You Mean Ammunition Manufacturers Would Lie To Us?
BY Herschel Smith
3 weeks, 5 days ago
Listen to the end. Concerning ballistics and muzzle velocity, ammunition manufacturers may be doing more truth telling for the precision shooters than hunters, whom they think are goobers and won’t notice.
Now to be clear, some of this would only affect long range hunting, much longer than I do.
However, I may have readers who live in the western states. You may be missing because of bad information from ammo manufacturers. And misses can lead to unethical shots. So, ammunition manufacturers may be enticing to unethical hunting with false advertising.
That’s not cool.
Know your dope. Practice those long shots before you take them on game.
On April 3, 2024 at 4:17 am, Nosmo said:
Well, since everyone is lying to us these days, why would we expect ammunition manufacturers would be any different?
One difference, though, is the proliferation of easy-to-use chronographs that we can use as “field grade polygraphs” regarding the ammunition industry.
Would that we had a similar device to apply to the media……
On April 3, 2024 at 10:12 am, Woody said:
People better be saving their receipts for the inevitable class action lawsuit.
On April 3, 2024 at 10:30 am, Ronin said:
Boy that conclusion came out of nowhere.
I’m supposed to believe that he knows Why the velocities were over-estimated more on hunting bullets than precision? (which he didnt cover in his scientific tests)
He’s not even using the chrono correctly. I’m not buying scandelous conclusions from this guy.
On April 3, 2024 at 1:11 pm, Faramir said:
I’m no proponent of intentional deceit like this, if in fact that’s what’s going on—but this is a good object lesson in the importance of not just relying on theoretical predictions a model or controlled tests spit out, but instead learning how one’s rifle and the ammunition play together. Know your own limits, the limits of your rifle, and exercise careful judgment to make good, ethical shots.
The manufacturers need to tell the truth, but the shooter needs to do his due diligence, too.
On April 3, 2024 at 1:47 pm, Ned said:
On Hornady’s website, they list test barrel length on their velocity criteria.
So many new hunting rifles are using short barrels. It’s a complete mystery why they’re not hitting 24″ barrel velocity estimates…
I’ve personally never shot a game animal with anything but a hand load (except rimfire and some shotgun) and all loads were tested over a chrono. It’s been pretty much typical forever to not hit the listed factory velocity.
On April 3, 2024 at 2:19 pm, Grunt said:
He’s using a very small amount of data for his conclusions. But hey, it’s Youtube.
On April 3, 2024 at 4:43 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
It’s not lying, it is advertising and public relations!
All joking aside, it is the job of the responsible firearm owner to know his load and its trajectory as well as possible before using it, or as quickly as possible afterwards.
Muzzle velocity data provided on a box of hunting ammunition for a deer rifle is provided as an estimate only, and is not meant to be definitive. If you talk to their tech staff, they’d probably be the first ones to tell you that those figures are approximations only, and cannot account for variables such as the make/model of the rifle; its barrel length, twist or condition; environmental conditions such as temperature and altitude; ammunition temperature; and so on…
But getting back to advertising and PR, big companies of all kinds – including those who make/sell firearms and ammunition – have marketing departments for a reason.
If a company is trying to sell you on the latest wonder in ammo development, they need to pump their new thing up as much as possible, and maybe even throw some shade on whatever it is you might be using instead. The last thing they want you to deduce is that your 7mm Rem-Mag is just about as capable as the new 7mm PRC, even though that is actually pretty much the case.
Call me cynical, but it has been many years indeed since I looked at advertising and marketing of any kind with anything less than a jaundiced and somewhat skeptical eye.
By the way, that goes double for the local big-box store selling FAs and accessories. You may only really need a $150 4x power scope for that big deer hunt coming up, but the sales guy down at the local emporium is under orders to sell you a $2000 plus Nightforce 5.5-22×50 NSX scope f he can, and if you are gullible-enough to go for it.
Caveat emptor still applies…. let the buyer beware!
On April 3, 2024 at 6:14 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
10mm Auto has been all the rage lately, amongst certain members of the firearms community – your hand-gunners and such – so quite naturally, the manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon to stake out some business for themselves.
So, by-and-by, some intrepid and observant users get around to chronographing these new loads, only to find that they are no more potent than a garden-variety 40 S&W loading in the same bullet weight! In other words, the much-ballyhooed 10mm Auto – billed as a superior-performing alternative and upgrade to the 40 S&W – is performing no better than its cheaper sibling in many brands of factory ammunition.
So, a number of possibilities spring to mind to explain this…
First, simple exaggeration and bending of the truth for marketing and sales purposes.
Second, manufacturers skimping or cutting back on propellant charges to save a few cents per box of ammo. Over time, this adds up to significantly more profit if enough units get moved.
Third, in accordance with the maxim that stupidity and ignorance often explain more than malice, the manufacturers were not aware of the discrepancy.
Fourth, the downgrade in performance was done intentionally, perhaps at the behest of the authorities, i.e., the ATF, FBI, usual suspects – or more-likely, the insurance carriers and legal staffs of the makers.
It is germane to note that many firearm owners do not take the time to measure the real-world data on the loads they are firing, in particular if they are factory loads. They either trust the printed data on the box, or do not care if some variation exists, or the like.
It is also probable that manufacturers are more inclined to be generous in terms of specs with range/practice ammo than dedicated self-defense or duty loads designed for LE or personal protection use. The reason being that they are less-likely to be called on it with the former than the latter.