HAMMER Bullets Performance on Game

[Libtard McSocalist]

I think this thread was about the efficacy of hammers on game animals not what they do on paper

I would have to classify 16” groups @ 100 yards as unable to be hunted with from the 22-250. The 280 ai was much better around 8” @ 100 yards. If your hunting with that level of accuracy so be it but I’m not.

Lmao at the 5000fps 1/4 twist 30 cal . It’s so true. That was funny man.

And thank you for actually just saying what your issue was. I believe it 100% because I had the same issue with bullets that were supposed to stabilize, not stabilizing. I’m not even that conceded either ya jerk

Had to fly a little kid this evening with fractured femur and cigarette burns this evening. I guess my manners have left the building. No excuse though. I apologize

 

[amassi]

Oh because I never got more than 18” of penetration with a berger. And you need more penetration than that to reach and devastate the vitals from that angle.

That 195 berger would reach the vitals in that picture, as will the 215/230 out of your norma imp.
If the hammer gives you more confidence then that's fine but they will not do anything the aforementioned eld-m, berger won't do.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[huntnful]

That 195 berger would reach the vitals in that picture, as will the 215/230 out of your norma imp.
If the hammer gives you more confidence then that's fine but they will not do anything the aforementioned eld-m, berger won't do.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

Possibly the 215 & 230 Berger’s.

But I’m not sure why you would ask me, and have me explain to you actual field data, and then just tell me I’m wrong? I have killed with both. A 195 berger going 3030fps will absolutely 100% without a doubt not penetrate as far as a 169 hammer hunter going 3300fps. I’ve literally killed animals with both at the same ranges. I actually have videos of killing with both and pictures of cut apart deer.

Broadside buck. 30 yards. 195 Berger. No exit. Died In 10 seconds.

Broadside Elk. 330 yards. 195 Berger. No exit. Still alive after 45 seconds. Killed on 2nd shot. No exit.

Quartering away buck. 540 yards. 195 Berger. No exit. DRT

Quartering to buck. 540 yards. 195 Berger. No exit. DRT

So no, a berger will not do the same thing a hammer will. It will not penetrate as far, and more than likely won’t give an exit hole at all.

That doesn’t mean they’re not great killing bullets, but I can acknowledge the differences and downsides of both.

 

[amassi]

Possibly the 215 & 230 Berger’s.

But I’m not sure why you would ask me, and have me explain to you actual field data, and then just tell me I’m wrong? I have killed with both. A 195 berger going 3030fps will absolutely 100% without a doubt not penetrate as far as a 169 hammer hunter going 3300fps. I’ve literally killed animals with both at the same ranges. I actually have videos of killing with both and pictures of cut apart deer.

Broadside buck. 30 yards. 195 Berger. No exit. Died In 10 seconds.

Broadside Elk. 330 yards. 195 Berger. No exit. Still alive after 45 seconds. Killed on 2nd shot. No exit.

Quartering away buck. 540 yards. 195 Berger. No exit. DRT

Quartering to buck. 540 yards. 195 Berger. No exit. DRT

So no, a berger will not do the same thing a hammer will. It will not penetrate as far, and more than likely won’t give an exit hole at all.

That doesn’t mean they’re not great killing bullets, but I can acknowledge the differences and downsides of both.

Neat
Keep overthinking dead animals and worrying about an exit hole. Use whatever you want; you clearly have the experience and expertise to back it up.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[huntnful]

Neat
Keep overthinking dead animals and worrying about an exit hole. Use whatever you want; you clearly have the experience and expertise to back it up.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

Lol I’m not overthinking man. I’m just testing stuff out first hand (which you did also, and you weren’t impressed). I never cared about an exit hole until I shot that bull right next to patch of dark timber as he fed out. It was a perfect shot and he was still alive for almost a minute. Might have lived even longer if I didn’t kill him with the second shot. But had he decided to run into the dark timber and cover ground for over a minute without spilling a drop of blood, that would have sucked. So I just started looking at 7mm bullet options. Landed on hammer bullets and these were my results from the year. Nothing more, nothing less. I mean I’m having a $5k rifle built around Berger’s. I like them lol. And the shallow penetrating no exiting 195’s is what pushed me to build around the 215 & 230 bergers in 30 cal. There is a ton of data showing they penetrate much further but still deliver that insane trauma that I love from a berger. Hammers don’t turn an animals vitals into soup like a berger does.

 

[BAKPAKR]

This
It's crazy how a forum originally geared towards long-range hunting has been hijacked by a bullet that is ‍ at long range. I especially like that one gas bag shooting light 30 cal "absolute " over 4000 fps out of a 300 rum and proclaiming how effective they are on whitetails under 300 yards ( duh)

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

Any chance I am the gas bag? Here is my post:

“I have shot two whitetail does with Hammer bullets out of a 300 RUM. One was with a 181 gr HH at about 3275 fps and the other was with a 124 gr HH at about 3800 fps. Both were around 200 yards, hit behind the shoulder, broadside. Neither dropped in its tracks, but neither went too far. The damage to the lungs on both was significant. I plan to keep using them. I hope to have a report on how the 199 gr HH works on elk out of a long-throated 30 Nosler next fall.

BTW - I think the 124 gr HH is going to be the MPBR bullet in my Remington 700 KS. It is +/- 2” out to just past 300 yards. I am pretty sure I could get over 4000 fps with Retumbo (last reading was 3956 and I went up from there) but my groups were much better at 3800 fps with H4831sc (not H1000, as I originally posted, so
edited to correct the powder).”

As others have mentioned, Steve has been very quick to respond to questions I have had. Even though I know it is a small company and he probably is the customer service department, I was still impressed that the owner addressed my questions.

 

[doverpack12]

I choose hammer bullets for hunting when I am primarily in thick timber where I may get one shot opportunity and it’s likely less than ideal. Sure I give up some BC however they are very very repeatable and fly well at long range, just have to adjust either BC or velocity like I do with any other Berger or Hornady bullet. I’ve shot 4 Elk minimum and 6 ish whitetail/mule deer with either 7mm 143 from an STW or 152 30 cal from a 30-06. All died within 30-50 yards of the shot and I can say none of my shots were perfect since off hand or quickly leaning against a tree rarely are.
I’ve killed several elk, deer and antelope with Bergers and ELDM bullets. I’ve had Bergers fail to kill quickly or ethically and no longer use them in 7mm as I believe there IS a difference in construction and terminal performance between heavy 7mm and heavy 30 cal Bergers.
I believe Ryan Avery, Form and Broz however my personal experience is far superior with hammers than target bullets, likely because I’m shooting close and not shooting extended distance where I would have more opportunity for a perfect shot scenario.
I’ve killed elk with hammers that had shots entering through or just below the short ribs and then exited the opposite front shoulder low. I’ve had two Bergers fail to finish a cow elk same shot scenario as above but entry was closer to the last rib, she already had a hole in her chest from a broadside shot behind the shoulder then took two in the head, one lengthwise and one through the ears before she was down for good. Lost a big mule deer buck from a quartering to shot with a Berger at 50 yards. I’ll accept that one could have been my fault since I never found him after two days.
Hammers kill very well for me and my shot scenarios so I continue to use them.

 

[jhm2023]

I started shooting Hammers recently in my bolt guns switching from Barnes LRX and TTSX. Ive only shot a sheep and a black bear with them so far but both died very quickly and I'm happy enough that I purchased a few hundred more Hammers. There was over 3 feet of penetration before exiting the 6'8" bear that dropped at the shot. Have and still shoot a lot of Lehigh controlled chaos and CEB maximus, which have a similar manner of terminal performance as the Hammers and they also always perform excellent on game for me and the friends and family I've loaded them for. Of course the Hammers have a lower BC but as a hunter first and foremost, terminal performance is considerably more important to me than a BC will ever be. For my style of hunting I never take shots on game past 600 and more often than not shots are under 300. It's worth mentioning that for me game can range in size from blacktail deer to moose and brown bear all with the same rifle and same load, so a target or otherwise thin jacketed bullet will never be found loaded in my hunting cartridges. It's all personal preference and my bullet selections have put a lot of meat in my freezer and mounts on my walls all with what I consider great performance. Do what works for you and and use what you like spending your hard earned money on and stop worrying yourselves with what others choose to use. Pretty sure this thread was asking about Hammers performing on game not adults bickering about who's bullet is better. This is yet another area in life where the rule of the 3 Fs apply, if you don't Feed me, F*** me or Finance me, then your opinion doesn't really matter.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[eoperator]

Steve is a 'D'bag, that has not been my experience in any way shape or form.

 

[Sykes]

Calling people Dbags and thier products shit just tells me and everyone else all we need to know.
I started shooting hammers in 2018 because I had a Cooper 280AI that would shoot anything I had tried under an inch at 100 yards. I was told hammers shoot easily so I called Steve to get an idea on what bullet and what powder to try. After an hour of great conversation about all sorts of stuff I decided to try them. In 9 rounds I had a .5" load found with the 143 hammer hunter at 3120 fps. Then I bought a Kimber Montana, rifles know to be extremely pick on what they shoot well so I tried the 152 hammer hunter and again extremely accurate with ease of load development. The factory ammo I shot first to get the scope dialed did not shoot for shit

I tried the 124 hammer in my 6.5 prc and wasn't all that happy with it. It did shoot well at 100 yards but didn't give me the accuracy I wanted at 450 yards so in that rifle I shoot the 140 berger elite hunter. Berger bullets are outstanding as well in my experience, I've killed several elk with them also, Berger is all I used to shoot. I've also had good luck with Nosler's Accubond and Partition. The 147 ELDM is awesome on steel to 1000 yards, kills that plate dead evey time!

I will agree they are not the best long range bullet. The cartridges I shoot are all pretty mild and the theory behind mono bullets is light and fast so I limit my hunting shots to 400 yards. I kill a few big game animals every year and I guided elk hunts for 5 years. Shots in my experience typically are around 300 yards. So for me hammers do everything I need. I guess I'm a hammer fan boy.

 

[TraderMike]

I started shooting Hammers recently in my bolt guns switching from Barnes LRX and TTSX. Ive only shot a sheep and a black bear with them so far but both died very quickly and I'm happy enough that I purchased a few hundred more Hammers. There was over 3 feet of penetration before exiting the 6'8" bear that dropped at the shot. Have and still shoot a lot of Lehigh controlled chaos and CEB maximus, which have a similar manner of terminal performance as the Hammers and they also always perform excellent on game for me and the friends and family I've loaded them for. Of course the Hammers have a lower BC but as a hunter first and foremost, terminal performance is considerably more important to me than a BC will ever be. For my style of hunting I never take shots on game past 600 and more often than not shots are under 300. It's worth mentioning that for me game can range in size from blacktail deer to moose and brown bear all with the same rifle and same load, so a target or otherwise thin jacketed bullet will never be found loaded in my hunting cartridges. It's all personal preference and my bullet selections have put a lot of meat in my freezer and mounts on my walls all with what I consider great performance. Do what works for you and and use what you like spending your hard earned money on and stop worrying yourselves with what others choose to use. Pretty sure this thread was asking about Hammers performing on game not adults bickering about who's bullet is better. This is yet another area in life where the rule of the 3 Fs apply, if you don't Feed me, F*** me or Finance me, then your opinion doesn't really matter.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Your 3 F's rule made me laugh. If I ever heard that one before I apparently forgot it.

The Lehigh controlled chaos bullets caught my eye as I was getting my reloading bench back into operation. I always had acceptable results with the early Barnes X but the copper fouling issues I experienced were aggravating when pushed over 3000 FPS. I may have gone with the Lehigh offering (they appeared to be available) but I was unable to find much in the way of accounts of on game performance. Since my loads are primarily built for elk, and knowing from personal observation how difficult they can be to anchor, reputation factored quite heavily in my decision. I can understand folks being hesitant to try a bullet design that departs from the traditional "mushroom" concept that lead and copper jackets have established but I can't quite get my head around the outright animosity some have regarding Hammer projectiles. If someone has a personal experience that amounted to a Hammer bullet failing to perform I would appreciate hearing about it.

 

[TraderMike]

Calling people Dbags and thier products shit just tells me and everyone else all we need to know.
I started shooting hammers in 2018 because I had a Cooper 280AI that would shoot anything I had tried under an inch at 100 yards. I was told hammers shoot easily so I called Steve to get an idea on what bullet and what powder to try. After an hour of great conversation about all sorts of stuff I decided to try them. In 9 rounds I had a .5" load found with the 143 hammer hunter at 3120 fps. Then I bought a Kimber Montana, rifles know to be extremely pick on what they shoot well so I tried the 152 hammer hunter and again extremely accurate with ease of load development. The factory ammo I shot first to get the scope dialed did not shoot for shit

I tried the 124 hammer in my 6.5 prc and wasn't all that happy with it. It did shoot well at 100 yards but didn't give me the accuracy I wanted at 450 yards so in that rifle I shoot the 140 berger elite hunter. Berger bullets are outstanding as well in my experience, I've killed several elk with them also, Berger is all I used to shoot. I've also had good luck with Nosler's Accubond and Partition. The 147 ELDM is awesome on steel to 1000 yards, kills that plate dead evey time!

I will agree they are not the best long range bullet. The cartridges I shoot are all pretty mild and the theory behind mono bullets is light and fast so I limit my hunting shots to 400 yards. I kill a few big game animals every year and I guided elk hunts for 5 years. Shots in my experience typically are around 300 yards. So for me hammers do everything I need. I guess I'm a hammer fan boy.

I don't reload because I find it enjoyable. I started back up because this ammo situation is not looking to get back to anything resembling normal anytime soon. (I tie flies for "fun" and relaxation.) My experience regarding load development and interaction with the owner of Hammer Bullets is right in line with yours. Before I started bidding on components at the auction I spoke with Steve to get advice on which powders would give me the best chance for developing a satisfactory load for 4 different rifles/cartridges in hopes of limiting the "experimenting" and investment. He was quite helpful and was correct in 3 out of his 4 suggestions for powder. The accuracy I have found has been more than adequate as well...

I agree with your assessment of derogatory comments that bring nothing of value to the discussion. I suppose I may be on my way to "fanboy" status as well and hope that is the case. Every range session over the summer comes with an opportunity cost of not getting to stand in a river by myself.

 

[Newtosavage]

7mm08, 131gr hammer hunters, loaded over Varget at ~3015 fps.

I shot an antelope at 265yd broadside in October - baseball sized exit hole, massive damage to chest cavity. Surprised to see it run 40-50 yards but it was clearly dead before it knew it..

Update from my elk hunt last week - shot a cow in the neck, facing me directly at 70 yards in its bed. It never got to its feet, it immediately slumped over. I didnt closely investigate the damage track but saw that it entered in the 'open space' into the chest cavity and passed between heart and lungs, rupturing the aorta. It ended somewhere in the guts, I didn't explore further Best part - no meat damage whatsoever!

These shoot really well for me (0.5 MOA) and perform well on game. I'm a fan!

Those 131's shot damn good out of my 7mm-08, over Varget. I got about 3k as well.

 

[TraderMike]

Those 131's shot damn good out of my 7mm-08, over Varget. I got about 3k as well.

Have you put any meat in your freezer with this load, by chance?

 

[Newtosavage]

Have you put any meat in your freezer with this load, by chance?

Just the one spike buck last year. Bang flop and very little meat damage. Double lunged at 200 yds. The other two I shot that year were with 120 TTSX's and both ran with pencil-hole exits. I didn't like that very much. This year I'm trying 139 LRX's to see if I get a better result but I may go back to those 131 Hammers.

 

[willfrye027]

Sounds like someone has beef with Steve..

I am a hammer fan boy for sure. Load them in a couple of my rifles, my wife’s, and for buddies who want me to work up a load for them.

1. Easiest to reload bullet I’ve ever tried, they just plain shoot. I’m not wasting components to work up a load..usually done in 15 shots or less. And usually end up with top end velocity which I feel is important for monos to work well.

2. Always available, and Steve is almost always available by phone if I have questions about what powders to try

3. Terminal performance has been good for me and my friends that shoot them. I think they kill a bit faster and leave a larger wound channel than a TTSX. And I trust them to expand at lower velocity than I would trust a Barnes or GMX. Whether it’s the petals or large hollow point or whatever, I don’t care, but they work well so I keep shooting them. I also shoot Berger’s in my long range guns for the high BC and a large wound channel/more bang flops.

4. I do not care about the BC for the rifles they are loaded in. Personally I practice and know my limits with wind in each of my rifles.

Heres a few examples from this year from my wife and I. Buddies have another 8-10 kills as well. 30-06 with 151 absolute at 3130 fps (factory tikka barrel) and 6.5 creedmoor 110hammer hunter at 2830fps (loaded down for less recoil) for reference.

Impact velocity range from 2030fps on the California mule deer/dink to 3080fps on the whitetail buck. 50-520 yards. Everything died as quickly as expected given the shot placement. Wife’s antelope was 300yards and very windy, held for 20mph wind and she crushed it, just like we practice..

 

[TraderMike]

Nice pics and helpful info! Appreciate you sharing your experience...

 

[deerhunter628]

I tried the Hammer Absolute Hunters this year. I was looking to get more velocity out of my 16” barrel 308, and I did get that. They were very easy to develop a load for and very accurate. I shot one Whitetail deer with it and was not impressed. The deer was at 110 yards. I shot double lung and did not find any blood for about 30 yards. The blood trail was not good all the way up to the deer on the ground. Steve was great to work with, I did get the velocity I wanted, the accuracy was great. The terminal performance was just not good for me. I went back to Accubonds.

 

[35WhelenAI]

Was there an exit, I gather?

 

[deerhunter628]

Was there an exit, I gather?

There was not an exit