Puffing or the real deal - Hornady Superformance

[scootrd]

IS THIS HYPE OR JUST MFG PUFFING?
Superformance ammunition is 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. Superformance uses ultra progressive propellants that take your favorite SST or GMX bullets to levels of performance that are simply unattainable with conventional propellants.

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[Graybeard]

I've not chronoed the Super Performance yet but it's really just an updated name for the Light Magnum ammo line they dropped. Every light mag ammo I have run over the chrono has delivered the claimed velocity. Darn few other factory loads I've chronoed did that.

Now the part about more velocity without more recoil is bunk no matter who spits it out. It's against the laws of physics in Hornady ammo just as it is in all the short fat rounds no matter what the manufacturer says.

But if you want the fastest ammo out there for a given bullet weight in factory ammo Hornady does deliver it.

[charles p]

GB is correct.  For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.  Recoil must go up when velocity goes up and all other factors remain constant.

[oldhunter]

I agree with GB about Hornady and also believe that Buffalo Bore has become another ammo manufacturer that produces high quality with exceptional performance.

[BBF]

If they can use less powder to achieve the higher Vel it would make a difference in recoil.

[Oldshooter]

Ashamed to say I dont own a chrono. but my varmit rifle likes the 6mm superformance. The best factory loads I have seen. 1 1/2" groups at 200 yds. Thats with my tired eyes.

[Larry L]

[size=0px]For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.  Recoil must go up when velocity goes up and all other factors remain constant.[/size]

I was also in that same school room until I read Hatchers Notebook. Apparently our teacher was wrong. The idea behind SuperPerformance ammo is to build the pressure curve quickly, hold it, and then drop off like a rock. Per Hatcher, most of the recoil is not from the bullet but from the rocket engine we have shouldered. The escaping gases we call muzzle blast is the recoil. If you think about it, these little light bullets are hammering us pretty hard for such a little thing. The SP ammo is designed to lower the amount of expanding gases as the bullet exits the barrel thereby reducing recoil. Speed is gained by the pressure curve getting up there quickly and holding before it drops off. Most powders are a more linear pressure build than SP. Per tech I spoke with about it, this is achieved thru the detergents used to control the burn rate and temp of the burn.
Apparently from reading some of the threads here and other sites, some folks are having issues with excessive pressures in some rifles using SP ammo. I've seen enough of it to not want any of it. Some are having so much pressure that the primers fall out of the factory ammo after firing. Not good in my book but I've also not shot any of it. I'd label it buyer beware.
If you haven't read Hatchers Notebook, here it is. It's a large lengthy download but worth the time to read. I don't always agree with some of his data but the part about recoil is considered fact by the guys that formulate powders so apparently it's correct. It'll certainly make you think differently about that rocket engine we shoulder that we like to call guns. I guess this why I can load 3006 150gr bullets with SR4759 or H4895. The SR4759 has very little recoil while the H4895 kicks even when loaded to the same velocity.
Hatchers Notebook.
http://photos.imageevent.com/badgerdog/generalstorage/hatchersnotebook/Hatchers_Notebook_searchable.pdf

[scootrd]

Larry ,
Thanks for the link. very informative