7mm Hammers - Keepers

[VikingsGuy]

Mentioned in an earlier post that I was going to check out Hammer bullets this summer. I have a 7mm08 Tikka T3X that hates both 120gn and 140gn TTSX bullets (between my S-I-L and I we have 5 more Tikkas in various calibers that all love to shoot TTSX bullets, so go figure). So figured I would give the much heralded Hammer Hunter bullets a try in this picky gun. I went with the 131 gn HH (which to me is the perfect weight for mono-metal out of a 7mm08), which oddly turn out in fact to weigh 134 grains. I was able to quickly work up a round that gave 0.90 MOA 5 shot groups (5.8 fps SD) running 2,950fps over Varget without any work on seating depth. (unfortunately the factory tikka SA mags make seating depth adjustments pointless in my experience) I was able to get it up to 3,050 fps without pressure signs, but the SDs started to creep up too, so went with the tighter node. My son will be shooting these in WY this fall for pronghorn.

 

[mtmuley]

Told ya. mtmuley

 

[VikingsGuy]

Still find it odd that they are designed to shed petals, but I am sure they will kill fine.

 

[std7mag]

Viking,
Barnes original X bullet had that design.
Then some editor for a gun rag started on about retained weight.
Public opinion finally made Barnes change to the bullet they have now.
Hammers are not the only monolith that shed petals. Cutting Edge does as well.

 

[brockel]

I’ve got some 213grain hammers coming to try in a 338 win mag. So far the 6.5 123 and 30 cal 181 have been the easiest bullets I’ve found to find an accurate load with

 

[Europe]

vikingsguy. as std7mag has already mentioned---cutting edge raptors, -----also Rhino makes one but I have forgotten what they call it and GSC in S. A. make one, but not sure they do in the states.

best of luck to your son in WY. Enjoy the hunt,

 

[Don Fischer]

I had to go look at these hunter bullet's. Boy are they expensive! Do they cut and wrap for you too? I have never been able to understand why people pay as much as they do for different bullet's. What do these do that say a TTSX doesn't do? I guess I should mention I'm a cup and core guy, been one for over 50 yrs.

 

[VikingsGuy]

I had to go look at these hunter bullet's. Boy are they expensive! Do they cut and wrap for you too? I have never been able to understand why people pay as much as they do for different bullet's. What do these do that say a TTSX doesn't do? I guess I should mention I'm a cup and core guy, been one for over 50 yrs.

1. They are non-lead. To each their own, but I have gone full non-lead for all my guns that bring home food for the family.

2. I love TTSX bullets, they are already in 6 different guns/calibers and shoot great. They will continue to be my first choice, but more for future availability and my past experience with them rather than price diff vs Hammer.

3. This one rifle hates TTSX bullets - tried 120gn, 139LRX, 140gn, 145gn, Varget and H4895 - all shot to about 1.5MOA. Plenty good for hunting I suppose, but for me I like getting my handloads under 1.0 - my hobby, my preference.

4. Always found the price thing kinda funny in the big picture. My son will fire 5 shots in WY - 3 to set zero at altitude, one for a buck and one for a doe. The hammers are let's say 60 cents pricier than Hornady InterLock. That means I will spend an extra $3 on our 5 person WY hunting trip. It'll make a bigger budget difference which gas station we stop at for a fill up, or I will just let him buy one fewer energy drinks on the way. Heck, somebody in the group will loose that much pocket change in the car seat.

5. I spend a lot more playing around with hand loads than if I just bought factory. But it's a hobby, costs come with the territory. If you factor in all my gear, tags, time off work, etc. I should probably just buy beef at Walmart vs hunting - cuz the elk in my freezer is definitely more expensive on a per bound basis.

 

[JLS]

I guess I should mention I'm a cup and core guy, been one for over 50 yrs.

Pretty sure you've told us that once or twice. Glad they work for you.

 

[jryoung]

Do they cut and wrap for you too?

They turn them on the lathe for you.

 

[brockel]

They turn them on the lathe for you.

And take about 10 rounds to find a great load

 

[mtmuley]

They turn them on the lathe for you.

You try any yet? mtmuley

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I'm glad they worked well for you. Looking forward to your on game results.

The price of or bullets is on par with other cnc lathe turned bullets. It is simply a time issue. Turned bullets takeabout 30 sec each to make. Cup and core as well as Barnes take a few sec each. The precision of cnc turned bullets and the lack of variation in lots should be considered. They are always the same.

It is normal that the 131's came in at 134g. Most all of our bullets increased a couple of g over their namesake. Happened over a couple of years in changed to our process and an alloy change that cause a fraction of a g at a time. One day when we get caught up I will take the time to put actual weights in the description for each bullet. We didn't want to change the name of the bullets.

 

[homers]

Now all we need is Hunt Talk discount code

 

[RockyMtnMT]

Haha! I probably make $3.50/hr! Every nickel we make goes back into the company. We just ordered another lathe to keep up. Can't wait for it to get here!

 

[VikingsGuy]

I'm glad they worked well for you. Looking forward to your on game results.

The price of or bullets is on par with other cnc lathe turned bullets. It is simply a time issue. Turned bullets takeabout 30 sec each to make. Cup and core as well as Barnes take a few sec each. The precision of cnc turned bullets and the lack of variation in lots should be considered. They are always the same.

It is normal that the 131's came in at 134g. Most all of our bullets increased a couple of g over their namesake. Happened over a couple of years in changed to our process and an alloy change that cause a fraction of a g at a time. One day when we get caught up I will take the time to put actual weights in the description for each bullet. We didn't want to change the name of the bullets.

@RockyMtnMT - Is the stated G7 estimate of .211 still good or does that need updating too? As you say "we" and "our" so I will assume you are Steve -- so FYI, ordered a bunch more yesterday.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

@RockyMtnMT - Is the stated G7 estimate of .211 still good or does that need updating too? As you say "we" and "our" so I will assume you are Steve -- so FYI, ordered a bunch more yesterday.

It should be good. As always confirm your drops. Bc varies from rifle to rifle.

 

[VikingsGuy]

It should be good. As always confirm your drops. Bc varies from rifle to rifle.

I always shoot a 100, 200 and 400 yard target and compare vs prediction before I set up my drop table for hunting, but good to have a starting point.