Hornady brand ammo with FlexTip Technology

I like to think I keep a pretty close eye on new stuff in outdoors related gear.    Therefore, I was completely shocked during a recent stroll through the sporting goods department at Wal-Mart.   Ever heard the term "Leverevolution?"   Yeah, me either. 

My son Hank is still cutting his teeth at deer hunting.  He hunts with a hand-me-down Marlin lever action .35 Rem.    Although not impossible to locate, ammo for this rifle is often a little more difficult to find than the standard 30-06, .270, .300, etc.    Generally if I want to buy shells I have to go so a specialty store like Cabela's, Gander Mtn., or a local gun shop.     Therefore, you can imagine my surprise when I found the shells on the sporting goods shelf in Wal-Mart. 

What's more, they were Hornady brand ammo.   A man learns something new every day.  I didn't even realize Hornady made finished ammunition products.   Naturally they are a household name in reloading accessories, particularly their bullets, but I'd never heard of Hornady Ammunition.    The shells were in the plainest looking of boxes.  It was uncolored cardboard with the term "Hornady" and "Leverevolution" on the box.   I opened it and took a look.  The shells had a plastic tip on the point.   I was skeptical.  

Generally, as an outdoor reporter, I somehow wind up on the mailing list or e-mail list of every outdoor related company's communications department.   I spend 20-minutes every morning deleting press releases about the newest this or the most cutting edge that.  All of them tout their gear as the next big thing.    Amazingly, I had never heard a peep out of Hornady about any such thing.

I called the communications director at Hornady.  He tells me the FlexTip Technology has actually been out there for several years.   The idea is aimed at improving the long-range accuracy of lever action rifles and at the same time offering a safer cartridge.  

The logic behind the design makes sense.   When loaded into a spring tightened tubular magazine, shells are pressed tip to primer in succession within the mag.   A knock on the rifle and suddenly the primer of a bullet in standby could be punctured by the tip of the one behind it.   The thought of such an occurrence is more than a little frightening.   Frankly, I'd never thought much about it.  

After thorough testing, Hornady researchers and more prominent gun writers than I across the country determined the aerodynamic design of the more pointed tip allows better accuracy.   Many claim the new ammo can increase the accurate range of lever action rifles, like my .35 and the ever popular .30-.30 out to 200+ yards.    

Another, unintended benefit, of the FlexTip may be in area of knockdown power.   Upon impact, the tip disintegrates, leaving a slight hollow point after penetration-causing the bullet to expand and increasing the lethal "tumble effect".  

I'm impressed and thought I'd pass it along to those die-hards who still stand-by their trusty lever actions every fall.  

Learn more about it by viewing the Leverevolution here.