I just got a 8" gun here at the ranch and plan to do some load development for it if it ever quits raining.

I just got a 8" gun here at the ranch and plan to do some load development for it if it ever quits raining.

Well the weather let me get in some range time today so I did some comparison of barrel lengths and a comparison of 8" BLK vs 8" HAMR.

Here are my observations:

Muzzle blast of the 8" barrel guns is MUCH worse than a 11.3"
I didn't see any signs of unburned powder with either powder in the 8" barrel
Velocity loss from 11.3" to 8" (3.3") was more than from 16.2" to 11.3" (4.9")
In my opinion a 11.3" barrel is much more practical than a 8", especially with a 5" Thunderbeast for a 15.5" bbl length
There doesn't seem to be any advantage to the faster SOCOM powder

Here's the numbers:

CALIBER LOAD 16.2" BBL 11.3" BBL VEL LOSS 8" BBL VEL LOSS TOTAL VEL LOSS HAMR vs BLK VEL
300 BLK 150gr Fed Fusion 1681fps 322fps
300 HAMR 150gr Fusion 2293fps 2153fps 140fps 2003fps 150fps 290fps
300 BLK 135gr Horn FTX 1852fps 295fps
300 HAMR 135gr FTX 2408fps 2297fps 111fps 2147fps 150fps 261fps
300 HAMR 130 HHC, CFEBLK 2474fps 2322fps 152fps 2164fps 158fps 310fps
300 HAMR 130 HHC, SOCOM 2441fps 2311fps 130fps 2164fps 147fps 277fps

I pasted the above in from Excel and I can't figure out how to keep the columns in line, the Blackout velocity goes in the 8" column and the velocity difference is between the Blackout and the HAM'R with 8" barrel. I had them all lined up prior to posting, I HATE computers!!!

11.3" with 5" Thunderbeast vs 16.2" crowned muzzle lightweight carbine

I know it’d be a pain but you may have to type it out individually vs copying it over. A lot of times the formatting from Excel won’t work or transfer over to another format

Here's the numbers:

CALIBER LOAD 16.2" BBL 11.3" BBL VEL LOSS 8" BBL VEL LOSS TOTAL VEL LOSS HAMR vs BLK VEL
300 BLK 150gr Fed Fusion 1681fps 322fps
300 HAMR 150gr Fusion 2293fps 2153fps 140fps 2003fps 150fps 290fps
300 BLK 135gr Horn FTX 1852fps 295fps
300 HAMR 135gr FTX 2408fps 2297fps 111fps 2147fps 150fps 261fps
300 HAMR 130 HHC, CFEBLK 2474fps 2322fps 152fps 2164fps 158fps 310fps
300 HAMR 130 HHC, SOCOM 2441fps 2311fps 130fps 2164fps 147fps 277fps

Bill, I tried my best to reformat the excel file. Let me know if there are any errors and I will fix and repost it.

Thank you so much! Based on this data, do you see a way to optimize a load specifically for the 11.3 " bbl that would maximize performance beyond what is currently available?

What's the powder consistency of SOCOM? Is it more extruded than CFEBLK's sand/sugar consistency?

CFEBLK is a great powder for the Hamr, no doubt but I absolutely hate loading it because the mess. My next loading venture with CFEBLK is see how consistent I can get a dropper to be drop to drop and see if I can just go to dropping charges over throwing them on my Autotrickler setup...because of the consistency makes it so messy.

Bill,

Are you going to test the 150 grain HAM'R Bonded out of the 8 and 11.3" barrels? Are is almost going to be identical to the 150 grain Fusion.

Thanks,

Bryan

300 Hamr does it again and again. My boys love it!

Well Creeping Crud! About to start reloading and because of the Pandemic CCI 450 primers and CFE BLK hard to find in the DFW area! Had to order from Brownells and pay the hazmat fee. Tried Southwest Ammunition in Mesquite, not answering phone.
The end of the world is coming!

The world is going NUTS..........300 HAM'R ammo is selling like crazy, we had one customer buy 10,000 rounds!!!

9mm and .45 is also flying off the shelves.

Bill,

Thanks a bunch for all your work on this cartridge!

Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, I thought I would ask you before doing the load workup.

Do you think H110 would give higher velocities with 95-110gr bullets in a 11.3" barrel used for defensive purposes or should I just stick with CFEBLK and drive down the road?

Also, I noticed on your site that you use a different twist rate for your 8" barrel than your other lengths - can you share why that is?

Thanks again!

P.S. - part of my interest in H110 is also that I have about 20lbs left that I use for blackout loads. :-)