Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Accuracy of Hornady Spire Point

This mirrors my thoughts on the subject.

Interlocks are where I start when I'm trying to 'learn' a rifle.

FWIW, they're cup and cores. I've seen 270 and 300 Interlocks in the 375 come apart as well. They aren't as universal as stuff costing twice as much, but they do shoot very well, and they work quite well most of the time.

My question had to do with their accuracy potential.

I am not worried about their performance, which I consider isnjust a matter of matching bullet weigh and velocity, to the animal you are after.

I went back to my 1967/1968 Hornady reloading manual. Page 32 top of the page it stars that the hunting bullets have a cannelure to help retain the core.
Mathman may be right 1977 may be the date. I was wrong!

I don't think I have any of those old Hornady bullets left. My first manuals were Lyman and Speer. The Lyman manual was great the Speer manual was hot.


Those old bullets looked a lot like the Interlocks. Back in those days (60's) I experimented with a lot of different bullets.

Hornady bullets have very accurate for me in several calibers. I have shot more Hornady bullets than all other brands combined. The only caliber where I reach for something other than a Hornady is the .243 and there I load the Nosler 95 BT. I used to shoot Hornady 100 grain flat base bullets, but they are discontinued so the Nosler takes its place.

They are one of the best cheap bullets you can shoot big game with! I had a 7mm Weatherby Mag in a Weatherby MK V that I bought because the guy that had it said it didn't shoot to well, it also came with 10 boxes of ammo 139 gr Hornaday SP! All I did to that rifle was to make sure the floor screws were tight and the scope mounts tight! A long story short, I got good groups around 1.25 inches at 200 yards! That rifle shot very well with that load and the other loads I fed it!

This .........

Pretty much the same way I see it..

Internet wisdom (oxymoron there) suggests that secant ogives, such as Hornaday have, are more critical seating depth and generally do not shoot as well away from the lands. Have those that use Hornadays regularly found this to be the case?

Thanks.

IME, not especially.

I use Hornady Spire Points almost exclusively across multiple calibers and have often found the best accuracy at .030" or .040" off the lands. I don't know if that qualifies as being a long way off the lands, but I once had a .243 that was so worn a Hornady 100 gr. SP seated to touch the lands wasn't even inside the case. They still shot sub-MOA groups seated some couple of tenths off the lands. The two Remington M700 .308's I've owned had very long throats. Seating the Hornady 150 SP to fit in the magazine left them some .070" off the lands but even seated that far back they were still very accurate.

Can't say that the Spire Points are less critical about seating distance than others because I've never used other brands all that much, just that in the rifles I've used kissing the lands wasn't critical to best accuracy.

I always run mine .020" off the lands... They shoot excellent and consistent.. Nuff said...

I like Interlocks for the very reason that you can get decent accuracy without all the fiddling that some seem to need.

Interlocks, one of the most consistently accurate topics on the 'Fire.

The Spire Point Interlock is also where I start when accuracy testing. I like the cannelure, something the also-accurate Sierras don't offer. They have been some of the most consistently accurate bullets in several rifles. They are fine hunting bullets at reasonable impact velocities.

My only gripe is that now Hornady is doing away with some of them. Like the 100 grain .257...really??

What is your guidelines for accuracy? They shoot like match bullets for me-but I am a hunter and not a paper puncher. I have shot lots of sub-half-moa groups with them over the years.

Would you mind sharing the load data? I am loading for two Savage 10PC rifles in .308. Mine loves 44.0gr of IMR-4064, but my son's doesn't like that or anything to do with IMR-4064 and I'm still looking for suggestions.

Thanks,

Ed

In .308, I load 44gr RL15 behind 165-168gr bullets, 46gr behind 150s. Almost all my hunting rifles get Hornady bullets. I may or may not give up .2-.3" in 100yd. groups but, so what. Deer can't tell the difference.

I have never seen an Interlock that any of my rifles didn't like.... They are great bullets for the money.

The only spire point I have much experience with is the 139 fb in 2 different 7-08s. They're accurate in both guns and have killed the deer and hogs I've shot quickly. I also shot several hogs with the 140 Accubond and couldn't tell a nickle's worth of difference between the 2. That, by the way, was meant as a compliment.

I started reloading in the late 60's to get more shots per dollar than factory fodder.

Small town and a small LGS that did not order or keep all in stock. It may be Speer one time, Sierra and Hornady later.

At first I loaded for 222, 22-250, 270 and 308. I bagged lots of deer and felt Hornady and Sierra gave good results with the 270, 308 and Speer gave more accuracy in the little ones.

Later in life I started using hot core and what the writers were pushing, Nosler partitions. I did not see deer dying any differently. By then I was also loading and shooting a lot of 264 mag, 7 Rem Mag, 300 Win and WBY, 338 Win and 340 WBY along with the 375 H&H.

I was not a bench rest guy but did lots of shooting from the bench. At some point I felt the premium bullets did not offer a benefit for non dangerous game and pretty much went back to Hornady and Sierra.

I also use Win silvertip and REM core lokt in 270, both 130 grain. I have a lifetime of 270 WBY velocity loads in 130 grain and I'd have to check buy I think they may be Speer. I bought lots of ammo from an LGS that dropped reloading. If not pennies on the dollar it may have been a dime on the dollar prices wise. And I should have bought more pistol ammo.

I have a life time of deer hunting with the Nosler Partition in 150 gr in 270 but I feel a 150 is not needed for a whitetail or mule deer.

Hornady always did and still does give me excellent accuracy. If I had a large wood shotshell box full of Hornady in various calibers I would not feel slighted. And interlock would be the exact one I want.