Hammer Bullets....Anyone have experience with them on game? Updated 8/24

[jrebel]

Loading some 124 grain hammer hunters in a 6.5 creedmoor and wondering if anyone has any experience with hammer bullets on game animals?  They appear to be shooting very well and I suspect when load development is complete they will be sub half MOA.  Now I'm just curious how they will work on game animals. 

Thanks in advance.   

[jay.sharkbait]

Loading some 124 grain hammer hunters in a 6.5 creedmoor and wondering if anyone has any experience with hammer bullets on game animals?  They appear to be shooting very well and I suspect when load development is complete they will be sub half MOA.  Now I'm just curious how they will work on game animals. 

Thanks in advance.   

Yorke is the man for this.

Maybe a PM.

[92xj]

My experience is with 196gr and 181gr.  They perform exactly how they say, shred the petals and the body keeps going and punches out the offside.  I've killed 3 deer and a bear, all pass throughs. Farthest runner was roughly 12 feet from impact. And all mine have had very minimal meat damage.  Way less than I had with accubonds and ssts.  I have zero desire to leave hammers, they work, they are fast and very easily to load and play with. 

[jrebel]

My experience is with 196gr and 181gr.  They perform exactly how they say, shred the petals and the body keeps going and punches out the offside.  I've killed 3 deer and a bear, all pass throughs. Farthest runner was roughly 12 feet from impact. And all mine have had very minimal meat damage.  Way less than I had with accubonds and ssts.  I have zero desire to leave hammers, they work, they are fast and very easily to load and play with.

This is super good information, Hoping the liter bullet performs equally as well.  Would you hammer a shoulder or steer away from bone? 

[92xj]

I avoided it knowing the petals would shred, I punched in right behind the shoulder, petals took out everything in the cavity and the bullet went right out the offside.  The bear did hit the offside shoulder which blew the bone apart and still passed through.

[jakeweb]

I would recommend the 123 absolute though over the 124 hunter. Move velocity less pressure. They like a faster powder though. I have a custom 6.5 creed that I couldn’t get to shoot Berger’s and threw some 123 absolute hammers in it and can’t shoot more then 1/2”. Varget is the powder with them.

[jrebel]

I would recommend the 123 absolute though over the 124 hunter. Move velocity less pressure. They like a faster powder though. I have a custom 6.5 creed that I couldn’t get to shoot Berger’s and threw some 123 absolute hammers in it and can’t shoot more then 1/2”. Varget is the powder with them.

I'm pushing the 124 Hammer Hunters with H4350.  The two nodes I'm playing with are 1 grain apart and the difference in velocities is incredible.  The lower node is 2770 and the upper node is 2885.  Either will work for the ranges my daughter will be shooting.  She is shooting a Savage Ultralite topped with a Nightforce NXS 5.5-22.  She is a little spoiled.   

[TooTallMike]

I would recommend the 123 absolute though over the 124 hunter. Move velocity less pressure. They like a faster powder though. I have a custom 6.5 creed that I couldn’t get to shoot Berger’s and threw some 123 absolute hammers in it and can’t shoot more then 1/2”. Varget is the powder with them.

I'm pushing the 124 Hammer Hunters with H4350.  The two nodes I'm playing with are 1 grain apart and the difference in velocities is incredible.  The lower node is 2770 and the upper node is 2885.  Either will work for the ranges my daughter will be shooting.  She is shooting a Savage Ultralite topped with a Nightforce NXS 5.5-22.  She is a little spoiled.   

A little?

Geez want to adopt a 28 year old son? I come with grandbabies


😂😂

Btw I've shot the 214gr 30cal hammer bullets out of my win mag and they shot lights out without much fiddling with loads

I'd shoot them at game

[kselkhunter]

I'm excited that Hammer is doing pistol bullets now.  They have the 9mm in stock....just waiting on the 357 cals for my 357 Magnum.  They're working on that design now.  I've loaded the rifle bullets in 4 calibers of rifle and love them.   

[Jolten]

I'm currently set up with the 127gr Barnes lrx out of my 26 nosler. However Hammer does have a 97gr absolute bullet they recommend for big game and claim 3500fps from a Creed more. I'm tempted to see how fast they'll load in the 26N

[jrebel]

Load development is complete....here are the stats

Savage Ultralite 6.5 creedmoor topped with a nightforce NSX 5.5-22
124 gain hammer hunters
42.2 grains of H4350
Starline large rifle primer brass
Federal 210 primers
.01 off the lands / jam....though I didn't notice a huge difference with seating depth.  POI changed the further back I got so I chose to keep it close.  It would probably like being jammed into the lands. 

Chrono'd at 2850 fps
Groups are consistently sub 1/2 if I do my job.  I qualify this because this is my daughters rifle and we have a high comb on it and I have a hard time with how high the comb is. 
ES is 10-12 though I have been shooting in very hot weather and my barrel is not cooling like I would like.  I imagine this could get better when tested in the fall. 

Son shot it 3 times for today for the first time and range steel all three times at 450 yards.  Now for my daughter to whack her first bear with it and I will report back with bullet performance. 

 

[CaNINE]

Curious What is Hammers recommended minimum impact velocity for reliable expansion?

[jrebel]

Curious What is Hammers recommended minimum impact velocity for reliable expansion?

I have watched a few videos where hammers bullets were tested with gel blocks.  It appears the consensus I’d 1600 FPS for reliable expansion without tumbling.  That is perfectly acceptable to me being that makes this a 700 yard rifle and we won’t hunt past 500…..in most cases past 300.

[CaNINE]

Thanks. Looking forward to the field report soon!   

[str8meat]

Just ordered the 180 hunters. Trying them in my 30-378 weatherby. Anyone here have references for this combination? Seems I struggle getting 200’s to shoot but the gun likes 180’s.

[jrebel]

Updated with first field report.  Unfortunately....my daughter did not get her first bear with it.  Her and my wife had to leave early due to my wife having to go back to work.  Me and my son stayed for an extra day and a half though.  I ask my daughter if we could use her rifle and she generously obliged.  Needless to say, in the last hour of our hunt, my son was able to connect on a bear and the bullet did exactly what it was suppose to. 

Approx 30-40 yards broadside.
153 lb bear
Entrance wound is first picture breaking one rib
Exit wound is second picture...hole doubled in size and you can see 4 small exit wounds from the pedals. 
The heat and lungs were 100% jellyfied.....and the heat looked like someone had taken a lawn mower to it with all the slices / cuts in it. 
Bear went 15 yards and was dead in less than 10 seconds.....pretty sure it was a dead bear running. 

As for the bullets performance, I would say it works at the upper velocity ranges.  It will be nice to see how it does at range.  My daughter still has a bear to get and hopefully her first deer to this year.  I will continue to report, assuming we stay lucky and this rifle gets a workout on game this year. 

[jrebel]

Heart and internal cavity pics.

[jrebel]

Internal cavity and the lucky hunter. 

[92xj]

Perfect.  Glad it worked for you guys and congratulations to the kid.

[jasnt]

Awesome all the way around

[jrebel]

Second animal down with this set up and no complaints.  One hundred yards on a young buck that was quartering away.  Bullet hit about 3 ribs forward of the last rib, broke two ribs on entrance with a gaping hole.  Hit diaphragm, top of heart and both lungs, exiting on the off side shoulder.  Busted a rib on exit and had a complete pass through.  Deer went 15 feet and tipped over.  I did not have a huge blood trail, which was a little concerning....but the pump was disconnected and the thoracic cavity was completely full up of coagulated blood.  I will take pictures when I butcher the deer to show the damage to the ribs on entrance and exit.