Hammer Bullets™ Reviews
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First kill out of my 25-06 with these bullets. Couldn't have asked for better results. My shot placement was low but the buck only went 5 feet and collapsed. Thank you Hammer.
I’m running these at 3370fps in my 6mm creed 1-8” twist using h4350. These shoot into 5/8 for me at 100 yards which is plenty accurate for the hunting I do. I had the opportunity to take two deer with these and they work beautifully like every other hammer bullet I’ve tried.
I had a 270 wsm rebarreled to be a long range gun. I tried Bergers, Barnes LRX, Sierra GK and Nosler ABLR. Probably 20 loads and never got under MOA. I started calling it my dumpster gun because that is where it was going to end up. At the end of my rope, I ordered 133 and 145 shock hammers. Three different powders shot the 133s at 1 MOA and all three powders shot the 145s under 1 MOA. The H1000 145 gr load shot 0.6 MOA at 500 yd. I still need to run powder ladders and vary seating depth. It is hard to believe that a bullet could make that much difference but it did. Turned my dumpster gun into a dream gun. Thanks
I had these 169gr hunters loaded up for elk out of my Proof 28 Nosler. Elk hunt is next week but I had the chance to harvest 6.5 year old whitetail buck as a test run. Buck was facing me, slightly above me, center chest, and he literally bounced once and that was all. Can't wait to find my elk.
6x45 is a great little cartridge and you only need to neck up a 5.56 case to .243 by running it through a die. That being said if you want to use it in an AR15, the magazine length limits your options a bit. These bullets are the perfect hunting bullet for 6X45. They make for a nice short overall length and they'll knock deer over right where they stand if you make a good kill zone shot, even out of a 12.5" barrel. No worries about lead in your meat either. Amazing bullet design and every bit worth the price. They drive tacks too.
I Load these in a 221 fireball and get 3685 fps using AA 1680, killed several coyotes and a few other critters all have dropped at the shot, as usual easy load development and very accurate
Shot my 12th white tail with hammers last week.this one with 308 preformed with excellence as usual.pass through and found 3 petals under hide.would love to see 130 in hht
For our recent New Mexico elk hunt it was a toss-up between the 181g Hammer Hunter and the Barnes 175g LRX. The Hammer Hunter shot tighter groups at the range from my Christensen 300 PRC…so that’s what I went with. In our previous hunt I had used the 162g Hornady ELD-X bullet in a 7mm Rem Mag. In that hunt, my hunting partner and I both took our elk at 330 yards. I had a core / jacket separation using the ELD-X bullet. The game processors at the ranch couldn’t find the lead core. Where’d all that lead go I wondered ? Hmmmm. I’m not into “eating lead” so I started doing my homework on monolithic bullets. We both settled on Hammer bullets, and I for one couldn’t be happier ! Shot a nice cow elk at 75 yards, straight broadside shot. It was down within 50 yards. Recovered only one “petal” in the off-side. It’s great knowing that a possible “lead surprise” will not be on the dinner table this year ! Thank you Hammer bullets for a great product !
Wife shot a large mule deer buck at 175yds and I shot a whitetail doe at 130. First shot on the mule deer was a gut shot unfortunately, he walked about 10 feet and laid down facing away with his head up, caught the next one between the shoulder blades in the spine, bullet killed him instantly and exited underneath his jaw. Whitetail doe was broadside with a tiny entrance and a tomato sized exit with heart and lung tissue hanging out of the hole. Surprisingly little bloodshot meat considering it was right on the edge of the meat. Very accurate as well, easily the most accurate load I've made for this rifle out of SSTs, ballistic tips, eld-x, and accubond.
I've been loading for an old ruger m77 in 300 win mag that is very picky. Out of the 6 different bullets I've done workups with the 166HH is the only one that is MOA. Just about everything else has been around 3"-4". Shot a monster muley 5 days ago at 40yds, lungs hanging out of a fist sized hole... on the entry side! Exit was thumb sized. Definitely appreciate the accuracy though in such a picky rifle!
Finally after a couple of years loading and shooting Hammer bullets, and seeing their speed and accuracy, I drew an elk tag and was able to hunt them. I killed an old bull, huge body, apparently in declining years (kind of like me, lol). One shot at 438 yards with my long throat 7WSM @ 3,240 fps mv and it was lights out. Full penetration of the HHT in a straight line through both shoulders. The guide said he had never seen destruction like that, yet when I processed the meat, there was almost no blood shot waste. My only regret is that I didn’t discover Hammer bullets earlier.
Stellar bullets! I reload 300 Weatherby and 30-378 Weatherby with hammer bullets. Fantastic results. maximum powder loads do not produce flat primers or heavy lift. A few weeks ago, I took a 5x5 elk in Colorado with my 300 Weatherby at 608 yards. 180 grain hammer hunter, 4831sc powder, fed 215m primers. quartering away to the left. shot the elk in the high shoulder and the exit wound was a few inches below opposite cheek bone. dropped, there was a 1600 ft cliff about 200 yards away from the elk. With same load, I have shot a central Texas whitetail deer in the neck, just above the shoulder, broadside @ 120 yards. thin skin and light muscle still produced excellent expansion with the exit would about 3 inches in diameter. the deer did a full flip. Now transitioning, 30-378 weathertby with 180 grain hammer hunter. (limited by barrel twist.) 300 Weatherby with the 160 grain hammer hunter fantastic consistency with individual bullet weights and the bullet preforms!
After load development at over 3500fps, the Shock Performed flawless and bang flopped him at 100yds. Lights out, not even a kick or flinch. Very impressive.
I bought a 1-8 twist Remington 700 SPS specifically to shoot 90gn hht hammers and they did not disappoint. Sub moa at about 3000 fps (can get more speed just ran out of time for more testing). Took a 140lbs 66 point at 90 yards and totally destroyed lungs and top of heart crashed at 20yards with enough blood to track if needed and looked like buckets of blood on ground,on trees and limbs above him just blood everywhere. Can’t say enough about Hammer bullets my grand son and I have taken around 12 whitetail in the past 2 1/2 years with them in 7mm,6.5,308 and now 243. The only thing I have noticed is if they don’t drop where they stand and we have had 4 do that you might not have a great blood trail in the first 20-30 ft but after that Stevie Wonder could track it for you. Never had one go past 40 yds most drop within 20. Reminds me of how devastating I thought Nosler ballistic tips were when they first came out but with much less meat loss. As long as Hammer makes bullets that is what I will hunt with. Would post pic of lung and heart damage but file is too big.
83 gr shock hammers load is cci 250 mag primer n550 @43.0 grains in.243ack 40degre one hole @ 100yrd very fast also shot 44.5 gr H- 4350 shot the same
I am in the early stages of testing the 163 HHT in my Tikka 300 Win Mag 24.3" barrel, 1:10 twist. 82.5 grains of Reloder 26 powder in Peterson Cases has produced 3350 fps. I attempted to catch a bullet by putting (6) 1 gallon jugs of water together. The bullet went through all 6 at 100 yards. Velocity and penetration are there. Accuracy and performance on elk soon to come.
Killed about a dozen deer and antelope with these out of a .257 Weatherby - max loads of 4831 - from 50 yards to a bit over 600 yards - performed like a Nosler Partition as far as wounding, which is the highest of compliments - Killed about 100 animals with the Barnes 80 and 100 TTSX and was never overly impressed with performance on deer as no blood trail - but on pigs and elk I was very impressed with the Barnes Barnes seem to like tougher animals….anyway these kill deer well and leave a good blood trail they are very accurate without working up a load and the 92 grain has been my go to for many hunts Pigs, bear(not mine) , elk and deer were taken clean - I had them loaded for moose, but could not let myself pull the trigger - and I am ok with that .
loaded vitahvuori N550 worked up to 43.0 grains shot 0.180 group Next load 44.5 gr H4350 just expanded hole and is a max load in my 243AI this will be a mean bullet on just about any thing OH rifle has 21 inch barrel
7 prc 1in8 twist started with 4 loads 2 were well under1/2 inch @ 100 no wasted components 170 hht RL-25 at 3186 easy to load
It took a handful of test loads but once I found the combination they exceeded my expectations. My rifle is 26" barreled Browning B-78 and with the preferred load 3 shot groups are under 1/4" and zipping along at 3650, and this not max toss in another grain of RE-17 and they leave clocking 3700 but the average group sizes almost doubled to 1/2"
Shooting a Weatherby Apex in .257 mag w a 1-10 twist and this thing is screaming at 3539fps w N170 and my average group size for 5 3 shot groups is .338 Thats pretty darn impressive for a out of the box factory rifle under $2,500.
Shoot pretty accurately. Tested in water median prior to hunting. Bullets mushroom out & pedals broke free causing devastating damage. Used on a white tail Hunt. Deer drooped on spot, however, pretty extensive meat damage. Also used on a 300lb black bear. Preformed liked i expected. Complete pass thru making a short recovery easy. Bullet had hit rib bones on entry & exit holes with no issues. Used Hodgon Superformance powder for the hunts. H4831 seems to work well too. Give them a 5 star on the bear & target shooting.
have bought 600 of 70gr HH . 243ack 21 inch bbl 9 twist these bullets are great easy load development H4350 is the slowest powder to have played with 21 inch bbl 3525fps lead bullet 3400 oh one hole group worst group with starting load .240or.250 3shots after that went to 2 shot groups oh less copper fouling barrel is lot cooler 3 shots with lead bullet screaming hot ten or so barrel warm IMR3031 & varget &IMR4831 steller one hole two shot groups also you dont get the first shot sling like you do with lead . going to try N550 83 grain shock hammer great but the 70 grain for me is a do it all same length as 85 gr partation
I had a full custom 340 Weatherby built for a friend’s elk hunt. Due to mag box length went with 236 HH per Steve’s recommendation. He took a bull at 350 yds and his brother took one at 575 yds and both dropped in their tracks. Their guide was very impressed. I had them loaded just under 2900 fps.
yesterday I loaded up 5 rounds for my bergara 270 win. with the 117hh bullet, 57 gr. h4350, fed 210 LRP, crimped in the front groove with the lee LCD die and after 2 shots to get on paper I fired my last 3 shots into a dime size group at 100 yds, thank you hammer bullets! Kip Noblitt
I shoot hogs and varmints and use mostly my RUGER RANCH 6.5 Grendel carbine (16 inch). I became a hammer bullet user about 5 years ago after I learned about their terminal performance and the low pressure of the absolute bullet design. I took a year and lots of hammer 97s to find pressure @3080 in my carbine. I backed it off to 3024 and used it for several hunts but was interested in shooting small game and I wanted a faster bullet for flatter, longer engagements. After talking with Farleg and Steve and others about the impact of lighter, longer, faster bullets on animals I realized there was an opportunity for 6.5 for varmints these guys were not considering. I live behind the iron curtain in KALIFORNIA and we are required to shoot non lead ammo. Like most I jumped on Barnes and they shoot fine but something was missing....What was missing was speed, I was shooting 120s at 2600 fps and by switching to the 97 was able to shoot near magnum velocities with the Grendel making that rifle much more interesting. One of the first hogs I took with hammers was an eye opener. I am over watch for a couple new hunters and the guide. The guide is setting up an uphill shot to a large boar sleeping under a shade tree. The first one shoots and misses and now his is running heading right at top warp, the second brother hits him with 2 body shots from an AR 15 and of course all he did was speed up, about 75 feet in front of him was a curve and if he made it there he was gone. I tracked him set the rifle on his nose while swinging and blamo, he turns the corner and I'm sure he is gone and I missed...but wait about 15 seconds later down the hill rolls this 250 lb boar. When we got to him it was just amazing. The bullet hit him on the shoulder joint, the petals lacerated the heart and liver and liquified the lungs, but the most impressive sight was the fact that his right front leg from the shoulder was hanging by skin.....I WAS SOLD! The 97s are a great bullet for medium game and all but I wanted something lighter, faster and flatter. I started to load the new 85 hh and it had more pressure than the 97 so I felt it wasn't the best solution. I pestered Steve about making a varmint sized bullet for the Grendel as the lightest was the 85 and it was ho hum. Finally, this summer I got an email from Steve asking if I wanted to participate in a new varmint bullet development for the 6.5. I helped this summer develop loads for this amazing bullet. I have shot it in 4 different rifles all with sub moa accuracy and at VERY HIGH SPEED. In my 24 inch Creedmoor testing for pressure I ran it to 3924 and ran out of case before I found pressure...mind-blowing !! In a prc or 264wm this is a 4000 fps bullet with ultra flat trajectory. In my sons 22 inch gun I used 40 gr of ar comp with the 80 set to 2.68 for 3380 fps and 1/2 moa accuracy. Another Creedmoor rifle we used was a larue ar-10 also inside a quarter at 100. Surprisingly this is a 55k load in a rifle made for 63k so pressure is exceptionally low, recoil non existent and terminal results spectacular. My Grendel shoots them about 3025 and .3 accuracy. for a dead zero of about 250 yds. ESSENTIALLY HAMMER CREATED A NEW VARMINT CAPABILITY FOR THE 6.5 CALIBER TO MATCH THE PERFORMANCE OF A 22-250 ... BUT MY 8 TWIST 22-250 IS CRYIN GIN THE SAFE:) NOW ONE RIFLE CAN REALLY DO IT ALL!! notes: These are bore rider bullets so only 2 bearing surfaces engage the lands (why its low pressure) the wasp waist allows you to seat the bullet 2 ways, long and short. I prefer leaving the first band out of the case but it requires 3 to 4 thou neck tension and crimp with a 1/4 turn on the lee fsd. I had some bullets not neck tensioned or crimped properly come out of the case as its not real deep in the case. I would not hesitate to use this bullet for deer or antelope at these velocities it has a killing range over 500 yds. Food for thought: For decades tens of thousands of deer have been taken with an 80 gr bullet in a .243 rifle. a 22 inch Grendel will shoot this bullet at the same velocity as a .243wssm (super short magnum about 3200 fps), A Creedmoor in 22 inch guns are 300 yds dead zero 1.5 inch high at 100 and 3380 is the accuracy node. Try them you will love them! WARNING: ALWAYS START LOW AND WORK UP, YOUR RIFLE IS NOT MY RIFLE
Very accurate in my rebored 35 Whelen 1903A3. This barrel never really gave be great accuracy, but this bullet and BL-C2 shoots 1 MOA or better (425 is the farthest I've shot it and it maintains 1 MOA or better out to that at least). Took it to Alaska this year for caribou anticipating a 300+ yard shot. Ended up shooting mine at 70. High shoulder shot put it right down, and even though it hit a lot of bone, the bullet went all the way through, breaking both shoulders. Not a lot of blood shot meat however. Great performance overall. I will likely switch my 358 Win to this bullet as well as start trying Hammer in other rifles as well.
This 97gr. AH bullet moves at 2772 FPS out of an 18” 1-8 6.5 Grendel barrel. I couldn’t be happier with this bullet! Now for my recipe, and this is what I use so try it at your doing. 30.1gr. of 8208 xbr, cci #450 and a col. of 2.250. At 100yds it is A .221 group. I just wanted to share my data as it is hard to find good info for the Grendel.
I spent way too much time, money, and components trying to get a load developed for my custom built 300 PRC using another very popular jacketed bullet for magnum .30 cal. I should have tried these much sooner! I immediately found a powder node, seated these -0.010”, and shot .15” groups. For me, in this rifle, these bullets are like having a cheat code. These will be the only bullets I load going forward.
Jason Bowman. Rhineland TX Custom built 270 Win with Douglas XX 8 twist barrel crowned at 25 inches. Loaded with IMR 7828SSC I am getting 3199 FPS with ES in the teens and 1/2 MOA. Built it for Elk but finished it too late to hunt with, I did take a boar hog at 260 yds with it. Almost head on shot (on purpose) point of shoulder impact with exit off side hip. 1 inch exit wound, very wide wounding internally with approximately 30+ inches of bullet travel. Animal ran 60 yards and crashed with no blood trail but no blood trail is common with hogs, I have shot probably over 1000 of them in the last 30 years. Very impressed with allHammers I have used including this one.
I am running the 156gr HH in my custom 27 nosler at 3450 fps. Velocity meets accuracy with this bullet. Not picky on seating depth. Stayed within 3/4” with my groups from starting load until I hit pressure.
Twelve shot load development! Found pair and backed off half a grain. Loaded at 20k off the lands. A little heavy for 280 AI but 155 at 3000 fps is going to hit HARD! Alamo Precision Maverick, 24 inch 8.5 twist Brux.
Ten shots with two separate powders loaded to mag length to find pressure. Backed off .5 grains. Two loads in less than 30 shots, can’t beat that! 20 inch TS Customs with carbon benchmark barrel. Great speeds from a shorty IMO. Confirmation groups attached. Confirmation groups attached.
Ten shots with two separate powders loaded to mag length. Confirmation groups attached. Two loads in 30 shots - can’t beat it! 20 inch TS Custons with Benchmark carbon.
Ten shots with two separate powders loaded to mag length. Confirmation groups attached. Two loads in 30 shots - can’t beat it! 20 inch TS Custons with Benchmark carbon.
Ten shots with two separate powders. Confirmation groups attached. Two loads in 30 shots - can’t beat it! 20 inch TS Custons with Benchmark carbon.
These bullets rock, super accurate! Deadly too! This bullet is from 975 yards, the target is at 100yds
With H1000, I was able to achieve more than 3200 fps while also producing nice clover leaf groups at 100 yards.
I'm getting 7/8in groups with these in my win model 94 444 marlin with 1/38 twist at 2600fps over 47gr of imr4227. The win 94 big bore action is considerably stronger than the marlins so use caution. At 50yards this bullet passed though chest to ass of a 400lb sika stag, DRT. Great setup for those who might need a flatter trajectory but may also encounter bears etc. Don't let the light weight or SD numbers fool you, at speed these things will penetrate deep! This bullet may be better than other offering from hammer for 1/38 levers as it is shorter and stabilizes well. The cup seems to create a hydrostatic effect similar to woodleighs bullet but still early to tell. Been excellent so far.
Running these at 3850 in .243 win. Took a doe bedded at 80 yards. Shot entered crease between head and neck. Petals all exited, shank was under hide on off side shoulder. Never stood up.
Easy load work up. 3700 fps
My first venture into using copper bullets with my 270 Winchester Browning A-Bolt. I am trying to get ahead of all copper bullet requirements coming to hunters. I began with the recommended H4831sc load at 57.5 grains as mentioned by a review above. It performed great with groups at 1” in my rifle. I tried applying some of the tips and recommended practices on this website such as twist rate, case filling percentages, bullet length and more. I applied them using Reloader 17. Starting at 54 grains again resulted in 1” groups. Working my way up to 55.0 grains the group shrank to one hole! My rifle has never shot this well. Of course I am delighted with the product and plan to move to additional calibers.
First, those who have reluctance to changing to monolithic bullets, I guided back country hunts for 10 years. Of my guests that harvested game animals ( elk, mule deer and bear) only one animal was harvested with a conventional bullet. Being said and witnessing the performance, I myself made to transition 18 years ago. Since then I’ve experimented with virtually every monolithic bullet available. With 50 years reloading experience and 49 1/2 years machining experience I totally understand the importance in dimensional tolerances and concentricity. At Steve’s recommendation I tried a 143 Hammer Hunter. Firearm Christensen Arms Traverse with Nightforce scope. Max load with H-1000 produced a 12 shot group at 100 yards of less than .050. Trying to dot all my I’s and cross all my T’s, I tried to experiment with terminal performance. Firing 143 Hammer Hunters to 450 yards through a plastic gallon jug filled with water and backed by 3/4 plywood (to simulate bone) and varying diameters of hay bales (being a hay farmer. Different diameters are easily made). After impact round balesout to 30 plus inches in diameter haven’t stopped one yet. The bullets track through the wet hay will allow a 1 inch dowel rod to be pushed through the round bale. My thoughts, you can only kill something so dead.I hope this helps all that go afield. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!
If you got a 264 wm with a 9 twist this is a great bullet for it, i run it 3450 in my sons ruger m77 it shoots very well.
This bullet was originally designed for our 22 hh and it did not disappoint! running it 4100 fps iv took a whitetail at 614 yds with it and a couple more at over 500 yds. runs really well in a 7 twist.
love this bullet took a deer at 873 yds while testing it, high bc flys really well.
Working up a load was a breeze! Was able to use an almost exactly replica of my 131 Hammer Hunters load and away I went. Sub 1/2in @ 100 out of my 7 Rem Mag going 3400fps. One animal down already and results were fantastic.
Alot of testing in a 1:9" 24". Definitely takes a little experimentation, but worth the effort! I settled on H4831sc or Viht N160. Both provided excellent accuracy and velocity around 3250 for the N160, 3350+ for the H4831sc. I found the swings in point of impact ( a few inches), and velocity (can be a few hundred FPS) between powder charges are dramatic. Once you find your powder charge groups are fantastic! Also found the extra case fill with some powders a benefit.
I was having a difficult time finding a bullet to take to Africa. I ordered these bullets to test. Had a few issues getting the performance expected. I decided to call Hammer and to my surprise Steve answered my call. This man took time out of his day to help me with my load problems. With his knowledge and guidance I settled on a load pushing this 140 in the mid 3500s. I have a load for Africa now but I am taking a bullet that I have never tested on a dream hunt. I have confidence in the bullets because of my conversation with Steve. Now I am in Africa with a gun that was preforming great in the States that I have to re-zero after the airline beat my gun case for 8000+ miles. Shooting great again. Frist shot on game was a true test to these bullets. While stalking an impala in thick bush we stumbled upon a huge old warthog feeding in very thick brush. We are attempting to get a clear shot, the warthog hears us and leaves like his tail is on fire. My PH tells me to shoot quickly. I knew this was an impossible shot but I did as instructed. I pulled the trigger and watched my bullet impact a tree in the brush about 1 foot before reaching the animal. I told the PH that I shot a tree. He asked if how confident I was about the shot. I responded that I was very confident that I killed the tree. We approach the area and sure enough I killed the 3" in diameter tree. We look for any sigh that the animal was hurt with no sign. The PH says we will follow his track to a nearby trail to see where he is heading. PH says the area opens up just ahead of us and we may have another chance. We clear the very thick brush in 10 more yards. As soon as we clear it my PH turns to me smiling like crazy. 25 yards in front of us lies a big warthog. The bullet went through the tree making 3 entry holes into the warthog. Two from peddles off the tip and the remaining portion of the bullet. The peddles stayed in the animal but the main portion of the bullet went through the animal on the path that I planned when I pulled the trigger. It was a quartering away shot. Bullet entered near the back of the ribs and exited through the off shoulder. I was amazed and kind of worried now. I was wondering how can that work on just meat and bone. The following days would put all concerns to rest. I took Warthog, Gemsbok, Red Hartebeest, 2 Kudu and Impala. The outfitter was so amazed with the performance that he wanted to use the rifle to do some cull hunting. I was happy to go along for this and see the performance of these bullets. There were a total of 12 animals taken with this rifle on my trip. Every animal was taken with one shot. The longest recovery was the warthog which was less than 40 yards. All others were less than 20 yards or died where they were standing. I was unable to recover a single bullet because all shots were passthrough shots. The outfitter took 2 Giraffe with it and had the same outcome. These bullets are amazing. Thank you to Hammer bullets for the help and for an amazing product.
I used this bullet on both a nice pig and whitetail doe in TX. The doe was knocked down got up and went 10 yds, the pig was DRT head shot at 90 yds. The muzzle velocity around 3200 fps. I’m going to use this load on antelope this fall.
Loaded these for a a .243 project last spring. Seated them over 42.5 gr H4350 with MV at 3050 avg. pretty conservative velocities but the accuracy! REM 700 ADL was consistently putting down sub .5” 5 shot groups as long as I let the barrel cool. Best group was 3 shots in .33” Sent the rifle to Virginia with my buddy. His daughter shot a 130 lb doe with it at 220 yds. Doe went 25 yds and piled up. Have now ordered 2 boxes of Shock hammers for my 350 Legend.
the 22 Shock Hammer bullet sure has been a great bullet on kill`n critters with one shot in my yards out in the country in Northern Minnesota with my 22 K-Hornet in a Ruger S.S. 77 , i also have a 1-6 x24 30 tube Burris , this combo shoots very well off my bench too on paper targets . this big hole bullet really smacks these unwanted critters too , everyone who see`s my hand loaded 22 K-Hammer cartridges with this big hole 33 gr. Shock Hammer bullets are very impressed also. i have been kill`n critters with this bullet since early winter 2022 !
I have been searching for a load combination that will group in my 25-06 for an upcoming hunt. I used the best load I had (not great but from what I had it was the best) with these 97 gr PH. These bullets grouped exactly what I was looking for except pulling open the bolt was sticky. The bolt lift was fine. This would lead me to believe I was having case Trim-To issues. Will order another pack of bullets and try again. If I can get these to 1 MOA, there isn't a deer in Arizona that will be safe (well if i draw a tag in that unit that is)
every year i hunt during the rifle season for a decent whitetail buck up at the border in Minnesota and this year 2022 November rifle deer season using my custom Ruger #1 257 Weatherby mag. / Brux barrel 1-10 twist rifle again, i used new to me a 103 gr. Hammer Hunter bullet . my Ruger #1 rifle shot amazing well with this bullet , 3 shot groups were 1/2 - 3/4 inch groups at 100 yds. at 3680 fps . i made 1 shot kill at 125 yards at the buck that field dressed 193 lbs. was a bang - flop kill shot thru shoulder, this happened 1 hour before the blizzard hit on the 6th day i hunted for deer . we got 14 inches of snow before nightfall and very high winds all night long . there was bare ground and no snow ,25 -30 degrees ,no wind up there at 9 :30 a.m. that mourning , then at 10.00 a.m. the blizzard hit ,i killed the buck at 9:00 a.m. was very nasty weather by 10:00 a.m. when i got the deer field dressed and hung up , weighed ,skinned , quartered and put in a cooler but sure glad i did it was 12 below by mourning .
I am getting a little long in the tooth decided it was time to sale all my rifles I sold and gave them all away so I thought, I was in my gun room cleaning up in the back corner of the closet I found one rifle. I was really surprised I thought I had for sure sold it. For some reason I was happy right away I thought it would give me one year to hunt. Right away I saw a problem the rifle was a Marlin 336 30-30 . The ranch I could hunt was open mule deer country. I thought maybe I could hand load and extend the range if I could find the right bullets and load. I looked over a lot of different options finally decided to try Hammer Bullets I have had excellent with them in the past with several different rifles. As I was going to use a pointed bullet so I would load one in the chamber and one in the magazine. I chose the 124 Hammer Hunter turn out it was an excellent choice. It was better than excellent accuracy. I signed it 3 inches high at 100 yds it was still a little high at 225 and only a little over 7 inches low at 300. It still had over 1000 ft/lbs @300 and over 1800 fps plenty to harvest a deer out to 300 yds. Now my old 1950 something 30-30 could go from a 150 yd rifle to a 300 yd rifle. Thanks to Hammer Bullets!
Worked up a bunch of loads with different powders in my 24” 257 Weatherby. The bullets and bore i treated with hex boron nitride Selected rl17 - greatest velocity before pressure signs AND crazy tight es numbers. Light crimp. 72.7 grains - started at 68. Hit notable pressure signs at 74.1. Non-magnum primers. Wby brass. 4170 feet per second! And under an inch which is about as good as I can shoot anyway
Rifle: 300WSM Tikka This was a super accurate bullet for me and I had high hopes for game performance on deer and elk. I shot three deer with it and wasn’t super impressed with how the bullet performed on soft tissue. Shot placement is critical. If this bullet does not hit bone it may not open up. Your experience may vary depending on the speed your loading to and preferred shot placement. Very accurate bullet but may be a little picky on speed and shot placement for actual performance on game.
My trip to the range with the above load turned out a 5 shot group that I can almost cover with a nickel. Average MV was 3306. Very happy with that load. I do like to compare loads and I had done a ladder test with Varget. Had a slight node between 41.5 and 42. I picked 41.7 gr. I covered the entire group with a nickel and oddly got the exact same MV of 3306 for a 5 shot average. Whenever I shoot Hammers, my wife,(The voice of reason) holds my targets up to my deer head on the wall and says "Minute of eyeball" I guess that's good enough.
I started running these in my 300 wsm, 3170 fps last year. I was lucky enough to take an elk and a muley last fall both around 350 yards. The elk spun around, stood for a few seconds and dropped. The muley was a high shoulder shot and dropped straight down. Minimal meat loss on both and perfect bullet performance. I wish the BC was better, but terminal performance matters more and accuracy is phenomenal. Checked zero before my elk hunt and shot a sub 2” group at 440 yards (including cold bore). Near half moa groups were boringly consistent with this load. I don’t know if the perfect hunting bullet exists yet, but I will be using hammers again this fall.
I tried this bullet with a number of powders and would have been happy with just about any of them, Hunter did very well and I almost stopped there but wanted to try all the loads in the box. I had 4 of them to try. With a 22 inch Savage Axis 2, I shot a bug hole group with 48.0 of Superformance and a avg MV of 3535. Hunter was a half inch at 3465. Both would make a fine deer or pig load. Always faster than the same weight Barnes bullet by at least 50-100 fps. I used Starline brass with a cci 200 primer, and a slight Butterbean crimp. oal was 2.640.
The wife and I took 4 deer with the 85hh last season, between 100-220 yds with 6.5CM 44gr. Varget, terminal performance was very good, 2 bang flops and 2 that went 30 yds. These bullets were the absolute easiest to get accuracy with from our two 6.5CM rifles. Also recovered two shanks that traveled front to back on 100 lb. does. very flat shooting too.
Tried a ladder test with Staball 6.5. Seated at 2.640. 46-49 gr. Entire ladder test was right at one inch and that included a minor scope adjustment. Looks like I have a node at 48-48.5 and just over 3300 fps from a 22 inch barrel. Loaded up 5 more at 48.2 and will try them on my next trip to the range. This is with Starline brass and a cci 200 primer. If I get the groups I'm looking for I'll buy a bunch of them for my Creedmoor. They should work just as well on deer as the 85 HH do, just a tad slower and I could keep pushing it as I had no pressure issues up to 49 gr.
Took this to canada for bison. loaded in my 9.3x62 with shooters world match powder. 2765 with an es of 2. I was impressed and accurate. Had a chance at roughly 50 yards quartered away. Shot in the short ribs the bullet was on the skin of the off shoulder. Approximately 4 feet of tough sledding. Worked as advertised with the petals gone and a flat front. Bored a 2 inch hole all the way through. At the shot the bull stumbled sideways about 10 feet and down with massive bleeding. In proper conditions I would point this at anything that walks!!
I’m shooting these out of my 204 Ruger 22” barrel 1:12 twist at 3975fps and consistently getting .3” groups at 100 yards. I was having trouble getting any kind of penetration with the lead core bullets I tried leading to a few coyotes I wasn’t able to recover. These 29 gr. Hammer hunter bullets were able to go through 2 milk jugs at 25 yards and I recovered the shank of the bullet in the third jug. The shank of the bullet Weighed 15 gr which is exactly the 50% weight retention advertised. I was impressed considering it was traveling at 3975 fps. The milk jug I shot with the lead core bullet didn’t make it through the first jug. I still haven’t shot a coyote with them but I’m expecting good results
I’m shooting these out of my 204 Ruger 22” barrel 1:12 twist at 3975fps. I was having trouble getting any kind of penetration with lead core bullets I tried leading to a few coyotes I wasn’t able to recover. These 29 gr. Hammer hunters bullets were able to go through 2 milk jugs at 25 yards and I recovered the shank of the bullet in the third jug. The shank of the bullet Weighed 15 gr which is exactly the 50% weight retention advertised. I was impressed considering it was traveling at 3975 fps. The milk jug I shot with the lead core bullet didn’t make it through the first jug. I still haven’t shot a coyote with them but I’m expecting good results
This bullet consistently shoots sub .5” at 100 yards out of my 6.5-284 Norma. I’m getting 2995fps with an es of 11 (measured with a 15 round string) using 51.6 grains of H4350 CCI BR large rifle primers and nosler brass from a 22” barrel.
Thanks to Steve and the team at Hammer Bullets for creating a 276 grain .358 so I could duplicate Elmer Keith's favorite round for dangerous game. The length and weight allowed my Ruger No One's 1:12 twist to truly reach its full potential. The penetration is incredible while reaching out with authority without the magnum recoil Thanks guys for a true quality bullet that will stop anything I will ever face
These bullets are legit. I was unsure at first working loads but then stuff started coming together the hotter the load. I started off with 62gr RL 17 up to 66 when group was around 1.25 inch. Still acceptable but I thought I could get tighter. I hit 66.2 grain and made the best group so far of my shooting career. I always load bullets I will be hunting with. I prefer to use monolithic bullets as they seem to leave less meat damage and I have never lost a hit animal yet with a mono. The squares below are .5 inch. And this was a 3 shot pattern at 100 yards. Next is get her zeroed in and dope chart built. Still need to chrono what's coming out of the tube.
My daughter finally drew blood eith Hammers. Small buck mule deer at 100 yards. 3500 muzzle velocity, about 3250 impact. 243 Win. Shoulder/neck junction on a steep quartering to shot. Bullet exited right shoulder. It held together. Meat damage was there but not terrible. Very pleased with Hammer. Thank you
Thought I would give these a try in a 257 Weatherby Mark V that we installed a Lilja barrel on. Ran it up to 73.0gr of H4831SC with a CCI 250 primer with no pressure and averaged 3899 FPS and holds .3-.4 MOA. Great bullet!
Was curious what these might do in my 722 rem. 14 twist. Had some Reloder 7 laying around and tried it at 23 grains. Ended up at 23.2 grains for muzzle velocity of 3812 fps and .164" 3 shot group at 100 yds. Didnt even crimp them with nosler new brass. Shot a gallon milk jug full of water at 50 yds and the little guy made it through the other side! Got me thinking about hunting venison with it now! Thanks, Hammer guys!
I chose this bullet for my 6.5 CM due to it's BC and velocity when pushed with Winchester 6.5 StaBall. In my rifle, 47.3 grains was pushing the bullet to 3100 out of my 24" barreled Weatherby Range Certified Vanguard. This bullet is a performer! I harvested a Columbian Blacktail buck at 225 yards with a single shot as he was quartering away from me. The bullet hit a bit high, and entered six inches in front of his hind quarter. After liquefying his liver the bullet shed three petals, hit his spine and turned and ran up the spine destroying seven vertebrae and lodging inside the spine itself. This shot folded him like a soup Sandwich! Only meat loss was a small portion of one back strap. What more can you ask for from an all copper hunting bullet?
I'm at 47.3gr of 6.5 StaBall out of my 6.5 CM. Killed a blacktail buck at 225 yards last fall. Angling away, the bullet shed 3 petals, destroyed the liver, hot the spine, and shattered 7 vertebrae before lodging inside the spine. He never knew what hit him! I'm impressed!
Amazing consistency. Very easy to load. Low ES &SD. Great repeatability from lot to lot. Velocity is beyond comparison. Absolutely devastating on coyotes: multiple exit fragments.
Great bullet. Tested in 338 RCM in 20” barrel and it shot great. Using Leverevolution powder, i was able to hit 3050 fps and .3” which is hard to do in this cartridge. Will be hunting with it this week
Bull Elk, 600 yards,198 Hammer Hunter, went through left shoulder, took out lungs, exited right shoulder. Dropped to the shot. I’m a happy camper.
I'm new to reloading. When I say new, I mean I've reloaded less than 40 rounds. I bought a sample pack of the .308 120g Lever Shock Hammers for my 1976 model 336 Marlin 30-30. After loading and shooting them I was seriously impressed. BL-C(2) powder, Starline Brass, Ginex Primer. I split the difference between some closely weighted loading data for my starter load. I made a mistake buying just the sample pack. More will be on the way soon.
I have used Barnes for 9 years all moose took altleast 3 rounds to drop and sometimes more This year with the Biden ammo crisis I ordered a box did a work up Settled on 2850 fps It flat hammered my bull 2 steps done Heart soft ball size hole And pass through Very minimal meat loss very. Important to me as o have a family of six Hand down best moose bullet I have used
very accurate bullet out of my custom 257 Weatherby mag has a Brux 7 1/2 twist barrel, 28 inch barrel , velocity average is 3680 FPS , i mounted a 5.5 -22 x56 Nightforce on this rifle and Harris bi-pod too . took this combo to Wyoming for a antelope hunt out of Sheridan area ,took one shot at a unknown distance with a little Kentucky windage at a antelope buck , bullet went thru the heart and out back side front leg buck layed down and died. turned out afterwards with friends range finder shot was at 460 yards . i took the shot laying down and using the bi-pod which in the past i have spent a lot of time shooting in FTR class . Hammer bullets have really impressed me for target shooting and hunting ,son and i will be using these Hammer 103 gr 25 caliber bullets in our our Ruger #1 custom 257 Weatherbys this 2022 for a nicer buck up at the border in Northern Minnesota in November, matter fact just ordered some 22 caliber 70 grain bullets for my 10 year old grandson`s 2022 deer season this year because he is small and skinny he will be using a little AR-15 223/556 with those Hammer bullet also. >> believe me you can`t go wrong using Hammer bullets , be safe and good luck this fall ,Steve
Shot a bull elk at 100 yards high shoulder. Had 4 exit holes on the opposite side. Lungs were soup. Load is 54.4gr of H4350, 2.990" COAL, @ 3300FPS
I’m loading for my Kimber Hunter in .280AI. I haven’t taken any game yet,still working on load development. So far everything is working out well, the bullets are high quality. My friend really likes the vapor trail you see with almost every shot.
Best decision I made was to purchase these. These shoot sub moa out of my Ridgeline 300 Win Mag like right at .50”. I tried every box of ammo I could get my hands on as well as some hand loads. Nosler, Hornady, Federal, Winchester. All these were 1-1/2 to 2” + groups. Very easy load development. Look forward to stretching these out to 800 yards. Will definitely be purchasing more and for other calibers as well. Will try and update after my Elk hunt on well they work on game
Loaded up 4831 sc powder @ 57.5 gr 3.325 coal. 3 in a dime at 100 yrds. Shooting a Tikka t3. Used same basic load with the 124 hh bullets. Just shortened it to 3.275 coal. Played with 8 different recipes from Nosler and Hornaday. Most were 1.5 or less moa at 100. Easiest load up of a bullet compared to other manufacturers. 57.5 gr of 4831sc seemed to work the best of the 3 powders I tried.
Load development pushed this bullet to 3550 FPS with Ramshot TAC 24” Krieger Barrel. Accuracy load was at 3487 FPS. Took this guy Prairie Dog hunting. In 20+mph winds this bullet did amazing when I did my job. Will be using it Fall of 2022 for hogs, deer, and, coyotes.
I loaded the 123 AH in 24” 6.5 Creedmoor to 3140. they shoot sub 1/2”. Shot placement is always key. I have killed : Arabian Oryx at 115 yds; White Tail at 407 Yds; Wildebeest at 130 (on the point of the shoulder), and Red Sheep at 90 yds. Every shot hit its mark, and I have never recovered a bullet. Full Pass though each shot. I am a complete Hammer fan and will continue my hunting with Hammer Bullets
These shoot great in my 6.8 western. They need to be pushed pretty fast out of a fast twist barrel to stabilize but the western has no problem. They didn't start to stabilize until over 2900fps in my 1:7 twist. I'm pushing them over 3000 without pressure and getting half inch groups. Very pleased. I can't wait to try these on elk this fall.
I contacted the folks at Hammer for a bullet recommendation for my Wife's rifle. They pointed me in the direction of these and I am glad they did. We just returned from South Africa and the performance of these bullets in her rifle was spectacular. She shoots a 6.5 Saum and we were pushing these along at about 2900fps. She took 9 animals on our safari all were single shot kills except for her sable. This was due to a high shot and he was finished off with a second. Only one bullet was recovered from her wildebeest which was a frontal shot. It was found in front of the left hip perfectly mushroomed. All others expanded perfectly and did exceptionally damaged before exiting. African animals are notoriously tough, but they did not stand a chance with theses bullets. If you are looking for a great performing, tough bullet these will do the trick and then some.
Consistently shooting 5 shot groups ranging from 1/4" to 1/2" at 100yds. Single digit ES goes from 4 to 9 with avg around 7 53g of H4350 running 3535fps Can't wait to try them this deer season
Got these shooting a .4 moa group at 3,010 fps with my fierce 7mm rem mag and I couldn’t ask for anything more!
For anyone loading the 223 Remington or 556NATO, this is going to be the all around best of the heavier bullets. For your moderate length barrels, N133 is likely the best choice for this bullet; varmint and LR length barrels can use a stiff charge of AA2520 for even greater effect. Close to 3300fps/1430ft*lbs at the muzzle from a 20" bolt gun with N133 is what you can look forward to!
My X bolt took two whitetails last fall with this. One at a stones throw and the other at 330 yards. I wanted to see 3700fps with this but only made it there with RL19 which I’m essentially out of. Now it’s time to try it in my son’s new 257 bee and maybe dig out the old Ruger #1 in 25 WSM. The barrel is on its last legs but it still might be fun.
I couldn’t be more pleased. I just finished a multi-day long-range hunting class and absolutely hammered it. I had never shot beyond 200 yards before, and even that was a struggle. With minimal time for load development due to other responsibilities, I picked a good velocity node and loaded up a few rounds at an arbitrary COL. They seemed to shoot ok from an off-hand position at 25 yards, so I loaded up the rest for my class. The results at long range were incredible. I shot flatter and had less wind drift than the guys shooting 300 win mags, 6.5 creedmoors, and 270 WSMs (yes, we compared DOPE gathered under the exact same conditions at the exact same time). I won the final competition at 1000 yards and shot better than I ever imagined at 600+ yards. I wouldn’t hesitate to take medium game at 600 yards and large game at 500 and under with this load, which ran just a hair over 3200 FPS and carried 1200 ft/lbs at 500 yards. The only downside was that I needed a bushing die to get proper neck tension, as the design of these bullets required more tension than what I had been using previously. This may not be an issue for all calibers/cartridges, but it does happen. Nonetheless, if I had just asked about how to fix the loose necks instead of trying to experiment around it, I would have had this awesome load developed in 10-15 shots. These bullets are absolutely worth it. There is no hype on this website, they perform as advertised.
Shooting these little lasers in my son's 7mm-08 with a 20" barrel. Getting 3135 fps and sub 1/2 MOA with a super low recoil rifle. Very impresses.
I loaded some of the 134's just to see how they would do. They definitely did not disappoint I was able to get 3/4" moa at 100yrd first time out. will be loading some more of these up just to see how tight of a grouping I can squeeze out of them.
Got a good accurate load for these out of my 264 win mag. Load development was easy, and the b.c given is spot on with my setup. I get 3 shot groups much smaller than the palm of my hand at 600 yards. Im pushing them at 3125fps and for a hunting rig I’m very happy.
Building a load was so easy and quick it was almost boring. Great velocity and sub moa out of my Tikka 7mm Rem Mag. So far I've shot a big black bear and a mature cow elk. Bullet performed flawlessly both times and best of all no blood shot meat! Just ordered some more for this next hunting season.
With this rifle and a 22'' barrel the 85g Hammer Hunter is traveling 3500fps with 49g of Varget, the group is .8 at a 100yards and will continue with a crimp ladder to see if the group continues to improve.
4 shots the first day into 1" with a ladder of different charges of Varget, and then the second day put 3 shots into a 1/2" at 100 yds with 44.5gr. Varget, cci200 primers Lapua brass, sized with fl die and .289 bushing and crimped into first groove up front with lee die. ruger american predator 6.5cm. Primer is a little flat but not too bad, may back off a touch. Just ordered 200 more of these, and plan on using them next deer season.
I played with them a while and came up with a great load. of 41.7 of Varget under a 99 Hammer Hunter at oal of 2.680. With a regular LRP. This goes right in the same hole for me and when I checked the speed, it keeps coming out at 3200 pretty much on the nose. Very little recoil and plenty of juice for whitetails and hogs. I will be ordering more, a lot more.
Took roughly 20 rounds to find a load for these bullets pushing 3300 fps. Im very happy with my results on coyotes. Yet to have one run off
Tried this bullet in my 7 STW and all I can say is wow. I'm running 75 grains of Varget at 3,863 fps with single digit SD and sub 1/2 MOA accuracy. As if that were not enough, the reduced recoil makes my STW a pleasure to shoot. Recoil is on par with my 6.5 Creedmoor.
I loaded these for my 257 WTBY and had them pushing right around 3900 fps. I took a big Wisconsin whitetail this past winter with them and they preformed as expected and I did not recover the bullet. Developing a load for my rifle was quick, the Hammer bullets are some of the easiest bullets to find loads for.
I’ve been searching high and low for good bullets for my .358 win BLR. 200 gr Hornady Interlocks have abysmal BC, and 250 gr Speer Hot Cors just don’t have the velocity I want, and I can’t get anything else. I decided to try this bullet out after some positive anecdotes online. With a very compressed load of 3031, I can get 2500 fps, and 1 moa groups. With their relatively high BC and their advertised minimum expansion threshold, that gets me from a 200 yard rifle to a 325 yard gun. Which was a really good thing when the elk herd posted up in the field at 300 yards. First shot missed completely low, 2nd hit forward in the chest, 3rd was perfectly through the heart and dropped her. The bullet couldn’t have been going much faster than 1800 fps when it hit, but it did exactly what Hammer said it would do. A hole through both sides of the animal. The far side of the ribs had little shrapnel wounds from the separated petals surrounding the exit. I recovered a petal under the skin on the inner part of the far side leg. The heart had a hilariously huge “X” through it, almost rending it in two. Absolutely impressive performance at relatively low velocity. Thank you Hammer for this fantastic bullet. As a bonus, it shoots to the same POI as the 200 gr Interlocks, so I can practice with the cheap stuff and use the Hammers when it counts.
Bought these to find a deer and elk load that would shoot small groups but still do the job. Wow was i surprised. I got .2 and.3 inch groups at 100 and 200 yards with a few opening to .5. To say they shoot is an understatement. My load for my S20 is 55.5 of IMR 4831 and seating the bullet to were the beginning of the boat tail is at the base of the neck. Can’t wait for antilope season in Wyoming.
Trying to find load for 20 inch barrel with suppressor . Had several that shot half inch until I tried 44gr of 6.5 Staball . Grouped like it had eyes ! 3205 ft/second . Not even going to try a different load . Can hardly wait to put it to work . Thanks , Mark Gendreau .
I have a custom built 340 weatherby with a 28” barrel and I just shot a 4 shot ladder test with these and gained 100fps and significant accuracy. I’ve got this bullet moving at 2964 fps and shooting sub half inch easily. And that was 4 rounds in half grain increments. I can’t wait to see what they do all loaded the same. Very impressed so far. Ps I shoot the 101g hammer hunters out of a custom .243 win and consistently see groups in the .178 or less range and they are one shot stoppers out of that rifle. Looks like these will make a trip to africa in may.
While this particular bullet has a very narrow selection of powders that can optimize its performance in the 223/5.56, when you get it right it can turn the 223 Remington into a 22 Nosler using less powder! How does 3600-3700fps from a 20" hunting rifle sound? Try LT-30, LT-32, or Benchmark!
358 Norma, half round half octagon Fred Wells cut-rifled barrel. Best I could ever get was 7/8” ONCE. Tried 3 different other brands of slugs, and gobs of powders. Then that market completely evaporated, right before a hunt. The great guys at Hammer said to try the 200gr ShockHammers. Loaded some and BOOM, genuine half inch groups. Over and over again. I’ve never enjoyed shooting that big gun this much. I just ordered some more, and some 308’s for my TC Contender 30/30.
As a resident of CA, we’re faced with having to shoot non tox bullets. Well let’s just say since discovering Hammer bullets, they are now my out of state loads as well, where lead is allowed. I have taken deer from 25 yards, to Elk at 700 shooting the 143’s in a 28 Nosler and the results have been exceptional, as well as the customer service
Have used the120 Hammer Hunter in CA Arms Ridge line to take the last six deer I've killed. Ranging from197 yards, the closest, to 435 yards the longest. Four does and two bucks. Does averaged about110 pounds. Biggest buck was 193 pounds on the hoof. All but one dropped in their tracks. Didn't adjust for the wind on the long shot and hit him in the butt. Saw him faltering and bolted another round, as I pulled the trigger he dropped . that shot was a miss as he dropped from the first shot as I shot again. Bullet impacted his hip joint where it attaches the spine, took out both feromal arties. He made it about 20 yards. Upper hams on both sides were a mess. Lost some cube steak there. But damage was very impressive. Only two of the deer were spine shot, others were thru the lungs, and they just collapsed. DRT. I'm a hammer bullet fan for life. Bill Belcher, Anniston Alabama.
I so far have used these bullets for hog and coyote hunting and let me tell you...they work as advertised. The wound channels these bullets produce look like one's you would expect from a much bigger caliber. Hammers are super easy to work up a load for usually about 10 rounds and your done, not to mention 1/4 moa accuracy I get with them. Keep up the good work.
I can make them shoot bad. Seldom do they shoot over .6". Use faster powders and run em hard. Took a white tail this fall, bang flop. Totally destroyed the lungs, full penetration.
I shoot these in my ruger m77 mark ii 25-06 at 3660 fps and they shoot phenomenal on paper and on game. I was impressed with the performance on two whitetails this year. I’m switching all my hunting rifles to hammers now they’re hard to beat.
I built a 270 wsm with a 8 twist 24” pac nor barrel. Bullets stabilized for me. Loaded them with RL23 at 3050fps. Very easy load development. This year I killed two Muleys and both dropped in their tracks. With impressive wound channels. Could not be happier with the results. Thankyou for a great product.
If you want to hunt anything bigger than a yote with the smaller 22's within reasonable ranges, this and its boattailed 35gr sister are your best bet for a mono. This bullet works wonders in a 22 Hornet or K Hornet...try moderate to faster powders like H110/W296, 2400, or even Enforcer, and you can achieve velocities between 3350fps and 3500fps safely! Prints very tiny groups as well. My favorite hornet bullet bar none!
A excellent choice when you can't make your mind up on whether you want to run light-n-fast or heavy-n-steady. Easy to tune (powder, primer, and crimp), and prints very small groups. Should have the powder to through and through any medium sized game in the States, and give you decisive kills through fragmentation!
Although maybe a little on the heavy side for a 280AI, these shoot .5" at an easy 2850FPS. Probably going to try and push them harder just to see but very happy as is. The buck my wife shot this year with this combo only went about 10 yards with minimal bloodshot. Tried the 143's too but these just shot a little better out of my rifle.
The bullet worked perfect. My son shot his first elk with a 3006 at 287 yards.the elk never took a step. After skinning the elk we looked at the exit wound and you could see where the nose petals exited. I would highly recommended these bullets
Preformed flawlessly devastating wound channel and the most blood i have ever seen with very little meat loss.just ordered more sample packs for all the other calibers i have and will be my go to hunting bullet from now on
I recently used this bullet on a desert bighorn sheep. 30-06 at just over 2900fps. I had a very narrow shot window and a very short time window to make it work at about 120 yards. The bullet did what it needed to do... entered in front of the left hip on a very steep quartering away shot, and obviusly made it to the vitals which resulted in only a 20 yard run for the ram. Very impressed with how the bullet performed to get where it needed to go with a very difficult shot opportunity!
Excellent performance on game out of my 30 Nosler.
My son and I planned a South Texas elk hunt in September and he (13yo) used the 143 HH to drop a huge bull elk from 178 yards. He was shooting my 20” proof barreled 7 saum. Put it right behind the shoulder and the guide immediately called “miss reload”. Turns out watching the video our guide saw one of the petals exit at an angle and kick dirt up that appeared to be a high right miss. The 6x7 bull stumbled and fell 5 seconds later without a second shot. There were 4 exit holes and minimal meat damage. Devastating performance. Thanks to Steve and everyone at Hammer!
Both my friends used .308 Hammers on this pig hunt as mentioned in the previous review and both were bang flops. The hammers hitlike a ton of bricks I was very impressed! The only down side was the significant wound channel if you hit bone. However, I will say loosing a bit of meat is better than chasing animals into the bushes. If you hit them where you’re supposed to, these bullets are sure to anchor them! Now I just need to get some 180’s for my 300 wsm!
Took an antelope and a black tail with these out of my 300prc. Very accurate and devastating on game. 1000 yards is a walk in the park.
I have only shot 6 animals so far and none of them liked it! 5 deer and one bear. Ranges from 51 yds. to 558 yds. Bullet performance was great. Minimal meat loss and almost no bloodshot. I'm getting 3400 fps out of my 300 wlby mag in a Ruger No.1 (SMOKIN) with great accuracy. friends and family have been using hammer bullets also and no negative reports! Thank you guys for a great product!
Not the best terminal review (will explain in a minute) but sheesh....... 2933fps out of 25" bartlein 9 twist. Under .3 moa 300 yards is less than .3 moa still. Took a medium size Eastern white tail very recently. 80 yard shot. Took out all the valves off the top of the heart, jellied one small portion of one lung. Bled out and died in less than 20yards. Cavity full of blood, literally my 6 year old son found the blood and "tracked" the deer like a lighted runway. Very little internal damage due to the placement and all pieces of the the bullet exited. Only one rib hit on the off side. Can't complain about a perfect shot placement (my son did the shooting) but not too much in the way of terminal testing on the "medium". Can't wait to further test these little meanies!!!
30 nosler , long throat. Pushing these 3115fps with H1000 and Peterson brass. Hit a hog behind the right shoulder into back of the left shoulder. Boom flop. Not a step. Instantly joined the 3/4 club as the entire left quarter looks like it was hit by an IED. Will purchase again. These have a .020 jump to the lands in my rifle and shoot consistently 3 shot groups touching at 200 yards so long as I do my part.
Going on some recommendations I tried something new to me going light for caliber and bumping the speed. Loaded a pressure ladder with Varget, backed off a touch, sighted in a went hunting. My load ladder spanning 4 grains went into just over an inch and my final load with a little Lee Factory Crimp shooting consistently into 3/4' out of a thin barrel Kimber 30-06. Getting around 3480FPS in a 24" barrel and just got my first Hammer Bullet deer, a nice North Carolina 8pt at just under 100yards. Lungs were basically liquified, hollow point broke into 3 petals; one exited with the shank and two petals got slowed down by shoulder muscle landing just over the opposite side skin. Mule kick and ran 30ft stumbling the whole way.
These bullets are the real deal. I have a custom .284 win. Shilien barrel 9 twist 25 1/4 in. Long. I did a very simple load using the 143 grain hammer hunter. .025 off lands. FIRST FIVE SHOTS WENT IN A HOLE. They shot great and the node is absolutely perfect could not ask for OR recomend a better bullet and i have tried a pile of them. Give them a try. And as slways be safe and keep em in the x ring
My old M24/47 Mauser shoots the 198 grain Hammer Hunter just like a Mauser should. I get consistent 1/2 groups in the heat of summer or the cool of hunting season. I have Hammered 4 hogs with this bullet from 45 yards to 125 yards. Complete pass through, chest cavity is mush. All the hogs dressed out close to 125 lbs.. I now have a load that matches the SS Patron 197.5 grain FMJ load of WWII in an appropriate hunting bullet. Thank you!!
This was by far the fastest easiest load development I have ever had including other Hammer's. Fired two for velocity, 3 more for group size and done. Didn't even have to adjust the scope from my Ballistic Tip load. Looking forward to on game performance. Sure they will perform like my other experience's with Hammer Hunters.
Have not killed anything with them, I will give another review when I do, but as for accuracy GTFO my Browning BAR is shooting .25moa with these, If they kill like they shoot, I will probably switch all my rifles to these bullets
Justin Youngblood Weatherby vanguard S2 243 win Upgraded glass beaded H. S. Precision light stock. 18.5”barrel, suppressed with a Griffiin. 70gr. HH. Still 3,500fps with the suppressed shorter barrel. 1/2 “ at 100yards. Extremely Impressed. No recoil or pressure sighs. So much fun on coyotes, and antalope in Colorado. I’d love to attach pictures.
I tried nearly every premium hunting 30 cal bullet in my 300 WBY, using six different powders, only to consistently print 1.5 to 2.5 inch groups. I was about ready to sell this rifle, when I saw these 174 Hammers designed for tight mag constraints, which the 300 WBY suffers from. First group under imr7828 (the powder I was hoping this rifle would like) printed at 0.60moa. The best this rifle had ever shot by a factor of three. Continued load development rewarded me with a repeatable 0.5moa rifle, with these 174’s clocking in at 3380 FPS. Outstanding! And I’m totally confident in their terminal performance on elk.
Went to the range to check the FPS on the 88 gr hammer hunter 44 gr 6.5 StaBall Federal case Federal match small primer Ogive 2.238 FPS 3265. SD 2.0
Just loaded my first round of 88 Gr Hammer Hunter’s in my new 6 mm Creedmoor 1-7 twist Proof barrel. 44 gr of 6.5 staBall several groups of .250 at 100 yards. Sorry I don’t have the FPS yet. I would recommend.
I can’t say enough good things about Steve Davis and these bullets. I normally do not leave reviews for bullets until I have used them on animals but Steve deserves a review on bullet accuracy and customer service. I had a minor issue with my shipment and Steve made it more than right without me asking for anything. I couldn’t ask for better customer service. Also, these bullets are extremely accurate in my .338 Lapua. I shot two back to back 3 shot groups of .372 and .393 moa without any special load development. I highly recommend these bullets and company.
I run these in a Win 94 30-30 with H-LVR at 2505 fps and a little room to go, very accurate as far as m94's go. I haven't shot anything except wood yet, but that showed excellent penetration. My brother shot one doe with this bullet loaded in a 30-06 with H-4895, sub Moa and it killed that doe as expected with no meat lost, he washed the blood out when he got home and the bits around the hole went into ground.
Edit to my previous review. Barrel twist is 1:16, not 1:7 as stated earlier.
These are my best loads so far for my 350 legend AR. Hoping I can tighten up the groups when I load a little closer to the lands. No pressure signs at all. I’m betting that I could get to, or even surpass 30 grains of powder, but we’ll see. Please don’t skip steps. Work up your loads slowly. It’s not going to kill you to take a little extra time to work a load up, but it could kill you if you don’t. Winchester brass Winchester small rifle primers LilGun powder 2.242” oal 20” 1:7 barrel 78 degrees Fahrenheit 0’. Elevation Five shot group averages 29.0 gr -2712fps, stdDev. 14fps, 1.17”grp 29.2gr / 2727fps, stdDev 1.5fps, 1.25”grp That second deviation number is not a typo, it is 1.5 FPS! Have not hunted with it yet. Delaware just changed the regulations to allow hunting deer with straight walled carbine in an AR. Can’t wait!
Fanastic accuracy and lethality out of my custom 25-06 over H4831. Looking forward to testing more loads
These are the first hammer bullets I have tried. After an 8 shot ladder test looking for pressure I picked a load and shot a .27" 3 shot group at 100 then a 2.5" 3 shot group at 607 yards. Looking forward to seeing on game performance!
Recently purchased these and worked up a load in my wife's 22" Barrett Fieldcraft for an up coming sheep hunt. Had the load developed and rifle zeroed in 15 rounds with an ES of 11. Average muzzle velocity was 2,908 with 40.0gr of Varget out of the 22" barrel with a Rugged Radiant 7.62 mounted. I took it out yesterday and found a 6'7" black bear to test the load out. ~100 yard steep quartering away shot and the big boar dropped instantly and quickly began his death moan. Small entry hole just in front of the near side rear quarter and about a 1" exit at the back edge of the far side front quarter and lots of damage to everything on the inside. Will be ordering more.
The best bullet yet for hunting and long range. I'm getting sub M.O.A. with the 262g Hammer Hunter at 100yards. You wont be disappointed with these bullets. I have tested the bullet to 1500yards and its hitting a 18x18 steel target. This is my load data. Every tool is different so it might not stay true to your tool. Desert Tech SRS A1 1:10 twist 26" barrel .338L.M H1000 @ 88g or US869 @ 104g Nosler brass @ 2.714" or D.T.A Brass@ 2.714" O.V.A.L @ 3.885" Fed 215 primer I highly recommend this brand, you wont be disappointed!
Avg group size is .486" @ 3,165 fps out of a budget grade factory 6.5 creedmoor. So far every rifle I've tried Hammers in shoots them well. Guys at the range are taking notice and asking questions. 😎
Dropped 3 hogs so far with my custom .25 caliber (25 GPC.) This bullet is extremely accurate (like all my loads). I have it running at 2650 out of a 25" barrel with a .162" group and single digit velocity.
My 20" 6.5 CM has this zipping over 3200 FPS. It is absolute coyote destroyer. Plus the flat trajectory doesn't have me making adjustments at extended distances!
Precision 6.5 CM using this bullet dropped a massive boar at 230 yards. One shot. In the dirt. First hog that has been mounted in years due to its size and color.
May favorite 6.5 CM bullet for years. Dropped a ton of hogs, quite a few coyotes, a few beavers. Most one shot drops when I did my job. The new Absolute Hammer 123's are my new favorite as of May 2021.
Dropped a 200ish pound hog with one well placed shot. Also a very accurate bullet!
The 121 HH shoots great in my .257 Weatherby with H 1000 powder 1:8" twist 3385 fps avg.
These Shock Hammers WILL shoot! Easiest load development I've ever done. 257 wby pushing em 3,915 fps avg resulted in a 5 shot group measuring 0.246". I am impressed!
Shoots amazing out of my 22”Sendero Light Proof Glacier Ti. Proof target through the builder/load development with this round produced a .19MOA 3 shot group. Just tried out for first time hog hunting with complete pass though at 350yds. It was a tough angle of a shot that most bullets would have created much more meat loss, with the Hammer Hunter it was minimal to none. Telling all my buddies about Hammer Bullets!
These bullets run GREAT in my Sherman 338 (based on 270 case). 1/2 in groups at 3021 and crunch deer!
I used these out of a 338 Norma imp. on elk. One at 850 yards. One at 450 yards. Both had DRT results. The proof is in the freezer
I had issues with my AR15 350 legend cycling commercial ammo. Problem solved with this hand-load. One MOA accuracy Winchester brass CCI BR-4 primers LIL’ Gun 29.5grs OAL 2.240 16inch liberty barrel, 2750fps, temp 45’F, And 750ft elevation. I know it seems hot, but the load didn't show pressure issues until 30.5grs. This load puts whitetail to sleep under 200 yards!
Run this bullet in a 220 Ai at 3750 fps it shoots 1 hole groups at 100 yds. Also run it in a 22/284 at 3900 fps. Have killed some 160 whitetails with these combos! Great bullet
Run this bullet 3500 fps in my 6.5 twist 22/6mm dropped a nice mule deer at 450 yds! Hammers best hunting bullet out there!
This bullet is a great option for the 338 Federal. I’ve been using it for a while now with great luck. Out of my Kimber I’m getting an average of 2725 with TAC powder.
83 gr Hammer Hunters are exactly that...Hammers! Recently started running them in my 224 Valkyrie for predator (fox, coyote) hunting and they are outstanding terminally! Typically I run 90 SMKs for PRS stuff, but when I needed a truly hunting style bullet, I was blessed to come across these gems. While having to seat them a little far into the case for my liking (takes up internal space for powder), I am still getting a little more than 100 fps velocity increase over the SMKs. As for load work up...there was none! Reduced the powder charge for the lost capacity, tried 3 different combos all jumping about .025-.030 and every one stacked rounds into match size groups. Had slight pressure signs with the biggest charge, so I went with the lower option and haven't looked back. They absolutely perform in flight like a "match" bullet, but terminal performance on preds is off the charts! Total decimation in short. Have already ordered some lighter ones to try just to get that extra velocity I want just to flatten out my trajectories. My nightvis optic just has a standard duplex reticle and I hate "guesstimating" my elevation holds at distance. I would say if you want to shoot prey beyond 400 yds, the 83s are a no-brainer for the Valkyrie, but if you only need 400 yds or less, go lighter on bullet weight and get that laser like trajectory. Can't say enough good things about the performance of these projectiles or the awesome folks at Hammer Bullets that I've spoken with on the phone...they are A+++++ in all categories! Do yourself a favor and grab some of these...I guarantee you'll not only be impressed, but 100% satisfied with the performance as well.
Most accurate non-lead bullet I have ever used by far! .02" @ 100 yds. in my 6mm GT, equal to my best 88 gr. lead bullet load.
Shoot very well in my 25-284 at 3200fps and very lethal.
Ordered up these for my .350 legend. They cycle perfect. I was able to reach over 2500fps with zero pressure. I’ve only been able to take two large whitetail and a few pigs while in Texas. All were very fast kills. 5-10 yards.
Built a custom 6 Remington Ackley Improved with a 7.5 twist mainly for coyote hunting. Was planning on using 115DTACs or 107 Sierras but after seeing how well the 143gr Hammer Hunters performed in my 7-06 Ackley I thought I would try 88gr Hammer Hunters and it was a good move. Running them at 3530fps grouping 1/2" at 200yds and hits really hard. Very easy to load for like any Hammer bullet I have used, just seat them .010 off lands start low and work up on powder charge and you will have it. Easiest bullets I have worked up loads for including custom bullets for my custom benchrest rifles.
143gr Hammer Hunter out of my custom 7-06 Ackley Improved shooting 3100fps and 1/2' groups at 200 yds. Shot a big Indiana 10 point buck and bullet worked perfect.
Loaded these in 338-06 at 2750 using RL15. Dropped a large cow elk where she stood at 200 yds.
This bullet is really accurate and effective out of a 1940’s vintage Savage 99 carbine in .250-3000, 1:14 twist, worn rifling. Hits very hard, taken 2 Pronghorn and one deer with the 67gr shock hammer. I like the performance combined with minimal meat wasted. Really happy Hammer made a bullet that works with this slow twist Savage. Will be loading more Hammers for another Savage 99 in.250 with 1:11 twist someday soon. 335 powder is really nice in this cartridge.
A follow up review for above combo. The 243 win with the 70HH. It is a great killing combo. A friend of mine in east Texas near Sam Rayburn is making hog heaven very crowded. If he does his job on the trigger. I have other rifles for him to test in the future. Work is preventing me from testing. I am lucky for that at these times. I will leave review's for other bullets when available. I would give 10 stars if I could. 70HH Rocks.
Shot out of savage Steven 284 win 8” twist, 24” barrel going 2980fps at mag length. Found a load development under half moa. Hammered a small CA buck @ 78 yards away, full pass through just behind shoulder bone broadside shot. Meat loss almost non existent. Way way less meat damage than the old load with 168gr Berger.
Grouping under moa out of savage 300 wsm at mag length. Accurate +600 yards. Shot an oversized cow moose broadside, high lungs. Impact velocity ~2700fps. Hit one rib, recovered bullet in the hide. Retained ~70%. No meat loss at all.
I have used the DeadBlow version of these on deer in the UK and they work extremely well. I was looking for a non-lead fragmenting bullet which produced minimal over penetration for our busy island. I have used them successfully on three roe, two fallow and two sika deer. I get a typical single entry on chest shots and five exist holes in a cluster about the size of a large orange. I am driving them at 3,250 fps in a 6.5-284 Norma and have dispatched deer out to 180 yards which are normal ranges for lowland deer management in the UK. Load development has been very easy and my early load testing using virgin Lapua brass has not produced groups any larger than 3/4 MOA regardless of charge weight. My temporary load for the moment gives me 1/3 MOA and I look forward to fine tuning accuracy and ES now I have fire formed my cases. Steve has been very helpful with getting load data sorted and I am very impressed with how helpful this company is.
I have a 243 Win. Rem. 700 ADL stock barrel and action with a 9.125 twist per Rem. spec's. 70 HH performs great. Only tried 2 loads, approx. 3550 fps, about 1/2" groups at 100 yds. Needed something quick to try on east Texas pigs. Will work more on load development next spring. 165 yrd's 125 pound boar (approx.) high shoulder with complete pass through, straight down. Very well impressed. Even a 300 WM shooter was impressed. So on deer there should be no worries.
Shot a 1” 3 shot group at 530 yards. Can’t wait to put one thru a elk this fall.
It is a small bullet I ended up loading it shorter than my other reloads to get a decent crimp on it . I loaded it @ 4000fps in my 220 Swift ,1-14 twist Remington , my first 5 shot group at 100 yards were one small hole less than dime size , I have shot a couple beavers and one coyote with complete pass throughs for such a small bullet it is very impressive, I will be buying more
If you can shoot and your rifle is capable load development etc most accurate bullet I've ever loaded bug hole groups 50 plus yrs loading experience
This bullet produced accurate loads very easily in my 300WSM and worked fantastic on a Bull Elk. Great bullet so long as your rifle barrel meets the recommended twist rate.
Tried a large variety of bullets in my 30 nosler. The hammer hunters easily out shot the others. They have worked great on game also
This was such an easy bullet to load develop. Steve and company really did the hard work and pointed me in the right direction though. With varget, magnum primers, hornady brass, and magazine length this combination has shot <0.5 MOA at 200 and 530 yds and has killed 4 groundhogs dead in their tracks. I gave four stars because for whatever reason the BC in my rifle is not matching the posted BC. I will be using these on Colorado deer this fall.
I started loading Hammer bullets in my 7 STW. The results were fantastic and load development was a breeze. Now I load Hammers in 7 different cartridges and they the only hunting bullet I use. They are absolutely devastating on game without meat loss. The 124 gr bullets are outstanding. I’m shooting sub .250” moa with these things in my 6.5-284 Norma. Can’t wait to use them on my NM pronghorn hunt at the end of August.
Just loaded these for my Christensen Arms Ridgeline 300 WIn Mag. It seemed to be a very picky rifle. I set the OAL to just fit in the magazine and loaded up 4 rounds with varying charge weights of H1000. Started with 78 grains which shot good with no pressure signs. Moved to 78.5 which shot a .24” group at 100yds. No pressure signs and the velocity was right where I figured I should be. Fired one round of 79 gr. Showed slight signs of pressure. I’ll go with 78.5 gr charge weight. So 9 rounds and load development is done! These bullets are slightly more pricey than most but pay for themselves and then some. I can’t wait for fall to try these on game. Thanks for a great product!
Larry
My buddy and I developed a wildcat, 41 caliber (41 Great Lakes), straight wall cartridge a few months ago. This bullet is very accurate and hits like a "jack hammer", for sure! It even feeds well in our AR test rifle and makes one ragged hole. We're getting just under 2,500 fps from an 18" barrel. It is devastating on bowling balls! I plan on using it for next year's black bear hunt.