Gel test Hammer vs Accubond

[ButterBean]

Honestly bullet cost in terms of hunting ammo is kind of irrelevant, I'm probably low compared to many members of this forum but if I spent $3 a bullet for the 28 big game animals I've killed in my 16 years of hunting it still wouldn't equal what my yearly hunting license costs. So the extra cost of the hammers is kind of a moot point, target shooting however is another matter entirely.

Additionally being a PA Hunter I unfortunately do not have the luxury of only hunting wide open spaces, my shots can range from 10 yards to 700 yards all on the walk back from my stand. Last year when I built my hunting rifle I did a full evaluation of cartridges, bullets and bullet performance for my personal needs for the places I hunt.

Based on that criteria the lower BC of the hammer bullets is offset by the fact that I do not have to worry about blow ups on close ranges shots like I would with a standard LR bullet design. After using the 143gr ELD-X out of my 6.5 Creedmoor two years ago and seeing their explosive tendency at a modest 2500 fps impact velocity I decided to look at lighter mono's when I switched to the 6.5 PRC due to the higher velocity.

Now if we look at the 124gr Hammer's (3350 fps), the 143gr ELD-X (3000 fps) and the 156gr Berger's (2910 fps) per my rifles velocities and the ballistic calculations at my personal atmospheric conditions the bullets cross the 1800 FPS threshold at 900, 920, and 950 yards respectively. So even with the vastly superior BC's I gain at most an additional 50 yards of terminal performance but have a greatly increased chance of bullet failure under 300 yards. So for me the fragmenting mono's like the Hammer's would be the best bullet for the job.

I'll second that

 

[CMP70306]

I practice with what I use to kill.
I shot between 2500 and 5,000 rounds a year conservatively. Cost figures into my bullet selection.
I agree that hammers are fine bullets they just aren't the best for LR.
I also believe your number are off as a 123 scenar has a higher bc than a 124 hammer and in the same weight class the scenar wins.
If you want to eat to the hole that's a different discussion.

I'm not quite that high but 1,500 to 2,000 is probably a good number across the different disciplines I shoot. I typically target shoot and hunt with different bullets primarily because I have separate hunting and target rifles. My PRC is the first rifle I have that can do both equally well and I simply run two different loads.

123gr Scenar hits 1800 at 940 yards so it still falls within the 50 yard increase I stated. However the scenar is a thin wall match bullet and at 3300 fps I would be concerned about high velocity impacts either damaging meat or failing to penetrate on a quartering shot.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I was mistaking when I quoted the muzzle vel of the 910y coyote. Spoke with the customer this morning after I posted and the muzzle vel was 3610 fsp making the impact vel 2030 fps. I calced that at standard atmosphere and 3000' elev. He is in Oregon so elev may well be lower. Anyway close enough.

 

[Len Backus]

I am closing this thread.

Sorry I didn't notice how heated this thread became.

Cool down guys.