Evening ladies and gents...

I was fortunate to take a mule deer late last week with a Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08 shooting a 139 Hornady Interlock over 48 grains of RL 19. A modest velocity load which, in my opinion, cup n' cores excel. However, I was not expecting the performance that I experienced in the field.

I shot a mule deer from about 120 yards away. He was quartering away from me extremely hard and my only shot, which I took, was a few inches to the left of the Cheerio. I took said shot, the deer went 20 yards and died very, very quickly.

The bullet shattered the left leg about 4 inches below the spine, went through the guts, through the goods and exited at the neck/shoulder junction on the right side of the deer. Unfortunately, most of the back left ham was full of bone fragments and jelly and was inedible.

I knew at 7mm-8 velocities this bullet would perform well but I wasn't expecting that.

Anyone else have similar performance from this bullet or was this just an anomoly?

Have a great evening fellers...

I'm thinking that shot is going to make a mess without much surprise.

I've use the Interlock in my 270 for a lot of years with great performance. Been using the 100 Interlock in my .250 Savage and .257 Roberts the last few years and getting just what I expected. They are great bullets for deer sized game.

The "mess" was not the point of the post...

The point was the end to end penetration with a cup n' core...

Had the same thing happen, but in the opposite direction, last year. .308 Winchester, 150 grain Interlock, and a straight on shot at the chest. Found the bullet under the skin in the back end of the animal.

I sailed a 154 grain Hornady RN from front to back of a whitetail doe a few years back. I shot her directly in the chest, and I found the exit out the back of her right ham. She ran about 60 yards or so. I was shooting a 7mm/08 that day, and if I remember correctly, it had a 21 inch tube. The Hornady interlock is a fine bullet.

Mr. GregW;
Over the years we�ve shot a fair pile of game with Hornady Interlocks, mostly deer (many dozen mule and whitetail) with some bears, a California Bighorn sheep and an immature bull moose thrown in that I can think of off the top of my head.

A good friend in the Yukon has used them for moose, caribou and sheep up there as well. I believe it was he that coined the term, �Poor Man�s Partitions� based on their proclivity to exit.

In the last few years as discretionary funds have allowed for more playing around, I�ve been experimenting more with Barnes X�s, TSX�s, TTSX�s and Hornady Interbonds, but barring talking to big bears, I wouldn�t feel unprepared for much here in BC with Hornady Interlocks.

Having said that though Greg, the only person I know who was stalked by a grizzly killed it with a Hornady Interlock to the neck out of a 7mm Mag. He�s killed more big elk than I�ve seen with them too.

Anyway, we seem to have a lot of red boxes on the shelves of the reloading room most of the time and I can assure you we wouldn�t if they didn�t work for us.

Good luck on your upcoming hunts Greg.

Regards,
Dwayne

Doh! my apologies..

Regarding performance, I haven't had the pleasure to kill anything with an interlock just yet, but by all reports I've heard/read, it is a tough, well made bullet. I have some loaded up for my 7mm SAUM, and look forward to using them in my other rifles when I get a chance.

So, two hole wouldn't surprise me on an end to end shot, but then again, not much surprises me when it comes to killing critters.

I have had similar performance out of Interlocks...especially at "moderate" velocities....easily my favorite Cup-n-core...
Ingwe

My favorite CC also.

I haven't had that kind of penetration like you did mainly because the type of shot never presented itself, however I have been using them in my 264 WM and 300 H&H at top velocities with excellent results on deer and antelope. None have stayed inside those animals shot.

The worst angle I had was on a mule deer shooting the 300 H&H with 180s. I thought the deer was more broadside then he was so at 100 yards the bullet hit the deer in the shoulder angling up into the neck, breaking it and exited. I don't know how much it penetrated before exiting, but basically from the center of the shoulder to the front half of the neck.

A friend used to shoot the 139s out of his 7mm RM, but the huge entry holes and lack of penetration it created convinced him to quit using them in that cartridge.

The 150 grain .308" versions, both flat base and boat tail, knock deer down hard from crisp 300 Savage to full on 308 Win. launch speeds. Hits have ranged from 40 to 250 yards.

Zipped .277" 130gr bullets through two deer on separate occasions each at less then 30 yards with a muzzle velocity of 3,295fps avg! Both went 20 yards and died..

Currently have them loaded in .300 Savage, .300 Win Mag, .338-06, .35 Whelen. I look for 2 bullets when considering a cartridge/caliber Interlokts and Partitions!

Mike

Ive shot a few critters with them in 30-06 and 375 H&H. The only one Ive recovered was a 30 cal 180 Interlock in the far side hide of a Brown Bear. It weighs 120 grains. IME they almost always come out, and give plenty of "shock" effect also. Best of both worlds.

I like the 154 Interlock's in my 280. Just shot some Sitka's down in Steelhead's old stomping ground's with said bullet.

I shoot the 200gr PSP from my .358 Win and I got penetration from the base of the tail to the brisket of a 220lb buck at 75yds a couple seasons ago.

They've done the same in .243/100 gr,.30-30/170 gr, .308/150gr,

.30-06/180 gr, .308 Norma/180 gr and .338/225 gr.

Probably my favorite deer bullet though I shoot a lot of bulk Core-Lokts also.

They are certainly among my favorite cup-and-core bullets as well, though I wouldn't expect performance like that every time. At moderate muzzle velocities (2800 and under) they will penetrate pretty darn well.

I have recovered quite a few Interlocks over the years, ranging from 130 .270's to 225 .338's. Recovered a .225 .338 from a whitetail buck that probably weighed 200 on the hoof, on a quartering away-shot at about 200 yards. The bullet entered the left rear of the rib cage and was found in the right shoulder, mushroomed back to the Interlock ring. Muzzle velocity was about 2750, as I recall.

Also recovered a 139 7mm from a broadside shot on a barren ground acribou bull shot at about 100 yards with a .280, muzzle velocity around 3100 fps. Same sort of expansion. My wife shot a pronghorn buck at the base the throat as it faced us at 100 yards or. Fund the 130 .270 Interlock under the skin on the back of the neck, pretty well mangled. That's the only one I've seen separate jacket and core, but they were together, and the bullet did go through some hard neck bone.

There have been a few others recovered, but most went on through. Probably I have recovered several Interlocks because my wife and I have shot a lot of animals with them!

Hornady bullets are one of my favorites. My brothers and I have literally killed hundreds of deer and dozens of elk with them. We used the 130gr .270, the 139gr and 154gr. 7mm and the 165gr. 308 bullets. My youngest brother who is 60 years old now has taken two male grizzly bears with his .270 and the 130gr. Hornady. I need to say that I mostly use Nosler Partition now, but I still have a great deal of respect for the plain old Hornady.

I've used the traditional interlock for a long time but have recently switched to the SST and a few bonded bullets. For deer the result is the same.....dead deer and quickly.

Yesterday I shot a 4 X 4 Mulie at about 265 yards with a 117 SST from a .257 Roberts.

One shot and the buck run a 10 yard circle but didn't make the entire circle.

The exit hole in the rib cage was about the size of a half dollar.

I'm not sure one can expect anything better. The SST is an interlock as well! I just think they're a bit more aerodynamic.....they sure shoot well!

I probably have more red and white bullet boxes on my bench than the others put together. There's a reason, although stem to stern penetration is not always a given, the dead deer are....

I loaded some of the Hornady Interlock 139 gr 7mm bullets over 42.5 grains of H4895 for a little over 2,800 fps for my Model 7 in 7mm08 . Tested them for penetration side by side with factory loaded Remington Cor-Lokt 140s. The Hornady bullet kept it's core intact while the Cor-Lokt was found with jacket and core separated. Haven't shot any critters with it though as my rifle didn't like that bullet/powder combination. Need to try some other powders as that looks to be a good bullet for my type of whitetail hunting.

I think they open a bit quicker on game compared to the regular version.

There are many good bullets. Problem is most have lead in them and will soon be banned. Barnes, Remington, Hornady and Nosler have all come out with monolythic bullets for that reason.

Better start looking for one you like. We killed 4 Antelope and 2 deer this year with the ancient 300 Savage 99 using the 130 gr Barnes TSX & TTSX. All one shot kills and groups under 1"@ 2800 fps.

I will admit to a bias toward Barnes.



Good shooting!

My first kill with my new to me 300win mag on an axis buck over the weekend was with a 180gr Interlock at 3,000 fps. It was DRT. I should have taken a pic of the wound channel but failed to.I made a high shoulder shot that shattered the spine and left a softball size hole in the ribs on both sides.Bullet pretty much desintegrated and did not exit.At 160yds I figured it would exit but I guess it had a little too much velocity for the range.I'll keep using them.Interlocks seem accurate in every caliber I try them in.
Neil

I'm taking my 9.3X62 deer hunting next weekend with 286 gr Hornandy Interlocks. The 9.3 needs to go hunting and Oklahoma deer are all I have to hunt this year. The Hornady's are very accurate and make more sense for deer than Nosler Partitions which are even more accurate.

I've shot 7 fallow deer, 4 bucks and 3 does, with 139gr interlocks and they've all have exited leaving very dead deer.
I'm running them over 44grs of AR2208 (Varget to you guys) and they shoot well out of my Rem700 7mm 08.
If I have to go to just one bullet for that rifle, the interlock would be the one.

oldman1942

the bullet in the front row - middle - must be the .308 cal. 150 gr. FN Barnes makes for the .30-30. Correct?
Do yoe (or anyone else) have expirience with this bullet at .30-06 striking velocities?

Good shooting!

My favourite bullet is the Hornady. I'm running the 100gn in one of my .250-3000s and a .257 Roberts and will soon load the 117gn BT in a .25-06.

I wish they would make a 225gn Interlock in .358 for my Whelen. I have some Sierras and Speers (220gn) but would buy the Hornadys if I could.

Not in an 06' but in a 300 H&H at 3200 fps. It will cut a Yote in 1/2. Needless to say, it's not a 500 yard bullet more like a 30 caliber 150 gr TNT.

I shot a pile of deer with that same bullet in my 7mm-08, but in the Light Magnum loading. I shot a 180 lb. buck at approximately 25 yards, coming straight to me and it penetrated all the way through the deer and I found what was left of the bullet under the hide of the hindquarter. The bullet had expanded down to the interlock ring so the mushroom I found was quite small but I found fragments of jacket throughout the deer. Needless to say, that buck never made it over 50 yards. The rest of the deer that I shot with those bullets had exit holes so it is a pretty decent bullet. The only reason I quit using them was because the Core lokts that I used before this were much cheaper and I always got the same basic results with them and couldn't really tell that much difference.

Greg,

The plain ol' Hornady Interlock has been one of my favorite bullets for many years. I've taken a semi truck load of WT, Mulies,hogs and a couple aoudad rams with them over the years.

Personally I don't think there is a better deer/antelope bullet made. I shot animals from 30 ft (my largest mulie) to almost 400 yds (hog), The only one I had come apart was the 11 pt. mulie at 30 ft from my 270, impact velocity was around 3000 fps (no big suprise it came apart) but it still killed him dead as a hammer.

The interlocks I have recovered (which have been very few) always look like something from a bullet advertisement, perfect mushroom with the core still intact.

Oh, and they usually shoot tiny groups from everything I try them in.

Bill

My family has killed a bunch of deer and elk with a 7 Mag using a load of 63.0g of IMR 4350, Rem brass, 91/2 primer, 154g Hornady Interlock seated with the bullet touching the lands.

Large hogs shot in Texas had complete pass throughs on both shoulders on broadside shots.

In the 30/06, the 150g Hornady flat base Interlock loaded with 59.0g of IMR 4350 is chomping on 3000 fps, accurate, and very deadly on whitetails. In the '06, a 180g Hornady flat base with 56.0-57.0g of IMR 4350 saws up 350 lb hogs.

In a 243 Win, the 100g Hornady BTSP defines a great bullet in that caliber for hogs and deer.

I've not utilized the .284/139 gr at all, though once my 7x57 is complete I'm sure it'll see much field time.

I have used the 180 gr RN through '06s to take a few whitetails.

Here is a pic of my hunting partner and his buck taken at our deer camp this past Sunday, killed with that combination... looks like the buck thought it humerous, but my bro Corey won out:

Recently I have gone back and forth btwn the 129 InterLock and 130 Accubond in my 6.5x55 for WT. At Swede speeds, both bullets kill equally as quick as the other and both always exit. Biggest differnce is price, and you don't need an "premium" bullet to kill WT's.

I have had nothing but good things to say about the Interlock. My go to load for all of my 30-06 consist of a 165gr Interlock and I use them to take all kinds of game.

I have used the 117 gr. and 100 gr. Hornady from a .257 Roberts and the 154 gr. Hornady from a .280, all with great results on deer sized game over the years.

I use the 120 hp in my 25-06, 150fb in my 270 Win, and 165s and 180s in my 30-06s with VERY good results. The Interlocks are indeed a grand bullet. Tom

I've only used them in my .358... They've worked great.

Accurate/Deadly/Dependable. What else is there to say?

I have used them in my 270win and my 7x57,I have never recovered any.In the 7mm rem mag use the flatbase bullets and they won't come apart like the boattails will(shed the jacket)..Good luck

I regularly use the 140s in my 6.5x55, 139s in my 7x57 and 165s in my .30-06, all Interlocks. I have killed a lot of deer with them over the years. They are accurate, consistent, and I have yet to have one "fail". Rooster

Thanks for the report, Greg. I've always liked them, but like you, would not have expected quite as much as you saw on your Mule Deer.

One of the great things about the 7-08, everything performs well, and some Cup and Cores act like the best of premiums.

DJ

90% of my bullet inventory says Hornady on the box. IMO they are the real premium bullet.

I like the Hornady Interlocks in most calibers..especially for deer and about any bullet will work on deer..Its barely a foot through a deer sideways and maybe 18 inches on elk..If you intend to shoot elk going away from you then use a Nosler partition is my advise...I take whatever shot presents itself so I mostly use Noslers.

I have had superb results with the 130 in the 270 up to caribou, 100 grain in 25 caliber on deer, 165 and 180 out of the 300 Win. from deer to moose.

I have not had the results I like with the 139 Hornady out of the 7mm-08 on deer beyond 200 yards as they do not seem to open sufficiently to leave a good blood trail on a lung shot. I switched to the 140 Sierra Pro-hunter for more rapid expansion.

1991 was the last year I personnally used the hornaday interlock for big game, shot a moose three times with this bullet, out of a 7mag @100yds all but one fragmented to nothing and it weighed 70gr down from a start weight of 175gr. Started using the X bullet after that with very good success. Hornadays have there place, but big moose reqiure a larger cup/core bullet than the 7 at a slower velocity. So maybe it was wrong application.......

I'm using the Hornady 175 Interlock in my old M93 7x57 Mauser this year. Maybe tomorrow I can post some results.

i hope you do get to post the pics. good luck and good hunting.
Derrill