Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Hornady Interlock bullet failure

I've been shooting 4350 and Hornady 154 gr Interlocks in my little 7x57 for about as long as I can remember on Mule deer, whitetails, elk and speed goats. They all pretty much dropped in place. Can't ever recall having to make a follow-up shot. How can you fault that kind of performance? Dead is dead, right?

I've had several Hornday Interlock failures. I've had failure to field dress, failure to drag, failure to skin, failure to quarter/butcher. Failure to kill was not a problem though.

I did see a 117 Interlock boattail started at 2950 break up on the shoulder joint of a big mule deer doe, range about 100 yards. But that was the only Interlock I've ever seen fail to penetrate the vitals, out of several dozen animals. Stuff happens sometimes. I just shot a buck deer about a month ago with a Hornady Interlock, and the bullet worked perfectly. Obviously I'm not terribly worried about one aberration.

I have yet to find a deer hold a 170gr Hornady RN out of a 8X57 fired at around 2700fps. I find most people who have experienced failures with cup and core bullets are trying to do things that they are not designed to do. That said, I am shooting TSX out of every caliber/rifle I am sending to the field this year out of a need to simplify life more than a need for the performance and plan to shoot nothing larger than a white tail.

I've killed scores of deer with the 130-gr, .277" model. I've never had a deer hold one -- simply great penetration from any angle. Vitals have always been satisfactorily screwed-up too. It's comparatively cheap and quite accurate. What's not to like?

26 years ago when I was 19 I once shot a calf elk running flat out quartering away at approximately 50-60 yards wusing a 300 Weatherby with a 180 gr Interlock. I had hit it once through both lungs broadside at about 30 yards, but being new to hunting wanted to "make sure" and gave it the insurance shot. Short story, I found nothing but the empty rear half of the jacket under the hide at the front of the chest after the bullet entered at the rear of the rib cage. I wish I had kept that bullet to have it to weight now, but I'd bet it didn't weigh 50 or 60 grains.

Some might consider this a failure, but it did the job. The broadside shot certainly didn't hurt things, but it did the job it was sent to do. It may have been a different story if it had hit heavy bone, but then not too many calf elk have heavy bone.

This thread makes me sad, I was probably taking my .260 loaded with 129 Hornady IL's this saturday for opening day of rifle. I guess after reading about the failure I will just throw all mine in the trash, don't want to put my problem bullets on others.....



Congrats on a nice shot!