154HHT, 163HHT and 168HHT in a 300 RUM
- Thread starter joe16
- Start date
les
Hammer Time Executive member
I love my 300 RUM. I started with the 124HH and I've been working my way upward! Now if Steve comes out with a 137HHT, I'll work really hard on getting a load for that!!
joe16
Hammer Time Executive member
Mtmuley
if you're a crimper the 168 is your pill. I actually think you can push to 168 as fast as you can the 163. I haven't tried to eke out everything with the 163 because I'm a crimper..
i sure hope that makes sense.
Joe
joe16
Hammer Time Executive member
I've gone stupid light in my rum and last year I hunted the 137. I don't think I will ever go lighter than 3700 ft per second. If that makes any senseI love my 300 RUM. I started with the 124HH and I've been working my way upward! Now if Steve comes out with a 137HHT, I'll work really hard on getting a load for that!!
I really don't know why I played with the hht's. Considering I don't think the 137 inside 500 yards can be beat, but here I am picking another pill. Go figure.
I've got four of last year's recipe with the 137s made up. Also I've got two 154s and two 168s. Tomorrow's box will be at 500 yards, time to start thinning this out.
Joe
les
Hammer Time Executive member
Come on Joe! You know your having fun. I personally don't see why I'm messing around except for fun. I've got a nice load with the 137 and it will take a deer at any range I want to with my 300 RUM. You have that nice long barrel too! I personally can't believe all of the 30 cal Hammer pills I have hanging around! I have 4 different ones sitting on the coffee table next to me. - And not one is a 137HH.
joe16
Hammer Time Executive member
Or should I have pulled a Butterbean and say "you watch your language young man".. Think I'm also going to stay down around 3700 muzzle velocity
les
Hammer Time Executive member
Thanks GL That makes me feel real good about my 137 at just under 3750.Joe,
Much as I'm surprised at myself for saying it, I'm also slowing down some with these HUGE 124s and 137s! They do incredible damage at 4k
. Think I'm also going to stay down around 3700 muzzle velocity
Probably not??? Probably not much different than the 154 in terms of real capability in my hands.
I need to put together something on the rifle I just got from Hammer (left the spec sheet on their table), but short version is we started with conversations on line, and on the phone while I was in the hospital. It helped keep my mind active. Debate exist on how much it helped.
Also at the time the plan was for me to take it to Australia, and I think the 199 was what we were going for. Steve still would go this way, and for a one gun, one load person like I used to be, this is probably the best choice.
Then the HHT line was in the mill, and I believe the 163 was tested on game the most. At the time we got to what Hammer was going to load for me, I don't think the other 2 were available, at least I wasn't aware of them until full release.
Good question, everybody needs to factor in their realistic needs when choosing a bullet. Maybe after this first round of ammo is used up, there will be info, and experience to change my mind.
Farther than I have shot at big game.
I don't make it a habit. One Montana antelope made me take him at 703 yards. I like to be prepared. mtmuley
My choice between the 163 and 168 has been made by mag length limit. I like to crimp and the nose on the 163 is a bit too long in my 300rum. For now my hunt around home load is the 137s at 3830fps. I have the 168s on the way to help manage the wind for our Montana hunt. With a good one there, I'm hoping Steve has a lighter (130ish)HHT or will drop to the 124s for around home when I'm out of the 137s.
joe16
Hammer Time Executive member
Fellas
It's a little late but here's an update on the 154. it's a dead chicken. I had four 137 hammers and two each154 and 168hhts that I shot to 502 yards. Well Willie shot two of them that's the hammer Trail in the video. I would love to tell you and show you the two holes in the cardboard but that didn't happen yeah you should hear me laugh. No fear 6 miles to the nearest anything in that direction. In all fairness to Willie he had bad issues with acquiring a cheek to stock weld (consistant sight pic) on my rifle and in all actuality on his rifle too. we had to remove his cheek pad for it to fit into my rifle rest. And he never mentioned this to me until we were discussing what had happened later in the day.
View attachment 20230716_092909.mp4
View attachment 20230716_092659.mp4
We shot two rifles Sunday morning, one was Willie's 300 RUM using the 120 lever hammer zeroed for 1 inch high at 100 yds. The other was my 300 rum shooting the 137s 154s and 168s being zeroed at 2 in high at 100 yds.
We would shoot one rifle then hop in the side by side and go down and put a tick mark so there was no confusion on what was happening. I would shoot then Willie would shoot I would shoot then Willie would shoot all the way to the very end. Shooting one shot and moving the rifle and bringing it back to position gives me confidence in real world situations instead of it sitting there never being moved .The last two shots (137) with the hammer trails we're fired Bang Bang after all data was annotated.
I shot the 137 one time and we drove down to check Target it was just noted that I needed two clicks to the left that's the adjustment you see in the figuring. The adjustment to the left also helped because Willie's rifle was printing down the right side of the cardboard. My second shot with the 137 reacted to the two click adjustment and the adjusted group of Two Shots was three and three quarters of an inch. Not bad for last year's bullets loaded in October.
Next up was the 154's, they produced a two-shot group of four and three quarters with a vertical dispersion of four and three quarters not too happy with barely Moa from this pill.
Last but not least was the 168 hht. This was the pill that kept me up all night. The first two shots the previous day at 378 yards the bullet holes touched, the third (because I had to shoot it) created a group of an inch and three-eighths wow!!! I needed to see if this would repeat. I had to move the target up approximately 4 in because I knew my drop would be greater than the 137 154 bullets. That's the big lines you see next to the Target and below the Target so I could use as measuring points for my drops. I was happy to see that the first shot landed at 6:00, that was pretty cool. At about 19 in low. It's a little farther than my drop should have been, still got math to do. Chronograph will be back with me in 2 weeks then we'll see. The rifle was left to cool blasi blasi blasi. The second shot landed approximately an inch and one eighth to the left. When I saw that, I was like no way, I might actually have something here! It's repeated twice over the bench and at three separate times firing. One more time across my bench (which I made 10 last night) and I will be more than happy. I'll be over the moon actually.
The accuracy potential with these bullets is ridiculous, but I will add that I went to Georgia fully believing that I was going to use the 154 and tests at distance showed that not to be the case.
This place and these bullets are awesome!
Joe
It's a little late but here's an update on the 154. it's a dead chicken. I had four 137 hammers and two each154 and 168hhts that I shot to 502 yards. Well Willie shot two of them that's the hammer Trail in the video. I would love to tell you and show you the two holes in the cardboard but that didn't happen yeah you should hear me laugh. No fear 6 miles to the nearest anything in that direction.
In all fairness to Willie he had bad issues with acquiring a cheek to stock weld (consistant sight pic) on my rifle and in all actuality on his rifle too. we had to remove his cheek pad for it to fit into my rifle rest. And he never mentioned this to me until we were discussing what had happened later in the day.View attachment 20230716_092909.mp4
View attachment 20230716_092659.mp4
We shot two rifles Sunday morning, one was Willie's 300 RUM using the 120 lever hammer zeroed for 1 inch high at 100 yds. The other was my 300 rum shooting the 137s 154s and 168s being zeroed at 2 in high at 100 yds.
We would shoot one rifle then hop in the side by side and go down and put a tick mark so there was no confusion on what was happening. I would shoot then Willie would shoot I would shoot then Willie would shoot all the way to the very end. Shooting one shot and moving the rifle and bringing it back to position gives me confidence in real world situations instead of it sitting there never being moved .The last two shots (137) with the hammer trails we're fired Bang Bang after all data was annotated.
I shot the 137 one time and we drove down to check Target it was just noted that I needed two clicks to the left that's the adjustment you see in the figuring. The adjustment to the left also helped because Willie's rifle was printing down the right side of the cardboard. My second shot with the 137 reacted to the two click adjustment and the adjusted group of Two Shots was three and three quarters of an inch. Not bad for last year's bullets loaded in October.
Next up was the 154's, they produced a two-shot group of four and three quarters with a vertical dispersion of four and three quarters not too happy with barely Moa from this pill.
Last but not least was the 168 hht. This was the pill that kept me up all night. The first two shots the previous day at 378 yards the bullet holes touched, the third (because I had to shoot it) created a group of an inch and three-eighths wow!!! I needed to see if this would repeat. I had to move the target up approximately 4 in because I knew my drop would be greater than the 137 154 bullets. That's the big lines you see next to the Target and below the Target so I could use as measuring points for my drops. I was happy to see that the first shot landed at 6:00, that was pretty cool. At about 19 in low. It's a little farther than my drop should have been, still got math to do. Chronograph will be back with me in 2 weeks then we'll see. The rifle was left to cool blasi blasi blasi. The second shot landed approximately an inch and one eighth to the left. When I saw that, I was like no way, I might actually have something here! It's repeated twice over the bench and at three separate times firing. One more time across my bench (which I made 10 last night) and I will be more than happy. I'll be over the moon actually.
The accuracy potential with these bullets is ridiculous, but I will add that I went to Georgia fully believing that I was going to use the 154 and tests at distance showed that not to be the case.
This place and these bullets are awesome!
Joe
joe16
Hammer Time Executive member
Time to wrap this one up. After shooting the 154s the 163s and the 168s. I've come to a conclusion.
The 137 ticks more boxes for me. Over the past two years it has consistently shot half Moa. And with time of flight being a big issue for me, the 137 definitely wins out.
As for the 168's, at distance last weekend at 400 yds, the groups were very good. The following day in miserable humidity and temperatures the groups at 505 yds suffered. I don't know what to make of that. just saying what happened.
I guess what I'm saying is, I'm a lifer 137er...
This place is awesome.
Joe
The 137 ticks more boxes for me. Over the past two years it has consistently shot half Moa. And with time of flight being a big issue for me, the 137 definitely wins out.
As for the 168's, at distance last weekend at 400 yds, the groups were very good. The following day in miserable humidity and temperatures the groups at 505 yds suffered. I don't know what to make of that. just saying what happened.
I guess what I'm saying is, I'm a lifer 137er...
This place is awesome.
Joe
Mountainman
Hammer Time Executive member
Lookin good amigo, that's fine shootin for an old guy. You shoot any further and you're gonna need a taller target. You know that little knob on top?...........if you turn it counter clockwise you can put the holes in the black paper.
Regards
Regards
