Hunting Washington Forum

Equipment & Gear => Guns and Ammo => Topic started by: jrebel on May 19, 2022, 07:08:14 PM


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Title: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: jrebel on May 19, 2022, 07:08:14 PM
Just wanted to spread the love for all you reloading fanatics!! 

Hammer Hunter Bullets are pretty amazing.  Terminal performance on deer and bear have been good so far, only killed one of each with 6.5 creed and 124gr Hammer Hunter.  This winter / early spring I have loaded hammer hunters in a 7mm-08 and 338 lapua.  Both loads shoot .5 MOA or better consistently. 

7-08 is loaded with a 101gr Hammer Hunter.  It is a 20" barrel and pushing that little bugger at 3035 feet per second.  This rifle is going to be a deer / predator rifle for me.  It kicks like a .243 and is a pleasure to shoot. 

338 Lapua is loaded with a 260gr Hammer Hunter.  It is pushing that behemoth at 3035 fps and will shoot same whole groups at 100 yards.  No problem printing sub 1/2 MOA at all ranges I have shot so far.  Hopefully this will whack a few bears and moose this year.  Heck...who knows, given the opportunity it may kill a deer or elk too. 


HAMMER LOVE!!!  It's a legit thing.   :chuckle: :chuckle:



Who else loves the Hammers??
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: zwickeyman on May 19, 2022, 07:21:13 PM
SWEET!!!

Good to hear

Have you shot the LRX and if you have how would you compare?
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: jrebel on May 19, 2022, 07:44:31 PM
SWEET!!!

Good to hear

Have you shot the LRX and if you have how would you compare?

I have not shot the LRX so can't compare to that.  I have tried the TTSX and never had great luck with accuracy.  With that said, the TTSX is the first monolithic bullet I every tried loading for and I think the deficiencies were my fault.  Monolithic bullets like lighter weight for caliber than your traditional bullets....if that makes sense.  They like / need to be pushed fast, and I was trying to push heavies which never produced good accuracy / results. 

The Hammer Hunter bullets are very easy to load for and are not very sensitive to seating depth.  I can generally find a respectable load in less than 20 rounds.  A little tweaking and playing around and the load will be stellar in less the 40 rounds.  General rule of thumb when picking a hammer is; 1.. follow the recommendation that is listed for twist rate, 2...Generally speaking it is 15-20% lighter than I would pick in a traditional bonded bullet.   My 6.5 creed is shooting 124 Hammers when I would normally shoot 140 grain accubonds.  My 7-08 is 101 and 120 grain HH when I usually push 140 grain accuonds.  My 338 lapua is 260 gr Hammer when I love the 300 grain accubonds.  The speed makes up for less weight and the bullets end up being very flat shooting for caliber. 

 
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: zwickeyman on May 19, 2022, 07:47:29 PM
Good info thanks. Might try some in the 6.5 RPM
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: jrebel on May 19, 2022, 08:03:41 PM
Couple pics of the bear from last year.  6.5 creedmoor 124gr HH 2850 muzzle velocity.

Pic # 1 is entrance / broken rib
Pic # 2 is exit / 4 pedals and 1 core

Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: jrebel on May 19, 2022, 08:05:12 PM
Pic # 3 and 4 are heart and lung devastation
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: jrebel on May 19, 2022, 08:07:20 PM
Happy Hunter
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: jrebel on May 19, 2022, 08:09:14 PM
Deer with same rifle....100 yards slightly quartering away. 

Didn't get as many pics but here is the heart and lucky hunter.  Entrance and Exit were the same, except only 3 pedals exited. 

pic of the Happy Hunter....first big game animal ever. 
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: NRA4LIFE on May 19, 2022, 08:14:20 PM
You know some of my interests, any first hand experience on sub 75 yard performance?  Even down to 25?  Would they be cooking too hot to expand properly?
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: kselkhunter on May 19, 2022, 08:15:52 PM
Steve Davis, owner of Hammer bullets, is also extremely helpful in answering questions.  I've been impressed with his responsiveness and advise.

It also helps that he does a good job of keeping bullets in stock.   
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: jrebel on May 19, 2022, 08:20:09 PM
You know some of my interests, any first hand experience on sub 75 yard performance?  Even down to 25?  Would they be cooking too hot to expand properly?

Bear was shot at less than 50 yards.  Closer to 30 yards.  Hammers like and prefer speed.  I would be more concerned when you are loosing speed at range and sub 1800 fps. 
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: Buckjunkie on May 19, 2022, 08:56:20 PM
I worked up a load with my 6.5-06 using the 124 g Hammer Hunter going 3140 fps. Looking forward to seeing the performance on game.
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: Wetwoodshunter on May 19, 2022, 10:05:57 PM
I have harvested 1 elk, 1 mule deer and 1 blacktail with them so far. Agreed, they preform as good as you could hope for.
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: elkrack on May 19, 2022, 10:45:00 PM
This guy sure doesn’t like them lol. I have no experience with them but I thought this guys rambling was pretty funny in itself

https://www.google.com/search?q=hammer+hunters&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:ef0dc350,vid:csa3_jEuMS4,st:0
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: kentrek on May 19, 2022, 11:52:55 PM
You know some of my interests, any first hand experience on sub 75 yard performance?  Even down to 25?  Would they be cooking too hot to expand properly?

I called in a bull to about 20 yards and thumped him in the chest with a 166 30 cal @around 3075 fps....  performed about the same as the others..he died

Hammers perform pretty consistently with in the recommended speeds...some guys pushing them over 4k fps in Australia on Buffalo
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: hunter399 on May 20, 2022, 06:38:01 AM
Are they worth a 1.50$ a bullet.
And yes I know all bullet prices are on the up.
The new hornady cx bullet are about a dollar a pop.
How do they compare ,and are they worth the extra 50 cent.
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: jasnt on May 20, 2022, 07:24:10 AM
The badlands are working so well for me I haven’t tried the hammer yet.  Maybe next barrel
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: hunter399 on May 20, 2022, 07:27:49 AM
The badlands are working so well for me I haven’t tried the hammer yet.  Maybe next barrel
Now I'll have to look up another one.
Looked up those hammers last nite.
But a 150.00 per hundred bullets and my current supply of bullets I have on hand ,I just couldn't do it.
At least not in bidden world.
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: jrebel on May 20, 2022, 07:34:20 AM
For a premier / custom hunting bullet…..yeah I like the price.  If your just looking to throw lead down range….there are much cheaper options. 

There are also great hunting options for less money.  It just depends on what you want and how much you are willing long to pay for it.   I still shoot accubonds in a few of our hunting rifles and don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: BeerBugler on May 20, 2022, 07:42:55 AM
Shooting the 143’s @3500 out of my 28N. DRT on an elk and shot a deer that went 100 yards or so. Load development is stupid easy, charge test loads in .5 increments, find pressure, back off a grain and shoot bug holes! I seat them in the last “valley” with a 1/4 crimp on a Lee fcd. Tons of good info on the Hammer Time forum. Next project is a .270 WBY shooting the 90 grain HH!
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: hunter399 on May 20, 2022, 08:08:13 AM
For a premier / custom hunting bullet…..yeah I like the price.  If your just looking to throw lead down range….there are much cheaper options. 



There are also great hunting options for less money.  It just depends on what you want and how much you are willing long to pay for it.   I still shoot accubonds in a few of our hunting rifles and don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Thanks for the review ,I'm still on the fence.
I'll let ya know if I pull the trigger on some.
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: jasnt on May 20, 2022, 10:28:41 AM
The badlands are working so well for me I haven’t tried the hammer yet.  Maybe next barrel
Now I'll have to look up another one.
Looked up those hammers last nite.
But a 150.00 per hundred bullets and my current supply of bullets I have on hand ,I just couldn't do it.
At least not in bidden world.

badlands are $65 per 50 ct.  but every time I order I got them in 3-4 days
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: hunter399 on May 20, 2022, 01:13:27 PM
The badlands are working so well for me I haven’t tried the hammer yet.  Maybe next barrel
Now I'll have to look up another one.
Looked up those hammers last nite.
But a 150.00 per hundred bullets and my current supply of bullets I have on hand ,I just couldn't do it.
At least not in bidden world.

badlands are $65 per 50 ct.  but every time I order I got them in 3-4 days
I'll take a look at them.
Any flavor that is special for hunting.
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: jasnt on May 21, 2022, 04:45:18 AM
The badlands are working so well for me I haven’t tried the hammer yet.  Maybe next barrel
Now I'll have to look up another one.
Looked up those hammers last nite.
But a 150.00 per hundred bullets and my current supply of bullets I have on hand ,I just couldn't do it.
At least not in bidden world.

badlands are $65 per 50 ct.  but every time I order I got them in 3-4 days
I'll take a look at them.
Any flavor that is special for hunting.
super bulldozer 2’s
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: Magnum_Willys on May 21, 2022, 07:41:09 AM
The Hammers expansion on Yorkes test just never impressed me.   Mostly a cylinder with small petals broken off.  Now if they mushroomed like the barnes I would be excited.   The badlands look to be better.  Kind of between barnes and hammers. 
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: jrebel on May 21, 2022, 10:53:03 AM
With any luck, I will report what a hammer does on a moose or two this year.  All reports I have seen, as well as my first hand experience...is they are devastating.  The 4 pedals reek havoc on the organs and the core punches in and out leaving great blood trails. 

My son's bear blead more than any other bear we have ever shot.....  It wasn't the biggest bear....156lbs...but it still blead like a stuck pig and was dead in seconds.   
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: HntnFsh on May 21, 2022, 11:27:33 AM
They seem to work along the same lines as the Lehigh muzzleloader bullets.
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: Magnum_Willys on May 21, 2022, 11:34:52 AM
Anything that gets a bear to bleed is impressive
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: zwickeyman on May 21, 2022, 12:22:07 PM
Correct me if Im wrong but it sounds like they almost act like a Partition an high velocity but all copper?
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: kentrek on May 21, 2022, 01:40:14 PM
Correct me if Im wrong but it sounds like they almost act like a Partition an high velocity but all copper?

I would say pretty similar yes

The copper leaves a different kind of "blood shot" or mess...it seems the devastating portion can be cleaned up better then say a lead partition but overall pretty similar

I shot one bull low and it went through both elbows, the beefiest bone, on both sides...pretty handy having that rear shank
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: NWShooter on May 21, 2022, 07:26:06 PM
 Hammer Bullets check under the bed every night to make sure there are no Berger 7mm 180gr or .30 Cal 215’s lurking about because the two will tear any Hammer to shreds accuracy, BC and terminal performance wise all the way out to distances the Hammer’s could only day dream about.  :tup:  Nighty,  nite Hammer’s.
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: 2ndtonone on May 21, 2022, 07:29:02 PM
My 223 has a better BC. For the money I can think of better things to shoot further away…..
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: jrebel on May 31, 2022, 11:34:15 AM
Hammer Bullets check under the bed every night to make sure there are no Berger 7mm 180gr or .30 Cal 215’s lurking about because the two will tear any Hammer to shreds accuracy, BC and terminal performance wise all the way out to distances the Hammer’s could only day dream about.  :tup:  Nighty,  nite Hammer’s.

You liked them a couple years ago.....what has changed your mind.  I bet they would be dangerous in the 7SAUM. 

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,245239.msg3313165.html#msg3313165
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: grundy53 on May 31, 2022, 12:49:07 PM
I ordered a few of their sample packs to try in a couple of my rifles. Just need to get them loaded up.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: grundy53 on May 31, 2022, 12:51:23 PM
The Hammers expansion on Yorkes test just never impressed me.   Mostly a cylinder with small petals broken off.  Now if they mushroomed like the barnes I would be excited.   The badlands look to be better.  Kind of between barnes and hammers.
From what I can tell they aren't designed to  mushroom. The pedals break off and do most of the damage and the core stays intact to ensure pass through so you have 2 holes.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: jrebel on May 31, 2022, 12:54:29 PM
I ordered a few of their sample packs to try in a couple of my rifles. Just need to get them loaded up.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

What calibers?  There is great info and load data on the Hammertime forum. 

And yes, they are made to penetrate and exit with the primary wound cavity while the pedals create a secondary set of wound channels which has worked well for me so far.
Title: Re: Hammers are amazing....spreading the love.
Post by: grundy53 on May 31, 2022, 01:08:22 PM
I ordered a few of their sample packs to try in a couple of my rifles. Just need to get them loaded up.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

What calibers?  There is great info and load data on the Hammertime forum. 

And yes, they are made to penetrate and exit with the primary wound cavity while the pedals create a secondary set of wound channels which has worked well for me so far.
I'm going to try them in my 6.5 CM, 25-06, and .300 wm. Thanks for the heads up. I'll check them out.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

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