Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 165 Grain Boattail Hornady INterlocks

Thanks everyone.

To "Jim in Idaho". Our local reloading/gun shop does not have a large selection of bullets. I went there trying to get the flatbased bullets but all he had was the BTSP. Anyway, I loaded some up and they hit right with the flat base bullets. At the very least they will be good practice bullets but should work ok on deer as well.

all the best.

Colin

The Hornady Interlokt is great bullet, I call em Partition jr...............well not quite but a so-so second.

MtnHtr

I use the 165 Hornady Boattails and Speer 165 Hot Core flat base in my 308 Winchester rifles. I've never taken a shot much over 100 yards at deer in PA, but these two bullets sure work well within that range. Broadside, neck, or raking shots all produce a quick kill. If you are using a Hornady 165 BT, and it shoots well in your gun, don't worry. It is more than up to the task of stopping a deer. Put the crosshairs on the right spot and tag your deer!!!

Cur Dog

Unless they are bonded Core bullets, I shy away from Boattail anything on game. They perform great most of the time, and then will show an erratic performance out of the blue. I had a 140 grain Hornady Interlock BT out of a 270 blow up completely on the rib of a whitetail deer. Took a second shot to put him on the ground, and that shot went through....go figure! That said, The 165 Hornady BT should work OK for deer sized game, but....... I'm not convinced they are the way to go. Regards, Eagleye.

I know we're talking about the interlocks, and not the interbonds, but I'd like to add this... I have been using the 165g interbonds this year, and have (unfortunately) only taken one deer ... a small'ish doe ... shot her with my '06 at almost 200 yards away, as she was almost facing me dead on, quartering very slightly to my left. I placed the shot perfectly in the left front shoulder. The bullet completely destroyed the shoulder, continued thru the deer, exiting about 3" in front of the right hind quarter.

The performance was superb in my book, as both the entry wound and exit wound were small, but the internal damage was great. Obviously the bullet did it's job, as I have the dead deer to show for it ... and I expected the shoulder to be destroyed, as the doe was not very big. But after passing thru the bone, and the off-side ribs, the bullet obviously never exploded or varied from it's path. The doe dropped immediately, and that's that.

Seeing that the cost of the Interbonds is not much more than the interlocks, I can't see how one could justify the "lesser" bullet ... The Interbonds and Nosler Accubonds are both great performing bullets, both in accuracy and terminal performance. If the boattail Interlocks happen to shoot about the same for you as the Interbonds, then by all means get some for practice and plinking ... but for game, make mine a bonded, solid, or partition everytime.