{"id":162746,"date":"2022-07-04T18:46:46","date_gmt":"2022-07-04T22:46:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=162746"},"modified":"2025-11-06T06:37:35","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T12:37:35","slug":"hunt365-review-hornady-handgun-hunter-ammunition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/hunt365-review-hornady-handgun-hunter-ammunition\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Hornady Handgun Hunter Ammunition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Review:<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Handgun hunters vary from traditionalists using revolvers and autoloaders with mostly straight-walled cases to specialty pistol users and their bolt action or break open action single shots and repeaters using what most consider rifle rounds. The rifle-caliber crowd has a vast range of suitable bullets and ammunition to choose from due to rifles being eminently popular. The Traditionalists do not have this great selection of choices. There are a few premium handgun ammunition makers and the major manufacturers have tried to provide good suitable ammunition but the market is small, so these products seem to come and go based on sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Review:
I would use normal non-accuracy tuned hunting guns for researching this ammunition and be pleased with results all around.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Most handgun ammunition is geared towards self-defense and personal protection.  This type of ammunition does fairly well on small and medium game, provided you choose your shots carefully and your quarry is not solidly built and tough.  Lately, some states have implemented laws that require projectiles used for hunting to be \u201cgreen\u201d, meaning no harmful lead that can cause health issues.  Some of the major manufacturers have joined forces with nonlead projectile companies and now produce \u201cgreen\u201d ammo.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Review:
I wanted to give a fair representation on how the ammunition would function in normal hunting handguns.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Enter Hornady,…..they have been making some very nice monometal bullets for some time, in their GMX and Monoflex line of rifle bullets.\u00a0 They have now added a \u201cgreen\u201d bullet to the handgun side, and are producing a line of handgun ammunition strictly designed for handgun hunting and aimed at the Traditionalists.\u00a0 The line is called Handgun Hunter, and will be available in 9mm, 357magnum, 40s&w, 10mm, 44magnum<\/a>, 454 Casull, and 460s&w.\u00a0 The 9mm, 40s&w<\/a>, and 10mm are rated for small game use, the rest are rated for medium game and larger.\u00a0 The bullet looks like a traditional hollow point bullet however the hollow is filled with a polymer or synthetic type material, which is supposed to aid in initiating expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was lucky enough to receive some of the 44mag. ammunition and promptly headed for the range with a couple of my 44mag. hunting rigs to see how the load would perform.  The guns used are a Ruger Super Blackhawk with 4 5\/8\u201d barrel and a Burris FastFire red dot<\/a> sight, as well as my Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter with 7.5\u201d barrel and 4x optic.  Shooting took place at 50 yds, with a couple of shots tossed at 100 to verify impact.  The listed velocity for the 200gr. Monoflex bullet is 1475fps, with nothing given as to what gun or barrel it was shot through.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Review:
My short-barreled Ruger using the mini red dot sight placed the first 5 rounds of ammunition into an acceptable group for hunting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My 7.5\u201d Ruger provided 1435fps as an average of five shots, the shortie Ruger produced 1315fps average for five shots.  Accuracy at 50 yards with the shortie Ruger and its red dot produced a group measuring 3\u201dx2.5\u201d.  Recoil and muzzle blast are about what you would expect for a 200gr. bullet going approximately 1400fps.  There is little lift from the 7.5\u201d gun, and the short gun is easily handled by anyone accustomed to shooting a magnum handgun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Review:
After zeroing the 7.5\u201d gun 2\u201d high at 50 yards, this 2 round coupling was fired at 100 yards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Since I was short on ammo I only fired two rounds at 100 yards with the 7.5\u201d gun to verify impact just in case a shot at that distance was needed and produced a 1.6\u201d coupling.  I did not fire any further rounds as I wanted to save the few remaining I had for what the load was intended for……hunting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Review:
179 pounds and taken at 80 yards, the 200gr. Monoflex bullet performed admirably.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was now time to deal with terminal ballistics, I intended to use the remaining rounds I had on a mule deer and antelope hunt.  A slight misstep caused me to break my ankle and postpone using a traditional handgun<\/a> for that hunt.  I was disappointed in needing to delay my write-up, so as soon as I could I was down in South Texas trying to close the deal on a feral hog with the load.  This time it would be the shortie Ruger that was used for the hunt.  I was able to spot a small herd of 12-15 pigs of various sizes rooting up a pasture, from about 500 yards away.  Using the wind and terrain features I was able to close the distance to about 50 yards.  I needed to wait for some cattle in the pasture to clear away from behind the pigs and by then the distance increased to about 80 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I put the red dot on the front leg and just above the centerline for height and broke the shot.  The sow took off running, but I\u2019d heard the bullet land and the sights were true when the gun went off, so I knew the shot was good.  She had been quartering toward me at the shot and the bullet landed on the shoulder and exited the offside breaking ribs as it went.  She ran about 50-75 yards and piled up, following a blood trail was unnecessary given the short grass.  She would end up weighing 179 pounds on my scale, a good-sized pig, and in my opinion a fair test for the bullet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Review:
Having extra ammo allowed for a better example of 100 yard accuracy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

All I had left was four rounds and thought finding four more pigs would allow me to draw a decent opinion on how the ammunition would perform in the field.  However, my luck would continue to improve as I received a couple more boxes before the article was done.  Given the extra rounds, I decided I wanted to see if the load would shoot as well as it appeared to from the 7.5\u201d Ruger.  So I fired a 3 shot group at 100 yards with the Super Blackhawk Hunter.  I was hoping the 1.6\u201d, 2 shot coupling I\u2019d fired earlier wasn\u2019t a fluke,…..I was not disappointed, 3 shots landed in 2.35\u201d at 100 yards, for a completely stock gun that is not a bad group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Review:
The first blood and the end result, first blood was within 8 feet, end result was 75 yards further.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I have a friend that owns a ranch with a good population of free-range Aoudad.  Occasionally he gets some big rams, that frequent the place.  On my last morning to hunt, a ram of large proportions steps out.  I quickly ranged him and grabbed my Super Blackhawk Hunter, he ranged at 71 yards and quartering away from me at a greater than 45-degree angle.  I placed the crosshairs behind his last rib and a touch low, to compensate for the 2-inch high impact I was expecting.  The blood trail was almost immediate, no more than 8 feet from where he was standing.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Review:
Walking up from behind, I realized this ram was big.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Performance was everything I\u2019d hoped for\u2026while I\u2019d like to post a picture of a nicely mushroomed Monoflex bullet.  I\u2019m much happier knowing penetration was complete, the damage was textbook, and the animal died quickly and was found easily.  The shot landed behind the last rib, just below the midline body, traversed both lungs, just missed the heart, and exited in his offside armpit.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aoudad are known for their tenacity and are built much sturdier than deer.  The fact that he only went 60-75 yards after being hit is a testament to the effectiveness of the bullet.  Having used the bullet on game that is built significantly tougher than most normal medium game, I\u2019m happy to recommend the Hornady Handgun Hunter line for anyone looking for an effective factory load for handgun hunting.  If I find myself needing some factory ammo to hunt with I\u2019ll be looking for Accurate, Deadly, and Dependable, Hornady Handgun Hunter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As normal, here are my gripes and likes….<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My biggest surprise was just how close the published velocities were when used in actual guns.  This is a change from what I\u2019ve seen in the past where relatively optimistic velocities were used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The least liked feature is the packaging.  Given only twenty rounds it\u2019s tough to use one box and get a solid zero and verify impact at multiple distances and still have ammunition left to hunt with.  Even a box of 25 would be more useful in my opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My most liked feature is the fact that more options are coming out for Traditional handgun hunters, and they are being offered in \u201ceco-friendly\u201d options for the states that require that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest disappointment is that with our current situation finding the ammunition can be very difficult.  This is sad because Hornady has hit a home run with this ammunition for those hunters that do not reload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Review:
Accurate, Deadly, and Dependable,\u2026\u2026.a Hornady Homerun!!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n