Hammer hype?

[th82457]

I have personally not tried the Hammer bullets. I am surprised by all the failures noted with Barnes. I have had nothing but good experience with Barnes mono's. One very large Alaskan bull moose at 420 yards, 2 bull elk at 125 & 220 yards, 2 large mule deer at 150 & 225 yards & more whitetails that I do not recall distance. All either dropped in their tracks or went a short distance after impact. Longest tracking job was 75 yards on a bull elk. Also shot a large cow elk with a Thor 50 caliber muzzleloader bullet. She went 20 yards. Thor bullets are basically a Barnes mono with base hollowed out to seal in bore when fired. But then again, all were hit in the vitals with 1st & only shot. I do not use Barnes exclusively at all. I also use Nosler's & some Hornady's and am now trying the new Sierra Game changers. Just my experience. I am sure the Hammers are excellant based on the reviews, I just have not had any game go very far when shooting them with Barnes personally.

 

[azmetalman]

I have used the old style Barnes 180 grain in a .300 win mag. My experiences are 5 mature bull elk over a period of years produced 1 shot and drop kills with a single exception that walked about 50 yards and collapsed.
A handful of Coues Whitetail bucks with .270 , 130 grain Barnes old style and more recently 2 with the 130 grain TTSX. All DOA except one of the 2 killed with the TTSX ran about 70 yards before doing a cartwheel.
I have no plans to change bullets.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[Alibiiv]

Probably marketing to an extent. Hammer most likely makes a fine bullet. Never used one, or a Barnes either. When I joined this site 10+ years ago the SMK was really popular and the Bergers were gaining popularity. I think it just comes down to marketing and timing working in conjunction with the expectations of the consumer. The old Barnes may have done the same thing that the Hammers do, but the collective wisdom of 20+ years of use plays to their favor where the Barnes were new and shiny. Zero experience with what a solid copper hunting bullet "should" do probably played a part in your fielding calls about failing bullets on dead animals.

The photos in this reply are from a 2018 black bear hunting trip in Maine. The bear weighed 234 pounds, she was shot from 60 yards with a 225 grain Barnes TSX out of a 35 Whelen at approximately 2700fps. The bear was slightly quartering to me, the shot went in center mass of the chest and came out behind the left shoulder; DRT. I have had the same performance using the 180 grain Barnes TSX out of my 30-06, the shot was not one of my proudest shots, entered in front of the left hind leg, came out just behind the right leg. When the guide started skinning the bear out, he tried to tell me that the entry hole was the exit hole due the holes size, until he skinned the right side of the bear. The exit hole was twice the size as the entry one. I've had the same performance on a 200 pound bear using the 200 grain TTSX Barnes from in the .358 Winchester. I've looked into the Hammer bullets, I think the people at Hammer are great people with good customer service, I just cannot bring myself to spend the money on the Hammers when I have gotten great performance with the Barnes bullets.

 

[Plinker147]

When I tried Barnes 20+ years ago they were very hard to tune, built pressure to fast and fouled barrels horribly. I never used them again. Fast forward to now and Hammer bullets have greatly improved the mono's. They are easy to get accurate loads, consistent performance and a great bullet. Plus they are hitting at the perfect time for the non-lead trend that is growing. There is no hype they are the Best mono on the market.

I'm sure Barnes has come along way since I tried them. I'm not a mono shooter, but hammers would be my choice when it comes. And the day all national forest require non-lead is not that far off.

 

[dougduey]

I load Hammers in 8 different cartridges. Changed over to them 2 years ago for all my hunting cartridges. They are devastating on game and very accurate. Couldn't be happier with performance and the customer service I've received from Steve. I've shot quite a few hogs and Texas white tails with them. If they aren't DRT, they are within about 5-15 yards. They just destroy the vitals. According to Steve, I'm the first to take a mountain goat with a Hammer. Had to put it through both shoulders. Using my 338 Lapua and the 213gr Hammer Hunter, the goat jumped and did a 180 upon impact, then fell over dead before I could rack another round. Can't wait to use the 143 gr in my 280 AI for my NM mule deer hunt.
Im sure STX will chime in at some point. He's killed a pile of game with Hammers in multiple cartridges. Hammers live up to the "hype" in my opinion.

 

[Allen Kitts]

I have used Barnes bullets for years in everything from a 22-250 to a 375 Ultra Mag. Accuracy has been excellent and I have not had any animals that were not recovered in very short order. I did have an experience in 1999 with a coated Barnes bullet out of my 7mm STW while caribou hunting in Alaska. I shot a beautiful Bull laying in his bed at 75 yards right behind the shoulder. At the shot he dropped his head and I thought he was done. I chambered another round and waited to see if he was going to move and shortly thereafter he raised his head and stood up. I shot again, nothing, I chambered another round and shot again, he turned away from me and started over the hill and I gave him the old Texas heart shot as he disappeared over the hill. I reloaded my rifle and ran to the edge of the hill and saw him piled up about 75 yards down the hill. While skinning him out I had placed three shots in a half dollar sized group right behind the shoulder but there were only three pencil sized holes on the off side. All three pass throughs without hitting ribs. If my memory serves me correctly these bullets were 140 grain and running at about 3400fps. Upon arriving back home I started a letter to Barnes but it was hunting season and I was too busy thinking about the next hunt to finish it. I took the STW to eastern Montana on a deer hunt where I let a friend borrow the rifle to shoot his mule deer buck at approximately 500 yards quartering away hard. Placed the bullet low right inside the right ham and it ended up on the far side just inside the hide on the neck. Almost 100% full body penetration. The deer dropped in his tracks but when we recovered the bullet it had only turned back one petal maybe a 1/16 of an inch. Well I took that bullet and sent it back to Barnes along with the letter I had started about the experience with the caribou. Barnes replied several weeks later and said they were having issue with the bullets expanding if the opening in the end of the bullet got plugged with anything before the expansion process started. They apologized and said they were working on it. Many years have passed since then and I have taken a lot of game with Barnes bullets. I still use them in some of my rifles but have recently started loading the Hammers because they are a Montana company and I have found their bullets are very easy to load and shoot great. I would agree they may not be the best choice for long range hunting but I am very excited to see how they work on game. I had a trip booked to Africa this past May that was postponed due to Covid-19. The load for the trip was a 199 Grain Hammer Hunter in my 300 PRC running at 3050fps. These loads are shooting fantastic out of my CA Traverse rifle. Running half to three quarters moa out to 600 but opens to just a little over 1moa at a thousand. I think every bullet has a place and no one bullet is perfect for every situation. Variety is the spice of life and as someone else on here said we are in the best place we could be in for variety of fine bullets. Good luck friends and thanks for letting me share my experience. Keep Shooting.

 

[Tom Wright]

Sorry but dead isn't just dead. Sure the animal may have taken its last breath, but what happens from bullet impact to that point can very. My experience with Barnes has been a crap show. Not tons of kills with them, just consistent enough to draw my own conclusions. Early on bullets, shot two whitetail doe behind shoulder (one after another) at under 100 yards with 180 grain from .300WM. They ran...and ran...and ran. Thought I'd made bad shots, nope just didn't expand and very little damage. Next was a newer bullet, the kind with rings on it: 7mm Rem mag, whitetail doe at spitting distance (as in feet). She took off running, I waited a few minutes to start tracking and found small spots of blood where she went into woods, jumped her after a short distance and hit her again with a hard angle (raking) shot, caught up to her several minutes later as she was laying off the side of a well used trail watching me walk by, shot her in the head and that ended that debacle. Swore off their bullets after that.
Some claim that Hammer bullets and Cutting Edge bullets act the same (terminal performance). They may on paper, as in theory, but not what I've seen. Both are supposed to have petals break off and shank continues to penetrates. No comparison in my experience. A buddy and I have several shot animals from deer to elk with high velocity .338s to a .408 Cheytac, near to far. And though exceptionally accurate/precise (whichever you want to call it) out to some really far ranges, the terminal performance was not what I'd call great. These were all with their MTH "hunting" bullet, I haven't shot anything with the Lazer line...yet. Hopefully they have better terminal performance.
Up to this point I just have not been a fan of the mono's performance on game. Sure they will kill, but not as dramatic as most of the cup-n-core bullets I've used. Now come the Hammers, I have been nothing but pleased with their performance (on paper and on game). Besides being consistently the easiest bullets I've ever loaded (in multiple caliber/cartridges, in multiple rifles), a couple buddies and I are nothing but pleased with their performance on game. We have shot several deer and elk with them and never been anything but satisfied with the results. Steve will tell you that he makes bullets for terminal performance first. Are they the magic be all-end all bullet? Nope, no such thing. They are not cheap, as you should expect. Plus their BC is going to be lower than a bullet of comparable weight and caliber, at least what most think of in terms of long range bullets. Steve will also answer a text, phone call, and message on this site in very short order. He will also listen to what you have to say, and buy back or swap bullets if they don't work out in your rifle. Am I a fan so far? Yep! Are they the only bullet/company I use? Nope! I load and shoot bullets by Berger, Nosler, Sierra, Hornady, Speer, etc. Even have a case of core lokt ammo for one of my rifles. Hammer bullets are just a straight up solid option for hunting.

I find it interesting that when I was kid at 12 and started reloading with my Dad 60 years ago a lot of people just used fully jacketed military type bullets—what was available and cheap. They killed a lot of animals, but most were shot at 50-150 yards. Over the years I have tried a lot of different types of bullets. As I age I am less inclined to spend hours at the reloading bench as factory ammo has gotten so good. In my 4 trips to Africa and many other places I find myself using Barnes and Swift the most. It's funny that the old Swift A-frame is rarely mentioned and yet it still is a wonder. Last year I took a kudu, eland, zebra, gemsbok and several other animals with the A-frame in .300 Win Mag. All were one shot kills at ranges up to 400 yards. In most cases the bullets hadn't gone through and were in the off-side hide and about the size of a quarter. This is how their designed to work if you go on their website and watch some of their film clips. All the energy was expended in the animal. To see the effect on a 1700+ pound eland was amazing. He just stood there and toppled over. Those of you who have never used A-frames should try them.

 

[Rich Coyle]

I used Barnes in different rifles and don't remember problems. Perhaps I was not sophisticated enough to notice the lack of expansion. When new things are introduced, like the Hammer Bullets, I jump on them for my fun. I killed lots of game with different rifles and different calibers. This year will be with the Hammer Hunter 8mm 198 grain bullets at 3,050 feet per second. Accuracy is the 7 1/4 pound rifle is right at 1/2 MOA.

 

[NorCalRiceGuy]

How's this exit hole! 250 grain Sierra matchking at 3100 FPS!!!

"Think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?"

 

[Kaptoe]

I am surprised about the Barnes negatives. I have shot them from 257wby to 338 win in 10 plus guns. Terminal performance has always been good. When they won't shoot in a rifle I typically then try AB/ABLR or swift. Probably shoot about 75% Barnes and 25% nosler / swift with good accuracy and good terminal results

 

[cjhunts_alot]

My only experience with Barnes bullets is with my 257wby. I killed my first elk with the 115gr TSX from a distance of 70yds. Muzzle velocity was 3375fps, so the impact velocity was screaming. The shot was a steep, uphill, quartering towards shot and I deliberately aimed for the base of the shoulder blade/knuckle. The bull fell like it had been struck by lightning and the damage from hitting the bone was very devastating. I was extremely happy with the performance considering the circumstances.

I then switched to the 100gr TTSX going 3500fps and killed 20-ish hogs, 8 deer, 2 barbary sheep, and a shiras moose(120yd shot) with that load. All of the shots inside of 200yds with the exception of the moose and my big barbary ram were DRT kills. And yes the bullets killed everything I hit with them, but I noticed a significant decrease in tissue damage, delayed killing, and poor blood trails on any impacts below 2400fps. The damage at those velocities was less significant than the damage caused by a standard 1" fixed blade broadhead. I made several follow up shots on wounded animals where the impact velocity was 2200-2000fps, and the bullet path through the animal was barely larger than caliber if it didn't hit any large bone. Hitting bone obviously caused a lot more damage, but was still nothing compared to a cup and core bullet. Basically, Barnes are fantastic for extremely high velocity, but terrible at moderate velocities when compared to cup and core bullets.

Based on my first hand experience, I've decided to not use Barnes bullets simply because there are much better options available that kill in a much more dramatic fashion. They work, but they just aren't for me.

After many years of use, the weatherby barrel was toast and I just re-barraled it to a 1:7 twist last fall. I have loads with the 131 Blackjack and 128 Hammer Hunter. I haven't killed anything with either bullet yet, but I'm extremely pleased with how easy the hammers were to develop a load. I wish I had the first and experience and examples of terminal performance for the hammers, but I don't. I have to assume that the hammer bullets will be at least as effective, or most likely more effective, than the Barnes bullets were because hammers are noticeably "softer" and I imagine they'll open a lot easier. I can't wait to try them out on some critters. Hopefully they live up to the hype.

 

[Kaptoe]

A lot of this is right bullet for the job at the right ranges.

One of the most successful bullet combos on game situation I have experience with is white tails under 250 yards using 125gr AB from a 308 at 2900 fps. The wounding on that combo is as dramatic as any combo I have shot

 

[WYO300RUM]

Haven't made it through the whole thread yet but I will. I have used Barnes for many years. All different types. Their old ones that were made in Indonesia were inaccurate junk. When started making here they got better. When I really took notice was when they came out with the TSX. The 180 gr. was very accurate and a bone busting killer. Worked well without bone past 100 yds.. I shot them in 7 rem mag also. When the TTSX came out it was just as accurate and a little better BC. I've killed 5 bull elk up to 543 yds. Many deer from 100 to 400 yds. plus and many lope from 200 to 444 yds. A desert bighorn at 334 yds. They all were DRT but 90 % were shoulder shots. All one shot kills. I'm not talking about just a few animals . 25 plus years worth. I started experimenting with Berger 185 VLD about 6 years ago. I had a CDS dial for both it and 180 TTSX. They were close out to 200 yds. With new Barrel in 300 Rum , it's loves 215 Berger Hybrids with N570 and 181 Hammers with 94.0 grains of H1000 at 3330 fps.. not near max yet. I didn't get a load in time last year for 6.5 PRC, 6.5x284 or 6.5 Creed with 124 Hammer but will have this year. So far good on paper. Had to use VLD and ELDX again.
I'm very impressed with the Berger 156 out of 6.5 PRC with RL26. Trying in others next week along with 124 Hammers. Have some 143 Hammers for 7 mag on my list also.

 

[Ronald W Schaefer]

Two things I'd like to never hear about again:
1. The Kardashians
2. Hammer Bullets