Hammer Bullets - what makes them so great?

[Don Fischer]

Place the 22 bullet properly in the head and they all just fall down!

have been in slaughter house's allover the counrty driving for a living and used to go into the kill room and watch them kill the cows. Most used an air hammer in the head but a few small plants still used 22's to kill the cows. 22 in the forhead dropped them immediately. While stationed in Germany used to help a butcher do hog's. The way he killed them was a 22 into the forhead. Not a one could run away after being shot, not one! if you've seen the shot fail it was where you placed the bullet. Closer you get the easier it is to place the bullet. Miss the spot and you either miss completely or simply wound the animal! Don't blame the bullet for your poor shot!

 

[BackofBeyond]

Truly amazing contribution to the discussion about Hammer bullets.

 

[noharleyyet]

Truly amazing contribution to the discussion about Hammer bullets.

 

[turbobrick]

Personally, I'm dedicated to hunting lead free, and being here on HT I naturally had to try Hammers. So far I've loaded them for 6arc, 260rem, 30-06, 300wsm, and 300WM. The loading process and finding good groups went very well. We also had excellent terminal performance on a mule deer and a spike elk so far. I feel like you make compromises going lead free, but my experience with Hammer and other projectiles on the market makes them a choice I'm happy with. I also like that Hammers ship quick and are readily available.

 

[WapitiBob]

Never had an issue with hammers, just didn’t care for the accuracy. They killed Elk just fine.

 

[mtmuley]

Never had an issue with hammers, just didn’t care for the accuracy. They killed Elk just fine.

How bad was the accuracy? mtmuley

 

[longbow51]

Hammers are discussed extensively on LRH, although the people here are nicer. One of the problems noted was that you really shouldn't push the bullet weight if you don't have a fast enough twist, or the bullet can tumble due to instability in flight. A couple of guys tested it independently and got the same results.

 

[D4570]

YUP, it's the length more than the weight.
Push them as fast as you can or have a faster twist.

 

[mtmuley]

Hammers are discussed extensively on LRH, although the people here are nicer. One of the problems noted was that you really shouldn't push the bullet weight if you don't have a fast enough twist, or the bullet can tumble due to instability in flight. A couple of guys tested it independently and got the same results.

I'm betting that's a big problem. There are a lot of shooters that don't understand twist and velocity concerning mono bullets. Even some of the "experts" on LRH. There are a lot of members there with no clue about ballistics, terminal or external. Kirby shoots some Hammers. And I think they cut a custom bullet for his .458 2 mile rifle. I'll take his endorsement no problem. mtmuley

 

[mevertsen]

Hammers are discussed extensively on LRH, although the people here are nicer. One of the problems noted was that you really shouldn't push the bullet weight if you don't have a fast enough twist, or the bullet can tumble due to instability in flight. A couple of guys tested it independently and got the same results.

This has been a k own issue with bullets and cartridges since guns have been around...

223 and 22-250 with 12 and 14 twists. The 6mm /244 debacle and many others.

Long bullets require faster twists.

Even the Hammer guys specifically identify twists needed to stabilize bullets, and the difference between performance in the air and performance in the target.

I have limited experience with Hammers. They shoot well enough. The one recovery I have performed exactly as they I tended. Pedals shed and the shank drove forward. Recovered shank was about 60 percent retention in a Hammer Hunter.

I have also had success wit Core Lokt, sierras, speer, hornady and nosler. They all work.

Hammers are available, and the unleaded aspect is appealing to me.
I shoot fmj, tnt, and sp style bullets for target, varmints and plinking. The Hammers for hunting game.

 

[longbow51]

I'm betting that's a big problem. There are a lot of shooters that don't understand twist and velocity concerning mono bullets. Even some of the "experts" on LRH. There are a lot of members there with no clue about ballistics, terminal or external. Kirby shoots some Hammers. And I think they cut a custom bullet for his .458 2 mile rifle. I'll take his endorsement no problem. mtmuley

Well, Kirby doesn't really know much. He only requires his rifles to shoot 1/2 MOA at 1/2 mile .. .Pretty shoddy

 

[mtmuley]

Well, Kirby doesn't really know much. He only requires his rifles to shoot 1/2 MOA at 1/2 mile .. .Pretty shoddy

I can say that is true. It was so much fun and really eye opening. mtmuley

 

[nhenry]

I’ll say that my on game performance, although limited, has been stellar.

My hunting partner used my 280AI with a 143HH to harvest a whitetail buck at 150 ish yards. The shot was a bit further back than either of us would have liked, but one of the shed petals managed to sneak its way into the vitals on a diagonal course from the shank. Deer was down in 20 yards.
The very next day I took a mule deer at 235 yards with a frontal heart shot. The deer died on the spot. Didn’t recover a bullet or any fragments and the vitals were liquified.

The heart:



It’s really a shame that it performed so well. I was going to eat that heart

 

[Wind Gypsy]

If someone choosing a mono based on what someone uses @ king of 2 miles being a good endorsement: https://cuttingedgebullets.com/Blog/king-of-2-miles-2021-match-recap

 

[44hunter45]

I was planning to rebarrel my 1 in 9 264 Winchester. Glad I tried the 118 HHT (Tipped)
1/2 MOA all day long now.

 

[littlebighorn]

I was planning to rebarrel my 1 in 9 264 Winchester. Glad I tried the 118 HHT (Tipped)
1/2 MOA all day long now.

That's a smokin combo in that rifle, and 1/2 MOA all day long has to put a smile on any shooter's face!
I'm guessing saving on a rebarrel also made you grin!
NICE

 

[mtmuley]

These companies must have drank the Kool-aid. mtmuley

 

[Don Fischer]

So Barnes bullets are only designed for larger, faster calibers? The Barnes bullet design (as all monos and even traditional lead and copper to less extent) is dependent on velocity, so I concede that the distance you can get appropriate expansion with this caliber is less than others but 168 yards should have a nice mushroom across all calibers (with larger, faster calibers having a greater mushroom). No mushroom at this distance is very odd, IMO.

Ya know, if the bulet doen't expand at all but you brain the animal it's gonna fall down right there. The real deal isn't the bullet but how you place the bullet your using!

 

[mtmuley]

Ya know, if the bulet doen't expand at all but you brain the animal it's gonna fall down right there. The real deal isn't the bullet but how you place the bullet your using!

Thanks Don. mtmuley

 

[BackofBeyond]

Ya know, if the bulet doen't expand at all but you brain the animal it's gonna fall down right there. The real deal isn't the bullet but how you place the bullet your using!

You heard it here first, folks. Bullet construction doesn’t matter in hunting, just shoot ‘em all in da fuggin’ head.