Welcome to Apex Outdoors!
Overview
Apex Outdoors machines patented, lead-free, swiss lathe turned bullets designed for unparalleled performance. We focus on elite hunting bullets first but do realize our Afterburner line excels at long range target shooting as well. No matter the bullet line, the following stringent criteria defines any and all bullets from Apex Outdoors.
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Terminal Performance (first and foremost)
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High shock effect to ensure maximum energy transfer even in low speed, flesh-only hits
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Deep penetration to ensure vital hits in less than desirable shot angles or through bone at high speed
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Straight line penetration for dependable, predictable results
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Consistency and Accuracy
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Superior quality control combined with swiss lathe manufacturing ensures each bullet is like the one before and after it
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The patented bearing surface desensitizes shot to shot variation for forgiving, consistent performance in varying conditions. Load development is faster and easier.
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Reduced Fouling and High Muzzle Velocity
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The patented bearing surface minimizes contact yet maintains axial alignment with the rifled bore reducing friction and delaying the pressure rise of the powder's pressure curve, thus lowering the peak pressure compared to other bullets. In order to get back to the same peak pressure, more powder is needed, or a move to a faster burning powder is required where powder space is the limiting factor. At the same peak pressure, but with a wider, flatter pressure curve, Apex Outdoors' bullets have more area under the curve which directly relates to higher muzzle velocity.
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The same geometry that lends to higher muzzle velocity also significantly reduces bore fouling and associated barrel heat, both of which lead to increased barrel life and longer shooting sessions between cleanings. The energy is put into the bullet, not the barrel.
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accuracy
Patented precision lathe turned bullets
Afterburner
In debuting our company, we chose to tackle the most demanding set of bullet requirements first, an expanding bullet that excels at all ranges both near and far while taking the above stringent criteria into account. The Afterburner line possesses an ultra aerodynamic profile with a large hollow point, the body made of soft copper, and a geometrically match-machined aluminum tip. That's right, every bullet profile has its own unique nose for extreme aerodynamic performance that doesn't degrade due to melting at the critical nose portion where the initial shockwave is created. It would be difficult to find a bullet that has a higher ballistic coefficient than an Afterburner in the same weight class, despite the OD contouring necessary to reduce bore fouling while also providing a crimp groove.
In addressing the most important criteria, terminal performance, the Afterburner's copper body utilizes a very large hollow point with delicate nose geometry. This geometry is protected from handling and cycling damage by the hardened aluminum tip, which upon impact, quickly pushes into the hollow point initiating expansion with very little resistance. We recognize the sooner and more explosively the bullet travels from its aerodynamic shape to its terminal shape, the better the shock delivered to the intended target, the more stable the bullet is due to shortening, and the more dramatic the result. As tested, Afterburner bullets will perform down to 1650 FPS, shearing the petals, for the ultimate, traumatic response and straight-line penetration. At typical impact velocities, once the petals shear, a flat front section forms at slightly more than full bullet diameter with 60-75% weight retention for deep, cavitating, straight-line penetration. This flat front, or wadcutter shape, is ideal for creating a permanent wound channel more closely sized to the temporary wound channel due to tissue being displaced at higher speeds than what a classic, rounded mushroom is accustomed to experiencing. There's nothing wrong with a mushroom, and for years we all strived for that result, but if efficiency in creating a wound channel is the topic, it's difficult to argue against the wadcutter profile, and we focus our efforts there.
While all solid copper bullets are longer than their cup and core counterparts for the same weight, Afterburners are even longer yet, partially due to being tipped, but also due to the minimalistic profile out at the maximum diameter compared to pretty much any other design for a hunting bullet. For this, you will see much lighter bullet weights for certain twist barrels. This is a requirement for proper terminal performance, even if these bullets shoot well on paper out of a slower twist rifle. All of our recommendations result in a gyroscopic stability factor of 1.5 or greater, and we fully include the aluminum tip in the calculation. Yes, we are a bit conservative as the Afterburner will shorten very quickly after striking an animal, but we want to ensure perfect performance every time. While you can shoot paper all day, please do not use on game without meeting minimum standards for twist rate, as they may be unstable after impact. We owe it to the game we hunt to ensure an ethical dispatch.
Even though the Afterburner is a long bullet for its class, the noses have been carefully designed to allow magazine feeding in the popular rifles and cartridges for each twist rate. We do not rely on overly long noses compromising magazine loading for typical factory rifles to get our high ballistic coefficients. We rely on aerodynamic engineering principles. Having said that, as the line progresses, we will continue to introduce bullets designed for some of the new, long range-focused cartridges that allow longer noses and have higher twist rates should they continue to catch on. The squeaky wheel will probably get the grease on new offerings, but we'd like to see how firearms manufacturers, both custom and factory, standardize on twist rates for some of these cartridges, regardless of SAAMI specifications, prior to unleashing a bullet for them, so stay tuned! This area is a fast moving target for sure.
While Afterburners may be the longest bullets in their class, that does not stop them from being probably the fastest bullets one can shoot when staying within safe pressures in spite of the reduced case capacity from deep seating. See loading procedures for more detail on load development. Every situation will be different, but it is not uncommon to see velocities exceeding maximum book values without signs of pressure. That high muzzle velocity combined with the highest ballistic coefficient and superior terminal performance changes how rifles and cartridges can be utilized, and that was our intent with the introduction of the Afterburner. We hope you enjoy, and happy hunting!
Haymaker
The Haymaker line of rifle and pistol bullets is geared towards specific cartridges, all of which operate with muzzle velocities typically around 2400 fps or less. As the name implies, these hit very hard with massive shock and deep penetration. Unlike the Afterburner series, where predominantly all bullets share the same basic, albeit lofty, performance characteristics, the Haymaker will be more specialized for each cartridge it is designed for, so individual behaviors will vary accordingly. The Haymaker shares the same patented geometry associated with the Afterburner for high muzzle velocity, reduced fouling, and superior accuracy.
Focus for the Haymaker is solely on maximizing terminal performance. It is a completely homogeneous bullet for simplicity and reduced cost with an open nose design for short to midrange work.
As an example, our debut of the Haymaker designed for the 300 AAC Blackout is a fracturing nose design that performs perfectly in either a rifle or pistol platform down to impact velocities as low as 900 fps, maybe less, but we haven't tested it lower. When we tested at 1050 fps impact velocity, the entire front sheared off, bursting large petals outward, leaving a semi-wadcutter profiled shank that penetrated straight for 17" through 10% ballistic gel. The weight of the remaining shank was approximately 45% of the original weight. The combination of substantial, secondary projectile trauma and straight line, deep penetration of the shank at what would be considered an anemic impact velocity, allow the 300 AAC to do things it's normally not asked to do.
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Target
With our target line, we focus solely on optimization for certain twist rates while maximizing aerodynamics. Similar to our Afterburner, our target bullets are lighter than any competitors' bullets in the same class, but we do not sacrifice BC for the lighter weight. This lighter weight, combined with lower bore friction due to our patented geometry, lends to very high muzzle velocities enabling improved competitive performance due to shorter time of flight.
As an example, we released our first target bullet, a 1:10" 30 cal. It comes in at only 166gr, but short range doppler radar results at 2900-3000 fps yielded a G7 of .293, higher than most options in the 175-205gr range. Any 24" barreled 300 Win Mag should easily find multiple nodes above 3200 fps to work off of.
An ancillary benefit of our target line is the lower cost due to simplified manufacturing. For those getting familiar with Apex Outdoors' style of bullets and for those punching paper to break a barrel in or form brass, these provide a cost-effective option compared to our Afterburners.
