Looking at gel tests of the 125 TNTs from a 300blk, those are going to grenade like true varmint bullets from the hamr. They fell apart after 6" at blk velocities.

I'll bet it only weights about 70% of it's original weight? The part it lost is a big factor in why it kills so well. I've proven over and over that fracturing bullets with a deep penetrating base kill much faster and give you a lot more margin for shot placement error than 100% weight retention bullets. Our Lehigh Tipped Xtreme Chaos takes this to the max..

Hornady SST performs similarly. I like it, been my go to hog and whitetail bullet for almost 10 years.

dont know what a recovered tnt looks like but i know what a hog looks like when it finds one

That one is leaking a bit.

It weighed 101.7 grains after I removed the meat/fat from the bullet. I know it puts nice exit holes on smaller pigs. Sometimes the internals are hanging out the sides too! So far, I've only recovered two bullets and they both look similar. I cut open the pig I recovered the 1st bullet from and there was an incredible amount of internal damage done to that pig. I've been impressed so far.

78% weight retention

You mentioned a few pages back that the new arrivals are harder than in previous batches. Have you followed up with Speer about that? Is it just batch to batch variation or was it an intentional change on Speer's part?

thanks

Edit: Merry Christmas everyone!

I believe I was referring to the Sierra 125gr SBT Pro Hunter, the current production is a lot tougher than the original and doesn't reliably expand much below 2200fps impact velocity. I'm not aware of any change to the construction of the Speer 130gr HC, either the original flat point or the round nose HAM'R version.

Maybe I'm not remembering correctly then. Seems like you did some recent water testing and they penetrated deeper with less expansion than earlier lots. There's been a lot of surfing and reading since then. It all gets mushed together.

thanks

I think any difference in performance on the Speer bullets is just lot to lot variations. At the request of Sig Sierra did increase the jacket thickness of the 125gr PH to eliminate the occasional copper ring that would shave off when shot through new barrels. It solved one problem but created another one. The original bullets were fine if shot through a broken in barrel and gave good reliable expansion.

Hello, I'm new to the forum and new to the caliber. I have been reading this forum and decided to jump in. This cartridge is very intriguing to me. I just now ordered reloading supplies and am trying to decide which barrel length. I realize the 16" or 18" will maximize the velocity but the 11.3" is appealing too. Does anyone have experience with the 11.3" for night hog hunting? I know the answer is to build both and that will likely happen but I have to start somewhere.


Thank you in advance,

Mater

My personal opinion is that these were built for speed and you work against that with short barrels. I wanted optimum performance with mine so I went 18. I'm not clearing rooms with it.

I'll likely go with the 16 lightweight. I cleared rooms in the past and I also don't plan on doing that again. I was more looking at it from the view of handiness on the side by side. So, long first and then short. lol.

There's guys here with SBRs that will speak up. I have limited experience with that end of it.

I run an 18" barrel on one rifle and an 11.3" on another. I've taken hogs both day and night (with colored led lights). The 18" does not require a flash hider which shortens it a bit. In dozens of trips in a side by side the barrel length has not mattered. The plan is to try the 11.3" next year. It needs the flash hider (I do not run a can). The 11.3 (SBR) is fully as accurate to 200 yards as the 18". You'll be giving up about 150 fps from the 18". If you are at all concerned about bullet performance with the reduced MV, simply shoot the 135gr FTX bullet which works so well in the 300 BLK. Personally, I'll be shooting the 130gr factory Ham'r ammo in the 11.3" next year.

My 2 cents is to go with the 18" to start. All available barrel lengths should serve you well.

I do all my hunting with a 16" Ranger bbl or my 16" NULA bolt gun with a 5" or 6" can. I do have a SBR lower that I use both a 11.3" Blackout (subs only) and a 11.3" HAM'R upper on.

Thank y'all for the quick replies. I do run a can on pretty much everything. If Mr. Wilson uses a 16" for hunting that's good enough for me. I still have to get a shorty for the SBR lower. One of his shotguns served me well for 20 years and is still close at hand just in case things go bump in the night.

Mater

I'd like to add my two cents worth on the subject of barrel length. For me it depends on the build (heavy or light), how you will do most of your shooting (offhand or on a rest), what you will be shooting (large or small...easy to kill or tough), and last but not least bullet performance at the ranges you will most likely hunting. For example I shoot a 16' barrel with a 7' suppressor almost exclusively at pigs using a rest between 30 and 150 yards using the Speer 2022 BTSP (the most accurate bullet I've tested). If I were to go to a short barrel it would probably limit my range to around 100 yards because of the minimum velocity for that round to expand reliably especially if I were deer (or larger game) hunting.

Dear Mr bill we are adding our 4th hamr to our family of mainne deer woods ar 15s.....this one will be an 18 in. We will be shooting contolled chaos what twist is better for your cc 13 or 15.. thanks happy new year

Overall for 110-135gr bullets I like the 1-15 twist the best

Great shot a 200 lb 9 point with the 16 in ham Thanksgiving at 90 yds didn't go 20cant post pics for some reason nice big rack too

What bullet did you use?

Have you tried the TNT? I have lots of them I was using for 300 blk. (a little trailboss and the 125 tnt makes a mousefart load for a bolt gun that the grandkids love). Probably too explosive for pigs but ok for coyotes.

No, but DJ uses them all time... he's got multiple pics and videos scattered throughout this thread... they look pretty darn effective.