Range Tested: Federal Premium HammerDown Ammunition

by
posted on September 25, 2020
There are few things more important to a hunter than what sort of ammunition is taken into the field. From what runs best in a particular gun, to ballistic characteristics, to terminal performance, everything plays a factor in the final decision. For a while, lever-action hunters have had to deal with a few compromises, due to their preferred firearm's unique loading system. They are forced to no longer. With the introduction of HammerDown ammunition, by Federal Premium, lever-action hunters have a cartridge designed specifically to maximize their effectiveness in the field.

Federal HammerDown .45-70 Gov't

A line targeted at the full spectrum of lever-action aficionados, HammerDown includes not just traditional rifle calibers, like .45-70 Gov't. and .30-30 Win., but also pistol calibers, like .327 Mag., .357 Mag., .44 Mag. and .45 Colt. To design these cartridges, Federal teamed up with the lever-gun experts over at Henry Repeating arms, to determine the characteristics needed to make a cartridge load, feed and shoot reliably every time.

Federal HammerDown .44 Magnum

Cases are nickel plated to resist corrosion, and have had their case rims chamfered to reduce snags in loading and feeding; bullets are either molecularly bonded soft-points or hollow-points, depending on caliber. These feature reliable expansion and near-total weight retention, for deep and devastating wound channels. While loads for the available rifle calibers tend toward the traditional, HammerDown pistol calibers have been loaded to optimize performance out of a rifle. This means an increase in velocity of 400-to 600-fps, thanks to the longer barrel. Further, heavy-for-caliber bullet weights are used to more efficiently increase terminal performance at these velocities.

Federal Hammerdown Rifle Trio

For more on how these cartridges fared at the range, join Executive Editor Jon Draper in this exclusive video, and for more on the HammerDown line, check out federalpremium.com.

Latest

Federal Heavyweight TSS 3 Inch 9 Shot
Federal Heavyweight TSS 3 Inch 9 Shot

Field Tested: Federal Heavyweight TSS

Last year, I had the pleasure of travelling to the Yucatan peninsula in search of ocellated turkey. Over the course of the hunt, however, I also got to see Federal Heavyweight TSS at work in the field on not just turkey, but the elusive coatimundi, which is a significantly tougher proposition. Read on for my thoughts on this incredibly effective shotshell.

Behind the Bullet: .405 Winchester

Generating just over 3,200 ft.-lbs. of muzzle energy, the .405 Winchester was—at the time of its release in 1904—the most powerful lever-action cartridge available.

Lead Core vs. Monometal Hunting Bullets

There’s no doubt that copper monometal bullets are here to stay. But are they so good that they warrant abandoning lead core ammo altogether? We take a look at the pros and cons of each style.

Mossy Oak Releases 2024 Wild Turkey Conservation Stamp

Mossy Oak has released its third annual wild turkey conservation stamp—a collectible stamp in which all proceeds go directly to wild turkey conservation projects around the country.

Recipe: Instant Pot Moose Chana Masala

This fusion dish brings together Indian chana with Canadian moose, for a delightful culinary experience.

Review: Winchester 400 Legend

Winchester’s new 400 Legend is a streamlined, mid-sized straight-wall cartridge intended to fill the gap between its wildly popular 350 Legend and the notorious 450 Bushmaster. It is—in our opinion—a masterstroke of genius.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.