As an enthusiast of a paticular product, have you ever wondered: who are the people behind this company, this brand, and this product? One of my favorite things about my job is when I have the opportunity to get to know someone that’s been influential in my industry. At the 2020 SHOT Show, I had that opportunity when I talked with Jason Hornady!
I love the fact that in the Hornady family you have to “earn your stripes”- a job isn’t handed to you, it’s something you work for.
Evolution of Tipped Bullets: From A-Max to ELD-X/ELD-M, A-Tip
It was fascinating to hear the story of how Hornady tipped bullets have evolved in the last ten years. I’ve shot my fair share of A-MAX, ELD-X, and ELD-M bullets- but didn’t know the full story of how these bullet designs evolved until this discussion with Jason Hornady.
Here’s an excerpt from the Heat Shield Technology article on hornady.com:
While analyzing the radar data on the new bullet, Hornady engineers noticed something right away that was puzzling. In Drag Coefficient versus Mach (Cd vs Mach) graphs, they saw that the new projectile was gaining drag shortly after leaving the barrel, which affected the performance of that bullet for the rest of its flight path.
From that same article, a picture (graph in this case) is worth a thousand words:
I LOVE IT when you can clearly see a phenomenon by visualizing data- and it’s even more fulfilling when you are solving a problem in the process! These discoveries (the above data and other experiments) lead to the development of the Heat Shield technology that’s used for ELD (X and M) bullets. Like many other hunters out there, I’ve come to trust ELD-X bullets not only for their lethal performance on game, but for their accuracy.
This year’s buck taken with Hornady Precision Hunter 300 PRC 212 grain ELD-X ammunition: (click/tap image to read full story)
And now Hornady has A-Tip- the next evolution of their tipped bullets with a focus on winning competitions. A-Tip enables each bullet SKU to have a custom tip profile, and that’s what I call “next level” capabilities! I recently loaded and shot some 6.5mm A-Tip bullets (full story HERE) with great results.
300 PRC and 6.5 PRC
If you’ve been reading and watching here on Ultimate Reloader, you’ve seen a lot of 300 PRC and 6.5 PRC content- two of my new favorite calibers. It was fun to share some of my results with Jason, and to hear more of the story of how these cartridges were developed, and how the industry is adopting these new cartridges. Hearing from Jason about how the military evaluated first round hits at 2600 Meters, I’m really thinking I need to get my 300 PRC out to a mile, and then beyond that! 6.5 PRC will also be a lot of fun at a mile- I just need for the snow to melt off a bit here so that I can get things setup! Look for more 6.5 PRC and 300 PRC content here on Ultimate Reloader!
In case you missed any of it, here’s the entire 300 PRC / 6.5 PRC content series published to date:
- In-Depth PRC Series: 6.5 PRC, 300 PRC End-To-End (Kick-Off)
- 300 PRC Custom Build Overview
- 300 PRC Custom Build: Chambering and Machining the Barrel
- 300 PRC Custom Build: MDT ACC Chassis Assembly, TriggerTech Diamond Install
- 300 PRC Custom Build: Benchmark Tactical Brake Machining and Install
- 300 PRC Custom Build: Optics and First Range Trip
- 300 PRC Initial Load Development: 225 grain ELD-M and Ramshot Magnum
- 300 PRC Precision Loads Step by Step
- Is 300 PRC Too Much for Deer? Field Results!
- 5 PRC Light-Weight Build Part 1: Action, Chambering, Fitting
- 5 PRC Light-Weight Build Part 2: Break-In and First Groups
- 5 PRC Light-Weight Build Part 3: Bedding the Action to the Stock
In Case You Missed It: 2019 Steve Hornady Interview
Last year I had a great talk with Steve Hornady- here’s that discussion!
A closing thought and question for you all? What Hornady products and technology are YOU most excited about? Please leave a comment!
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Thanks,
Gavin
