Deer manager Paul Childerley describes what a bonded bullet is good for: “More weight behind it, more stopping power.”
Sako’s Aki Suvilahti perfers a more technical definition. “Bonding means that as there is lead core in the bullet, it is chemically fixed to this copper jacket,” he says, referring to his company’s Super Hammerhead ammo. “When you shoot an animal, the bullet expands and while there is this bonded chemistry, this lead core doesn’t separate that easily and it remains in one part.”
That means the weight retention is a lot higher than non-bonded bullets and the energy transferred to the animal higher because none is wasted transforming the bullet. It’s higher-quality bullet designed for high impact at short to medium distances.
It’s more expensive to make but Aki says the payoff is worth it.
“What’s the difference between a Hammerhead and Super Hammerhead?” Paul asks Aki at Sako’s plant in Riihimäki, Finland.
“Super Hammerhead, it’s a semi-Spitzer nose. Hammerhead is round, so the shape is more flat and the biggest difference is when you are shooting at short distances. With a round normal Hammerhead bullet you are getting more knockdown power because of that shape.”
