Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Hornady Interlock or Sierra Game King?

What's a better Elk bullet and why? Considering I've had great success with Accubonds, but want to change to a more cost effective bullet so I can practice and hunt with the same load.

30-06. 180gr. Assume 2700 fps give or take. All shots within 250 yards.

Thanks!

Also, quarry is Sambar deer in Australia. Closest in size to elk, hence me posting here.

I wouldn't change. Not for an elk sized animal.

Accuracy and placement are the more important variables. At 06 velocities, either will be reliable.
Seems many internet hunters believe that you won't be able to give an elk a bloody nose unless you use "premium" bullets.
But.... an 06, with a 180 gr GK or Interlock, is a deadly combination.

If you want a less expensive bullet for practice and you currently use the Accubond why on Earth are you not using a Ballistic Tip of the same weight?

I understand U.S. made bullets are quite expensive in Australia. Makes sense you'd like to use a less expensive bullet.

Of the two you mention, I'd use the 180 Hdy. I've used, and seen used, various 30 cal Interloks on deer, elk and bear, and they work just fine. A 180 Hdy at 2,700 will do whatever needs doing to an elk, and by extension, Sambar. I'm sure the same could be said of the Sierra, but I have no experience with that bullet on elk.

Hornady makes fine bullets. I would use the the 180 Nosler BT if it is available to you.

I've killed a bunch of elk with the 180 grain "spire point" interlock out of my 30/06. Horandy #3070

The 180gr IL in the old '06 is the STANDARD by which all others are judged in our elk camp. The guys get new guns but the caliber and the bullet remains the same.

I thought about that, but for the price of 50 BTs i can buy 100 Interlocks or SGK's, so its still not that cheap.

Thanks for all the input everyone. I might try these and see which shoot better out of my rifle which has always been reliable and accurate so no issue there. Encouraging to hear the good reports/opinions about what are the more affordable projectiles.

I wouldn't loose sleep over either bullet. I know for a fact many times, that the 180gr SBT will kill elk fine. If my gun shot the Hornady 180gr bullets well, then I would use them too. Like already mentioned, Ballistic tips or Speers would be other options. I have killed way more elk with cup and core bullets than so called premiums, especally in the 30-06.

I played around with both bullets in a number of rifles.
I could always get tighter groups with the gamekings. YMMV

Hornady... if those are your only options! memtb

Hornady's 180gr bullet at 30.06 velocities is a fine elk bullet. It's one of the best, just as is the 154gr 7mm bullet. If you can't get it done with a Hornady, you've got problems unrelated to your bullet choice.

Hornady Interlock...without question.

That's the logical answer if you really like the Accubond.

Use the NBT for practice, the NAB for hunting.

I do that with my .300 WM, 180 NBT and 180 NAB have the same POI, same B.C.

DF

I don't disagree with that, but like the man said, in Australia he can buy 100 qty Hdy or Sierra's for the same price as 50 qty Ballistic Tips.

Sounds like he's got some solid thinking going the Hdy or Sierra route IMO... especially since 2,700 fps isn't especially tough on bullets.

OK

Wasn't thinking OZ

DF

And he is probably getting alot more on game trigger time than those of us in North America. Given those cost is an issue.

Why change when you can buy accubonds cheaper than either at SPS????? Hint... However, if you can't buy from SPS where you are located, I'd give the Hornady interlock a try. They are a damn fine bullet and will serve you well.

Definitely more on game trigger time. It's always open season. 365 days a year. I couldn't imagine having short seasons like you guys.

Got some 180gr Interlocks given to me by a friend who had some at home to try. I've got a dozen to play with so ill see how they shoot. If accuracy is promising i'll buy a bow or two and call it done.

They are the flat base variety. I'm not too picky as long as the POI is at least close to my Accubond load.

Either will work fine. I myself am a fan of the sierra gameking.

I have or have seen them used in:

30-06 165gr
300wsm 180 gr
300 Weatherby 200 gr
35 whelen 225 gr
350 rem mag 225 gr.

I think there might be more, but I can't think of them at this time.

The 180 gr out of the 300wsm was my ex-wifes primary hunting rifle. That combination accounted for whitetail, mule deer, elk, black bear, and one large shiras moose which I got to pack out for her.

Of the two bullets you mentioned you should use the most accurate one,if they are both accurate enuf I'd opt for the Hornady's...ScottyO.

I've used both the 250 Interlock and the 250 GameKing on a few moose including one at a bit beyond 387 which absorbed one of each. They landed about 6" apart in the meaty part of the shoulders. The Gameking penetrated all the way; the Interlock was lodged in the meat near the far side. (with 340 Weatherby)

I wouldn't use either one, but rather a Sierra Pro hunter in 180 grain. It is a fine bullet and extremely easy to get to shoot. at 30-06 velocities it is not giving up anything to the Accubomb.

I would use the interlock for practice and re sight the rifle for the AB's. Don't ever mess with success.

You cant beat the H interlock.

Why not get some of each then decide? Accuracy hands down will determine comparative results over internet opinions. Accuracy will vary for individual set ups.

I like the Interlock BTSP's in 180gr. Worked fine on this guy last fall.

centershot
Nice Bull and gun what caliber.

30Gov't06 - Given to me by my Grandfather before he passed. He won it in a big buck contest nearly 80 years ago.

180 interloks 35 yards, 3300 fps

Recovered from said bull...

I have used both bullets you mention, but have always been a Sierra fan. But for game bigger than deer Accubonds are my number one pick. Shoot what ever you like at practice but you can't beat Accubonds for killing big game😀

I never needed more than God, binocs, gun and an interlock.

You should post that kill on the long range forum! They'd have a complete meltdown.

Sierra is better for paper. That's about all Sierras are good for. Hornady Bullets are for game animals. I shot a doe in the shoulder with a Sierra Game King bullet, it never entered the lungs. It took several more bullets to drop the deer. Other hunters I know have had similar failures with Sierra's!

My elk hunting partner was a Game King addict....but always (always..) had numerous follow up shots when he got his elk. His rifle of choice was/is a Browning A Bolt 338 Winchester. I'd politely suggest if he switched to Partitions he wouldn't get in a firefight every time we got into elk. His last time using GK's was when I was videoing his hunt (I'd tagged out previously) and he took a nice 6x6. It took seven shots, all broadside hits, before the bull hit the dirt. The 250 grain GK's were blowing up on the shoulder, ribs, you name it. Got it all on film. He stood over the elk and looked at all the blown up holes and then and there asked me if I'd help him work up some partition loads for next year. That was 2005...every elk hunt since has literally been a one-shot deal with the Partitions.

My younger brother says that Gameking's shoot better. He took six shots to drop a small deer. Bloody mess. But it groups better, he said.

Haha I bet!!

I haven't shot a whole lot of GK's, interloks have always done well in the accuracy dept.

I wouldn't touch a Sierra Game King for any big game, let alone elk again...even at a relatively sedate 2700 FPS muzzle velocity.

They're often accurate, but too explosive on critters IME. Go interlock all the way.

Pards wa bull, 270 Roy, 130 interloks

That is VERY impressive performance. Thanks for posting

whichever brand your rifle prefers. Just go with the heavier weights for cal with conventional bullets

Have you checked out Shootersproshop.com? It's Nosler's outlet for blemished bullets. They shoot just like their firsts but at half the price. Right now they have 180 gr AB's for $21/box. They're out of Ballistic Tips, though.

Hornady Interlock, without a doubt. You get premium performance from a non-premium bullet.

Non-bonded boat tails are almost assured to suffer core separation and "blow-up".

The old Hornady Interlocks were less likely to come part then the Sierra Boat tails. The interlocks can too, but usually go deeper before they do.

I have used a few of the Sierra flat base (Pro-hunters) in the past and the one that seemed to work best was their 220 grain.

Now I am a bit of a fanatic about bullet performance, but I have to admit that even a poor bullet placed perfectly will do the job. You seldom will get what can be called excellent performance from such bullets, but the skill of the hunter can overcome the lesser properties of the bullet.

I recommend and I use super good bullet because I can, and because I do have that luxury.

The very best recommendation I can give (and only useful if you can follow the advise) is to buy a box of fifty 180 grain Nosler partitions and about 20 boxes (of 100 ea) of a good flat base accurate and inexpensive bullet. I used Hornadys, but Sierras will do just fine. Use the 2000 "cheep" bullets for shooting varmints, dirt clots, sticks, paper, and so on and shoot them a lot. Get you skill level up and then load the Noslers for elk.
I have done this for many many years. I started using Noslers in my 270 when I was 12. That was 1967. Since then I have bought about 10 boxes of Nosler partitions for all the calibers and weights I have used them in.
257" 120 grain 1 box,
270 in 130, 1 box,
150 grain 2 boxes
and 160 grain,2 boxes,
30 cal in 200 1 box
and 220 grain1 box,
8MM in 200 grain 1 box,
338 in 250 grain one box,
9.3 in 286 grain 1 box
and 375 in 300 grain on box.
Now that's 500 Nosler bullets over nearly 50 years of hunting purchased, but of them all I have shot up one full box of 150 grain 270s at game and had to buy another one. All the rest listed here are not all shot up yet, I have only 7 bullets left from the 375 so soon I will buy another box of them. I only confirm zeros and test for accuracy and then they are only shot at big game.

The point is that you can use the flat based Noslers with the same load as the flat based Hornadys or Speers or Sierras and get a very close zeros, and in some cases no difference at all. You can then afford to become a good marksman with the cheaper bullets.

Another thing to consider is although the Partitions are the gold standard, there are some other bullets that will give nearly equal performance in most cases. One that I have been quite impressed with is the Winchester 30 cal Power Points in both 150 and 180 grain. Not near as expensive as the Nosler partitions, but so far I have seen no blow-ups with them, and the few I have recovered are averaging about 70%-75% weight retention and they are MOA or less in accuracy. And yes, I have killed elk with them.

As much as I am dedicated to good bullet performance I will still acknowledge that the largest factor BY FAR is the skill of the hunter and his ability to place his shot. Perfect placement with a so-so bullet if better then poor placement with a perfect bullet.

The best is perfect placement with a perfect bullet.

You can buy a perfect bullet, but you must make a perfect placement and that only comes from practice, so buying "cheep" bullets is actually quite important. Your skill is the most important thing to consider, not what you buy.

This happened to my brother on a real nice 10 point buck he shot with a 243. Smallish central Texas deer. He gave the rest of the box to me for coyotes. I ran into a herd of hogs and shot 5 or 6 aiming for shoulders. I found one small hog where the bullet went through the rear edge of the shoulder. Rancher was not impressed.

So has anyone had any success with GK on elk without emptying the rifle?

I am considering the heavier 175gr 7mm pills.

Sorry for the hijack!

The only bullet's I've used in over 40 yrs have been Hornady spire point's and interlock's. Never had a Hornady fail me.One exception was a 7nn Rem mag. It shot best with Speer 160gr Hot Core. I don't know how they are today but I would use the hot core again and not worry about it one bit if it's still the same bullet Vernon Speer made. I never had one of them fail either. I chose Hornady because they were a bit more accurate in my old 7mm Mag. That hot core bullet was way ahead of it's time!

375 H&H Magnum. 300 gr Sierra Game King. POS! Blew up on shoulder. Thank goodness I had enough gun(not so much bullet) to jack another into him. I surely favor the interlock over GK for animals.

Hornady... if those are your only options!

Either bullet should work fine.

IME, SGK tend to be slightly more accurate, but no complaints on the Hornady...SGK have the rep of being "soft", at least under 300 yards, but I'm not sure that is accurate. I believe they upped the jacket thickness some since the early days when that rep was established. The couple times I've used them, range was under 200 and they performed well.

I don't think anyone makes a "bad' bullet anymore- as long as one stays inside intended use parameters.

That said, there are two factory loads/bullets that i will not use, based on poor (one, each)) performance on game . One is the Federal Hi-Shok (or whatever it is called now. .30-06/ 165 gr) Best accuracy for a factory round I've found for my 17 inch barrelled .30-06, but the jacket separated virtually on impact -twice each, on a sheep at 330 yards, and a moose at 40, 4 days apart. But at no point in the death of the animals did the bullet "fail". Likely intended for coyotes and small deer, and I over-extended it's use.

The other is a .338WM 210 NP, which blew up on the shoulder of a moose at about 100 yards, peppering the near side lung with BB bits of lead and bone, but failing to penetrate to the far lung. I think the back portion must have ricocheted out the entrance wound- I never found it. the 2nd round up the nose at 10 feet did the job when the bull lurched to his feet... that was a bit interesting.

250 NP worked fine.., tho not as accurate as several other loads. In my gun.

The most accurate hand load in that rifle that i have found is with SGK 250 - 1 inch at 200 yards. I'm currently using Hornady 250 RN - MOA. Awfully ugly cartridge, and I've got a crap-load of them, but with that accuracy, I'll just shoot with my eyes closed...

I prefer the Speer Hotcore over both the Hornady or Sierra.

Sample of one: I shot a big mule deer buck at about 100 yards with a 270/150 gr SGK. Slightly quartering away, the bullet was recovered in the off side shoulder. Jacket and core separated.

I wasn't real impressed but I'd happily shoot a deer again with that bullet. Elk would be a broadside heart/lung shot only IMO.

whitetail, mulies, elk, blackbear, and moose.

One shot kills

Back when my only rifle was a .30-06, I killed 7 bulls and a cow elk (including a one shot kill on a 6x6 375", DIY, public land bull) all with 180 grain Sierra GameKing bullets.

A few years later when I built my .257 Ackley, I shot a 340" bull (also DIY on public land) with one 117 grain Sierra GameKing bullet.

I killed most of my elk with 180 grain Nosler Partition bullets.

My last 2 bulls were one shot kills with 168 grain Barnes bullets. One a TSX, the other a TTSX.

WDEA

Before I was told they wouldn't work I used 7MM game kings on elk, M deer, caribou, and black bear. never any problems, many pass through's.
Today in my 7 Mag. I use accubonds mostly, occasionally partitions.

Lefty C

I'd stick with the accubonds, work up a load with a cheap bullet, figure out what your POI offset is for the two, and just dial your scope as needed. Drops will be a little different, but not enough to make shooting elk-sized game with bullets ill-suited to the task a good idea IMO.

If you just have to pick one, pick the Interlock and keep velocities down. They both suck, but it sucks a little less.

I prefer the180 GR Game Kings in my. 06 as they seem to shoot better. They kill elk just as dead as any other bullet. You don't get into trouble until you start pushing them faster than what they are designed for. Something the naysayers can't seem to figure out.

However, watch Shooters Por Shop,I picked up 4 boxes of Nosler 180 gr Partitions, blems for $13 a box last year, or $26 a 100.Cheaper than Sierras even. The AB's don't seem to show up as often

No need to compromise on bullet quality. If you thing AccuBonds are better for hunting, use them but develop a practice load that closely matches the trajectory of the AccuBond. I do this with many of my hunting loads to cut costs.

In the case of the 180g Nosler AccuBond (B.C. 507), you can substitute a 180g Hornady SST (B.C. .480). At 2700fps each and a 200 yard zero, the difference in drop is about 1" at 500 yards with 1.2" difference in drift. Use the practice load all year and simply confirm AccuBond zero and drop with a few shots before the hunt.

Once again, look thru the replys and the majority of naysayers were using the Sierras in magnum chambering velocittes. 375h&h, 7 mag, 338. It's not the bullet ,it's the shooter that has selected the wrong bullet for his magnum. I hunted elk for years with the 180GR Sierras in my .06 and had many one shot kills,also using the Sierra 220 gr round nose

game kings have been about the most erratic performing bullet I've used over the years.

I'd personally try to find some bulk bullet, buy a bunch and get a load that matches trajectory pretty good adn practice, use good bullets for game.... its generally not that hard to match trajectory esepecially for such short ranges you mention.

Neither, I'd pick Woodleigh's180 grain PPSP over both and for that matter over the Accubonds, locally they're a bit more than half the price of the Accubond.

Woodleigh quality at half price of accubonds? Wow, I"ve not shot Woodleigh but I"ve read enough that would be the route I"d go.

And practice...as 2 of us noted trajectory wise... I dunno if you can get bulk WW or RP bullets but that would be my go to practice bullet IMHO. Or PRVI may make the same too, bulk and cheaper. Maybe even Graf brand if you can get them.

30 cal 180 gr Woodleigh bullets today at midway are .78 cents each.
30cal 180 grain Nosler Accubond bullets today are .65 cents a bullet.

So Woodleighs are more then Accubonds as of today.

That may be the price in the USA but he is in Australia hunting Sambar.
The LGS in $US dollars has Accubonds for $1.11 each; Woodleighs at $0.64 each and Interlocks at $0.41 each
By all means practice with Interlocks but come time to hunt I'd be using Woodleighs
.

300gr sierra out of a 375 rum will kill a moose all day long