Hammer bullets

[Timberjack450]

Guys, what is the difference between hammer hunter vs hammer hht besides the polymer tip?

Thanks

 

[mustelid_master]

How they perform. The HHT's tend to be more violent, nowhere near a cup-n-core lead bullet though.

 

[Backofbeyond]

HHT have a different ogive profile and different band geometry on the sides.

 

[Timberjack450]

On the hammer website, it states they test to a minimum velocity of 1800fps. I know copper bullets tend to need more speed to expand properly but this seems a bit fast. The LRX line from barnes advertise some of their minimum expansion speeds at 1500fps. Has anyone compared expansion between the 2?

 

[mustelid_master]

I have not compared the two. I can tell you from experience that 1800 fps is low for hammers. I would shoot for 21-2200 at whatever distance you plan to hunt at. As with all monos.

 

[Timberjack450]

OK thanks for the advise, appreciate the information. I don't have a lot of experience with copper. I wanted to give the hammers a try, they seem to be getting a lot of hype.

 

[mustelid_master]

They will certainly kill. Be advised that their BC's suck. I always seemed to be able to squeeze another 100 fps out of a comparable cartridge/ bullet weight combo w/ hammers, I think b/c of the groove design. Keep em fast and light and they do just fine.

 

[WKR]

I can attest to the hammer hunters having a much lower bc than advertised

I can't speak to the new tipped version though.

Terminal performance was decent on sub 400 yards shots. Not so much past that.

 

[Timberjack450]

Great information guys! I am tempted to try the 145 grain hht in my 7mm mag. I should be able to push those around 3200fps. I keep shots within 500 yards, obviously the closer the better.

 

[waspocrew]

I used the 267 gr HHTs out of my 338 RUM last year. All 4 animals (whitetail buck, die antelope, 2 cow elk) at 400-430 yards. Worked well, but can’t say they worked any better than other projectiles I’ve used. They were very easy to work up a load though.

 

[hdc77]

Hammers hunters worked great for me sub 200 yards, from Nilgai to pronghorn, but I would not trust them to perform as expected sub 2000 fps.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

The LRX line from barnes advertise some of their minimum expansion speeds at 1500fps.

That version of “expansion” is not our version. That version is it starts to open but effectively is still caliber size. Don’t go anywhere near that slow and think you’ll get peeled back petals. 2100-2200fps is the slowest I would consider personally.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Great information guys! I am tempted to try the 145 grain hht in my 7mm mag. I should be able to push those around 3200fps. I keep shots within 500 yards, obviously the closer the better.

Sounds like you have a 24" barrel? If not that speed looks optimistic compared to the hammer load data. Run the numbers on the 145hht vs the 132hht and see which one carries more velocity to 500yd imho. But in general the newer HHT would be what I'd try out if starting from scratch to see how they perform. I've shot lots of barnes LRX and some hammer hunters. Folks report those HHT upset quite a bit more and the results seem more appealing to me but no personal experience yet.

 

[AZ_Hunter]

I inquired about the .308 138gr HHT expansion threshold and this is what Steve said:

“We impacted tested the 138gr HHT and the 154gr HHT the other day. With the current batch of copper they both need to stay above 1900 fps. The next batch of copper is going to be better for low vel impacts. The mill is currently working on meeting our needs.”

I personally will wait until the “next batch of copper” bullets hit the market whenever that is and I guess will have to ask to know.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I personally will wait until the “next batch of copper” bullets hit the market whenever that is and I guess will have to ask to know.

The "batch of copper" thing burned me in the past with the regular hammer hunters, they got a hard batch and didn't realize it and bullets weren't opening like they should which caused me some rodeos till that was discovered. With that in mind I'd personally be looking to hunt the HHT now if buying more hammers as it logically seems less likely to be affected by batch variations (larger hollow point behind the tip).

 

[Cameron.25]

Cutting edge lazers have a lower expansion speed too, might be worth a look. Like others above I tried to keep them for shorter shots under 400 and they performed exactly as intended. I only had 3 kills with them and have decided to switch back to lead bullets in smaller cartridges(300 prc, now shooting 22cm and 6-6.5prc this year) just to switch things up, less money/recoil, more fun to shoot and hoping for similar or better performance on game

 

[Timberjack450]

Sounds like you have a 24" barrel? If not that speed looks optimistic compared to the hammer load data. Run the numbers on the 145hht vs the 132hht and see which one carries more velocity to 500yd imho. But in general the newer HHT would be what I'd try out if starting from scratch to see how they perform. I've shot lots of barnes LRX and some hammer hunters. Folks report those HHT upset quite a bit more and the results seem more appealing to me but no personal experience yet.

Yes, I have a 24" barrel. It seems like there really is no advantage to switching from the barnes. The barnes shoot well in my gun and have a more appealing price point.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Yes, I have a 24" barrel. It seems like there really is no advantage to switching from the barnes. The barnes shoot well in my gun and have a more appealing price point.

Nothing wrong with running what already works. Barnes kill things fine when you use them appropriately (much faster than the “minimum” and shot placement you’d put a broad head that could go through bone).

 

[Jason Snyder]

I used to shoot a Barnes and now shoot Hammers. I like the Hammers better. They are easier to load, give better wound channels and are always available.

I remember a lot of guys trying to find Barnes over the last few years and I’ve always been able to get a box of hammers in a few days.

YMMV.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I used to shoot a Barnes and now shoot Hammers. I like the Hammers better. They are easier to load, give better wound channels and are always available.

I remember a lot of guys trying to find Barnes over the last few years and I’ve always been able to get a box of hammers in a few days.

YMMV.

You tried any of the HHT yet?