Penetration as good or better than a Barnes. They shed the pedals, so it’s rare to ever recover one. They do a good bit of internal damage, more so than a Barnes.
Absolute Hammer Load Data
- Thread starter JLS
- Start date
blueridge
Well-known member
@stevejfarms , I recommend texting Steve vs trying to get through by calling. It’s easier for him to reply at his convenience, especially with the limited nature of your question and his busyness. He was very good at getting back with me in a short time. Good luck!
std7mag
Well-known member
Just an informative posting.
Playing with Strelok Pro this morning i noticed that the Hammers are on Strelok's database for bullets.
Playing with Strelok Pro this morning i noticed that the Hammers are on Strelok's database for bullets.
Some guys are concerned that the petals are designed to shear off. I'm not sure why as the petals themselves cause damage. I shot a whitetail buck with an 80 grain Hammer out of my .243, double lung behind the shoulder. (See, I don't just use a RUM) The bullet exited and one of the petals ripped through the heart. One of the quickest kills I've ever had. mtmuley
Yeah, I've never understood that viewpoint either. It makes way more sense to me than punching a 1" hole in something. I've been shooting 168 VLD hunters out of my 7 Mag for deer and elk and they're almost too destructive, if there is such a thing. The VLD ballistics gel video on youtube is no joke. The wound channel is the shape of a 2 liter bottle. I'm excited to see more manufacturers going this direction vs. weight retention
It’s interesting that for years Barnes was condemned for a bad bullet if this happened, which it did often with their earlier models.
I’ve always greatly appreciated the lack of bloodshot with copper bullets. I do my own processing, and had a few messes with other bullets. With the coppers you pretty much trim right up to the hole and the Hammers are not really any different.
Yes.
Shot a barbary ram a couple weeks ago with a 140gr AH out of a 28 Nosler. Impact velocity about 3000fps at 320 yards. Quartering toward, hit a couple inches back (barbary vitals are pretty far forward), hitting single lung/diaphragm/liver. Ran 30 yards downhill and laid down and passed out 1 minute later. Ruined maybe 1/4 pound of rib meat? Bullet exited as expected. Some petals exited in about a 5” circle. I think this is ideal terminal performance. Essentially a solid copper Nosler partition.
From a CNC lathe. Extremely consistent. mtmuley
You may still end up needing a very slow powder like Retumbo, RL33 or something around that burn rate. Overbore cartridges are a different animal with the absolutes. For example, in 28 Nosler with the 140gr AH, I tried powders as fast as IMR4955 and it pressured out at a lower velocity than I thought possible. So I went back to Retumbo and ended up getting 3585fps muzzle velocity with no pressure signs.
Steve lists the AH’s as being for advanced handloaders only because they do take an extra level of experimenting to wring all the velocity out of them.
Even if you don’t see a major velocity advantage with the AH’s, they are very accurate, insensitive to seating depth, and have ideal terminal performance.
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Think I've called Steve twice, maybe 3 times and he has answered the phone every time, not an e-directory. Decisive information provided, product as advertised. Hammers are a small cost increment compared to the confidence derived from accuracy and on game performance.
stevejfarms
Well-known member
I hope I can make 7828 work, I don’t know when the last time I’ve seen Retumbo. I may be able to find rl 33 though. Thanks
The chrono didn’t like the cold weather and wasn’t behaving. This was the winner. 40.5 grains of H4895 with a CCI 200 primer in “neutered” Creed. I’ll have ES and SD when I do a final proof on the load.
100 yards
10ish mph breeze
28 degrees
100 yards
10ish mph breeze
28 degrees
noharleyyet
Well-known member
123g bumping 3000fps is gonna hit hard. Nice group. Should be a pleasure to shoot.
I have found in the hammer hunters that they ARE sensitive to seating depth. However they are not as sensitive as barnes bullets. This is in 3 7mm rem mags and a rem 260. That was with 143 hammer hunters in .284 and 123 hammer hunters in .264. So far I am happy with performance but mine is limited to 1 elk and 1 mule deer.
marksjeep
Well-known member
Nice group. That round should be a pleasure to shoot.
Regarding terminal performance of HH in general, I don't know if they are any better or worse than other monos. I've killed a pile of animals with Barnes LRX bullets over the years. This year I managed to kill 3 with hammers, one pronghorn with a 6.5-284 and a bison and elk with 300wm. I'm not convinced that they kill any better or worse than the Barnes. I have found that they shoot better in my rifles, and that leads to better shots on game, which is what we're all after.
Regarding terminal performance of HH in general, I don't know if they are any better or worse than other monos. I've killed a pile of animals with Barnes LRX bullets over the years. This year I managed to kill 3 with hammers, one pronghorn with a 6.5-284 and a bison and elk with 300wm. I'm not convinced that they kill any better or worse than the Barnes. I have found that they shoot better in my rifles, and that leads to better shots on game, which is what we're all after.
Played with the .280 for just a bit today.
Remington M700 Mountain Rifle
Brass: Nosler
Primer: CCI 250
Powder: RL16
Bullet: 140 grain Absolute Hammer
It was interesting to me how the shots impacted. The last two are the same hole.
This is the case from my top charge at 54.5 grains.
I’m waiting on a reply from Steve, but given there was no sticky bolt and no pressure signs on the case I will try 55, 55.3 and 55.6 grains. At that point, even if I’m not hitting pressure I’ll have all the velocity I care about. Heck, I could call it good where I’m at.
Remington M700 Mountain Rifle
Brass: Nosler
Primer: CCI 250
Powder: RL16
Bullet: 140 grain Absolute Hammer
It was interesting to me how the shots impacted. The last two are the same hole.
This is the case from my top charge at 54.5 grains.
I’m waiting on a reply from Steve, but given there was no sticky bolt and no pressure signs on the case I will try 55, 55.3 and 55.6 grains. At that point, even if I’m not hitting pressure I’ll have all the velocity I care about. Heck, I could call it good where I’m at.
