Jumping Hammers

[Rick Richard]

A fellow member on this site sent me some 181 Hammer Hunters to try. I was finally able to shoot them today and 9 shots later I shot a 3 shot group that was .231 at 100 yards. I have some more loaded up and going to see what they do at extended ranges...hope they hold up.

 

[Elkeater]

A fellow member on this site sent me some 181 Hammer Hunters to try. I was finally able to shoot them today and 9 shots later I shot a 3 shot group that was .231 at 100 yards. I have some more loaded up and going to see what they do at extended ranges...hope they hold up.

I was using the 181s in my .300 win mag. Had a very consistent sub .5 MOA load but it was only running 3070 FPS MV. Wind kept getting me beyond 400 yards. I switched to the 199s for a little better wind deflection. This is a group I shot a yesterday with the 199s. 3 shots @ 100 yards.

I gotta get a final velocity and confirm drops still but my first accuracy node was with 77.5 gr h1000 @ 3036. The above is 80.0 gr h1000 guessing 3100+.

 

[JMack]

I couldn't get the 181hhs to stabilize past 100 in my 300 rum. Barrel twist is 1:10, speed was outstanding, accuracy/consistency at 100 yards was superb...half moa or less then on paper at 200 I struggled to get 6" 3 shot groups. Went to the extreme of changing scope (to Swaro X5i) mounted in Nightforce rings on a rail. I can get half moa out of other bullets so I'm at a complete loss.

my tikka 300wm does like the 181 sledgehammer tho

 

[Rich Coyle]

I switched to the sledgehammer in my wildcat because the hunter would not stablize. They are fantastic!

 

[Rick Richard]

A fellow member on this site sent me some 181 Hammer Hunters to try. I was finally able to shoot them today and 9 shots later I shot a 3 shot group that was .231 at 100 yards. I have some more loaded up and going to see what they do at extended ranges...hope they hold up.

I shot this group out of a custom 300 WSM rifle with a Bartlein 1-10 barrel. I have not chronographed anything yet, but think I am pushing near 3K.

Also curious why some are having issues at extended ranges with stability...Maybe trying to push a light bullet too fast in the bigger cartridges?

 

[JMack]

I am going to try the 196hh

 

[Bigeclipse]

Bullets on the heavier end. Example - 115 Berger .25 cal shoots in 1:10. Hammer .25 cal must be much lighter to shoot in 1:10. I have a faster than factory .277 cal rifle which is ok for the Hammers and a .224. My comment was on behalf of the multitude of factory rifle owners as well. Perhaps Hammer overlooked this market, or are in the custom barrel niche.

That's not a hammer issue. It is a MONO metal copper bullet issue. ALL mono metal bullets are lighter than lead per same volume which means they will be much longer bullets. For example, same thing happens with Barnes TTSX. A barnes TTSX 120 grain bullet will be similar length to a lead core bullet in the 140 grain weight.

 

[Rick Richard]

Maybe Steve from Hammer can "jump" in here and provide his experience and opinions why some are having difficulties with stability in longer ranges.

 

[Bigeclipse]

Maybe Steve from Hammer can "jump" in here and provide his experience and opinions why some are having difficulties with stability in longer ranges.

It's not even longer ranges. Someone said he was having issues at 200 yards in an earlier post.

 

[Rich Coyle]

Stability problem is why I switched to Sledgehammers from Hunters. Despite them tumbling I still got about 4" group at 300 yards for five shots!

 

[HARPERC]

My first experience with the Hammer's produced key holes. The custom barrel I thought was 1-10" since I ordered it. Was actually not.
If stability is an issue start with verifying twist. Pretty easy, and YouTube videos if your unsure how

 

[Varmint Hunter]

[QUOTE="If stability is an issue start with verifying twist. Pretty easy, and YouTube videos if your unsure how[/QUOTE]

^^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^^

Then refer to the Hammer site info for the recommended twist for any particular bullet weight. Keep in mind that the Sledge Hammers are shorter then the Hammer Hunters and need less twist to stabilize. I shoot almost all Hammer "Hunter" bullets without issue.

 

[JMack]

My first experience with the Hammer's produced key holes. The custom barrel I thought was 1-10" since I ordered it. Was actually not.
If stability is an issue start with verifying twist. Pretty easy, and YouTube videos if your unsure how

Twist has been verified.

 

[snox801]

That's is weird cause I have had no issues at extended ranges with the 181hh I'm my 300 win.
Groups stay tight the whole way out.