Hawk Bullets...Any good?

[Advocate]

Any experiences with Hawk Bullets out there?  They have a very diverse line of bullets, incl. flat points for .35 caliber.  

Just asking.

[magyars4]

I ordered abox a few years ago for my 45-70...for a moose hunt in canada.
I don't remember the load, but it was 3031 powder. I got a 5 shot group of .80" center hole to center hole....at 100 yrds. one of the best groups I have ever fired....target is still around here somewheere, if I can find it, I will post more info. I also remember they were exspensive bullets.

[Dand]

I've used the 180 and 250 grn in .348. Shoot into 3 to 4 inch groups at  100 yards but a lot of that is ME with peep sights and not enough time for good load development.  The soft jackets seem to foul easily and some people don't recommend loading them real hot due to the soft jacket.

I took a caribou at about 60-70 yards with 2 shots using the 180 grn.  and a moderate load of Rx7 - maybe too moderate when shot at -10 F. Broke the shoulders with both shots but I was a little high and the 'bou staggered about 50 yards between the 1st and 2nd shot - stayed down on the second. I found one jacket just under the hide on the off side and found a fully expanded bullet in the off shoulder - well expanded at about 70%  or original wt if I remember correctly. Both should blades  were shattered and a bit of meat ruined. Better shot placement on my part would have helped.

I'd recommend a heavier bullet in the 348 (200-230 for caribou, 250 for moose).  I'd recommend being sure you've got good velocity in the 348 then accept the fouling.  I think overall they are well made bullets especially for unusual calibers.  I expect I'll use them again and may try the .30 cal bullets one day - though I'm mostly a Nosler partition man in .30.

[Advocate]

Dand:  Thanks for your very detailed and interesting remarks on  the use of Hawk bullets in your .348 for caribou hunting.  It sounds as though the on game performance in your .348 was very good even though the copper  fouling is an inconvenience.  LIfe is full of trade offs, isn't it?  

You're right about Hawk bullets being made in a huge variety of calibers.  I was particularlyi interested in the wide selection of  flat points in .358 caliber.  I have  some interest in the .356/358 winchester rounds in a lever action,  but all of the really good bullets, (i.e. Nosler Partitions, Swift A-Frames, Barnes X bulllets) are sptizers which are unsafe in tubular magazines and the selection of non-premium flat point bullets is limited at best.  Hawk, however, makes flat points in 180, 200, 225, and 250 grains which would most certainly fill any moderate .35 caiber need, if their on game performance is up to the task, which it appears to be.

[Dutch4122]

Advocate-

One thing that you might want to be careful of with the Hawk Bullets.  Some of their bullets have jackets designed for slower moving cartridges in a given caliber.  For example, their website recommeds that bullets with a .025 jacket are suitable for cartidges that produce 2200 fps or less at the muzzle.  In their .358 diameter F/P's the 200 grn F/P has a jacket thickness of .025 inches.  This would be a great bullet for the .35 Remington, but the jacket might be a bit thin for the .356/.358 Winchester rounds.  This bullet might not hold together very well especially on deer sized or larger game.
If memory serves the heavier weight bullets in the .358 dia F/P's are made with thicker jackets.  You might want to try those in the .356/.358 Winchester cartridges.

Hope this helps. :money:

[Dutch4122]

Advocate-

I need to make a correction.

The Hawk .358 diameter F/P's have the following jacket thicknesses:

180 grn = .025
200 grn = .025
225 grn = .025
250 grn = .030

If you want a thicker jacket it is possible, but as a custom order with a minimum number of boxes required.  I think that was 4 to 6 boxes.  It can get expensive fast.  That's why I have shied away from them in the past.

[416 Express]

I've used Hawks' in  375 and 416 calibers.  They are a soft ( which ain't always bad ) bullet which reminds me of the Barnes O.  Keep them under 2500 fps, and use heavy for caliber weights and they will do fine on thin  skinned game.    Their 300gr semi spitzer is death on deer and hogs from my 416 Express, but I took the 300gr X bullet to Africa .   They should be commened and supported for making  "odd" sizes,weights,styles that keep some older rifles shootin'.

[Advocate]

416:  Very interesting post. What is a .416 Express?  Balllistics?

[ridgerunner]

Advocate,

I used them in my 7-30 waters TC and had great accuracy with them.  I have used them in my 270 also and have had good results.  The both produced one shot kills on deer at under 100 yards.  You do your job and the bullet will do its.  Hawk was a great help when I first used them in my TC.  Give them a call with any questions I am sure they can help.