By Joseph P. Tartaro | Executive Editor
Black Hills Honey Badger™ Ammunition is made with solid copper bullets—non-deforming, non-fragmenting projectiles with wide, sharp flutes.
Over the last few years, many manufacturers have been exploring new technologies to create more effective ammunition, especially for some concealed carry defensive pistols considered by many to be too puny to be reliable. As a result, consumers now have more choices in selecting reliable loads that perform significantly better than your granddaddy’s or your father’s old ammunition, even in the handguns they used. The newer pistols are generally better.
Now you have more choices than include new metals, new designs and new performance.
Black Hills Ammunition’s .45 ACP 135-grain Honey Badger™ from a 5-inch barrel. Top view of ballistic gelatin test to show temporary cavity diameter of 4.125 inches.
Black Hills Ammunition is a good example. The Rapid City, SD, firm has built an enviable reputation as a manufacturer of purpose-specific ammunition for military, law enforcement and civilian use, often using components developed by other firms to create some unique ammunition offerings.
But Black Hills inventiveness entered a new era two years ago. That’s when they introduced the first new Honey Badger™ solid projectile loads in .380 ACP and .38 Special calibers only. They were so well received that ear, the Honey Badger line was expanded to include a 9mm 125-grain load, a .45 ACP 135-grainer and a 160-grain .44 Magnum load.
When you need the best performance for defense of your life and family, this is technology that you can rely upon.
Now, for 2018, Black Hills has added even more new loads in new calibers to their Honey Badger line. These include a 125-grain .44 Special with a velocity of 1,250 fps and an energy rating of 434 ft. lbs., a 100-grain 9mm Luger Honey Badger with a velocity of 1,300 fps that generates 375 ft. lbs. of energy, and a 325-grain .45-70 with a velocity of 1,900 fps and 2,604 ft. lbs. of energy.
When the first .380 and .38 rounds were introduced the unique projectile was called Lehigh Defense after the company that first designed the bullet, but the name was changed by mutual agreement last year to Honey Badger™ in honor of one of Africa’s fiercest critters. Honey Badger™ is a patented design developed jointly by Black Hills Ammunition and Lehigh Defense.
Black Hills Ammunition’s 9mm 100-grain Honey Badger™ is a fast, accurate, light recoiling load that significantly outperforms conventional hollowpoints on barriers and on ballistic gelatin. A would track of over 3” in diameter and over 15” long totally out-classes conventional 9mm ammunition of all bullet weights.
Each Honey Badger projectile is made of solid copper that is non-deforming and non-fragmenting with wide, sharp flutes. These are essentially ballistic broadheads that cut through the kinds of barriers that cause hollowpoints to fail, producing an overall increase in depth of penetration and wider wound cavities. In a world in which expansion is often thought to be king, Black Hills ammunition is proving that a bullet doesn’t have to expand to create massive damage on target.
The Honey Badger is not just for handguns now. The addition of the Think what a new innovative design .45 caliber solid bullet can do at 1300 fps. How about a 7” diameter cavity that penetrates nearly a yard deep!
When the Honey Badger bullet impacts material made of a large percentage of water, like human flesh, the flutes rotate to force tissue outward at a rapid rate while still penetrating. In case you’re wondering, this bullet’s secret power is dynamic fluid dislocation, just like the ARX design. Since the bullet does not rely on expansion to wreak havoc on target, it’s less prone to under-penetrate when encountering a barrier that tends to clog up the hollow-point cavity. TGM’s Bob Campbell extensively test fired the .380 Auto loads for a feature last year based heavily on the 60-grain Black Hills loading using a Ruger’s LCP, and found the load to be extremely accurate and reliably functioning “in a pint-sized semi-auto,” the small handguns increasingly used for every day carry. TheGunMag published his report in April 2017.
Now there are eight Honey Badger offerings in all the most popular defensive pistol calibers except .357 Magnum. And the new .45-70 load opens the door to an even wider horizon for hunting big game and feral hogs. The Honey Badger™ is not just for handguns now.
Rifle Ammunition
Black Hills Gold loads the 6.5 Creedmoor with the 147-grain Hornady ELD-M® bullet, as well as with a 143-grain ELD-M®.
Speaking of long guns, Black Hills added some new loadings for 2018, including two 6.5 Creedmoor Hornady ELD® loads, a .308 Hornady GMX®, a .300 Winchester Mag. 200-grain Hornady ELD-X®, a .300 Winchester Mag. 200-grain Hornady ELD-X®, and a 7mm Remington Mag. 200-grain Hornady ELD-X®.
The 6.5 Creedmoor is a superb light-recoiling long range cartridge. It was designed to employ the highest ballistic coefficient projectiles available in 6.5 caliber, and Black Hills makes use of those new projectiles in the form of the 143 and 147 grain ELD® (Extreme Low Drag) bullets from their friends at Hornady. Tests with these bullets loaded in Black Hills Ammunition showed them to be capable of consistent one-half MOA-from a factory stock Ruger Precision Rifle (RPR).
Not only are the external ballistics and accuracy superb, the performance on game is impressive. The two new Black Hills Gold rifle loadings in 6.5 Creedmoor are the 143-grain Hornady ELD-X® with a velocity of 2,750 fps and energy of 2401 ft. lbs., and the 147-grain Hornady ELD-M® at a velocity of 2,700 fps and energy of 2,380 Ft. Lbs.
If you love your .308 for its accuracy, have you ever wished for a little flatter trajectory, similar to a .270? The new .308 125 Grain GMX® from Black Hills does that, and with a really good game bullet that will open up immediately and still penetrate deep to handle even the biggest mule deer. With a velocity of 3,000 fps, the trajectory of this .308 is identical to a .270 out to 400 yards. This Black Hills load using the Hornady produced GMX® bullet retains almost 100% of its weight to penetrate deeply and bring home the venison.
The new Black Hills Gold .308 loaded with the Hornady 125 Grain GMX® delivers a flatter trajectory, opens up immediately and still penetrates deep to handle even the biggest mule deer.
One advantage of homogenous copper alloy bullets like the Hornady GMX® used in this Black Hills loading, is that bullets expand easily and uniformly due to the precut petals ready to blossom upon impact, but they retain weight much better than lead core bullets. The result is that you can use lighter bullets while not sacrificing performance. Lighter bullets can be driven faster.
A .300 Winchester Mag. 200 Grain Hornady ELD-X®
Black Hills Ammunition’s 30-year long industry friendship with respected and innovative companies like Hornady give us access to the newest technology as it becomes available. The .30 caliber 200 grain ELD-X® bullet provides superior performance from the .300 Winchester Magnum. It’s an accurate, high ballistic coefficient bullet designed for hunting performance on long range medium game.
Black Hills Gold 2018 lineup also features a 7mm Hornady ELD-X® 200 Grain Hornady ELD-X® bullet that combines a high ballistic coefficient, long range accuracy capability, and game getting terminal performance.
