Not sure how much I care to share, For your purposes & others always proceed with caution & work up from a low point Watch for signs of pressure. Absolute Hammers are still very new to me / us. What worked in my gun may not work in yours, so I assume no liability. Work up your own data with extreme caution. This is intended for anyone considering the info below, not just the Op.
With the Absolute Hammer, the ogive will not touch the lands due to the drive band designe,
Due to the drive band designe, less material is being deformed. So we may expect less pressure when comparing similar weight bullets & same powder charges. Expect this is difficult for all of us to adjust to. I am still having difficulty to tell the truth.
"These bullets require faster than normal powders for the cartridge and bullet weight. Load with extreme
caution."
So Hornady data is challenging to decipher on how useful that data is or how we may apply that data. Healthy dose of caution & focus is called for.
I settled on IMR 8208 XBR powder due to stability, fill ratio & burn rate to work up a load in my bolt action rifle. Started with a 2.260" OAL or mag length to start off with. Started low & worked up slowly to near 27 grains to achieve 3000FPS. Without the Magneto speed no signs of pressure were realized. As I reached 3000 FPS Velocity gains were noticeably less as I recall. Yet no pressure signs with bolt lift or primer forme were noticed. I opted to stop at 3000 FPS.
The Absolute Hammers are supposed to be very seating depth tolerant. Still I opted to experiment with slightly shorter OAL to evaluate accuracy change. A better accuracy node was realized with a slightly shorter OAL.
Due to expense of these bullets I tried to be as efficient as possible when working up a load. Only one round was loaded at each charge weight when working up the load at 100 yards. Once I settled on 3000fps muzzle velocity; (measured with the magneto speed) The OAL was experimented with, in that I tried .015" & .030" shorter.
With 3 shot groups, accuracy seemed to improve with a little shorter OAL.
Expect to see a Memorial day promotion next week, so this could be coming up on a good time to make a purchase if you know what direction you want to go.
As I recall, I reached out to Hammer for bullet recommendations & they recommended a lighter bullet. Not sure if they wanted me to strive for more velocity or they did not understand the ARC has the twist to stabilize a longer bullet. As I recall they recommended a lighter bullet than I settled on with the 87 grain absolute Hammer. Your milage may vary.
With the Absolute Hammer, the ogive will not touch the lands due to the drive band designe,
Due to the drive band designe, less material is being deformed. So we may expect less pressure when comparing similar weight bullets & same powder charges. Expect this is difficult for all of us to adjust to. I am still having difficulty to tell the truth.
"These bullets require faster than normal powders for the cartridge and bullet weight. Load with extreme
caution."
So Hornady data is challenging to decipher on how useful that data is or how we may apply that data. Healthy dose of caution & focus is called for.
I settled on IMR 8208 XBR powder due to stability, fill ratio & burn rate to work up a load in my bolt action rifle. Started with a 2.260" OAL or mag length to start off with. Started low & worked up slowly to near 27 grains to achieve 3000FPS. Without the Magneto speed no signs of pressure were realized. As I reached 3000 FPS Velocity gains were noticeably less as I recall. Yet no pressure signs with bolt lift or primer forme were noticed. I opted to stop at 3000 FPS.
The Absolute Hammers are supposed to be very seating depth tolerant. Still I opted to experiment with slightly shorter OAL to evaluate accuracy change. A better accuracy node was realized with a slightly shorter OAL.
Due to expense of these bullets I tried to be as efficient as possible when working up a load. Only one round was loaded at each charge weight when working up the load at 100 yards. Once I settled on 3000fps muzzle velocity; (measured with the magneto speed) The OAL was experimented with, in that I tried .015" & .030" shorter.
With 3 shot groups, accuracy seemed to improve with a little shorter OAL.
Expect to see a Memorial day promotion next week, so this could be coming up on a good time to make a purchase if you know what direction you want to go.
As I recall, I reached out to Hammer for bullet recommendations & they recommended a lighter bullet. Not sure if they wanted me to strive for more velocity or they did not understand the ARC has the twist to stabilize a longer bullet. As I recall they recommended a lighter bullet than I settled on with the 87 grain absolute Hammer. Your milage may vary.