Thoughts on hammer hunters 180 vs 196

G

Griz406

New member
Hey everyone,

I am new to reloading and Hammer bullets and currently trying to decide on the 180 or 196 hammer hunters. Currently, I cannot find really anything that my rifle likes to shoot. Powders I have on hand are H4350, H4831sc and H1000. Primers are CCI 250, Nosler Brass. Just wondering what I could try with either bullet with what I have or if their is anything I could do. I’m really hoping to find accuracy. Any ideas, thoughts or reviews would be greatly appreciated.

Rifle
Christensen Arms Ridgeline .300 Win Mag 1:10 twist
 
Neither would be my choice for that rifle. I would go with the 166gr HH or lighter. Some people are loading the 124gr HH with great success. I personally would look at the 137, 160 or 166. I would use the H4350 to start and see what happens.

I think the 180 or 196 will be hard to stabilize......I know the 196 will be hard to stabilize and will likely be to long for your mag / application.
 
Thank you @jrebel and @HARPERC for your knowledge and help. I really appreciate it. I will look at the lighter bullets to start with a load to develop. I was hoping the 300 win mag with 1:10 twist would be able to stabilize the 180 HH. My rifle seemed to like the 180 gr range compared to the heavy bullets (200+) . I would like to hunt in the 300-600 yard range and capabilities up to 800. I’m new to reloading so sorry if what I’m asking isn’t realistic or off. Thank you both again with the help.
 
Griz - It does take some time and thinking to realize the Hammer Bullets are like no other. Speed kills. Another advantage of the 137 grain is reduced kick. Another reason I have a lot of confidence in the 137 is that is has had a lot of field testing done. It was tweaked last year by Hammer based on the field testing and the new ones actually weigh 138 grains. Twenty years ago I did a lot of experimenting with Barnes Bullets in 30 caliber with the 308 and the Ackley Improved 06. The clear winner was their 140 grain bullet. My last Oregon elk was shot with that bullet at a measured 438 yards. It was a bang-flop and then roll 500 feet down the mountain. Hammers are a big step up from Barnes in my book. It makes my 300 RUM a pleasure to shoot. I am working up some loads with the 160 grain. The only reason I would go up to the 160 is it does get windy in Idaho. I do like to play around. I've also got plans for the 124 at over 4,000 fps. I would also encourage you to play around with faster powders than you are used to as well. I'm using H 4350 in my RUM and thinking about trying Varget with the 124s in it. Hammer Bullets don't have much friction. You will eventually realize that to get good accuracy you will have to crimp the bullets. Get a Lee Factory Crimp die if you don't already have one. Butterbean has a good thread on the forum on crimping. Last but most important - Have fun working up loads! These are amazingly accurate bullets.

I wonder what my Grandpa would have thought of the Hammer Bullets. He was a 30/06 is the only great round and the 220 grain round nose was the only bullet!
 
Ok, my Sendero 26" 300WM must be an outlier since it loves the 196HH with RL26. 700's have really nice max magazine COAL of 3.67 and the throat allows a 3.62 COAL with 0.095 jump. I topped 3200 with RL26 and settled in at 3100 with Peterson brass. The rifle shoots just over 1/2 MOA. This load is posted up in George's table.

Steve designed this bullet for 1:10 and so far it hasn't disappointed in my Sendero. The 180HH was also designed for 1:10 should be fine. It also shot well out of this rifle.

"We designed this bullet for the guys who have standard 1-10″ twist barrels that feel better shooting a bullet in the 200g class with a good bc. The 196g Hammer Hunter has the classic nose design of the other Hammer Hunters but with a shortened boat tail and longer baring surface in order to get the weight up. This one will be a great normal to long range hunting bullet."

I totally agree on light fast laser opportunity but I cannot discount shooting heavy fast which translates into major increase in energy. This does not mean I don't shoot 166HH but shows there is also additional benefits to Hammers for heavy fast.

The one observation I saw with the 196HH was accuracy got better the faster I ran it.
 
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Wow…..I have a lot to learn. Thank you ALL for all the information and experiences. I need to do more homework on this and look at all your considerations. Before I started this journey I should came here first to grasp some higher knowledge and understanding. I hope I didn‘t offend or take up a bunch of your guys time. I’m definitely a rookie. Thank all of you again. I will update everyone down the road when I get some loads out at the range and get some results to go off of. Thank you!!!
 
Couple things....1. you definitely didn't waste anyone's time and 2. We have all made mistakes in the journey of reloading, that's what makes it fun.
My first hammer experience involved a christiensen ridgeline 300 win mag and with the 214 and 199 grain HH's. I literally hurled bullets down range hitting the target sideways......LOLOLOLOL

100 dollars was a hard lesson to learn, but it was affective non the less. I now shoot hammers in 4 rifles and love them.

Keep asking questions....you will love hammers once you figure them out. I was a heavy bullet guy for a very long time. With hammers you don't need heavy....I shoot a 7-08 with the 101HH and would have no problem taking big game with that rifle.
 
les said:
I wonder what my Grandpa would have thought of the Hammer Bullets. He was a 30/06 is the only great round and the 220 grain round nose was the only bullet!
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Well this grandpa started with .30-06 220 grain core locts. Waiting on a muzzle brake but my new .30-06 has a 1-8" twist, and the 160 class Hammers will likely be where I start.
 
Griz406 said:
My rifle seemed to like the 180 gr range compared to the heavy bullets (200+) . I would like to hunt in the 300-600 yard range and capabilities up to 800. I’m new to reloading so sorry if what I’m asking isn’t realistic or off. Thank you both again with the help.
Click to expand...
Not wasting anybodies time. I started with the heavy .308 bullets, and always came back to them. Hammer's reliable terminal performance changed this view.

Contrary to what you might read, many experienced hunters limit themselves to 500 yards.

I have no issue with those hunting farther, but yardage is to shooters, like poundage is to fishermen. Always walk slowly through the corral with your eyes open.
 
I agree with the guys. I will add that there is no wrong choice, of Hammer Bullet, as long as you have enough twist to meet the minimum that we list on each bullet. After that it truly is personal preference. The bullets will work properly on game as designed. So, now I am going to throw out my opinion! When you said you want to be able to hunt to 800y that took the light bullets out of my thinking. I wouldn't go lighter than the 166g Hammer Hunter. My first choice would be the 180g Hammer Hunter. This is what we run in our 300wm. With ADG or Gunwerks brass and rl23 we run them at 3300 fps. This is a solid 900y elk combo and has a max point blank range capability of 400y at 3000' elevation. This is a tough combo to beat as an all around shoot (almost) anything on the planet that has legs.
 
I totally agree with Steve. However, I do think that past 500 yards you are in a different "game". You need a scope that costs as much or more than your rifle. You need a rangefinder that is way more expensive. You should have a good wind meter and some type of tripod system. Most important you need a place to practice. I spent 5 years learning the long game. It isn't my cup of tea. I've shot several deer and elk past 500 yards, but I don't intentionally try to be a "long range" hunter. Time of flight is a huge consideration. Last but not least, just because you can shoot an animal maybe you shouldn't. My only long range (812 yards) elk was shot at 9:00 in the morning. I had to hike out 2 miles and then drive 22 miles and then hike in 4 miles to get to that elk across the canyon. I got to him at 2:00 in the afternoon. I'm glad it was between 20 and 30 degrees that day. It took me over 10 minutes to get that shot set up and I had to wait close to 15 minutes for the elk to give me a nice broadside shot.

I will say it again, another reason to consider a heavier bullet is wind. I've just loaded up some 166 grain to try out. I'm really looking forward to it. Interesting that in 30 caliber, I don't hear much about the 174HH. I am loading up a ladder of those as well. Now that the days are getting longer, I can head up into the desert and do some shooting between 350 and 500 yards. I have a self imposed limit of 500 yards.

I was shooting a 215 grain bullet. So most Hammers would be much lighter. When it is time to replace my barrel in the RUM it is going to be a faster twist rate than 1-10. I do like the proportions of the 166 HH.
 
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