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October 17th, 2010
In early 2011, Hornady will start shipping its new, “enhanced velocity” Superformance™ Varmint ammunition for four chamberings: 222 Remington, .223 Remington, 22-250, and .243 Winchester. This ammo uses proprietary, blended powder formulations to achieve faster velocities that most other factory-loaded ammo (for these cartridge types). In addition, the propellant burns more completely in the barrel, reducing the amount of ejecta (i.e. powder residue that exits the muzzle). By burning the powder more completely in the barrel, Hornady claims the Superformance ammo delivers higher velocities without increased recoil.
New 53gr V-Max for .223 Rem Ammo
All four types of Superformance Varmint ammo are loaded with polymer-tipped V-Max bullets. The .223 Rem ammo features a new 53-grain V-Max bullet with a decent 0.290 G1 Ballistic Coefficient. Hornady claims that: “This new bullet… enables this load to produce trajectory and wind drift equaling that of a conventional 22-250″. Well, it may come close to factory loaded 22-250 rounds from other manufacturers, but any competent hand-loader can produce 22-250 or 22-6XC loads that easily outrun Hornady’s 53gr V-Max load. As with any advertising claims, run the numbers yourself. The chart below shows Hornady’s claimed velocities for its Superformance Varmint ammo:
Hot-Rod Ammo?
Hornady released a somewhat “over the top” video touting its Superformance Varmint Ammo. We chuckled at the drag-racing animation, but you will find some useful info in the second half of the video:
October 6th, 2010
Hornady plans to release a brand new 285gr, .338-caliber match bullet within the next few weeks. This bullet, which boasts a mind-blowing 0.735 G1 BC, has already proven itself in competition. At the 2010 IBS 1000-yard Nationals in September, Scott Fletcher won the Heavy Gun (HG) group title shooting the new Hornady 285gr BTHPs. Scott’s 4-match, 10-shot per target group Aggregate was 9.148″. Scott was shooting a large wildcat, the .338 Sloan. That cartridge is nearly identical to the new .338 Norma Magnum*, which could be described as a “chopped” .338 Lapua Mag — shorter with less case capacity.
Weight is unlimited in the 1000-yard Heavy Gun class. Weight soaks up the recoil of big cartridges like the .338 Norma Magnum, making them manageable to shoot. The Big 30-Cals have long dominated this HG category, but some shooters like Fletcher are experimenting with some really big cartridge/bullet combinations, in pursuit of class-leading ballistics. We don’t know how fast Fletcher pushes his prototype Hornady 285s, but that 0.735 BC has to give the bullets awesome performance in the wind.
Artist’s concept — No photos of the new bullet are available.
New Manufacturing Process Produces Bullets with Near-Zero Run-out
According to Hornady’s Chief Ballistic Scientist Dave Emary, the new 285-grainer is a VLD-style, secant ogive projectile with a standard, drawn-copper jacket and lead core. This is a BTHP, NOT a plastic tip bullet like Hornady’s A-Max designs. Emary says, “This bullet was originally developed for the military. It has just about the lowest drag possible with conventional bullet construction and ogive design.” The .338-caliber 285gr bullet is the first of two new super-low drag bullets Hornady will be releasing before the end of the year.
The new 285gr bullets are built with a new manufacturing process that improves jacket concentricity to previously unattainable levels. Emary says: “Measured along the entire jacket, these bullets have extremely low eccentricity. We measured zero to a couple ten-thousandths total run-out along the whole jacket. As a result the bullet has show truly outstanding long-range performance, with sub-half-MOA accuracy at extreme ranges.” Hornady Project Engineer (and 1K shooter) Joe Thielen added: “These bullets are specifically designed and built for long-range use, and the jackets are the some of best I’ve ever seen.”
When will the new bullets be available? End of the year at the latest. Emary says the 285s should be available “before the end of November”. When we asked Hornady Marketing guru Steve Johnson, he said “Soon. They’ll be out soon.” When pressed as to “how soon”, Steve responded: “The release is imminent… imminent”.
*The .338 Norma Magnum was originally developed by the American sport shooter Jimmie Sloan as a long-range sport shooting wildcat cartridge. It was designed to shoot the .338-caliber, 300gr Sierra MatchKing projectile from actions/magazines too short for a .338 Lapua Magnum. Sloan licensed the design to the Norma group. Both the .338 Norma Mag and the larger .338 Lapua Mag are derived from the .416 Jeffreys, but the .338 Norma Mag fits in a shorter action.
August 21st, 2010
Hodgdon will introduce two new propellants in 2011, LEVERevolution and Superformance. According to Chris Hodgdon, these powders will allow hand-loaders to replicate Hornady’s factory-loaded LEVERevolution and Superformance ammunition. Hornady used proprietary powder blends to achieve impressive velocities in its Superformance ammo. Now reloaders can take advantage of that blending technology to get more performance from their hand-loaded cartridges.
According to the Shooting Times website, the two new powders should be available starting in January 2011: “This is welcome news to handloaders who until now have had to sit by and watch as factories make the best use of new bullets such as Hornady’s FTX and mass-produced loads that handloaders couldn’t safely duplicate. This should also be welcome news to shooters who until now have avoided new high performance cartridges over concerns about future high performance ammunition availability.”
May 13th, 2010
 Now through the end of 2010, Hornady is offering a FREE 100-ct box of bullets when you purchase any New Dimension Die Set with Zip Spindle™ System (Series I, II or III). Those FREE bullets are worth up to $30.00, making this an attractive deal. Hornady makes good dies. This Editor uses Hornady New Dimension dies for most of my handgun cartridge reloading, as well as for reloading my 45/70 cases. The Hornady dies I’ve used have been dimensionally correct, well-finished, and durable. When I did manage to break a decapping pin tip on a stubborn primer, Hornady promptly sent me not one but two replacements at no charge. To claim your free bullets (after purchasing a die set), you need to download and fill out Hornady’s redemption form (PDF). Submit that with Proof of Purchase, and wait 8-10 weeks for delivery. You must choose a box of bullets from the list below. (Bullet MSRPs are shown in right column.) CLICK HERE to download Hornady 2010 ‘Get Loaded’ Redemption Form.
April 23rd, 2010
MidwayUSA was able to take advantage of a Special Buy on factory-blemished bullets. These bullets have slight cosmetic defects that should not alter performance. These blem bullets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, with sale prices in effect through April 30, 2010. MidwayUSA shows a 6.5mm (.264) 129gr poly-tip (probably a Hornady) on sale, but it appears the 129s may have sold out already.
 There are still some great deals. The remaining inventory of blem bullets includes:
17 Cal (.177) Varmint Bullets, 20gr FMJ, Item 685063
Regularly $16.99, NOW $10.49 per 100
25 Cal (.257 ) 100gr Spitzer, Item 817547
Regularly $21.99, NOW $14.29 per 100
.270 Cal (.277) 110gr HPBT, Item 513312
Regularly $23.49, now $15.19 per 100
March 4th, 2010
Hornady has started shipping its new .308 Winchester Superformance™ match ammo. Loaded with a high-BC 178gr BTHP, the new ammo, which employs a proprietary blend of propellants (some of which are NOT commercially available), has shown outstanding velocities. One shooter reported 2820 fps from a 26″ barrel, while Hornady claims 2775 fps from a SAAMI-spec 24” test barrel. Hornady says this .308 match load is approximately 175 fps faster than any comparable factory .308 load.
CLICK HERE for Technical Info on Superformance ammo.
New Projectile Developed for this Match Ammo
With a 0.530 BC bullet moving around 2800 fps, the new Superformance™ ammo offers impressive ballistic performance — better than many reloaders may be able to achieve with their handloads. Accuracy has been very good also, according to Hornady Engineer, Joe Thielen, due in no small part to bullet design: “The new 178 grain BTHP Match bullet was purpose-built, and optimized specifically for the .308 Winchester chamber. It features an aggressive ogive as well as an extremely efficient boat tail that makes this projectile highly effective aerodynamically, [with] less wind drift and … flatter trajectories. Accuracy results were excellent. We shot a .680″ group at 200 yards with our test equipment, and field tests out to 1250 yards yielded 8″ groups (8 inches at 1250 yards is 0.611 MOA).”
The 178gr Superformance .308 ammunition should stay supersonic to approximately 1,275 yards. That’s a lot farther than any other factory .308 load for 175-180gr bullets. The ability to stay supersonic well past 1000 yards is a boone to long-range .308 shooters.
| Here is how Hornady has achieved high velocities with its new Superformance ammunition:
1) Superformance ammo uses advanced new Ball Powders (not yet for sale).
2) The powders are BLENDED, with different “recipes” for different cartridges.
3) The new powders maintain high-energy longer in barrel (like Reloder 17).
4) The new powders burn almost completely, reducing ejecta, for less exit pressure, and less felt recoil.
5) Superformance ball propellants pack very densely, so more grains of powder can fit inside a case, compared to typical extruded stick powders. |
Can Reloaders Replicate the Superformance .308 Match Ammo?
Forum members have asked: “How can we duplicate the Superformance ammo with our handloads?” Unfortunately, this will not be an easy task. The Superformance line of loaded ammo uses special blends of propellants customized for each cartridge/bullet combination. Hornady spent a lot of time and effort “tweaking” the blends to achieve maximum velocities. In addition, Hornady “commissioned” some new propellants expressly for the Superformance ammo. Therefore there’s no easy way to replicate Superformance loads with a single, off-the-shelf powder, and we caution strongly against “blending your own”. REPEAT: do NOT attempt to blend commercial powders to try to replicate Superformance velocities with your handloads.
February 25th, 2010
 How would you like a full-length sizing die perfectly fitted to your fired brass? At one time that required you to purchase a die blank, a special undersized reamer (a chamber reamer is too big), and send the work out to a skilled gunsmith. You could expect to have $250-$350 tied up in your custom die when all was said and done.
Now Hornady’s custom shop offers a much less expensive alternative. For $121-$140, plus shipping, Hornady will produce a custom-made die based on your reamer print, spec sheet or fired brass. Lonnie Hummel and his team of skilled machinists have produced custom dies for many top shooters. Scott Parker had Hornady produce a custom full-length die for Scott’s 6BRX. Scott reports: “The die is great. I’m very impressed. The die is a perfect fit for my brass and the sized brass has very low run-out.”
Hornady’s non-bushing custom full-length sizing dies cost $121.00 for cases up to 2.60″ COAL, or $140.00 for cases 2.60″-2.99″ long. Add $20-$25.00 if you want a custom, non-micrometer seater die also. Hornaday also offers custom “match grade” bushing dies — both FL-sizing dies and bushing neck-sizers. These “match grade” (bushing-equipped) sizing dies (FL, or neck-only) cost $152.00 up to 2.60″, or $166.00 for longer dies.
To order any type of Hornady custom die (bushing or non-bushing) we recommend you send 3 or 4 fired cases along with a reamer print to Lonnie Hummel at Hornady Mfg., Box 1848, Grand Island, NE, 68802. Give Lonnie a call first at (800) 338-3220, ext. 208, to discuss design details and get an estimated delivery date.
January 22nd, 2010
Hornady is late to the party with its first electronic powder scale and dispenser, but the new Hornady AutoCharge looks impressive. This product competes directly with RCBS’s popular ChargeMaster 1500. Similar in size and layout to the ChargeMaster, the new Hornady AutoCharge has three (3) speed modes, and will be more affordable than the Chargemaster. We like the idea of three user-selectable speeds, a feature not found on other digital dispensers from Lyman, PACT, and RCBS. The Hornady Autocharge also has calibration weights suited to both low and high powder charges. Hornady claims accuracy of ± 0.1 grain, the same as the ChargeMaster.
Hornady won’t start shipping the AutoCharge until April, 2010, so we’ll have to wait until late spring to get a test unit. Then we can see how the AutoCharge performs and see if it can really deliver repeatable ± 0.1 grain precision. We do predict that when the AutoCharge starts shipping in April, it will offer stiff competition for the RCBS ChargeMaster. Hornady’s red AutoCharge will sell for approximately $300.00. That’s about $75 less than the RCBS ChargeMaster 1500 scale/dispenser.
January 15th, 2010
 Some of the nation’s finest shooters, including 8-time National High Power Champion Carl Bernosky, will be at the Hornady booth (#12332) at SHOT Show next week. If you’re attending SHOT Show, don’t miss a chance to meet and chat with Bernosky, Max Michel, Doeg Koening, and other top shooters who have won multiple National Championships. Despite his remarkable competitive record, Carl is a very modest, approachable guy. If you have a chance to talk to him, we guarantee you’ll learn things that can help your shooting.
Carl Bernosky |
Doug Koenig |
Team Hornady® shooters Carl Bernosky, Sean Dexter, Tony Gimmellie, Doug Koenig, Dave Neth, Max Michel, Kelly Neal, Dave Neth, Adam Popplewell, Mike Voigt are all scheduled to appear at the Hornady booth during SHOT Show. (See schedule below). These “top guns” will be on hand to sign autographs, chat about guns, and offer competition tips for their particular disciplines.
January 10th, 2010
Hornady has announced that it is continuing its “Get Loaded” promotion throughout 2010. Under this program, you can get FREE Hornady bullets with the purchase of certain reloading products. For example, you can get 100 free bullets with the purchase of a set of New Dimension dies with Zip Spindle System. You can get 500 free bullets if you purchases a Lock-N-Load Classic Reloading Kit. You’ll find more details on Hornady’s Hornady’s Get Loaded Promo webpage.
Click here to download the 2010 Redemption Form (5MB PDF)
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