Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Hammer bullets

I’m starting to think these bullets (Hunter style) like a lot of speed (spin) to shoot well. They tell you to crimp the cases, but I just hate to crimp a rifle round except where needed for recoil or a tube magazine.
Will try some other seating depths etc before giving up on them until I run out.
Thanks for your input.
Greg

Brayhaven, is your twist rate compatible?

Yes. 1:9. Bartlein barrel. They call for 1:10 (or faster) for that bullet. Though all those twist recommendations are a little worthless without caliber, speed etc.
it’s the RPMs that stabilize a bullet.

Just ordered some 88 hammer hunters to try in a pair of 6 creeds and 6-06.

I’d be interested in an objective review.

I’ve about decided that monolithic bullets aren’t the most accurate bullets out there. I Don’t see anyone competing successfully with them. Maybe the ones selling em. Might be an obturation issue due to the characteristic of solid copper. Some shoot pretty well even at lower velocities. I’ve shot ttsx for many years in several calibers with good results, mainly because they’re so effective on game. And most shoot under an inch. Best monos I’ve tried. Though not as good as a quality jacketed lead target bullet. The terminal performance makes up for it.
I’m gonna try some changes with those hammers and see what happens.

I've gotten good results with Lehighs, the Nosler Etip, and the Hornady GMX and MFX, but they've all been a lot more finicky to dial loads in for than the Barnes. The TTSX seem to be the most forgiving with load development, in my experience. The Hammers fell ino the finicky category for me, but they did end up shooting well.

I'm not shooting for match level accuracy, though. Touching shots with irons @50-75 yards is my "good enough" point. 🤷‍♂️

I've pretty much given up on Lehighs though, because they never seem to leave anything on the market very long. Get em to shoot, then find out they're discontinued 🙄

Is this an encore carbine?

Henry BBS 16" carbine. They ended up liking CFE Pistol best through it. Most of the other bullets I've shot in it prefer Unique or 2400, but the Hammers didn't like either one of those powders.

5 shot group. Have a Williams FP peep with a Marbles 1/16" white bead front sight on it.

My early testing of the Hornady CX also shows them to be less forgiving than the ttsx bullets. I was kind of hoping they’d be an improvement over the gmx in terms of accuracy, as they appear to be a little better expanding at lower velocities.
The good old Barnes still seem to be the best monos I’ve shot. Killed a lot of game (deer & hogs) with em for many years. Most dropped in their tracks and farthest one traveled was @40 yards.

I'm a big fan of the Barnes as well. I've gotten them to shoot well in every cartridge I've tried them in without needing to do a ton of load fiddling.

I've pretty much only used the other monos in applications where there wasn't a Barnes to fit the bill, or they were unobtanium when I was working up loads.

I met old Fred once back in early 70s at his place in Colorado. He had a Cadillac up on blocks in the rear that he’d used to pull (swage) pure copper tubing through a mandrel for his signature copper & lead bullets. Great game bullets back then as well.

I finally got the 70 grain Hunter to shoot pretty well in my 6x6.8 @5/8”, very finicky though, but have decided I don’t really like the design.
The bullet sheds the front very quickly into @4-5 grain flat “petals” that don’t go far in meat as you’d expect. The other 50 grains of so continues on straight through at original diameter like a full jacket. Not too impressed in my tests, 2 gallon jugs of water and wet catalogs.
I want a bullet that expands to 1.5 or 2 calibers, retains its weight and continues to plow through the other side, in case a blood trail is needed, and expending energy all the way through.
TTSX bullets have done that reliably for me for many years.
Fun to play with new things though.