the hammer bullets just yet.

In comparing with other bullets of the same caliber/weight/profile/length, etc their advertised BC is very disappointing.

Maybe their numbers are true and other are inflated but without personally verifying with shooting their numbers look pretty poor on paper if long range is in your plans.


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Most other copper bullets are pretty low compared to something like a berger. I also don't think they advertise them much as a long range bullet I think of them as more of a good 0-600 bullet

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[Bluumoon]

I’m not sold on any of the hammer bullets just yet.

In comparing with other bullets of the same caliber/weight/profile/length, etc their advertised BC is very disappointing.

Maybe their numbers are true and other are inflated but without personally verifying with shooting their numbers look pretty poor on paper if long range is in your plans.


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The fps I gained w the absolute in .308 win blows everything else out of the water, bc be damned.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

The fps I gained w the absolute in .308 win blows everything else out of the water, bc be damned.

This

 

[tdot]

I’m not sold on any of the hammer bullets just yet.

In comparing with other bullets of the same caliber/weight/profile/length, etc their advertised BC is very disappointing.

Maybe their numbers are true and other are inflated but without personally verifying with shooting their numbers look pretty poor on paper if long range is in your plans.


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BC is their one major negative. However, IMO their terminal performance and consistency more then mitigate these lower BC numbers. That 1.5mm open hole in the nose isn't exactly an aerodynamic feature.

But consider that you can start to run a substantially lighter bullet and achieve similar or better terminal results as the heavier lead bullets and the speed differences start to negate any performance lost by the lower BC. This generally holds true on all 7 cartridges I've loaded with Hammer's out to between 650 to 750 yards, after that superior BC takes over. I'll target shoot with Bergers, but I hunt with Hammer's.

 

[eaglemountainman]

I apologize for heading slightly sideways. I reloaded for over 20 years and then, gave it up for about 10. Now I'm looking to dive back in. So much new technology since then!!!!

I am also interested in giving the Hammers a try, but I am undecided between the Shocks and the Hunters. Their site suggests that the Shocks would perform well at 400 yds or less, and the Hunters much further than that. My personal limit on game shots is 300 yds, or thereabouts, though I do prefer 200 or less. They also state that the Shocks typically retain about 80% while the Hunters retain approx. 60-70 weight.

I'm leaning towards the Shocks, but would appreciate any input from those who have knowledge/ experience with both. BTW, I'm specifically interested in loading them for 257Rob, 260Rem and 7-08. Thanks for any help.

 

[jeremy.b]

I've used the shock hammers on antelope out of my 270 and they did exactly what they were supposed to.

I'd go a bit light for caliber in the shock hammers, look over nosler load data for like sized bullets, pick a powder you have on hand, load up a few and go from there.

Since you're not concerned with long distance, you don't have to stress es/sd or squeezing max velocity out and load development could be super short.

 

[Unclecroc]

The reason absolute hammers are recommended to experienced handloaders is because they require faster burn rate powders to achieve peak performance, therefore they don’t line up with conventional load data. They also build pressure much differently than standard bullets. I am running the 90gr AH out of my 24” barrel 25-06 at 3680 fps with stellar accuracy. As far as B.C. Goes the high speeds achieved take care of that under 500 yards. At 500 yards with this load I’m 27” low which is pretty durn flat. If they preform like I have read on game I will be very pleased.