Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Speer hot-cor bullets

Would like to hear how the 200 gr Hot-cor does on elk in your '06, or from others since PastorDan hasn't been online in a while. Wish Sierra made a 200 gr Pro Hunter. Seems like Nosler is the only other one who makes a 200 gr flat base spitzer.

My M12 6.5x55 shot 120gn Sierras into under an inch at 100m. I then tried 120gn Speer Hot Cores and they did the same. The groups were indistinguishable which says a lot as Sierras are always touted as accurate bullets. However, the 140gn Speer HC wouldn't shoot better than about 2 - 2.5 inches.

I found out why the entrance wound was so bloody. I was confused last night when I posted. It was the exit. The other shoulder had a typical .30-06 entrance wound. The wound I saw last night indicated the bullet contacted major resistance before exiting. I was having trouble stopping hogs with 155 Scenars and also usually didn't get much if any blood trail. They would end up dead, sometimes close by but often 200-300+ yards away. These old Hot-cor bullets or Hornady 150 flat based lead nosed bullets seem to put them down quicker and do better at opening up a blood dispensing hole. Speer probably doesn't even make these RN 180 Hot-cor anymore but I'll be looking for some. These were probably bought in the 1970s.

Hastings. I scored a bunch of those bullets in bulk a while back. If you would like,Ill pm you a pic. I can't see needing them all at my age.

Buds has a few boxes: https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/29074

I've had good luck with accuracy and performance with the 6.5mm 140 grain hotcor in any of the 6.5mm guns I have.

The 120 Hot Core was my go-to deer bullet in my 257AI for many years, Good accuracy, good terminal performance.

150 gr. .277, 180 gr. .308 and 250 gr. .358 are all excellent bullets. I still use the 250 in my 35 Whelen but have gone Nosler in the two smaller cartridges.

Ive used 120 gr. in a 25/06, 145 gr. in a7x57; and 220 gr. in a .35 Whelan and have had nothing but good penetration and expansion and dead deer at the end of a trail or DRT

The only deer I've taken with a Speer Hot Core was with the 170 gr. in an 8x57. The bullet seemed a little tough for deer to me, but a recovered a dead deer so all went well.