I Struck Oil! Hammer Bullets
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Hmmm, I wonder if we could color code the oil for different calibers? Add fluorescence for low light?
I just loaded some 124's for my 300WSM and I did not acetone wash so I am looking forward to "tracers" at the range!
I just loaded some 124's for my 300WSM and I did not acetone wash so I am looking forward to "tracers" at the range!
QuietTexan
Well-Known Member
Bullets made of a jacket over a lead core don't require cutting fluid as they aren't turned on a lathe, so there never is any oil inside the meplat like there is in the nose of a Hammer where it has to be cut out. The oil that is on bulk manufactured bullets is washed off after they come off the presses. The monos from Barnes, etc, are most likely cleaned in a similar manner before packing and that removes the fluid.
Hornady A-Tips are sequentially packed off the press, and they come with a Crown Royal-like polishing bag to remove residual oil. Not nearly as coated as Hammers, but still there is some on them. Just not IN them.
Doozy
Well-Known Member
Well, I too have noticed the oil. But it's not the oil that I'm concerned about... It's the chips of copper that are held inside the hollow tip because of the oil.
Several months ago, I spent a good few hours spraying canned air down the tips of all couple hundred 214 HH I purchased. As I dried them out, I often could then knock out considerable amounts of copper flakes that were held inside due to the surface tension of the oil and the small hole preventing the oil from draining.
As you can see in this picture, there are well over 100 flecks of copper. THIS IS AN ISSUE in my opinion because it will affect the gyroscope spin that Hammer is trying so hard to achieve with its precision machining. And I assume this is should affect accuracy.
I would recommend that anyone have the oil be cleaned out and that you check for flecks of copper. I would also encourage Hammer to look at improving their method of removing this oil so customers don't have to spend hours cleaning them out. This is the only critical comment I have about Hammer bullets.
As a side note... I don't know what the oil is, but to me it smells just like the ATF+4 oil I use in my truck. I figure it must be similar. (The smell is seared in my memory due to a "unfortunate episode" trying to change the power steering hoses out on my truck. Let's just say my garage floor's concrete floor has been well-oiled!
Several months ago, I spent a good few hours spraying canned air down the tips of all couple hundred 214 HH I purchased. As I dried them out, I often could then knock out considerable amounts of copper flakes that were held inside due to the surface tension of the oil and the small hole preventing the oil from draining.
As you can see in this picture, there are well over 100 flecks of copper. THIS IS AN ISSUE in my opinion because it will affect the gyroscope spin that Hammer is trying so hard to achieve with its precision machining. And I assume this is should affect accuracy.
I would recommend that anyone have the oil be cleaned out and that you check for flecks of copper. I would also encourage Hammer to look at improving their method of removing this oil so customers don't have to spend hours cleaning them out. This is the only critical comment I have about Hammer bullets.
As a side note... I don't know what the oil is, but to me it smells just like the ATF+4 oil I use in my truck. I figure it must be similar. (The smell is seared in my memory due to a "unfortunate episode" trying to change the power steering hoses out on my truck. Let's just say my garage floor's concrete floor has been well-oiled!
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1. It's you opinion and you are entitled to it but It doesn't affect anything including gyroscopic spin, 2. The coolant that they are using has zero in common with ATF, 3, Hammer removed the oil at one time but as said before it changed absolutely nothing other than the vapor trail , Folks worry too much about nothingWell, I too have noticed the oil. But it's not the oil that I'm concerned about... It's the chips of copper that are held inside the hollow tip because of the oil.
Several months ago, I spent a good few hours spraying canned air down the tips of all couple hundred 214 HH I purchased. As I dried them out, I often could then knock out considerable amounts of copper flakes that were held inside due to the surface tension of the oil and the small hole preventing the oil from draining.
As you can see in this picture, there are well over 100 flecks of copper. THIS IS AN ISSUE in my opinion because it will affect the gyroscope spin that Hammer is trying so hard to achieve with its precision machining. And I assume this is should affect accuracy.
I would recommend that anyone have the oil be cleaned out and that you check for flecks of copper. I would also encourage Hammer to look at improving their method of removing this oil so customers don't have to spend hours cleaning them out. This is the only critical comment I have about Hammer bullets.
As a side note... I don't know what the oil is, but to me it smells just like the ATF+4 oil I use in my truck. I figure it must be similar. (The smell is seared in my memory due to a "unfortunate episode" trying to change the power steering hoses out on my truck. Let's just say my garage floor's concrete floor has been well-oiled!
Doozy
Well-Known Member
And I tried to state it as just my opinion. But C'mon @ButterBean , how can chips of copper inside the bullet NOT affect the balance of the bullet?
If perfect symmetry is the MOST important attribute to a bullet's accuracy (and it is), then the only way this could NOT affect the bullet negatively is if you had perfectly spaced and sized copper pieces inside the bullet, which has low probability of happening. Again, the problem with the oil is not so much the oil, but that the oil holds the shavings!
If Hammer bullets will be humble and not defensive, they will have to admit that it would be a positive for them to clean up after their machining work. You know... maybe the small benefit of cleaning isn't worth the cost (I don't know how much it costs!) But it would be disingenuous if they were to say "It doesn't affect accuracy."
And I recognize that Hammer hasn't said that, so I'm not claiming they are.
My point is that customers should probably clean out their bullets or else they are inserting another unknown variable into what may be affecting their shooting accuracy, and in my mind, the goal is to eliminate or mitigate as many variables as possible.
Like I said, It has been tested and made absolutely no difference whatsoever and I have no idea where you get that anyone at Hammer is defensive,
if it was just copper flecks and air, which has a much lower density than copper, then it might have more of an effect, but the oil should compensate for some of the mass of the copper.
Well hell if they shoot this good with the chips I cant wait to see what they could do without them should be world record accuracy
ShoNuff
snox801
Well-Known Member
I
prefer this sky writing"Smoke, hammers, and spirits" hmmmmm, that could be a recipe for skywriting!View attachment 322884
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QuietTexan
Well-Known Member
Because less than 0.01gn of copper flakes has no meaningful impact on the balance of something that weights 10,000x as much while it's rotating at 350,000 RPMs and moving through air at 3400 FPS?
The magnus effect and drag contribute significantly more to trajectory than a 0.001% weight imbalance would contribute to minor yaw variations.
Be serious, if that's the copper from "all couple hundred" Hammers that's less than what you can trim off the meplat of a box of Bergers to uniform the tips, and no one makes the argument that trimming and uniforming meplats is absolutely required to make a Berger shoot.
I'm glad you said it, I was trying to be polite
