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

Partition, hands down, the best!

I've only shot one whitetail with a Nosler Partition in my 7x57. It was a Federal factory round. Worked wonderfully.


Once I started reloading, I found that the Partitions were too costly, having a new baby in the house. I used 154 grain Hornady Interlocks because they were cheaper and they've never let me down in over two decades. I've even used the 140 grain Interlocks in a 270 WSM without issue.

Use the Hornady Interlocks in your 7x57 with confidence, they won't let you down.


Dan

My sons hunt with 270s and 130 partitions loaded to 2830 fps. This was a load i developed 25 years ago when they were 14 years old. It has been so effective on deer ( hammer of Thor) we have never changed the load. For the last two seasons I have used a 7mm08 with 139 gr hornady flat based at 2775 fps. It has been just as effective on deer as the partition, but we have not recovered one yet. All shots have been 200 yards or less.

I can tell you the 139 grain Interlocks as launched from my friend's 7mm08 handle NW Louisiana deer/pigs quite nicely.

My info for the 154 on deer is much older, but I can't see why they wouldn't be great today.

Shoot the one that shoots the best in your rifle. They are both excellent bullets. However, unless the heavier bullets just shoot better, you can lighten up a little with 140’s in the Partition and the 139 gr. Interlock on what you plan to hunt. Heck, my bullet of choice from my 7mm-08 weighs 120 grains (BT) and works great. But, it’s your money and your rifle, so shoot what you want to shoot. They’ll all work great.

if you go on the Hornady website the 139 and 154 interlock are listed as being appropriate for game up to like 800 pounds. Your worried about killing a deer with them?

I agree that the partition is one of the best bullets on the market but for whitetails, the Nosler Ballistic Tip in a 140 or 150 will do wonders on WT's. Accuracy is normally better with the ballistic tip and don't let what some will say about the BT blowing up. Nosler changed the BT years ago. Keep the BT at normal speeds around 2700-2800 or even slower.


My wife and I have an elk hunt planned in Oct and she will be shooting a 7x57 with the same load you like, A 7x57 with 150 Partitions at approx. 2750.

Call me traditional, nostalgic or whatever. Just be nice. I just can't use poly tipped in my FN commercial 7x57. Be that as it may, When I first began reloading for the gun I had various 139-140grn bullets some 120BTs plus a few 150grn partitions. Long story short, the 150PTs @2700fps shot best albeit I didn't try all that hard with the others. In a combination of three and five shot groups(10+) it has averaged 1.25" groups. For a basically stock gun made 1954, that's good enough for me. I think I've decided to try the interlocks. I'm not the least worried about penetration, I just hope they open up on the smaller deer. captdavid

The 139's work fine on 130 pound on the hoof does.

79inpa . I'm not worried about penetration on large deer or pigs. I'm worried that they won't open as quickly on our small deer as the Partitions. capt david

You can always try the Nosler Ballistic Tip or Hornady SST if you're worried about expansion on small deer. I've loaded the 120 grain BT for my kids in the 7x57. I got a very accurate 2900 fps. Kills deer both near and far. I tried the 154 grain SST but I had to run it slower than the flat based Interlock. The longer bearing surface of the streamlined SST raised pressures in my 98 Mauser. So I'm sticking with the Interlock with that rifle.

Both bullets mentioned are still cheaper than Partitions.

Dan

I haven't been able to get the 120BT, 140, BT, or several 139-140s to shoot very well. I'll admit, though, that after my first loads with the 150PTs shot around 1.25" I didn't try very hard. I guess I'll just 'bite the bullet' (pun intended) and buy some more Partitions. 'If it aint broke, don't fix it!' captdavid

A partition is never a bad choice.

The 154gr I have no experience with. But I will go so far as to guarantee the 139gr Interlock in your 7x57 will expand to the best of its ability on any deer you have occasion to shoot. Two cases in point. Wife shot a buck with her 7mm-08 and a hand loaded 139 with max charge of H4350 as printed in the Hornady manual. About a 50 yd broadside shot on a deer that weighed just over 100 lbs skinned and trimmed carcass the day after the shot. Blood and lungs scattered 12 or 15 feet behind the exit. Dead within sight. Son shot a 120lbish doe head on between the neck and left shoulder. Factory Hornady 7x57 139gr IL. Blew the lungs, penetrated the guts and hit the right femur hard enough to flat spot the expanded bullet core and jacket intact. Dead within sight. Can't see how a 140 Partition would have done any better. There's more but those sum it up.

Don't listen to the bullshit. Use JOHN NOSLER excellent bullet.

Funny you mentioned this - one year i was shooting some does off a guys farm and had just shot one with a 308 150 gr interlock - there were pieces of deer in the crab apple branches 10 ft behind the deer. the farmer came up and saw that and said "what the hell did you shoot this with a bazooka?" - the interlocks do work on deer size animals.

I would hardly call it bullshit...I’d love to use 140 NP. My gun doesn’t like them. I have tried about 1/2 dozen loads and it just won’t take. 139gr IL on the other hand are great. I’m going to try a few more for the NP’s in a few weeks. As well as 139 and 154gr IL’s since I have all on hand.

A 120 lb deer? Use what you want, it won't matter. Dead is dead, just don't shoot them in the butt.

If a interlock won't kill deer, nothing else will! I've only recovered one 154gr and it came from an elk. Shot through one shoulder, and recovered high in the off side ham next to the hide. The elk was between 80 to a 100 yards, my best guess. I don't remember how much it weighed. That was twenty years ago.

Agreed