About Us

The History of the Hydra-Con

I conceived the Hydra Con™ idea in November of 1989. A Colorado sheepherder friend of mine was always "digging" me about my "Smoke Pole". He kept bragging how he could out shoot me any day with his "old 30-30". Not one to back down from a "friendly" challenge, I felt I was up to the task, and the contest was on.

The object of the game was to hang our hats at 300 yards and blaze away, seeing who could cause the greatest leakage on a rainy day! I decided to really fix his wagon. I would make a bullet that would make his hat look as if it had been shot with a sawed off shotgun, and completely destroy it! I figured a good "modified" hollow-point bullet would do the trick. I would insert a .22 rim fire, minus lead and powder, backwards into the hollow point muzzleloader bullet. I would fill the .22 rim fire case with black powder. Since we would put our hats on a big rock, I imagined my "modified" muzzleloader bullet striking the rock, detonating the black powder-loaded rim-fire case, and his hat should have floated on the wind like pollen.

Well, the shoot never materialized. However, I was left with the idea of how to expand a muzzleloading bullet. The Hydra Con™ is the result

My first bullets were .50-caliber maxi-balls. I knew the .22 trick was O.K. for a "prank", but legality and practicality dictated the necessity to find an alternate souce of expansion material. Then the idea came.....why not hydraulics? I developed a prototype and was off to test. My first test medium was a very dead (and stinky) milk cow. The results were very encouraging. I made more bullets, tested for accuracy, and couldn't wait for the upcoming fall hunting season.

The opening day of the 1990 muzzle loading season found my son, Dwain, and me looking into a favorite canyon, waiting for one of several bucks previously scouted, to appear. I got my opportunity at approximately 250 yards. I adjusted the peep sights, held behind the shoulder, touched the set trigger, and the first Hydra Con™ kill was registered. "Good Hit!!", Dwain reported putting down his spotting scope. "It looked like a 2-inch hole opened right behind the shoulder"! The deer traveled only 25 yards. The entrance hole, right where Dwain had called it, measured 1", inside the rib cage 1 1/2-1 3/4", in the lung 2", exit hole was 1"! The bullet was never recovered.

The Parker Productions Hydra Con™ had its first baptism of fire. Since that day in 1990, we have come a long way. We have perfected both the process of manufacturing our bullets, as well as the Hydra Con™ process. Not content to sit on our laurels, we are always developing new and innovative projectiles, some of which are still in the developmental stages. I encourage you to check our site frequently, as this is where we intend to keep you updated with the latest developments.