The .25 Huntington Hammer —
Foolhardy … or Fabulous?
I really shouldn’t be doing this, but since you have been loyal followers, I’ll let you in on a secret. Just promise, if word gets out, you’ll say you never heard it from here.
Super Secret Shooter
“His Editorship”, Ol’ Roy Boy himself, and I have been hard at work the past two years. Its been exciting, frustrating, exhausting and a real eye opener. Roy has always been keen on the unusual (hey, he hired me, right?) and has a soft spot for wildcat cartridges.
Over the years, he’s yearned for his own unique cartridge. One capable of double-duty, namely self-defense and hunting, should the need arise, or present itself. This cartridge had to be special, taking care of business with one shot or at most two, just in case the intended target was obsessively large, or hard to put down.
Proper Platform?
The toughest part was choosing the correct platform. Roy wanted the impossible, (doesn’t he always?) so it had to be pocket-sized for convenience and comfort. It also had to be versatile, capable of inflicting non-deadly force, should he just need to “keep the demons at bay” so to speak.
Here it is! The .25 Huntington Hammer in Derringer platform, with custom loaded ammo from Tank!
Tank’s Assignment
Taking all these things into consideration, Roy figured I was the man for the job. He simply stated, “Tank, with your runaway imagination, lack of attention to detail, and total disregard for safety, and, being the most expendable guy here, you’re perfect!”
High praise from such a great guy! I like when he compliments me with big words like that. It makes me feel important.
So Roy sends me a possible “test” gun to work with, telling me he already chambered the barrels himself. It’s a nifty little derringer he thought perfect for the job. Now, all I have to do is figure out what to do, without blowing the gun up, or my fingers off! But I was ready to make an impact, of some sort.
The pictures are deceiving! Those .25 Huntington Hammers fit!
Tank Tinkering’s
I was pumped, but Roy had some mighty high aspirations, I guess since his name was going to be on this cartridge and all. He wanted boat-tail “spritzer” bullets he said, to make it flat-shooting, for long range, while at the same time he wanted the bullets to quickly expand, for “man-stopping” ability he told me.
We settled on the Nosler Ballistic tip bullets, and Roy even had Nosler make the tips match the gun, that’s the kind of pull he has. He wanted a minimum of 3,000 FPS, again for its flat trajectory. It took some figurin’ on my part, along with ingenuity, but I got it.
Have you ever heard of duplex loads? How about tri-plex? Well, we broke new ground here with “Five-Plex” loads. Let’s just say I mixed powders, fastest burn rate first, to slowest, so all powder could be consumed in the 2 3/8″ barrel. Some powders had to be ground-up so it all fit in the case. But I got 97 grains of powder in there somehow!
Roy said he wanted it to be efficient and didn’t want to be blinded by a lot of muzzle-flash should he have to shoot in the dark. He’s always thinking that way. Guess that’s why he’s in charge?
The bullet run-out serves two purposes, it lowers pressure while providing an edged weapon.
With Roy’s background in fencing, it’s a natural!
Blast-Off!
After many trials, I finally reached Roy’s goal. He seemed kinda’ surprised when I told him, like he didn’t expect me to survive all the load development, or something. I took some pictures at the range. I was really surprised at the results, but think Roy will be pleased. Recoil is a might stiff, but the derringer platform worked.
While some like to load the bullets close to the leade for accuracy, I loaded them just to capture the last 0.1″ of the rifling at the bore for two reasons. One, to keep pressure down, and two, the Nosler Ballistic tips make for dandy edged weapons! Remember, Roy also wanted a non-lethal form of force in this do-it-all pocket piece. I think I did pretty good?!
Here’s the final test target, before the shot!
Here’s the final test target, after the shot, as Tank investigates the results. I’d say Tank looks stunned and pleased, all at once!
Final Farewell
As far as the unauthorized release of the .25 Huntington Hammer, I have nothing to lose. You see, this will be my last Think Tank! I’ve seen the light, as they say…especially after touching off the .25 Huntington Hammer.
I’ve sold all my guns, molds, powder, re-loading equipment, and taken up golf. Rather than shooting targets and critters, I’ll be shooting for birdies, or the rare, hole in one! It’s been a good stretch, but I’ve learned a lot about myself.
Maybe I’ll write speeches for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, you know, something worthwhile. I know some may be in shock at these revelations. If you are, then thank you very much!
I hope you have a marvelous April Fools Day! Ha!
