Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 7mm partitons vs interlock

I hunt deer, both Whitetails and exotics, mainly does. A large one will weigh, gutted, not much over 120lbs. Most are around 100lbs or less. I mainly hunt with a 7x57 using 150 partitions @ 2750fps. I've been using them because I bought a lot of blems cheap and they work well expanding on our small deer. I'm about out and the prices are high. I'm a retired school teacher and cost is a consideration. I have considered changing to the Hornady 154 interlock because of the price differential. I wonder how they will compare to the partitions on small deer? what are your opinions of the performance of the two? thanks capt david

There is nothing to compare. The Partition. Big or small it handles them all.

While I really like the partition. There's no reason to not use an interlock on deer. And according to the OP, A smallish one at that. Now if you said you were going to use them on elk, I'd lean more towards the partition. However for Deer: use the interlock if it's cheaper and shoots good in your rifle..

no need for a Partition for deer at 2750 fps. Hornadys, Sierras, Speers...all work well.

You wont be able to tell the difference between the two on deer at those speeds...

I made a 7X57 for myself years ago and I killed a hand full of deer and one elk with it. It was a great rifle and a great round. I did use the 154 Hornady on deer quite a few times. Big Nevada mulies. I never had a problem with one. No complaints at all.

I also am a fan of Partitions, and if money were no object I would just standardize on them, but to be honest the 154 Innerlock was a fine deer bullet.

It's the hole that kills game and a hole of the same diameter that goes in and out of a deer is going to kill it, no matter what bullet you use to put it there. The Nosler partition is my 1st choice on elk because the size makes for a need for the deepest penetration I can get, but up to about 275 pounds, the 7X57 with 154 grain Hornadys killed all the deer I ever shot, and I never had one stay in the deer. So how would a partition be "better"?
It's not until the need for greater penetration is called for, (bigger game) and from you post, it doesn't sound like that's a problem for you

Try um....you'll like them.

I’d just keep an eye on the Shooters Pro Shop and stock back up on 150 Partitions for the price of Interlocks. No slight against Interlocks but Partitions at 2nds prices don’t stink.

Well not exactly a price match, $19.65 for 50 compared to around $24.00 for 100 Innerlocks.

I wouldn't worry about it for small deer, or any deer for that matter. I used to wind those 154s up in an STW or 3 and shoot moose and elk with them. Big northern whitetail and mule deer don't have a chance. I also used a lot of 139s and they killed deer faster.

A flat based Interlock doesn't have much to apologize for.

The 7x57 works so well as it is in a sweet spot velocity wise to work with a wide range of bullets. Save the Partitions for Elk or Nilgai and stock up on Hornaday or Speers.

I would look for bulk or blem sales of the Hornaday. I tested old Nosler partitions with the Hornaday and it did close to what the partitions were doing on penetration but lost more weight, still the Hornaday's would not completely separated even when shot into a clay bank after going through about 20 inches of wet paper. These were the 160 & 175s in 7mm.

Others are bulk Remington Core lokts and even Privy Partisan the PP will surprise you in their performance as they don't look like much. I would not hesitate to use any of these in the 7x57 for South Texas with the aforementioned Nilgai as a game changer.

I killed a whole bunch of pennyslvania whitetails with 139 and 154 grain interlocks. To be honest you would have to be shooting at animals over 400 pounds before I would think that you would even need to think about switching from an interlock to a partition.

I see no reason to use Partitions or other premium bullets for deer. After many years of hunting, I now have different caliber rifles for different size game animals, although there is often an overlap with each rifle on the game that I am hunting. I usually develop a hunting load with a certain bullet for each rifle based on the largest animal that I think I will be hunting with that rifle. Then everything that I hunt with that rifle will be using that bullet.

For about the last 40 years my deer and pronghorn rifle has been my .257 Roberts Improved shooting 117 grain Sierra GameKings, 115 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips, or 120 grain Hornady HP bullets. Most were one shot kills, including my Dall and all of my Bighorn rams and one of my best 6x6 bull elk that were all shot with the Sierras.

Shoot what you have faith in is and has been my "rule of thumb" that I've attempted to pass along to new shooter's and loaders here locally and are words I live by.

Even for our Hoosier 125-225 lb dressed out deer the only bullet I will be using over 140 grains is the 154 gr Round nose........just because old stuff seems to fit my ways but only on short range woods hunts. Not saying it WONT whack em and stack em "out there" I just have more confidence in 140 grain ballistics and what Ive seen in bullet performance.

While I HAVE a box of 140 NPTs for my 7x57 and may whack one with them just to say I have, Remington Core Lokt 140s have "been there, done that" for a very long time too. Same for "innerlock" bullets. Dang near the same bullet IMHO. I'm just a Remington nut. Honorable mention from my opinion is the Speer Hot Core bullets.

I also have the much heralded 120 gr Nosler Ballistic tip to test out yet before season too but.........if I were to pick one bullet for our deer hunting or any deer hunting.......it would be a standard cup and core 140 grain.

I'll concur that Partitions are a "better" bullet..........I just don't require a better bullet

Just for my own impromptu testing I might shoot a deer with one load/bullet and switch just to "test" them all in real world use, but I know that most times neither I nor the deer will be able to see the difference.

Always fun to play with all the options but, in my heart, I know that average (2700-2800 plus or minus) velocity cup and core bullets will produce brown and down deer at ranges past what I'll ever wish to shoot. Ain't broke so...........eh

The 150s I'm sure are good bullets too. Any of the mentioned bullets that have been good sellers for decades and decades.........is for a reason.

Pick your poison. They all are lethal as heck on a deer.

2 cents only
God Bless
Steve

I took several bears with 180 partitions and interlocks in the 30-06. While not a .284” diameter, the were moving at the velocity you noted. I could tell no difference in the killing that they did. Only difference was if I recovered one, the interlock usually weighed more. I’d use interlocks on dam near anything at that speed. .02

I would stick with what works regardless of price. If you're hunting Whitetails you prolly shoot what, 8 rounds in a season?

In terms of accuracy my 7x57 prefers the 154 grain Hornady Interlock rather than the Nosler Partitions so I don't argue with it. I have no complaints on the bullet's performance on deer.

I've probably shot more deer with Partitions from a .300 WM, 7 RM, 7mm-08, and .308 than anything else, but that was then. The problem wasn't killing a deer with them, it was finding the deer with them. There was always a dead deer or elk at the end of the trail and their lung tissue strained through my fingers, but what went out the back side of the deer was the fully expanded peeled back rear half of that Partition and the deer left poor blood trails. Contrast that to my last Interlock deer and I had a great blood trail starting only 5 feet from where the deer stood and a golf ball size exit wound. In your case I'd shoot the 139 grain Interlock or if battering in the magazine is an issue like it was with my 7mm-08, I'm using 139 grain SST's now. The last deer with those fell in his tracks.

been using 139 gr interlocks out of a 7-08 for many yrs on deer up to 200 lb - works great, 1 shot kills - i see no reason to change

The interlocks will easily do everything you need them to for your needs.

Save your money and use Interlocks.

For the size deer you mentioned, you should strongly consider the 139 gr. Interlock because it will shoot through both shoulders and make the lungs mush even with a muzzle velocity of only 2550 fps. Less expense and less recoil, what's not to like?