Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Inexpensive bullets (ie. under $30/100)

I have yet to see a big game ballistic tip that wasn't at least $15/50 and 270 caliber and up are usually $20+/50.

The Hornady interlock SP or SST is half the price of Nosler bullets and just as deadly. I load 165SST in my '06 and get groups under .75" and they cost $26/100.

Cast Lead

Hornady SST. Poor mans ballistic tip. Works just as well if not better.

Win. Power Point would be hard to beat for your requirements.

in 30-06 I have using the old Remington 165 grain Corlocks with great deal of luck. I still believe for the money you cannot go wrong with these.

Chief - I have a stock of 270-130s Rem Core Lokts that are stouter than Hornady interlocks.
They do not open up AS much as an interlock

Plenty but less expansion. I think I'll keep them.

Jerry

The Hornady SP (Interlock) would be my choice in 150-180gr.

Avoid the SST like the plague.

RH

I have tried not to like Hornady bullets, but when I packed up my loading bench before the last move, I boxed up more red boxes of bullets than anything else.

That said, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Speer bullets. I have always had good accuracy with them.

Deer aren't that hard to kill, and the performance envelope of the .30-06 is well tested and documented. I think that trouble with projectiles seperating core from jacket comes in somewhere close to the 3,000 fps mark. 165 to 180 grain cup and core bullets out of the .30-06 are good to go on game to the size of Elk, I'd say.

If I could afford to hedge my bet on a particularly expensive hunt, or on a hunt for an animal that might bite my momma's oldest boy, I might go for one of the more "stout" projectiles.

I've run the TSX and the TTSX enough to sample them. I do load them for my wife's .270 WSM, but the speed with the 110 grain bullets makes me feel like the solid copper bullets are necessary. I do know they are deadlier than lightning when you push them that fast.

With that said, I knocked off a couple of does this year with a .30-30 shooting Remington 170 grain Corelokt Hollow Points, and was very impressed with the way they dumped both deer.

In summary, I think the Barnes, et al, shine at high velocity. Cup and core bullets do what they have been doing for over a hundred years when they plod along at velocities up to 2900.

Your mileage may vary depending on the game animal, and where you shoot it.

Why? I have killed 6 deer and 1 bobcat with the 165SST at 2850FPS from my '06. They dropped on the spot, and the bullets all exited without signs of excess expansion.

The very first two SSTs I used when they first came out were not up to what I want from a bullet. A 150gr SST from a 308 (MV 2400ish) hit a single rib on the buck in my avatar and came apart. Only one lung was taken out resulting in a PITA tracking job. The deer was only 25 yards away when I shot. An almost identical result with a 139gr at a slightly faster MV on my next use of an SST made me give up on them. I prefer two holes and good blood trails. There are just too many good bullets for me to chance another dismal performance from an SST. They are accurate though...

You may want to read the thread below.
Link

RH

Hornady Interlock

duckster - I don't know duckster, he's new TO ME but

duckster knows some stuff ! !

I just cut up some front shoulders from my NC deer last night, and the 165s did a good job breaking bones and messing the plumbing up. The closest deer I've shot with them was last year at about 30feet. Hit the deer in the white patch of it's neck and blow a silver dollar sized hole out the back of her neck. Maybe you just need to shoot a slightly heavier bullet? 165s for the 30cals and 150 for the 7mm.

Funny thing about bullets, everyone has different opinions and for some reason, completely different experiences. Lots of people on this site brag up Hornadys, but I have not had a gun yet that really liked them. Same thing goes for VLDs. I stick with Nosler for the most part, and ballistic tips haven't let me down yet.

dc223 - yep it is funny. I haven't had a gun and that's a lot, that didn't like Hornadays.

I've always had to tinker w/Noslers to get equal or nearly, accuracy.

Strange. Maybe we both need to tinker w/seating depths with both brands? ?

i've always gotten very good accuracy from speer bullets, but terminal performace is another story. when i was first starting out hunting and thought the cheapest ammo on the shelf would work just fine, we used federal blue box loaded with speer hotcors. over the course of 3 days we 3 deer shot with 3 different calibers. the first one was my first deer and i got excited, made a very poor shot at 200 yds with a open sighted .303 British that went in the rear left ham and popped out front right shoulder, it was a horrible gutshot and i still feel bad about it to this day. anyways, when we dressed it i was surprised to find that the bullet had gone lengthwise through the animal with out expanding, neat little 30 cal exit hole.

next day buddie's wife shoots a large doe at 150 with a .30-30, tucked it right in behind the fore leg, heard the smack and she pogo sticked in the air swapped ends and ran for the bush tail down. found hair and a few drops of blood where it had been standing, but the trail dried up almost instantly and after 2 days of searching never did find her. my friends wife was crushed and very upset that we where unable to recover it. on the last day, buddy drills a forkhorn through the longs at 150 with a 308, it runs for the bush like the doe, again some hair a very little blood. after 20 minutes we found it 100 yds into the bush , but couldn't see any sign of an entrance or exit hole until we pushed on the chest. again no expansion and the fat just seemed to close up the hole. i'd like to know if this has been a common problem with speer hotcors? working in a gunstore, i hear both praise and disdain for every bullet, but speers in general don't seem to be that popular up here.

Sierra's- Gameking, Prohunter or the little 63 gr SMP, all kill deer fine cost under $20 per 100 (around here) and shoot tiny little groups...

I've never had a deer run more than 50 yards using anything more than the standard old Core-loct, Federal Hi-Shok (Hot Cor) and Winchester Power Points. I'm not saying I'm a great shot or that these bullets are the holy grail, but maybe I'm a little more patient than some with shot selection. Also haven't done a lot of traveling that would, to some, necessitate poor shot angles in order to take an animal.

Could be the reason that standard cup and core bullets have worked well for me.

kevin - There are a lot of guys who like/praise Speer hot cors
so I've not said a lot (some) but I have not had satisfactory performance from them either.

My experience has been they're too fragile. I'll only give 2 examples.

Several yrs ago I was hunting with a friend in Alabama, gun 270 Win. 130 gr hot cor. I shot a small buck in open woods but up close. DEER DROPPED but no exit. Bullet exploded. I wrote it off as being too close. Repeated performance a couple of times at moderate range.

In 08 I bought a 300 WM and didn't intend to shoot or hunt it a lot. I bought a couple of boxes of Fed 180 hot cors. NO deer was shot at close range. From 150 - 287 yds all lasered.
Every one seperated, some partial bullet exits, some no exits.
I didn't loose a deer but I feel fortunate about that.

I pulled those 180 hot cors and seated Hornaday 180 Interlocks. Check group, excellent; check sight in - same. Totally difference performance. I couldn't ask for any more from them.

MAYBE I'm just unluky w/hot cors, but that's my story....

I diden't know we had that many Gunwriters on the fire. would each of you list the mags you write in. thanks