HAMMER Bullets Performance on Game

Maineiac

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Joined
Jul 29, 2023
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20
Location
Southern Oregon
Shot a cow yesterday with my sons. They had helped e build some 205 grain hammer Hunter cartridges from my Sako aii .338wm. Shot was 250ish yards, impact velocity somewhere around 2300. Bullet worked as advertised. Lungs destroyed, and a quarter sized exit hole. She never meaningfully moved from the spot she was shot at. That makes two elk with the load (last years was at 160ish yards) and both died quickly and without an excess of movement. I’m happy with this bullets.
 
Joined
Mar 19, 2017
Messages
445
Location
Wyoming
A lung shot with a mono within terminal performance parameters, giving you advertised bullet performance, gets the job done quickly and efficiently.

280ai 155 absolute Hammer at 3030fps.
320yd double lung on a mature 6x6 bull elk, 20yd dash and piled up. Dead within 30 seconds. Shank exited, 2 petals under offside hide within 3 inches of shank exit and one petal in edge of offside shoulder when butchering. 4 holes through center of lungs, lots of shock damage to surrounding lung area.

Now if you push those terminal parameters outside of recommended velocities the results will vary.

I’ve seen that result as well. Double lunged a bull at distances being on the edge of reccomemded velocities and did not get advertised bullet performance, no expansion and follow up shot needed.

As all monos, speed is your friend. lighter than normal caliber weights to get the needed speed is required.

BC aren’t great but they are adequate for the bullets intended purposes. long range has different meanings to different people. Hammer may say hammer hunter or their tipped bullet is their long range bullet, but they also say 700 is long range. They don’t advertise their bullets as 1000yd bullets.
They reccomed their bullets as an inside 500yd bullet, and their BCs are just fine for that

Not a Hammer fanboy but they are a great design, high quality and a good blend of terminal performance theory. You get 2 holes( in and out) and you get a good initial pocket of energy dump when the petals shed.

I’ve shot them, I’ve had luck with them, I’ve had not so great luck with them. Will I shoot them again yes. Will I lighten up my bullet choice and push it faster, yes.

Understand the bullet, what it is designed for and how to use it and it will work out great.
 

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WyJack

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Joined
Apr 24, 2024
Messages
5
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.
124’s at 3800? Sounds like the perfect coyote load to me!
 

DagOtto

FNG
Joined
Jun 19, 2024
Messages
94
Hi, If your interested, I've posted copper bullet necropsy photos and reports for two other non-lead bullets in the thread:



I'd really like to work as a group to build more information about how all of the various non-lead bullets are working on real animals in real field situations and hopefully we can keep them in one cohesive place.

If anyone knows of another thread with non-lead necropsy reports please let me know and I'll move my posts over there.
 
Joined
Nov 20, 2021
Messages
1,630
I like looking at pictures, however to say it didn't happen if there aren't pictures is calling people liars. If that's where we're at, I'll pull out with 30 years of mono experience after this post.

Monos do a great job of destroying tissue to end life, doesn't matter what it looks like. Animals cease to live. They allow shot presentations from many angles within hunting ranges, not long range sniping ranges which has become a buzz word for hunting. Manufacturers are as much involved with this as anything other than the Internet to brag about longer and further.

When folks choose to hunt ranges longer than monos are typically effective, then don't bitch about monos being a bad choice. It's that hunter's choice. If the bullet doesn't work as expected (not promised, no manufacturer of any bullet does that) then maybe the shot choice is the issue not the bullet. I would not choose to destroy meat with a frangible bullet. Interesting how manufactures offer velocity minimum's for expansion but don't say anything about how much waste their bullet will create. If a frangible bullet is the only way to get game from the ranges being hunted, I'll get closer with a better bullet choice. Kind of the idea of a hunt.

Monos of any design are ahead of the game, as the endgame is going away from frangible bullets. Enjoy them while you can and keep posting those pictures...
 
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LightFoot

WKR
Joined
Feb 21, 2016
Messages
1,450
Location
Texas & Alaska
I like looking at pictures, however to say it didn't happen if there aren't pictures is calling people liars. If that's where we're at, I'll pull out with 30 years of mono experience after this post.

Monos do a great job of destroying tissue to end life, doesn't matter what it looks like. Animals cease to live. They allow shot presentations from many angles within hunting ranges, not long range sniping ranges which has become a buzz word for hunting. Manufacturers are as much involved with this as anything other than the Internet to brag about longer and further.

When folks choose to hunt ranges longer than monos are typically effective, then don't bitch about monos being a bad choice. It's that hunter's choice. If the bullet doesn't work as expected (not promised, no manufacturer of any bullet does that) then maybe the shot choice is the issue not the bullet. I would not choose to destroy meat with a frangible bullet. Interesting how manufactures offer velocity minimum's for expansion but don't say anything about how much waste their bullet will create. If a frangible bullet is the only way to get game from the ranges being hunted, I'll get closer with a better bullet choice. Kind of the idea of a hunt.

Monos of any design are ahead of the game, as the endgame is going away from frangible bullets. Enjoy them while you can and keep posting those pictures...

Very well said.


>>>——JAKE——>
 

amassi

WKR
Joined
May 26, 2018
Messages
3,928
Uh- I must have missed something. Who is calling who a liar? If I somehow insinuated that that I apologize and did NOT mean to indicate that. ...

You posted a picture of a typical mono bullet and he feels attacked as monos are the answer blah blah blah
You didn’t call anyone a liar, he doesn’t believe your results.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Joined
Nov 20, 2021
Messages
1,630
You posted a picture of a typical mono bullet and he feels attacked as monos are the answer blah blah blah
You didn’t call anyone a liar, he doesn’t believe your results.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
amassi, where did you read (quote, please?) I don't like his results or say he called anyone a liar? With respect, read the thread, you'll see where I stand just as I know you are an early adopter of this thread. For sure he didn't call anyone a liar.

DagOtto, I apologize as I never felt I was being called a liar, per se. However, I see where that could come from. I absolutely liked your post! I was inferring this forum has more than a propensity to say if there aren't pictures it didn't happen (rarely if ever from the mono crowd, IME).

I 100% will contribute and support a non-lead thread with reports. Just saying, it's inevitable that if there aren't pictures, there's a crowd that will show up and say it didn't happen. I think it's ok to say that is a fairly consistent occurrence.
 
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