Black Hills Ammunition, headquartered in Rapid City, South Dakota, has a rich history and a commitment to excellence. Founded over 40 years ago by Jeff Hoffman and his wife Kristi, the company has become a trusted name among serious shooters and professionals. Jeff and Kristi’s unwavering passion for crafting top-quality ammunition has been instrumental in Black Hills’ success.
Jeff has brought 38 years of experience as a sworn law enforcement officer with the Rapid City Police and Pennington County Sheriff’s Office to Black Hills Ammunition. His service includes full-time, part-time, and reserve roles. He served on the Special Response Team (SRT) as a sniper for 28 years, including 11 years as Team Leader or Assistant Team Leader. Jeff retired from law enforcement in 2017.
Before starting the business, Jeff personally inspected the ammunition he carried on duty as a sworn officer. Now, every round leaving the factory undergoes hand inspection by their quality control staff. Firearms manufacturers use Black Hills ammunition for testing during development because of the company’s reputation for excellence.
Black Hills supplies all match 5.56mm ammunition for the US Military’s Service Rifle Teams. Their specialty ammunition also supports specific military operations. I have long been a fan of Black Hills ammo due to its consistency and reliability.
Black Hills HoneyBadger™
Black Hills’ cutting-edge HoneyBadger™ line of ammunition is reshaping perceptions of self-defense rounds. The name itself comes from the small, but ferocious honey badger, which is symbolic of the bullet’s performance. It doesn’t care about barriers which cause other bullets to fail.
The HoneyBadger™ line, with its FTM™ projectiles, represents a fundamental shift in bullet design. It’s the result of a collaboration between Black Hills Ammunition, led by Jeff Hoffman and Dave Fricke, prior owner of Lehigh Defense. Their mission was to develop a bullet capable of penetrating barriers — such as glass, clothing, or automotive panels — without compromising terminal performance.
HoneyBadger™ ammunition features custom-engineered, solid-copper bullets that provide consistent and reliable performance. Its innovative nose geometry ensures deep, straight penetration, while simultaneously creating a permanent wound cavity that can exceed that of many expanding bullets, making them a formidable choice for self-defense and law enforcement applications. The HoneyBadger™ bullet overcomes penetration barriers and delivers environmentally friendly performance. Each bullet is precisely tailored for specific calibers and velocities.
The effectiveness of a bullet is more determined by its construction rather than its caliber. Although manufacturers have spent considerable money to engineer better hollow points, and have improved expansion rates, consistent expansion in real world scenarios remains a problem. When foreign materials, such as heavy clothing, fills and obstruct the hollow point cavity with enough material, it does not allow for fluid to enter which inhibits expansion. The consequence is failed or irregular expansion of the hollow point, affecting its effectiveness.
Solid-copper pistol projectiles face challenges, especially when it comes to achieving consistent expansion and terminal performance at pistol velocities. The late Charlie Kelsey of Devel Corporation recognized this issue and, in 1992, patented a fluted, sintered copper bullet. However, Kelsey’s groundbreaking work remained relatively dormant until around 2012. It was then that Jeff and Dave embarked on a research and development program focused on non-expanding monolithic copper bullets, building upon Kelsey’s foundational ideas. HoneyBadger™ was the result.
Unlike conventional hollow point bullets, the HoneyBadger™ is non-deforming and non-fragmenting. It remains unaffected when penetrating barriers like drywall or heavy clothing before reaching the intended target. It’s completely barrier-blind and delivers impressive performance, inflicting massive tissue damage.
The secret lies in the patented radial flutes of the HoneyBadger™ Fluid Transfer Monolithic™ (FTM™) projectiles. These flutes are cut longitudinally into the bullet’s body. Originating at the bullet’s nose, they serve a critical purpose. When the bullet impacts, these flutes act as lower regions of pressure that channels the hydraulic energy, forcing it to follow a curved path curved path to be accelerated violently outward by the trailing edges of the flutes. This results in intense pressure spikes that severely damage surrounding tissue. This dynamic process causes significant trauma and tissue tearing.
Fluids have a low compressibility — they do not significantly change in volume under pressure. The rapid fluid flow generates cavitation and tissue disruption comparable to the best hollow points available. The result is a permanent wound cavity that could be two to four times larger than that produced by flat or round nose bullets, often surpassing traditional or solid copper expanding bullets, depending on the medium it passes through.
Mechanics of Wounding
There are many myths about handgun “stopping power” that still persist. To assess the likelihood of incapacitation with any handgun round, it’s essential to understand the mechanics of wounding. One of the best references on the subject is Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness, authored by Special Agent Urey W. Patrick of the Firearms Training Unit at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. This treatise represents widely accepted and reliable knowledge regarding wound ballistics.
Only a bullet that strikes the brain with precision can guarantee incapacitation. Some individuals may be incapacitated psychologically by even minor or small caliber wounds. In some cases, individuals fueled by fear, adrenaline, drugs, alcohol, or sheer determination to survive may remain functional despite sustaining life-threatening injuries.
To force incapacitation, sufficient blood loss is necessary. This process takes time. Even if the heart is instantly destroyed, the brain can support voluntary action for 10-15 seconds due to existing oxygen reserves. Contrary to popular belief, kinetic energy alone does not wound or is hard to quantify if it does. The temporary cavity created by a bullet does not cause significant damage. The idea of shock from bullet impact is a myth.
To maximize bullet effectiveness, it’s crucial to focus on wound severity. This involves increasing the size of the wound channel created by the bullet. Specifically, the bullet must penetrate through vital organs, ensuring rapid bleeding. Any projectile that fails to achieve adequate penetration from less-than-optimal angles is not suitable. The critical factor lies in creating a sufficient wound path to incapacitate a threat effectively.
The FBI has established criteria for handgun bullet penetration during their ballistic tests. They consider a bullet that penetrates between 12 to 18 inches of 10% ballistic gelatin to be adequate. This standard is designed to ensure reliable penetration of vital organs within the human target, regardless of the angle of impact or intervening obstacles such as arms, clothing, glass, etc. It’s important to note that bullets that fail to penetrate 12 inches or penetrate beyond 18 inches are penalized. This range of penetration is considered to provide a balance between the need to stop a threat and the need to minimize the risk of over-penetration, which could potentially harm bystanders or cause collateral damage.
Testing HoneyBadger™
HoneyBadger™ ammo is currently available in .380, 9mm, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W, 10mm, .44 Special, .45 ACP, and .45-70 calibers. Black Hills Ammunition provided me with 9mm HoneyBadger™ in both 100-gr +P and 125-gr subsonic loads for evaluation. Both rounds meet the FBI Ballistic Testing Protocol and boast impressive performance. The 100-gr +P ammo has a listed velocity of 1250 fps and generates 347 ft. lbs. of energy. The 125gr subsonic ammo has a listed velocity of 1000 fps and generates 278 ft. lbs. of energy. The 125-gr subsonic has a slightly smaller temporary cavity diameter and slightly greater maximum penetration depth in ballistic gel tests than the 100-gr +P.
I haven’t conducted any gelatin testing of the HoneyBadger™ ammo myself, but Black Hills Ammunition provided me with their test results, which were conducted in accordance with the FBI Ballistic Testing Protocol.
+P ammunition is loaded to a higher pressure than standard ammunition and is intended for use only in firearms specifically designed to handle these increased pressure levels. While many modern firearms are capable of safely using +P ammo, not all are. This increased pressure results in higher velocity and greater muzzle energy, potentially improving terminal performance. However, the higher pressure also leads to increased recoil. Additionally, the extra pressure can accelerate wear and tear on the firearm over time, particularly if it’s not specifically designed to handle +P ammunition.
Reliability is the cornerstone of any defensive handgun. While some pistols can be temperamental, it’s crucial to rigorously test your ammunition at the range before entrusting your life to it. I have extensively evaluated both the 100-gr +P and 125-gr subsonic loads in a broad array of popular defensive pistols, and they have performed flawlessly. This impeccable performance is a testament to Black Hills Ammunition’s renowned quality control and the HoneyBadger™ bullet profile, which is resembles a full metal jacket flat nose (FMJ-FN).
Final Thoughts
HoneyBadger™ ammo offers reliable penetration through barriers without deformation or trajectory deviation, coupled with an expanded permanent wound cavity, excellent accuracy and reliable feeding — a winning combination for effective self-defense. It eliminates concerns about clogging and bullet failure. Quite simply, it does the job.
Source
Black Hills Ammunition
Black-Hills.com
Material Disclosure
I received this product as a courtesy from the manufacturer so I could test it and give my honest feedback. I am not bound by any written, verbal or implied contract to give this product a good review. All opinions are my own and are based off my personal experience with the product
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