Black Hills Ammunition makes some very environment friendly ammo. They not solely promote to civilian shooters, however in addition they have authorities contracts to offer navy ammo.
Right here’s a quote from Google concerning the firm…
Black Hills Ammunition has a major connection to the U.S. navy, offering match-grade 5.56mm ammunition for the Service Rifle Groups and specialty rounds, just like the MK262 Mod 1, to Particular Operations Forces (SOCOM) and different navy branches. The corporate developed the high-performance MK262 load in collaboration with navy items, and its fame for high quality has led to widespread use by varied branches and ongoing contracts for ammunition provide.
So we see that they’re a revered supplier of top-rung ammo. OK, shifting on…
I’m blessed that they’re supporting my opinions with ammo offered by them. I’ve obtained ammo in lots of calibers, each JHP and FMJ. However… I used to be not ready for the deluge of HoneyBadger (not a typo – there’s no area between the phrases) ammo I obtained from them after I requested a pattern to jot down about… they had been most beneficiant, and their windfall is tremendously appreciated. Search for Black Hills ammo in my future opinions.
Anyway, I wished to have a look at just a few calibers in some element. However first… why HoneyBadger? Was ist das HoneyBadger?
I’d heard of that critter, associated to a weasel, however discovered simply how ferocious it could possibly be. Right here’s a quote from Wikipedia about Mr. HB:
The Honey Badger is known for its power, ferocity, and toughness. It’s recognized to savagely and fearlessly assault nearly another species when escape is unattainable, reportedly even repelling a lot bigger predators similar to lion and hyena.
If you’d like extra scientific information about this critter, go right here.
This ammo is fairly ferocious as effectively, as I discovered. So I see why they named it that.
If you’ll, please permit me another quote – this time from the Black Hills HoneyBadger web site.
While you reside in a spot just like the Black Hills of South Dakota, you admire sure qualities in a wild and woolly critter just like the Honey Badger. Qualities like fearlessness. A sure disregard for obstacles. A spirit of perseverance. And a nostril for locating good honey.
We admired these critters sufficient that we named our line of revolutionary protection ammunition after them. Introducing the HoneyBadger™. Stable copper, non-deforming, non-fragmenting projectiles with extensive, sharp flutes. Ballistic broadheads that minimize by boundaries that trigger hole factors to fail. An total enhance in depth and width
of wound cavities. In that second, if you want the very best to defend your loved ones’s life or your personal, we predict you’ll recognize a sure high quality the HoneyBadger™ possesses for the least sophisticated cause on the earth. It really works.
Calibers
I obtained HoneyBadger ammo within the following calibers… that is all the things that they make:
.380
9mm
9mm Subsonic
.40 S&W
10mm
.45 ACP
.38 Spl
.357 Magnum
.44 Spl
44 Magnum
… and, one rifle caliber: .45-70
HoneyBadger ammo has a fame for being very efficient self-defense ammo. The key, for my part, is the bullet, coupled with excessive velocity. Made exclusively of copper to Black Hills’ specs by Lehigh Protection, it’s recognized for creating deep penetration and a big wound channel. These bullets are inclined to punch by issues like layers of clothes that may clog hole factors. It has flutes… it seems to be nearly like a Phillips screwdriver of types, besides that some bullets have three flutes and others have 4… and these are what present the “oomph” to chop by.
The bullet’s rotation from the rifling, coupled with the four-fluted “star” bullet nostril and excessive velocity, creates a buzzsaw impact because it cuts by the goal. That is what varieties the wound channel and aids penetration. If you happen to’ve seen movies of those bullets hitting gel or different tender targets, the outcomes are spectacular to say the least. Many hid carriers carry them for good cause. See beneath for a extra technical clarification.
This was not my first rodeo with any such bullet. Just a few years in the past, I reviewed Nov-X ammo on one other web site. I used to be completely impressed with its terminal efficiency. HoneyBadger ammo reveals comparable efficiency… it’s all however explosive on a strong goal.
Right here’s a picture I discovered on shootingtimes.com. It reveals seven cartridges beside pulled bullets:
The ultimate elements of the efficiency equation must do with bullet weight and velocity. All calibers use light-for-caliber bullets pushed to higher-than-normal velocities. Right here’s the way it works, as I found throughout my analysis for this text. I’ll paraphrase it…
HoneyBadger bullets are described as fluid-transfer monolithic… they’re machined from strong copper. Throughout penetration, the flutes pressure hydraulic vitality inward. As that vitality will get restricted, its excessive outward acceleration creates stress spikes. These spikes disrupt tissue across the bullet’s radius. What you usually get is a wound channel about 4 occasions bigger than one you’d get from an FMJ bullet. Because it doesn’t depend on growth, you will get extra constant efficiency than you do from a JHP bullet, whose tip could clog and never permit the bullet to broaden. We find yourself with a efficiency that meets or exceeds the FBI’s protocol, along with a big wound cavity.
I bought my Athlon Rangecraft Velocity Professional radar chronograph out and did some taking pictures to see how the hundreds carried out for me. Outcomes are beneath. I attempted to make use of “real-world” weapons. I additionally replicate the identical barrel size as these used within the above assessments, though with just a few of the calibers, I had to make use of one thing totally different.
Utilizing the above caliber checklist once more, listed here are the bullet weights, velocities, and energies recorded by Black Hills and their take a look at tools. I caught a column on this desk that displays the velocities I bought – for extra particulars, see the second desk.
And now, my outcomes… Listed below are the particular weapons I used, with their barrel lengths:
* I didn’t have a possibility to clock the .45-70 load; we are going to default to the manufacturing facility numbers.
The extra I chronographed, the extra I noticed that precise velocities weren’t far off from the manufacturing facility numbers. That’s uncommon, as I’m positive . I threw in a few extras… such because the SDR .357 with the brief barrel… however I determine extra information is best than much less information.
One trait frequent to every of those hundreds was the BIG “ka-boom” and elevated recoil. You might inform that you simply had been taking part in with elevated pressures, little doubt. It wasn’t precisely unnerving, but it surely positive will get your consideration.
I solely had one glitch throughout the testing, and that was with my inventory Tisas 1911A1 .45 ACP. That Phillips-screwdriver-nose bullet wouldn’t feed, it doesn’t matter what I attempted, so I resorted to the “plunk” loading methodology of dropping the cartridge into the chamber with my fingers. That is laborious on extractors, so solely do that as a final resort.
I didn’t have ballistic gel to check these hundreds in, however there are many others on the market who’ve accomplished that. I will likely be receiving some quickly from Clear Ballistics. Search for a future evaluation.
The place To Purchase
The Upshot
After getting all technical in determining how this ammo works, the underside line is that it DOES work. HoneyBadger ammo has been touted as a few of the finest defensive ammunition out there. I will likely be switching to it in my carry weapons as I follow with it and get used to it. I’ll modify to the sharper recoil and blast as I follow with it.
One other level… I get pleasure from looking, and I’m wondering the way it would possibly carry out within the deer woods. I might surmise that it might, by and huge, go by no matter it hit, whether or not bone or muscle. I might be utilizing both the .44 Magnum in my S&W 1854 lever gun or a .45-70 single-shot. That manner, I might wring out each foot-pound of vitality out there. It’s an fascinating proposition,.. It warrants investigation by experimentation.
In case you are in search of a great self- or home-defense load, think about the HoneyBadger. It’s been confirmed, and it’s out there. Possibly it’s time to attempt some.
