Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Remington Corelokts vs more expensive bullets?

So i was thinking this morning about bullets and how big of a difference each bullet really has on game. Now dont get me wrong, I LOVE TTSX's, partitions, accubonds, etc.. and thats all i really ever use in my rifles, but do you think they are actually worth the extra $$$? We all know that a corelokt will kill any deer, elk, moose, you name it, out their. But even though they are cheaper, are they actually cheaper in their performance? I have only personally shot a couple deer with factory corlokts, and they all have gone down quickly, but i cant say that i could really have a good comparison with other higher priced bullets. So i guess the real question is, do you think you would be able to tell any difference at all when hunting with corlokts or the other higher priced bullets? What do you all think.

Deer are easy to bring down, premium bullets not necessary IMO. Nothing wrong with them for sure, but not necessary. My son and nephew have killed lots of whitetails and muleys with a 7mm-08 140 gr corelokt.

Rather have a Power Point myself.

These days I really hunt most always with a muzzleloader but when I buy "hunting" ammo Winchester Supreme is my fist choice maybe not the best but it sure works for me.

A few years ago I had a few poeple tell me that they lost a chance because of faulty primers in core loc ammo. Pull the trigger and nothing. I am sure its 100% true that they missed the biggest buck that and anyone has ever seen. Nobody was harvesting a doe these were all huge, record bucks.

But than I thought about it and when they run deals on Core Loc I but a bunch just to shoot and get range time mine always fire, HUMMM

I think good hunters make things work (not refering to myself)

Hank

You don't mention caliber and bullet weight etc.

A 30-06 180 gr will kill deer all day but if you are paying a pile of money for a moose hunt why try to economize on bullets?

This has been hashed over a gazillion times since I've been around these parts,and that's only one year..Deer are all easy to kill and true they don't require premium boolits but I never liked Corelokts one reason for my long interest in reloading.To each his own and that's that...

I'm not going to brow beat anyone for their preference one way or another,it's just that "THEIR" choice! What I will say as have many many others on this same subject have said is, the part of the hunt that goes down the tube is the least expensive part of all and I prefer to spend a little extra for some added performance...makes no sense to buy an expensive rifle,put reasonable glass on board spend tons on tags/gas lodging/food etc. and then shoot cheap bullets..never been able to figure that out!!!

If i couldn't use my Nosler Partitions or one of the premium bullets,Corelokts have always been my choice over the other non premium bullets.

Would I use them instead of the Nosler...No...Not for my hunting.Been there done that, but I like what they have done compared too other low cost bullets..

Jayco

I always like how Speer bullets performed on game out of the traditional cup and cores.

I've seen a lot of animals die via coreloct bullets. Never had a problem with them

I have loaded Core-Lokts for a few folks who were basically looking for cheap ammo and brought me the brass, powder, primers and bullets. They work well on deer and antelope in the usual cartridges (anything from 100-grain .243s on up). I bought 500 150-grain .30 caliber Core-Lokts about twenty years ago and shot them in my .30-06, for use on nuisance feral hogs mainly. I can't remember having to shoot anything twice. I still have a couple hundred or so. I occasionally load up a box or two for a few young friends here in the valley who really can't afford to buy factory ammo for practice.

If Moses were alive today, and writing the Commandments, the 11th Commandment could well be:

Thou Shalt Not Fret over Using Non-Premium Bullets on Deer-Sized Game in Rifles with Moderate Velocity.

Actually, that may already be a Campfire Commandment.

Shhhhhhhh, the deer don't know any difference; don't tell 'em!

I have used core-lokts for many years on both deer and feral pigs. I always have had more than enough penetration using them in my 25-06. They are decently accurate in my gun, but the BC of core-lokts are terrible. If you are planning on shooting past 300 yards core-lokts probably are going to be a dissapointment to you. I once shot two pigs with one shot using the core-lokts and the bullet passed all the way through the second pig as well. They were only 60lb pigs so there was not a lot to them, but hey, it was still impresssive. I have only recovered two bullets and they both displayed perfect mushrooms.

Well there is nothing wrong with Corelokts per say, I been buying them in Bulk for my 6.5 x 55 120 gr 6.5 mm They work just fine for the uses that I am using it. Mostly Targets and White Tail Deer. Now If I was going to go pay for an expensive tag, and compared to my white tail tags, anything I would want to shoot would be expensive by comparison. I would go with one of the better 6.5 bullets if I was so inclined. Shooting Barnes X's for example are top of the line game bullets and if you are going to hunt Black Tail Deer in CA for example you may have to shoot that bullet or one like it, because of the law says you have to. So out side of some load development and zeroing it, you will not shoot a whole lot of those, so its not gong to matter a whole lot price wise, you will pay more for a beer. Or a cup of Coffee and Dunkin Donuts. Paper punching is not what you shoot those for.

I have answered this type of question for the last 12 years on the internet forums and I am not changing horses in the middle of the stream!

Yes, I use Remington Core-Lokts and Hornady bullets around my area and in the state I live in hunting deer and those varmints & predators. Deer are very thin skinned animals and certainly not tuff to bring down.

However, I sure as heck am going to use a premium bullet for when I spend big bucks on an out of state hunt or one on another continent gentlemen. It is simply the cheapest form of an insurance policy a hunter could possible purchase. Only common sence would dictate to any hunter, that when one spends several thousand dollars on a hunt, it is fools play to not spend an extra 50 cents on a frigging premium bullet.

Not going to argue those points Tonk, other than for deer, no matter what the cost of the hunt, I'll shoot what shoots best out of my rifle whether that be a corelokt, IB, accubond partition, etc.

Core Lokts useed below 2800-2900fps work fine for anything. It's when you step up past that you will run into trouble.

Personally,except for a few partitions years ago.I have never shot a so called premium bullet in any rifle I own. I can guarantee,I will never use any Barnes bullets.

I am fiddling with some Accubonds in my 6.5 now, but that is only because I am looking for that long bullet in a 130 gr for the fast twist in my Swede.

I also don't buy into the idea that since I am spending big bucks on a hunt,or whatever,that requires a premium bullet.

Yeas ago I did go on a guided hunt in Alberta. Bullet was a 160 gr Sierra Game King that tipped over a nice 6x elk. In 2009 after trying to draw a tag for trohpy area in CO for 20 years,the bullet again was a Sierra that tipped over a 7 x8 elk. Both one shot kills

I don't think that premium bullets are worth the price. Cup and core bullets never stopped killing animals dead for me. I've killed a decent amount of game with Core-Lokts but since becoming a handloader I prefer to use Sierra Pro hunters. That's right not even GameKings. Because I don't need them. And I sure don't need to spend three times more to get TTSX's to kill the same animals that my cup and cores will kill just fine.

The round nose core lokt's are better than the spitzer's. Heavier jacket and the core is actually locked in.

Yep!