Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 165 Grain Boattail Hornady INterlocks

I just picked up a box of Hornady 165 grain Interlocks (boattails) in .308.

I have had good luck with the flat base Interlocks but have heard that boattails can result in much more jacket/core separation than the bullets with no boattail. I will use them for blackbear and whitetail deer in eastern Canada.

anyone using these bullets? Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks gang.

Colin

For what its worth, I have not heard that. Though I have not hunted with them. An interlock, should be an interlock, boattail or not is my thinking, and you're not shooting extremely heavy game for that calibre. I think you'd do fine with them.

In a recent article, I believe it was the last Rifle, John Haviland had a bullet article. In it, he stated that Boat-tails have a much higher tendency to slip their cores.
He also goes on to say that the "advantage" boattails give you ballisitcally, doesn't make any difference until you are you are past the 300 yards mark. This is all from memory, but I believe that's what he said.

If you are using them on deer, I'd go ahead and make up a load and use them. However, personally I've heard/read the above too many times to want to use them. I've never used a boat-tail, except the Interbond which has a bonded core, negating ANY slip. If it were me, I'd use up that box, and then move on to flat-based bullets again.

I've not used the Hornady 165 grains Interlock B.T. in .308, but I've killed several large Mule deer with the Hornady 150 grains Interlock B.T. .308 W., and have never experienced any "slippage" of the core. Have also used the Horn. 150 grains I.L. .308 W. FLAT BASE, and can't tell the difference on deer. (I've not used them on elk.)

If it were I, I'd load them for accuracy and kill a couple heads of game, then make my decision.

JMHO. L.W.

Thanks for the comments.

colin

I have used the 165 Hornady BTSP Interlocks in the 30-06 at speeds between 2800 and 2900 fps on game such as deer and moose. They hold together very well, even against the big guys. The expand pretty nicely, penetrate well and retain weight okay too. For whitetails and bear, you should be good to go.

In my rifle and those of a couple friends, they were pretty accurate too -- inch to inch and a half at 100 for three shots off an improvised rest. Good bullet. So is the 180 BTSP Interlock.

I shoot a lot of Hornady bullets and I love them. In regards to boattail bullets slipping the jackets more, I think its true. Out of 20 or so bullets I have recovered over the years the boattail bullets are the only ones I have ever seen slip the jacket. Though none of them have been Hornadys. Most were Sierra's and Nosler BT's. At the same time all the critters were dead. In no way is my experience scientific but just food for thought. BTW I still shoot Sierra Btails in several calibers. I'm just careful with what I use them on.

Joseph

Recent tests of various boattail bullets showed them to hold together better and retain more weight than the flat base bullets.

http://www.seahook.com/bestbullet.jpg

ZM

I noted that when I was using the Sierra BT in 165 gr that although they shot very accurately from my '06, the bullet came apart badly. I recovered gilding material from a moose, but no lead portion was found. Sure dead moose! I would have liked the bullet to hang together better. With the 165 Interlocks at the same velocity, and breaking two ribs, the bullet was still intact, expanded nicely, and the moose went 25 yards before succumbing to a double lunger. Great performance. Bullet was stil 138 grains. MV was 2800 fps and the range was a little ofver 100 yards. No complaints.

Could you provide a link Lee??

That goes against everything I've read. Sounds interesting.

Used one on an elk last year. 85 yards and pass through with a good looking exit hole. ( At least I thought it looked good, I'm sure the elk didn't agree) 300saum on a hot load.

I use that bt interloc in the 308 and the 3006, on antelope,deer and elk. Did have a failure onetime in the 06 , hit a bull elk in the neck at about 125 yds, the bullet disentegrated, but it left a hole in that elks neck bone you could put your fist thru.
It's been my observation over the years that those are good bullets hang together and do a great job on game animals, despite urban legend to the contrary.

I've been shooting 165 grain Hornady BTSP's in a 308 since 1981 and I've never seen one fail. In pigs, deer and antelope every shot has been a one shot kill and a complete pass through. I'd like to see how they perform but I've never found one.

The 165 btsp interlock is my bullet of choice for deer in my /06.I have never dropped deer quicker than with this bullet and it seems darn accurate in my rifle .Absolutely love it!!!!

This is going to come off real snotty and I really don't mean it that way, but -

If you heard that the boattails can result in jack/core separation, and you had good luck with the flat base bullets, why did you buy the boattails in the first place?

Again, not being snotty, it's an honest question. If the flat base works, what were your reasons for wanting to switch - hoping for a flatter trajectory, some other reason?

I use the 165 BTSP with H414 out of my 30.06 and have nothing but good things to say about them. I load them to around 2680 fps. This combo is the most accurate that I have tested meaning 3 shots touching at 75 yards and then a 5 shot group at 100 that was 1 inch without letting the rifle cool!
I shot a 9 point buck this season at around 45 yards or so and hit him directly behind the shoulder, at the shot he bolted out of sight. I walked less than 30 yards and found him dead as a door nail! The bullet produced a good blood trail although I didn't need it. There was no blood shot meat and produced a exit slightly bigger than a quarter. While cleaning him I could hear the "mush" of his internals mixing around and the air escaping when opening him.
Although this is the first deer I have shot with this bullet, I am pleased to say this is the performance I wanted and for this is also the biggest deer I have taken. He was in the 180-190 live weight if not slightly more? For deer size animal I wouldn't hesitate to use them, for bigger stuff I would move up to the 180 grain class. Esox357

I have taken several deer with the Horady Custom ammo, loaded with the 165 gr. BTSP. No complaints on deer sized game at all. Lately however, I find myself gravitating to the non boat-tail bullets of conventional construction. I think boattail is fine in a bonded or solid shank bullet but after having a 225 gr. .358 Sierra BT come apart on a small black bear, I will stick with flat base bullets.

That Sierra 358 225 grain bt is a POS bullet. I had one blow up on impact with a 135 lb. 4 point whitetail.Shot from a 35 Whelen. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

seems some guy have had great luck some that one bad experiance,,
for me i load the cheaper stuff and hunt with bonded,,just to take that one bad experiance out of play...
honestly there not that much more for the few i,m going to shoot...