Hornady Superformance™ Rifle Ammunition field reports?

Rosebud

Rosebud

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Hornady Superformance™ Rifle Ammunition field reports?

Hornady has marketed a new enhanced factory ammunition called Superformance™ Rifle Ammunition supposedly loaded with proprietary non-canister (not available to individual ammunition re-loaders) powders ('ultra progressive propellants' - Hornady terminology) and are claiming muzzle velocities 100-200 fps above 'conventional ammunition' across the board.
This ammo is loaded with the Hornady SST or GMX bullets.
I recall that Federal embarked on a similar development a few years ago called 'High Energy' ammo but discontinued it after a couple of years.
Has anyone field tested the new Hornady Superformance™ Rifle Ammunition ammo with regards to actual vs. claimed velocities and accuracy?
Results?
 
Ooooh, secret voodoo powders...:runaway:

This is a pretty bold statement from Hornady:

100 to 200 fps FASTER than any
conventional ammunition on the market
today, and achieves this performance in EVERY gun, WITHOUT increases in
felt recoil, muzzle blast, temperature sensitivity, fouling or loss of accuracy
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I would like to see their research data on how they are increasing velocity that much, without ANY increase in pressures.

Not sure I want to drive an SST any faster than I'm already loading...
 
blargon said:
Ooooh, secret voodoo powders...:runaway:

This is a pretty bold statement from Hornady:



I would like to see their research data on how they are increasing velocity that much, without ANY increase in pressures.

Not sure I want to drive an SST any faster than I'm already loading...
Click to expand...

The area under the pressure time curve is indicative of the amount of energy imparted to the bullet.
Theoretically, if you could 'flatten' the pressure time curve to reduce the peak pressure (the one that does the damage) and yet generate more area under the curve what Hornady claims could possibly be accomplished.
After years of exposure to advertising hype and quite frankly bs I am an admitted cynic and unless I see it on my Chrony and the target paper and test the ammo myself I don't believe it.
There are some competent shooters and re-loaders on this board and I'd be interested in their field test results of this ammo.
If anybody has a chance to bench test this ammo please let us know what your chronographs and target paper groups are telling you.
Pics would be really nice.
 
Rosebud said:
The area under the pressure time curve is indicative of the amount of energy imparted to the bullet.
Theoretically, if you could 'flatten' the pressure time curve to reduce the peak pressure (the one that does the damage) and yet generate more area under the curve what Hornady claims could possibly be accomplished.
After years of exposure to advertising hype and quite frankly bs I am an admitted cynic and unless I see it on my Chrony and the target paper and test the ammo myself I don't believe it.
There are some competent shooters and re-loaders on this board and I'd be interested in their field test results of this ammo.
If anybody has a chance to bench test this ammo please let us know what your chronographs and target paper groups are telling you.
Pics would be really nice.
Click to expand...

Why dont you purchase the ammo and find out for yourself? Then post results for the rest of us.
 
PileBuck said:
I've heard of a few sticky bolts
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The Federal 'High Energy' ammo disappeared off the shelves not long after it came out. It shoots real tight groups in a Remington 'old' model 7 (18.5" bbl.) in .308 Win. that I own.
Lucky I stockpiled 5 boxes of it.
I've ordered 6 boxes of the new Hornady Superformance ammo from Lebarons to try in my two .300 Win. Mags.
 
Hornady tried this 15 years ago with their "Light Magnum" ammo, when Federal had brought out the "High Energy line". If you read this link, there are speed and accuracy tests with both, compared to regular fodder. For the most part, its just marketing hype to make people think they are getting .300WM performance from their .30-06.

http://www.gun-tests.com/performance/jul96price.html

In 1995 Hornady accomplished the feat when the company unveiled its new Light Magnum line of ammunition. By using a special ball propellant manufactured by Winchester and a special method of dropping that powder, Hornady was able to increase the muzzle velocity of several cartridges enough to market new hunting ammunition to speed-crazy hunters and shooters. Federal soon followed, introducing its new line of Premium High Energy ammunition in 1996. Like Light Magnum, High Energy touts faster muzzle velocities and increased performance over standard loadings in the same caliber. (Sound Familiar?)
Click to expand...
Check out the chrony readings from their tests.

The .308 Light Magnum 150-grain load had a muzzle velocity of 2,708 fps. Compared to the other 150-grain loads in our test group, it showed a minimal performance edge, we thought. For example, Remington’s Core-Lokt 150 grain hit 2,656 fps, only 2 percent slower. Federal Classic (2,674 fps) was 1.3 percent slower, while the Winchester Super X Power Point (2,681 fps) was 1 percent slower. Also, the Winchester Supreme Silvertip Boattail round (2,689 fps) lagged behind the Light Magnum round by 19 fps—a 0.8 percent difference.

The .308 165-grain and 180-grain speed tests produced mixed results. While both the Light Magnum (2674 fps) and High Energy (2,673 fps) had almost identical velocities, they were ahead of the Remington Extended Range round (2650 fps) by 20 fps, a paltry 0.9 percent difference. However, the Federal Premium 165-grain load (2,469 fps) was 7.7 percent slower. Also, there was a measurable 8.1 percent difference between the .308 180-grain Federal High Energy load’s 2,646 fps and the Supreme load at 2,434 fps.

In .30-06 150-grain loadings, the Light Magnum clocked in at 2,893 fps. However, these results were closely matched by our other test loads. They included the Federal Classic (2,793 fps, 3.5 percent difference); Remington Core-Lokt (2,868 fps, 0.9 percent difference); Norma SP (2,838 fps, 2 percent difference); and Hornady Custom (2,815 fps, 2.7 percent difference.)
Click to expand...

I'm getting better results from my .308 handloads than the factory .30-06 ammo gets. I guess its not hard to beat the regular ammo, if its weak to start with.
 
Rosebud said:
I've ordered 6 boxes of the new Hornady Superformance ammo from Lebarons to try in my two .300 Win. Mags.
Click to expand...

The $250 you just spent on those 6 boxes would have set you up well for handloading, and you wouldn't need the hokus-pokus secret voodoo powder...:)
 
the hornady light magnum ammo and fed high-performance ammo was COMPRESSED powders that gave higher energy WITH added recoil and the occasional sticky bolt. This new generation of ammo is getting increased speed with different coatings they use on the gunpowder to vary the speed and duration of the burning. They use something similar in the leverevolution ammo. The lt-mag ammo was expensive to produce and not all that effective in some rifles (especially ones without the same length barrel of the pressure test lab rifles. )24-26" , while most hunters used 20 or 22" barrels. The speed was pretty much never realized as half the powder spit out the end of the barrels unburned.
 
blargon said:
The $250 you just spent on those 6 boxes would have set you up well for handloading, and you wouldn't need the hokus-pokus secret voodoo powder...:)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.
Sounds like the same old hornady marketing hype recycled.
All that was different was the date.
Canceled the order.
I don't need to be set up for hand loading.
Been doing it for years.
I've become a lazy sack of potatoes.
If I can find a factory load that does what I want I'll use it.
The Remington Core-Lokt stuff has been doing the job for me.
Been getting around 1 moa with the 180 grain Core-Lokts in my .300 Win. Mag.
Now everybody needs 1/2 MOA accuracy to shoot a 1200 pound moose standing on the side of the road at 75 yards.:rolleyes:
When I started hunting if you could hit a pie plate at 100 yards with your 99, 94, 88 or 336c you were in business.
 
I think that he meant the sticky bolts were from the light-magnum ammo they used to load. This new superperformance ammo has no pressure increase so I doubt it would cause any sticky bolts. The old ammo was surely on the fence in regards to increasing pressures. I can't imagine compressing powder as a good way to get 200 f/s . Just asking for trouble if used in a questionable firearm. I'd say the lt-mag ammo was slightly over safe pressures. The first page of any reloading manuals say that to try to gain speed by just stuffing more powder in a case is asking for trouble.
 
I am only going on the writers who have published several "reports" and some of the writers I truly respect. Anyhow, all the users who shot it and wrote in the gun mags reported no problems. But maybe , just MAYBE, the paid gun rag "Price is right" beauties who can never seem to find anything wrong with any gun they review , might just be wrong. But I digress, these guys can't ever be wrong. I mean........they are published!!!!
Anyhow, the proof is in the pudding, and stuck bolts mean OVERPRESSURE. I am calling bullshyte too. The guy in the other forum got it right. If you want more speed, buy a bigger round like a weatherby or something. Cartridges can only do so much before they blow up. My little ol' .30-06 still kills em dead every time, and with regular old antique ammo (like winchester power points, and Remington core-locts. ) Funny huh? 2700 f/s and 2900 f/s don't mean much if they both bang-flop. Dead is dead.
 
RL17 is one of these new super powders that is rumoured to be used in the Hornady light Magnum ammo, I have been using it in my 30-06 & 375RUM lately and I will vouch for it giving higher velocities with no more pressures signs than standard powders.

Here are a couple examples...

20" barreled Rem 700 LSS in 30-06 with 180gr Scirroco's

55grs IMR4350 = 2620fps
55grs RL17 = 2750fps

21" barreled Rem 700 LSS in 375RUM with 300gr bullets.

92.5grs IMR4350 = 2640fps
92grs RL17 = 2720fps


As an example here are 2 write ups on RL17 which will help explain what Hornady is doing...

Engineered for Enhanced Energy, More Velocity

How does RL17 produce so much added speed? There are two main reasons--unique burn properties and high load density. In its chemical properties, RL17 is like no other powder available in the U.S. market. Made in Switzerland by Nitrochemie, RL17 has a unique burn-rate controlling chemical that penetrates all the way through the kernels. Other common extruded powders have only a surface coating. Reloader 17's unique penetrating burn-rate regulator smooths out the pressure curve, allowing RL17 to maintain high energy for a longer period of time.

German Salazar, using Bob Jensen's Oehler 43 equipped for pressure-testing, confirmed that the pressure curve for Reloder 17 is much "gentler" than that of other powders in the same burn range. After RL17 hits peak pressure, the energy level doesn't drop as rapidly as with other powders. So there is more energy pushing your bullet for a longer time. Since pressure drops off more slowly, you can achieve more velocity for a given peak pressure.

The second reason RL17 offers so much added velocity is load density. This powder packs very tightly compared to other "slow" extruded powders such as H4350 and H4831sc. For chamberings limited by case capacity, RL17 lets you put more powder (by weight) into the case. That means you're less likely to run out of "boiler room" before you reach max pressure.
Click to expand...

another...
February 12, 2008
Alliant Releases NEW Reloder 17 Powder
Filed under: News,Reloading — Tags: Gunpowder, Reloading — Editor @ 1 pm

Reliant Reloader 17Alliant Powder, a division of Alliant Tech Systems Inc., (ATK), will be shipping new Reloder 17 powder in mid-March, 2008. This is an all-new, double-base powder produced in Switzerland by NitroChemie for Alliant. It is a high-energy powder with a burn rate close to IMR 4350, and “midway between Reloder 15 and Reloder 19.” The powder density is optimized for the short magnum cases such as the 7mm WSM and 300 WSM, but it also will work very well with cartridges such as .243 Win, .270 Win, 6XC, and 6mm Remington, according to Alliant Product Manager #### Quesenberry.

Reloder 17, a state-of-the-art propellant, promises to deliver higher velocities than competitive powders for many popular calibers. If you have the “need for speed”, Reloder 17 is worth trying if you’re shooting IMR4350, H4350, N550 or similar powders right now. The new RL17 will be offered in 1-lb. and 5-lb. containers and will cost about the same as other Alliant Reloder powders, such as RL15 and RL19.

Mr. Quesenberry noted that Alliant tested many formulations, from a variety of makers, before choosing the Swiss-made Reloder 17. Alliant’s new RL17 is NOT the same as Norma URP, produced by Bofors in Europe. According to Alliant, the new Reloder 17 tested superior to URP (and most other powders in that burn range) in all major criteria: Velocity, Accuracy, ES/SD, material consistency, and resistance to ambient temperature-induced pressure changes.

Reloder 17 features an advanced, penetrant-type kernel coating. Alliant believes this is superior to typical surface powder coatings because it provides a more consistent, progressive burn. The powder pressures do not spike as sharply as with surface-coated powders, but remain more consistent throughout the burning process.

Testing has shown that Reloder 17 offers big velocity gains in many cartridges compared to other powders in the same burn range. For example, in the 6mm Remington, using an 85gr BTSP, Reloder 17 delivered a +156 fps gain over all other powders listed in the current Speer Reloading manual. Likewise, in the 300 WSM with a 180gr BTSP, Reloder 17 offered +104 fps edge in velocity over all powders listed in the Speer Manual. Below is a chart showing projected velocity gains compared to other Speer Manual-listed powders.
Click to expand...
 
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Camp Cook said:
Here are a couple examples...

20" barreled Rem 700 LSS in 30-06 with 180gr Scirroco's

55grs IMR4350 = 2620fps
55grs RL17 = 2750fps

21" barreled Rem 700 LSS in 375RUM with 260gr Accubonds

92.5grs IMR4350 = 2640fps
92grs RL17 = 2720fps
Click to expand...

Have you ever chrony'd factory ammo, in comparison?
 
I don't shoot factory ammo very often so no...

My examples were to show what the new powders can do without raising pressures.
 
Good article in one of the rifle magazines lately about this ammo.

The author went to Hornady, and ultimately used their testing facilities to do comparisons.

Gains of 100 to 200 fps, all else being equal.

It's all about the powder, which is proprietary. Each caliber and bullet size requires specific blending.

Because of the broad pressure curve, lower pressures overall, with greatly improved efficiency in burn rates. No unburnt powder leaving the end of the barrel, which is why they can achieve maximum performance from shorter barrels.

First developed for LeverEvolution, then Ruger short magnums.

No gimmicks, it works as advertised.
 
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