10 Ballistics Questions with Hornady

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0:00 Start
0:09 Why so many new cartridges?
2:14 Practical differences in new cartridges?
3:27 The new 7mm PRC?
3:53 How to decide shoulder angle?
5:57 Why competition over hunters?
8:17 Best cartridge for a 400 yard shot
9:08 Favorite hunting bullet?
9:48 When to use each Hornady bullet
12:48 Handloader tips for short barrels?
15:20 What makes a bullet forgiving?
18:33 Accuracy standards for bullets

[@daveknowles3055]

This has to be one of my favourite video's that you have done. Guest did an excellent job of answering your questions. Should have him back when you get your 7mm PRC

[@Trigg6978]

If you haven't checked it out yet you might like the Hornady podcast. He's the host and interviews their engineers etc.

[@mrjeffjob]

I don’t think I’ve ever learned as much in any 20 minute span in my life.

[@daveknowles3055]

@@Trigg6978 Had a look and I will be watching the Hornady podcasts going forward. Thanks for the tip

[@fyisense9312]

The guy from Hornady is Ses? I think a much better intro would be better, just saying. More like the most articulate bullet speak since I used to talk with Walt Berger years ago. Great info for new and old shooters/handloaders/hunters. I always liked Hornady 60gr sp for my custom .223. Awesome consistency. All of their bullets in my experience can be very accurate.

[@barryw5911]

Best show yet, Seth was great. Will definitely subscribe to Hornady Podcast.

[@guardianminifarm8005]

I have really enjoyed this gentleman for past few years. Very sharp guy. Sober & serious with a skill to communicate even complicated aspects of the industry in a way that most everyone can easily understand. I have gained quite a bit of knowledge and confidence from him and others at Hornady. And I have gained a greater respect for him/them and the company/product because of it. Thank you for bringing this to us.

[@hailsatan7130]

Did you just assume his pronouns?

[@Ultimatereloader]

Great interview, awesome to see two of my friends getting into some deep details! :)

[@oscarbear7498]

Hiii 😊 I just finished watching a video of yours! Nice to see you here in the comments

[@corvinking4996]

Hey! Always a joy to see you as well! No one does accuracy talk like you :)

[@stooker11]

I could listen to this guy talk all day. He definitely knows his stuff. He’s straight to the point and even uses examples to help explain his points of view and knowledge

[@davidg2113]

Great interview. Excellent ambassador for Hornady and the Corps. Please have him return once he can speak about the 7mm PRC. Semper Fi!

[@Roninx1980]

I noticed that too. Semper Fidelis. 🇺🇸

[@derekedgley5074]

What a fantastic informative interview with a guy who obviously knows his stuff and great credos to Hornady and him for not being frightened to put it out there. I’ll certainly look for their podcasts. Your videos are some of the best out there. Look forward to more

[@freedomhard2310]

Great video! I shoot a 6.5 Creedmoor Tikka CTR 20 inch barrel with Hornady Eld-X bullets hand loaded mag length and they are extremely accurate and do great on deer. Most accurate combo I've ever shot in my life.

[@FullQuiverOutdoors]

Seth is a great interview. Very knowledgeable ballistician with a great understanding of hunting.

[@sterlingcrroundtable8158]

One of the most educational videos I've watched in years. So much useful information about bullets in such a short time. As a reloader this helps me a ton as my understanding of Hornadys product offering is now 10 fold. Thanks guys! I will definatly checkout Hornady podcast.

[@joethearcticfox]

1. 0:05 Why are there so many new cartridges? 2. 2:15 For the average shooter, what practical difference will someone see with a new cartridge? 3. 3:28 What can you tell us about 7 PRC? 4. 3:54 What difference does shoulder angle make, and how do you decide what shoulder angle to use? 5. 5:57 Why does the industry cater to competitive shooters over hunters? 6. 8:19 What cartridge would you choose to maximize first shot hit probability for a single 400 yard shot? 6b. 8:59 What caliber if that target is an elk? 7. 9:08 What hunting bullet would you choose if it's the only bullet you could ever hunt with again? 8. 9:48 Why would you choose a specific Hornady hunting bullet over another? 9. 12:48 What should handloaders do you maximize effectiveness of a shorter barrel? 10. 15:20 What makes a bullet design more or less forgiving? 11. 18:33 Is there an accuracy standard for the bullets that Hornady makes? 20:59 "Alright, I'm gonna stop my recording now."

[@TrademarkMediaTM]

You left off 20:59 "Alright, I'm gonna stop my recording now."

[@joethearcticfox]

@@TrademarkMediaTM Corrected. Good catch.

[@scottjenkins4613]

i#5 - Hunter outnumber competitive shooters by far, but competitive shooters buy waaaay more ammo.

[@07cmm]

@@scottjenkins4613 👍

[@mike2517h]

thanks for the time line,i didnt bother put it in a little notepad

[@kevinclause4p55p5]

This was jam packed with awesome information thank you.

[@cedriccornish6272]

This is a good video and was very informative. It makes me really appreciate the fact that my Savage Model 11 deer rifle shoots the lowly and inexpensive cup and core Winchester Power Point bullets into 1 inch groups. This ammo has been in continuous production for over 50 years.

[@vensheaalara]

Excellent interview. Yes, developing the most accurate bullet in competition has bled over into hunting. I dare say it has pushed progress in both areas, and also in self-defense and target, just by knowledge gained.

[@rickjames2618]

Great conversation. Thank you for making this happen.

[@plstein20]

This is a great interview. Great questions and direct answers.

[@thomasholmes9765]

Well done ! Excellent interview . . . Useful information to all genre of shooters

[@Credman1883]

Absolutely phenomenal video!!! Really enjoyed listening to all that goes into the design of the cartridge and engineering behind the bullet

[@CherryCoke-qi1kz]

Thank you for making content for the regular guys who enjoy shooting.

[@johnkaraphillis754]

Excellent video. It helps explain the technical aspect I need to know in regards to hand loading. Even though I do not favor Hornady bullets due to my rifles liking others, very interesting. Thanks

[@rolandgeorges960]

Most likely your most educational video, excellent Hornady representative.

[@RoxVrod]

This was a very interesting video. Enjoyed hearing the practicality that goes into Hornady's bullet design and production. As fairly new reloader, more good concepts to consider. Thank you.

[@januswestraat2104]

Super interesting episode, great to listen to a guest who really knows what is going on with their products and what influences accuracy, and I'm a nosler guy...

[@Dale37]

People can complain about the new cartridges and I understand that the older cartridges got the job done. The only modern round I own is a 6.5 PRC. However, I think it keeps things exciting seeing the newer cartridges come out and seeing what technology is doing to improve them.

[@saltcreekammo]

The 6.5 PRC is trash

[@Dale37]

@@saltcreekammo Okay. I will go sell my gun now, cause you said so.

[@Sabrina_-cs4hg]

@@saltcreekammo compared to what🤣 what a wild statement to make with no backing argument

[@pauldesmarais3610]

Great information! Love this session.

[@michaelgray2571]

This was a good one! Thanks backfire

[@reinbeck1156]

Thank you for the outstanding sound quality!

[@BG-gr7fh]

Excellent post, great questions and Seth did a fine job conveying information without a ballasticions natural tendency to wander into the weeds. More of these please

[@torvahnys]

Another possible reason for a focus on the competition crowd is that they probably shoot much more than hunters, thus they spend much more on ammo. It makes sense to cater to a small group of customers that spend almost as much on a product as the majority of the rest of the customers. In this case, I see it as a good thing. Any improvements in ammunition for competition is going to be useful for hunters as well, either by reducing the cost of regular ammunition, or by having more accurate ammunition.

[@Nick-sx6jm]

I view it as high performance tech that trickles down to the rest of the market. Think about racing or the military. The tech used in racing like brakes, engines, and suspension developed for racing sometimes makes its way to road cars. Same with military development like DARPA creating the internet.

[@smokedbrisket3033]

absolutely this. unit production cost for components is WAY lower than unit production cost for a finished cartridge. a hunter may buy 1 - 3 boxes of factory ammo a year (or he may only buy a couple boxes every 2 or 3 years). no idea what Hornady's profit margin is, but it doesn't really matter. a single competition shooter may buy 5000 ELD-X or ELD-M bullets in a year. even if the margin on the component is smaller (I suspect it's actually higher - there is a lot less effort that goes into packaging 50 or 100 bullets in a box than 20 cartridges in a box), the volume makes up for it. even if hunters outnumber target shooters by 50:1, Hornady would only sell, at most, 3000 cartridges to them (in a given year) vs 5000 bullets to a single customer (who can be counted on to buy roughly the same volume every year), and it is more efficient for them to sell components than it is finished cartridges. right now on Midway, they show ELD-X 143 gr at $48 for a box of 100. they also show a 20 round box of 129 gr Interlocks for 6.5CM at $30. I guarantee they make more money off that box of bullets than they do off that box of cartridges. fwiw, this isn't a complaint. it is economic reality. if someone wants to complain about it, he might just as well complain about the weather for all the good it'll do.

[@Sam-tb9xu]

His answer was very much an engineering answer. You optimize what you can measure.

[@robertsmentkowski312]

@@Sam-tb9xu if one can't measure, . . . it's all about results.

[@RockinRack]

I hear it all the time about these prc and creedmoors from hunters. They want the best and go on about high bc and drop and wind drift at 1000y and it's supersonic out to a mile etc etc... but... they have never shot 1000y and their deer blind is 100y from their feeder. They are essentially buying a F1 race car just to drive in traffic lol

[@cratxn1]

Wonderful insight and transparency

[@MikeSessler]

Well done interview, Jim. Some good questions and useful answers.

[@lukedog7028]

Good interview. Good job both of you

[@billylee2312]

Excellent video!! I learned a lot. You asked all the questions that everyone else forgets to ask! I learned a lot.

[@sukivel]

Great questions! Very good answers as well.

[@jonthornton-dibb2915]

Great interview, thank you 👍

[@christopherdavis2793]

More of this! Loved it.

[@ryanmorgan2158]

Please do more of these, great show lots of good information. Thank You.

[@buckaroobonsi555]

He was well spoken and easy to listen too!

[@blueeyeddevil1]

"Excellent questions, which are critical. Well done!

[@timbenfield6257]

Awesome job guys learning alot

[@truthhurts467]

Thank U BossMan This was "VERY INFORMATIVE" I try to learn something new every day & U two packed a bunch of new thing's into a short time! 👍👍 Thanks Keep your Target 🎯 Clear & Send it

[@micknkazslater5977]

Mind blown so much excellent information and suddenly I start to see why different factory rounds perform so very differently out of the same gun . Great interview

[@robertsmentkowski312]

so true. a hunting buddy has a 308 that shoots 1 inch with X brand, 1 inch with Y brand and 5 inch groups with Z brand. It's the rifle (mostly) and the ammo. The Z ammo shoots great out of my rifle, a different caliber and different brand of rifle.

[@jackbruce309]

This was amazingly informative thankyou for this

[@vincentkline7656]

Great video. I like the questions you asked very much. When the “companies” do just their topics it makes a viewer wonder about just advertising. Thanks.

[@GetMeThere1]

Some excellent info. Thanks!

[@stanpotter7764]

Interesting conversation!

[@TheTonygong]

Definitely going to circle back to this video. Thanks!

[@brianrobbins3499]

Lots of good information for sure

[@davebone8326]

Love the ELD-X IN MY 7MM MAG.

[@brandon1910]

Thanks for the video. I enjoyed this and found it informative.

[@ericcraver4908]

Really enjoyed this video.

[@hardingdies7811]

VERY good video - they really make great bullets and brass.

[@carolannesparkman6938]

What an interesting video! Thank you so much! ❤️😊

[@trihall2273]

Excellent 👍 Thank you very much I loved the information

[@cornbreadburgess1950]

Thanks for the video Enjoyed it brother,👍

[@johnnystanley4469]

Awsome content thanks for sharing.

[@eriklambert4692]

Very cool!

[@kylemartin832]

I'm calling out Seth, pffffft he's probably been shooting the 7PRC for 2 years now 😂🤣😅. He'll be on podcasts in November saying it watch. Great interview, nice and short 👍🙏✌

[@ramseycattn5941]

Haha. He said he went on SAAMI’s website and looked at the specs. There’s no way he didn’t know that and probably had a hand in making it. Nice deflection 😂

[@dansaver8247]

Good video and information. Thank you.

[@failingdisciple938]

Very good interview!

[@BRADASSOFFGRIDHOMESTEAD]

Excellent video, do this more!

[@wyattgraham5711]

Great vid! I do enjoy the hornady podcast as well!

[@wolverinekut]

Great job! Thank you 🤙🏻

[@54Rocketeer]

Good to hear from an expert

[@williamfeldner9356]

Backfire another great video!

[@smittyjohn343]

Awesome show

[@marybourgeau5812]

Good segment.

[@bertlawrence6316]

Wonderful insights into internal as well as external ballistics. Thanks to all involved in the production of this video. One of the comments by this ballistician, on the SST bullet, struck a cord with me. He opined about the SST being “a little bit” more frangible (my term) than a Interbond. Well, here was my experience nearly 10 years ago: I built a rifle in 7RUM (26”; 1:9)for an alternate to my .300 WM (which I built and have used satisfactorily since 1983). My bullet selection boiled down to the Interbond and the SST in 162-gr variety. I settled on the SST because the 300-yd accuracy was better. That year I shot a gold-medal Elk at 176 ranged yds. Bullet strike was directly on the left shoulder, quartering in. Elk went down but was up immediately and disappeared into the timber. Following up, I found that Elk in another opening with a destroyed left foreleg. A finishing shot was required where he stood on 3 legs. My first bullet did not reach any vital but exploded that foreleg (one of my tracking methods was following bone shards!). So, I can certainly agree about the frangibility of the SST bullet. I have since switched to the GMX, and I look forward to testing the new CX. Thank you again.

[@graynotescartridgebox]

I have seen similar results on whitetail at close range from a .300 Winchester Magnum.

[@jfess1911]

The GMX and similar monolithic bullets are good for maintaining weight and penetrating even after hitting bone. The SST and new ELD-X won't retain as much weight. FWIW, it appears that the changes from the SST line to the ELD-X are to make the new bullet work better at both the high velocity and low velocity end of the spectrum. One of the ways it does that, however, is designing it to shed lead progressively as the jacket peels back. After a deep penetration, the remaining bullet is significantly shorter and lighter, but the mushroom tends to stay of moderate size... smaller than that of some other designs. It would be interesting to hear from other hunters to find out if the improvements to the ELD-X would have allowed it to hold together after the shoulder hit you described.

[@bertlawrence6316]

Thanks for your comment, J. I have had considerable and more recent experience with monolithic bullet performance (GMX, TSX, E-tip) that I have decided not trust cup-and-core bullets again.

[@Nick-sx6jm]

Yeah when shooting a magnum there is only 2 bullets hornady makes that would work. That is the interbond and vmax when hunting varmints. I shot a buck at 350 yards with a 162gr eldx out of a 28 nosler and the thing acted like a grenade. Then on the other hand copper bullets are the exact opposite. I have tried them multiple times because I wanted to like them but they just zip through and dont transfer much energy. It has caused many 3+ hour track jobs or lost game on what should have been a bang flop. If you want a serious and dependable hunting bullet then get something bonded or an A frame style the the partition or A frame.

[@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595]

@@jfess1911 That’s interesting because I’ve heard a lot of mixed results around ELDXs from other hunting KZbinrs and podcasters. I don’t use the ELDX and I don’t know anyone else that does, so take that with a grain of salt.

[@UntoDeath]

What a great talk. I came to love this channel from the first video I saw. I’ll have to check this guy out too. Seems like a cool dude. Appreciate all this info, especially being in the market for a “do all” hunting rifle. 300 PRC is calling my name.

[@zzznor1137]

No fluff. Excellent content.

[@orsonbroadbent3453]

Thanks you it was very informative

[@martinmdl6879]

Excellent Video

[@Anthanos89]

Thanks for talking about barrel length and loading. I have a very short suppressed .308 which I'll be running 165 SST's out of. I'll load them down abit to prevent those gases bucking the base of it on exit

[@PaulVerhoeven2]

The recipe for short barrels: Loading down allows you to use faster propellant and recover good part of the energy lost. Basically choose the powder which has smallest maximum load in your loading manual, and if there are several with similar maximum load, choose extruded/perforated powder among them, not ball. You can safely use that smallest maximum load without loading it down any further. For example, for 150gr bullet in 308, 44gr of Alliant AR Comp would do the job, but so would 40gr of H322.

[@robertlagana5761]

Great Video !

[@dragonflyfab9703]

Good video lots of info.

[@tygerfrodo]

Great vid!

[@RonaldColeman-ef2rc]

The SST is awesome on white tails.

[@Ps119]

No hype basic info people want to know. Well done.

[@chrisjohnson1002]

Gr8 podcast!

[@asanta5390]

Very interesting 👌. Thanks

[@aaronstormont9128]

Very informative

[@cliffheaton7467]

learned a lot with this video

[@TimBiagi]

Great video

[@annexpaint]

Wow ,that was interesting, as a hunter teetering on throwing myself over the cliff of PRS competition that was very informative, From your last video I think I'll be holding out for the 7prc. thanks for putting that one out.

[@mrs.vasquezz]

Id look into NRL Hunter before PRS

[@ryanbieberich6332]

AWESOME!

[@linklesstennessee2078]

Good information I just bought a 6.5 creedmore I’ll have to try the A tips

[@jeffreylocke8808]

7mm PRC is a more powerful and accurate 280 Ackley Improved and coupled with a faster twist rate built barrel specification makes that cartridge a great concept.

[@lanenicholson3712]

I agree on the 6mm creed. Developing loads for that is a dream. You take a 5 grain spread and you shoot sub MOA in every load. Helps I load for a Ruger Precision Rifle, but you basically just go until you start getting high pressure signs. 110 grain sierra match king at 3120 fps is close as you can get to a rail gun at this point far as I'm concerned.

[@John-uo1qf]

Hornady understands their market. I shoot bugholes with their 6.5CM 140 gr ELD in my factory Ruger Precision rifle. No reloading needed

[@andrewcleveland]

I’ve had four 6.5 CM rifles, and reloaded around 4,500 rounds between these rifles. Factory ammunition in this cartridge is very impressive, and I don’t mean just match ammo. The hunting ammo shoots amazing too. Only bullet I have never had great accuracy with in this cartridge is the GMX. Don’t know why, but I have had zero luck with that bullet even trying a lot of different powders.

[@phild9813]

I’m shooting about 1.25” groups with factory 120 grain GMX out of a Ruger American 6.5CM. That’s about as good as I’ve gotten with most any copper bullet in any caliber I’ve used. Plenty good enough for me and for hunting though; it’s all I use.

[@andrewcleveland]

@@phild9813 that accuracy is plenty for my hunting in the Deep South also. I just love working up handloads to see how accurate I can get them. I’ve had some amazing accuracy with the Barnes TTSX though, but I’ve never tried them in a factory loading. I’ve not tried the nosler e-tip, so I don’t know how well it performs.

[@briansteele1378]

The terminal ascent is my go to

[@lovethehuntOutdoors]

He knows his accurate Calibers and a very accurate bullet in the ELD-X precision hunter round. I have the 6.5 Creedmoor in a hunting rifle but I'm very interested in the 6mm Creedmoor as well for target

[@seanwhite304]

Best video by far bro . Crap load of good info

[@tonydevich7937]

Heck ya, I need one

[@danielhamilton1341]

Awesome!

[@exothermal.sprocket]

Ironically just started listening to the Hornady podcast a couple weeks ago and am slowly catching up.

[@lovethehuntOutdoors]

My Savage 110 chambered in 7mm Remington Magnum absolutely love the Precision Hunter Eld-X rounds.

[@laurisjones]

Why competition? Goodhart's law is an adage often stated as, "When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure"

[@mikecross2435]

You know this had to do with monetary policy and not measuring the difference between things.

[@iBleedStarsAndBars]

All the equipment In my reloading room is Hornady with the exception of a few due sets. I love Hornady bullets and equipment. The SST and GMX have killed alot whitetail and hogs for me

[@bradbo3]

I dont hand load….but i do typically buy Hornady because its is always consistent….and accurate. Now if only I could find some on the shelves or online.

[@baracis85]

ELD-X is my absolute go-to in my 6.5

[@kirkwhitaker6422]

Just don’t try and convince me that the 6.5 CM is a 600 yd elk gun. It is not. Move up to 30 cal …in general don’t shoot elk at 600 yds. They are not targets. They are game. The 6.5 cm, 260 rem and 6.5 Swed are all about the same. I have been a 6.5 x 55 shooters for 30 years. Have shot a ton of different bullets over the years. My guns love SST, interlock sp, BT and X bullets…Sierra bullets too..not an issue to get sub moa at 2650 to 2700 fps. What works….works…. But the 6.5 CM is no wonder gun. Bring a big enough gun for big game. 264 wm or prc is minimum is 264 for big game and don’t stretch the range.

[@jonparker4108]

Agreed 100%

[@isaiah9683]

Okay boomers.

[@paulkysar6207]

​@@isaiah9683boomer? How about enlighten us on why the 6.5 cm is a 600 yard elk rifle.

[@isaiah9683]

@@paulkysar6207 Yeah, uhh, I shot an elk at 600 and it died so actually you have to explain to me how it isn't. If it isn't a 600-yard gun for you, that's a skill issue. Which is fine, just say that.

[@paulkysar6207]

@@isaiah9683 maybe you are a skilled marksman. Read wind within 8 mph +/- error within 16 mph including up/down drafts and wind direction changes, the elk walks 10 extra yards between ranging and shooting. The expected impact area will range from 15+ inches left or right, 10 inches up/ down vertically for a total of about 20 inches. At 600 yards BC has very little effect on the bullets a few percentage points of probability. 6.5 CM is not going to allow recovery of hit elk more often than not. People kill deer with a 22lr, doesn't make it a deer rifle.