Less known bullet manufacturers

[khuber84]

I have PVA Cayuga bullets, they fly very well, accurate, easy to tune. Terminal performance has been pretty inconsistent. Great performance on a few, pencils on others.
JLK bullets have a fantastic reputation, they fly like Berger vld and kill the same. BC is actually higher than Berger vld/hyb comparing same weights in 6.5mm, I have several thousand on order.
Badlands bulldozer2: lots of good killing reports, good bc, excellent expansion for a solid. I have several hundred of these I need to try as well.

 

[wind gypsy]

I have PVA Cayuga bullets, they fly very well, accurate, easy to tune. Terminal performance has been pretty inconsistent. Great performance on a few, pencils on others.
JLK bullets have a fantastic reputation, they fly like Berger vld and kill the same. BC is actually higher than Berger vld/hyb comparing same weights in 6.5mm, I have several thousand on order.
Badlands bulldozer2: lots of good killing reports, good bc, excellent expansion for a solid. I have several hundred of these I need to try as well.

I'm glad JLKs are being produced again, have you seen any reports on them since the new owner started making them? I have an old batch of 140s that i'm burning up this year in my x47 steel shooting gun.

 

[khuber84]

I'm glad JLKs are being produced again, have you seen any reports on them since the new owner started making them? I have an old batch of 140s that i'm burning up this year in my x47 steel shooting gun.

I've heard some reports yes. Excellent dimensional consistency, accurate bc ratings. Supposedly a different jacket is being used than when Swampy was operating, so terminal performance is still to be proven. I'll open and clean tips like I do a Berger and test this fall.

 

[Bockja]

What twist your running the 205 with? I have a few hundred 195s and 125s. My 300 norma improved is a 9tw, I'd love the extra bc of the 205, but unsure on stability.

I'm definitely interested in this as well. Wrapping up a 300 PRC build with a 9tw and the stability calculators show this bullet as marginal. Might try them regardless and see how they work in my gun.

 

[Hoghead]

Maker bullets are great. I called Paul and told him what I was doing and the velocity range I need them to work. He sent me samples and once the col. Was correct he custom built me the bullets. They do what he said they would and at the velocity they were designed for. I pulled these out of hogs.

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[762 ULTRAMAGA]

What twist your running the 205 with? I have a few hundred 195s and 125s. My 300 norma improved is a 9tw, I'd love the extra bc of the 205, but unsure on stability.

Its an 8 twist.
I played with some Cayugas in 7mm and decided there was no way I'd shoot anything with them.

 

[wyosam]

Hammer is good to go. Great performance on game, easy to tune, and Steve always gets them to my door in about 3 days. I have to admit I’m curious about other small manufacturers, but I just have no reason to change. I’ve got a great selection in the cabinet, and when friends or family need a hunting load it is easy to cook something up. Stayed very busy with that sort of thing last year, and I suspect will still be the case this year.


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[willfrye027]

First choice would be hammers for normal hunting distance.

just started shooting badlands precision SBD2 110gr in a fast twist 25-06. So far the stated BC is spot on and very good for a copper. Shooting it to 670 so far with verified drops. Made one kill so far and it performed really well. Depending on how much you care about BC they may be a better option than hammers.

downside would be it takes weeks to get the order. Hammers show up quick in my mailbox.

 

[CTXhunter]

I've ordered 5-600 bullets from Steve in the last few months and every package has gotten to me in a couple days tops. He's also always picked up the phone for load recommendations and advice. Not sure I'll order from anyone else as long as he's in business, given the service and how well his stuff shoots.

+1 for Steve and hammer. Great shooting bullets for me so far and I have probably spent an hour on the phone talking bullets and loads with him. He has my business for sure! Excited to try them out on some game this year.

 

[z987k]

Has anyone tried the DRT stuff? Looks interesting. Non-lead, but doesn't say exactly what.

 

[kpalu]

I've taken 2 animals this fall with Hammers. 1st was a mountain goat at 350 yards with the 109 AH in an 18" 6.5 creedmoor. Goat was quartering towards, bullet went in front shoulder, destroyed the lungs and exited halfway back the ribcage. Exit hole was golf ball sized. Goat took 1 step and dropped.

2nd animal was a 9 year old cow elk at 450 with the 155AH in a 22" 7 rem mag. Shot one took both lungs about halfway back on the rib cage. She walked 20 feet and turned the other direction. Shot 2, also broadside about 1" above the heart finished her. Both shots had exit holes spanning 2 ribs or a little bigger than a golf ball.

The BC on the hammers isn't awesome but they are really consistent. My 7 mag holds sub moa to 1025 yards; the lower bc just means I have to dial a little more vs the 168 vlds I was running prior to hammers.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I’ve heard nothing but great things about hammers. No first hand experience with them though

Hammers are great, look into them, guys are getting higher velocities and great performance on game with them. I shoot the 166g from my 300 win mag, the 152 and 137 from my 308 and the 124s out of the 6.5 creed are great.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I've taken 2 animals this fall with Hammers. 1st was a mountain goat at 350 yards with the 109 AH in an 18" 6.5 creedmoor. Goat was quartering towards, bullet went in front shoulder, destroyed the lungs and exited halfway back the ribcage. Exit hole was golf ball sized. Goat took 1 step and dropped.

2nd animal was a 9 year old cow elk at 450 with the 155AH in a 22" 7 rem mag. Shot one took both lungs about halfway back on the rib cage. She walked 20 feet and turned the other direction. Shot 2, also broadside about 1" above the heart finished her. Both shots had exit holes spanning 2 ribs or a little bigger than a golf ball.

The BC on the hammers isn't awesome but they are really consistent. My 7 mag holds sub moa to 1025 yards; the lower bc just means I have to dial a little more vs the 168 vlds I was running prior to hammers.

BC dosent matter at all to me.

 

[kpalu]

BC dosent matter at all to me.

I agree and believe people put to much weight on BC. For hunting terminal performance is what's important

 

[Mike D Texas]

BC matters a lot if you are shooting past 4-500 yards and in unpredictable winds.


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[z987k]

I agree and believe people put to much weight on BC. For hunting terminal performance is what's important

It matters in high crosswinds, most people can't make that much of an accurate wind call. Then it's the difference between putting the bullets where it needs to go and not. Which is all that really matters.

 

[kpalu]

It matters in high crosswinds, most people can't make that much of an accurate wind call. Then it's the difference between putting the bullets where it needs to go and not. Which is all that really matters.

If someone can't make that wind call they shouldn't take that shot. For reference at 600 yards a 10mph cross wind pushes the 155 hammers 23" vs my old 168 berger load was 16". So yes BC does matter but each shooter needs to know their limitations. I have no problem making wind calls at that distance so BC isn't as important for me but I shoot a lot and participate in long range comps to keep my skill set up. Even then I'm extremely hesitant to take long range shots for fear of wounding or not being able to recover an animal. It's yet to happen but the fear is very much there

 

[MJB]

I love the accuracy of the TSX first had to load them when Tejon Ranch went nonlead almost 20yrs ago. Damn!
I need to check all the new stuff out there for my 270 and the 6.8 western.