Hammer 22 Creedmoor Testing

orkan said:
Not sure if I'll use it on deer.

The rest of this response is not directed at anyone in particular. (don't read into anything @BEEMAN, not speaking negatively of you!) ;)

There are quite a lot of metrics I'll bee looking at, as this is my first experience with Hammer bullets. I have extensive experience with 22 creedmoor chambers, barrel configurations, components, and performance with traditional jacketed bullets. There are a lot of things being said about Hammers on this site, both positive and negative. It has become glaringly apparent that there is a lot being said on both sides which are false at worst, or over-simplified at best. Even if that were not true, there is a decided lack of first hand qualified accounts which have been meaningfully documented. So, this will be an objective collection of my observations, and I'll draw all the conclusions I can from those observations across the life of this barrel. No arguments will be engaged in or tolerated. I'll be documenting as much of the process as I can. The results will be what they are, and no amount of bickering will alter that fact. Disruptors will be reported and ignored. All are encouraged to comment and ask questions, but be respectful!

This barrel was started with Hammer 52's, and that's all the barrel will see across its life.

Initial observations:

Speed. These bullets move out... and they seem to shoot best when you are really stepping on it. Load development was interesting, because I'm accustomed to keeping in a low node. Initial results at lower pressures were not great. It also took a bit of work to find an optimal seating depth. Quite simply, they behave nothing like jacketed counterparts of equal weight. This was expected, given the unique design properties of the Hammers. The goal for the first session was to just start getting some rounds on them and see if I could start figuring out what the barrel likes. Definitely achieved that. Obviously I'll need quite a bit more rounds fired before I can do final load development, but having something that shows promise early is always nice.

Fouling. These Hammers don't seem to foul up like traditional jacketed bullets. Normally I would need to clean a new barrel within 20-30 rounds of firing because it will start to pressure up. Clean when new, fire 20-30, clean, fire 60 or so, clean... then I generally clean when I've decided I'd clean after that. This barrel has 64rnds on it presently and has not pressured up.

As is typical with lighter bullets in the .22 creed, H4350 does not seem to be optimal. Velocity topped out at 3975fps with H4350, as there was simply no more room in the case to get enough of it in there. Varget showed optimal case fill, velocity, accuracy, and precision in early testing with these Hammer 52's.

Jump tolerance and seating depth. It took a bit to discover where they liked to be seated, but once I found the window... tuning from 1/2MOA down to this little bug hole of significantly under 1/4 MOA, was a move of .005". The seating depth window of 1/2moa performance was about 50 thousandths wide. So, no conclusions can be drawn yet, but the initial observation is that they can shoot well across a wide range of seating depths, but to really get them to bug hole it will probably be a much smaller window. This chamber is running a .125 freebore. These bullets are hopping a LONG ways. Not quite sure how far yet, as I only had 2 driving bands engaged and it still wasn't touching the lands... so that will take further experimentation to discover. It's encouraging that they can shoot well with that large of a jump, as it tends to indicate a fairly forgiving bullet. This is also good from the perspective of speed, as longer jump will typically stay under pressure and leave room for performance.

Having zero experience with Hammers, I started from bare nothing... and I did not look on the internet for data because I did not want my experience tainted by preconceived notions. So work began drawing from only my own experience with the 22 Creed, and I think if I had worked with these bullets at all before I probably would have had an easier time locking into where they like to be earlier. My experience with jacketed bullets in the 22 Creed with my chambers is so extensive, I can usually get sub-1/4 MOA within 12-20rnds, regardless of component choice. These Hammers are a different critter all together, and I'm excited to be able to provide everyone with some quality data as this project progresses.


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Interesting on what you have to say. I am just wondering what twist rate you are using? That isn't any faster than a 220 swift. and maybe a little slower. I generally used 55gr Sierra BT @ 3900fps out of my 220 swift with bug holes. If I was going to use the rifle on deer, I would go to Hammer bullets. The make up of a 55gr Sierra doesn't work. They come apart. Great on ground squirrels. I still very interest in twist rate in your rifle. I may have missed it.
 
My curious George side of me needs to ask and please excuse if you've answered this but you built a quick twist 22 CF to move a hard bullet at speed and you don't appear to have an interest in using it for deer and lopes right? Then what are you going to be using it for?

To me it'd be a fantastic deer/lope and elk round!

I'm a big fan of the 22 CF's for the above mentioned game, to me out to 500 they're very tough to beat on small big game like deer and lopes.

Thx in advance for your time
 
dogz said:
Then what are you going to be using it for?

To me it'd be a fantastic deer/lope and elk round!
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Deer and pronghorn... yes, .22 creedmoor does great on them. Better than a 6mm or a 6.5mm in my opinion.

I may shoot a few. However, a 52gr bullet wouldn't be my first choice. Shots are long around here, and I'd much prefer a 70gr hammer hunter for that job.

Elk? No. Just... No.


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Mike Matteson said:
No, and never anything under .257 caliber. Don't plan on it either.
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Don't take this more harshly than its intended. It's intended as a reminder. You can't admonish something you've no experience with and have it carry any weight at all. It is the sign of an intelligent man to know this.

An example of proper methodology when someone wishes to know something, looks like what I'm currently undertaking with these bullets. I have never shot a deer with a 52gr hammer hunter. So today I called and spoke with an avid Hammer 22cal customer. He has killed in excess of 60 deer with 22 cal hammers, many of them with 52gr hammer hunters. He assures me it will kill every bit as good if not better than the 80gr bergers I'm accustomed to. That is a good enough account for me to be willing to try it myself.

An 80gr berger hits a deer with an average of 300ft lbs more energy than a 6.5mm with a 140... at a distance of 600yds. The 22cal 80gr berger has a much stronger probability of transferring that energy than the 6.5mm. I have proven this beyond any shadow of doubt with my own first hand experiences. The deer I have shot with my 22 Creedmoor have been almost all lightning strike instant kills.

Despite all of my experience with 22cal on deer, I have ZERO experience with Hammers. So, in order for ANYTHING I say about them to be valid, I must shoot at least a few deer with them at several distances. Anyone listening to anything I say about them without verifying my first hand experience would be a fool, and I would be a fool for anchoring into any opinion without being able to demonstrate the work I performed which led to the formation of that opinion.

I will not allow this thread to be derailed by inexperience. If people have first hand accounts to share that are relevant, do so. If anyone has questions I can answer through testing, please ask. Argumentative or judgmental posts based on inexperience will be reported as off topic.


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Last edited:
Deer really don't respond well to the 22-250 and 64 grain power point or federal fusion.
The 80-88 eldm and 22 cm is almost overkill on deer sized game. Long and wide wound channels that rival many belted magnums

Also rokslide has a 75 page thread with Indisputable evidence of the effectiveness of the lowely 223 Remington and 77 grain sierra tipped matchking. On elk, moose, bears, deer et el.
 
While I haven't trued up a ballistic profile for the Hammer 52's yet... based on the numbers I can maintain about 1,000 ft lbs at 300yds. So it's definitely not a long range big game killer. That's based on the 4175fps launch velocity of the current load. It's down beneath 750ft/lbs by the time we hit 400yds, so it definitely loses energy fast, just like other light bullets. Pretty terrible in the wind compared to an 80gr too. That's to be expected, as it's half the BC.

Traditionally, I would see most barrels pick up around 100fps between now and 300rnds. So we'll see if that holds true with the Hammers as well.


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I'm very Interested to see your results on deer sized critters. I've got a 6mm creed that I've been wanting to rebarrel (don't need 2 6 creeds like I have now) and 22 creed is tip of my list right now. Here in the north we've got bigger bodied deer so I've always been worried about sufficient penetration with a hyper velocity 22 cal.

I'm becoming very intrigued with this hyper velocity on critters theory. In my brain it doesn't seem that a little pill of that construction that fast would transfer the energy that a heavy for caliber, fragmenting projectile would. Seems that there is something to this hyper velocity theory though.
 
I've been very impressed with the remarkable performance on game with the same bullet from our 223 Rem even though it's running a bit slower. Also following this with interest.
 

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