Meet HammerDown Rimfire
The new Federal Premium HammerDown offering joins an extensive centerfire HammerDown lineup optimized for lever actions. This latest launch sells exclusively as a 325-round box of .22 LR in 40-grain, copper-plated hollow points. Casings are nickel-plated brass. Muzzle velocity is advertised at 1,200 fps, clocking it as one of the company’s speediest Long Rifle loads. I don’t know many small game hunters who are worried about the ballistic coefficient on a .22 LR hollow point, but if that’s your thing, the BC is .110 on this load.
As with its centerfire counterparts, Federal claims the HammerDown rimfire variant’s velocities are also customized for optimal ballistics and terminal performance on small game when fired through lever-action rifles. For buyers, that means Federal all but ensures HammerDown rimfire will operate with ease in when feeding from the tubular magazine commonly found on most lever-action rimfire rifles.
Though the rounds look pretty much identical to earlier Federal Premium nickel-plated rounds, Federal advertises that “the geometry of each round’s case, bullet, and cartridge ensures flawless cycling through tubular magazine and typical lever-action feeding systems.” However those metrics work out, the rounds proved themselves on the range.
MSRP on a 325-count box is $39.99, and at the time of this writing, it’s readily available online and on store shelves.
Testing
Federal and Henry Repeating Arms have partnered on projects in the past, including the original HammerDown centerfire loads, so it seemed a no-brainer to include a Henry lever gun for test-firing the young rounds. In fact, some of the best groupings came under the hammer of Henry’s Frontier Model Threaded Barrel rifle, though we used the new Savage Revel Classic for the bulk of range testing.
There’s always a certain joy in working the lever on a classic. To that end, we pulled out a vintage Marlin Model 39A Golden Mountie to further expand the test sample.
We set up for a 50-yard accuracy group using the Savage Revel Classic. The testing was done using only the rifle’s iron sights, so it’s certainly possible groups would tighten up with an optic in place. We followed that one with another 50-yard group using Henry’s Frontier equipped with a Banish 22 suppressor. That group came in tighter, even when fired with only factory iron sights.
As much as we wanted to judge practical accuracy, we wanted to know how the lever gun optimized rounds fed, cycled, and ejected. Unsurprisingly, given our experiences with Federal Premium products, the HammerDown Rimfire rounds ran with 100-percent reliability through all three lever guns.
Field Notes
HammerDown rimfire performs just dandy in non-levers as well. I ran the rounds through Henry’s Mare’s Leg pistol, and for good measure, a couple bolt-action rimfires, a single-action revolver, and a semi-automatic Ruger 10/22. There were no failures to feed or other issues noted.
It wasn’t open season for squirrels or other small game when the ammo arrived, so I couldn’t test terminal performance. But with the 40-grain copper-plated hollow point, I expect clean harvests at the usual .22 LR distances. The range accuracy already proves the round’s penchant for head shots on small game. At the advertised 1,200 fps, it’s a hustling load.
For comparison, I’ve found good success with Federal’s Small Game .22 LR in the past. That one moves 40-grain copper-plated round nose projectiles at 1,240 fps and retails for $5.99 per 50-round box, putting that non-specialized load just slightly cheaper, albeit without the nickel-plated casings.
If you can find the young HammerDown Rimfire, I’d certainly add it to the ammo supply for those who own lever guns, whether as hunters or just plain plinkers. The rounds cycled well, grouped nicely through multiple guns from brand new to 50-plus years old, and are tipped with a projectile that makes it capable for most any pursuit.
Final Thoughts
Whether Federal intends to add other chamberings to the HammerDown family – looking at you, .22 WMR and .17 HMR – remains to be seen. Your lever gun will likely perform just fine with many ammunition choices, but Federal’s HammerDown Rimfire is a welcome addition to the .22 LR market.
It’s affordable, sells in a bulk pack, cycles with excellent reliability, shows practical accuracy through multiple lever guns, and is tailored to small game hunting. Squirrels, beware the lever gun hunter this winter.
