Hammer Hunters?

[WYO300RUM]

Shoot them in the shoulder (Not with a Berger) . Less margin for error and down they go. May lose a pound of meat but to me better than losing the whole animal. I like to eat heart also. Has worked for me for 45 years. I've many times shot behind the shoulder/heart and watch them run then track. I like elk to go down right there for a dirt nap. I've used 30 cal.180 HH and 182 HHT, 123 HH 6.5mm, 95 HHT 257 on elk, deer, and lope. No problems here.
Pass the popcorn please

 

[TBuckus]

If I was you I'd switch back to the Noslers.
But I do feel there is a variable in this scenario that is causing the poor performance. Maybe unknown velocity? Possibly.
I can only speak from my experience and I've had good success with Hammers in the rifles I've reloaded them for. The elk/bear/deer and hogs that I have shot with them have either dropped, or traveled the same distance as my other brand bullets. Blood trail have been less except for a murder scene shot with a Mulie.
Enjoy Montana. General tag?

 

[txgunner00]

Shoot them in the shoulder (Not with a Berger) . Less margin for error and down they go. May lose a pound of meat but to me better than losing the whole animal. I like to eat heart also. Has worked for me for 45 years. I've many times shot behind the shoulder/heart and watch them run then track. I like elk to go down right there for a dirt nap. I've used 30 cal.180 HH and 182 HHT, 123 HH 6.5mm, 95 HHT 257 on elk, deer, and lope. No problems here.
Pass the popcorn please

I learned this in Africa this summer. Everything shot in the shoulder with a strong penetrating bullet like the Hammer didn't go far. They were from a bullet maker in South Africa called Viper, which we're very similar to Hammer HH. The few lost animals in our party (none were mine) were all shot in the vitals but not on the shoulder. I still shot whitetail in the lungs, but anything tougher get it on the shoulder.

 

[SAM55]

I've not experienced failure issues with Hammer bullets in my .300 WSM. In the past several years I've taken 24 animals on two Africa trips & two N. America hunts. I've used both 166 gr Hammer Shocks (3200 FPS) and 180 gr Hammer Hunters (3050 FPS) with H-4350 powder. Luckily I haven't lost any animals with this combination. Tracking has been from a few steps to 75 yards depending on shot placement. The eland in the avatar was taken a 166 HS. It was a complete pass through, as nearly all my Hammer shots have been, and the eland staggered about 10 yards.

But, I agree with others - you have to be confident in your equipment. Pick a combination you are comfortable with, practice with it and go hunt. Best of luck next season!

 

[Tommy T]

Story.. then the question:

So a few years ago i ordered some 284 Cal-143g Hammer Hunter to try on my 7mm Mag
they worked tremendously, and very accurate!

So while deer hunting in VA i shot 3 bucks.

Hiwever each one ran like it was NOT hit. Tracked but no blood trail… nothing.
In the spring while working on stands and trapsing through woods… we found each of them!
I sooo hate to do this.

Also on TX i shot a large 10 point.. same thing. No blood!
However just as i was giving up searxh thinking i missed..i saw one drop of blood on the underside of a leaf
Way back in thicket was the deer. One small perfectly placed shot, no exit.

I have since switched back to Nosler 168 AccuBond Long Range.. and no issues and great accuracy. Long and short range

I still have about 150 loaded Hammers.

Now the question after the story: headed to MT this year elk hunting again in Sept. what can i expect if i decided to use the hammers?
Or stick with accubonds

Thanks

I have hunted with accubon de for many years kill everything from deer to big moose so I wouldn't be to concerned about them not dithering job if you do your part you want have a problem with them and good PS I went to the Berger elite hunters and they even work better in my 28 and 7 prc

 

[txaggie1]

my wife uses them in 257 weatherby 92grain two bucks both drt one was behind shoulder. I have no concerns about using them in other rifles. I appreciate the honesty, but i'm scratching my head a bit that you consciously didn't find 3 deer you killed and thought you just missed?

This year I shot a big 8 here at our home ranch in tx behind the shoulder with a 110 accubond and we found the dead deer before we found blood. Behind the shoulder shot - it can happen in many circumstances he wasn't far. 1 time i understand by the 2nd deer you should have known something was up,

 

[mightyman]

Each shot was 100 yards or less, perfectly hit just behind shoulder heart area

 

[Korhil78]

I've never been able to get the accubond LR to shoot in my rifles or I would have used them a while ago. I like bonded bullets as well.

I've used hammers on a lot of game and never had one issue. But like I've said in other threads, you have tons of options. If it's not working for you, use something else.

I actually wish I could just use one bullet for the rest of my life but I'm a bullet tinkerer at heart and I can't help but try all the other bullets out lol.

 

[FEENIX]

Case closed!
Accubonds it is!

I was a long-time Nosler (NP, NAB, BT, and ABLR (but I did not have as good of luck with them)) end-user before transitioning to Berger. It is not my personal preference, but I can respect that. Good luck, and happy safe hunting!

 

[TimLee]

Story.. then the question:

So a few years ago i ordered some 284 Cal-143g Hammer Hunter to try on my 7mm Mag
they worked tremendously, and very accurate!

So while deer hunting in VA i shot 3 bucks.

Hiwever each one ran like it was NOT hit. Tracked but no blood trail… nothing.
In the spring while working on stands and trapsing through woods… we found each of them!
I sooo hate to do this.

Also on TX i shot a large 10 point.. same thing. No blood!
However just as i was giving up searxh thinking i missed..i saw one drop of blood on the underside of a leaf
Way back in thicket was the deer. One small perfectly placed shot, no exit.

I have since switched back to Nosler 168 AccuBond Long Range.. and no issues and great accuracy. Long and short range

I still have about 150 loaded Hammers.

Now the question after the story: headed to MT this year elk hunting again in Sept. what can i expect if i decided to use the hammers?
Or stick with accubonds

Thanks

If that combo was working tremendously up to that point, what do you think changed?

 

[serorem]

OP, I'm trying to understand your post? You started off with they "worked tremendously" and then you had issues on 4 different deer and switched bullets. So what worked tremendously? Also if you had issues with them on small eastern and Texas sized whitetails, why would you even consider them for elk?

 

[The Badger]

Have killed a few deer with the 143 hh in 7rm. They all traveled a bit after lung shots with pass throughs. Fair blood trails. But ended up feeling like it was a tougher than needed bullet for deer size animals that just aren't that dense.

Have been shooting 110 and 124 hh's in a 6.5-06 and 6.5 Sherman with very good results. Of 14 deer over last two seasons, 6 have been DRT with the rest going less than 60 yards. All pass throughs with good blood trails. Shots mostly lung at 10 to 250 yrds. They are just easy to load for. Nothing against accubond either, great bullet that is never a bad choice. I'd run with what gives you the most confidence.

 

[slv hunter]

Talk to Steve at Hammer, he may replace your old bullets if that was a bad batch of copper used to make them. I've used HH 213g from a 338 max twice on elk with great results DRT

 

[pavementends]

It has been many years since I hunted Ga. Not to derail this thread but many states allow the use of tracking dogs to find animals after they are shot. Where used you almost never loose and animal. As far as the HH bullets you could do a search and substitute almost any other bullet and find a similar thread. Sometimes things do not work.