I am curious about the Hornandy Spire Point Bullets. I used the factory 150 grain out of my .270 Weatherby. I shot 5 Whitetails behind the shoulder and never recovered a single animal. It seemed they never opened up. There wasn't much of a blood trail either. Three shots were 100 yards and two shot at 180 yards. What are your opinions on this bullet?

That don't make any since, you would think any 150 grain bullet out of a 270 Wby at that range would flatten any deer. Maybe you are holding to far behind the front shoulder How do you know you hit them right behind the shoulder if you never recovered any of them? something just not right.

I've shot lots of game with Hornady Spire Points over about 30 years, from pronghorns to elk, and have never had a single problem like you describe. I did have a failure to expand from 117 gr, .257 Hornady boattails in the mid-80's, so I quit using them. But the Spire Points? Never seen it happen.

Maybe the problem was from the factory loading...

Dennis

I've shot quite a few elk with hornady interlocks out of a 338. none went more than 20 yards. Should work fine on deer

Scar22,

You can save yourself some time by going to the general big game forum and reading the hornady / speer topic. Lots of opinions there.

The only problem I've ever had with them is when I blew the shot. I know it was me because the deer still died, and hole goes where you put it.

Adam

Do you have any experiences with which to compare this with before we start saying you didn't pull the trigger hard enough? Just seems unlikely to lose 5 deer with good shot placement from a powerful cartridge shooting a bullet that seems up to the task.
Lemme guess, this was in South Texas?

These bullets shot .5 inch out of my gun and Im very confident in my shots. I did switch to the ballistic tips 140 grain and shot 5 deer behind the shoulder and dropped each one in there tracks. The range was between 130 - 250 yards. The entry hole was impressive with a devastating exit hole on all deer. Would the spire points be better for larger game such as elk? Are Whitetails to thin skin for spire point ammo?

{quote=Scar22]These bullets shot .5 inch out of my gun and Im very confident in my shots. I did switch to the ballistic tips 140 grain and shot 5 deer behind the shoulder and dropped each one in there tracks. The range was between 130 - 250 yards. The entry hole was impressive with a devastating exit hole on all deer. Would the spire points be better for larger game such as elk? Are Whitetails to thin skin for spire point ammo? [/quote]





was it the same 5 deer you missed with the hornadys?
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish LOL

Think I'll try them one more time on the farmers permit.

Everyone knows the 150 Hornady is too tough for deer! And 1/2 inch accuracy isn't nearly good enough to hit them behind the shoulder. I'm glad you found such a superior bullet to use on your deer in that Ballistic Tip. I'm sure they won't escape any more.

Probably need to leave those big tough Hornadys for elk. Deer are like jello, won't expand a bullet that's been around for 50 years.

How do you know where the bullet hit, and that it didn't open... IF YOU NEVER RECOVERED THE DEER?

Sorry to be a smartazz, couldn't help it. I like quick opening bullets for deer, so I'd use those Ballistic Tips for deer, but I don't see why the Hornadys wouldn't have worked

Yeah, my BS meter is pegging too.

True maybe the scope was bumped

I have used the 140 gr in my 270 win and they were true murder on deer. You cant' claim good placement or lack of expansion if you never recovered your deer. Not trying to get you ralled up or anything but you may need to work on your tracking skills it can be tricky sometimes.

Scar22, I've got a few questions.
1. Are these bullets handloaded?
2. What size groups are you shooting?
3. What velocity are you getting?

I've nailed quite a few deer w/ 150 gr SP Interlocks, and my brother-in-law for whom I load has too, and never a problem; they open up just fine... approx 2800 fps impact velocities I'd guess based upon chrono and range of hits.

I've also nailed a couple w/ 180 RN Interlocks, and ditto. Lower speed at impact, of course, but same results... as a matter of fact all of these (with presumably tougher bullets being heavier) were DRTs.

From your 270 Weatherby I'd highly doubt those bullets were just "pencil holing" through. Even if they are particularly heavy and built for elk (which I don't know that they are) the velocity you'd get from that over the 270 WCF which would be the norm would be enough to offset the difference.

JB calls these "poor man's premium" and while I'm not particularly poor they're my premium. They're great bullets with which I always know what I'm getting and they seem to shoot well out of all of my rifles. I've never had a problem with 'em on game that wasn't related more closely to the nut behind the stock than the projectile coming out of the muzzle.

Scarr22:

"I used the factory 150 grain out of my .270 Weatherby..."

"These bullets shot .5 inch out of my gun..."

He didn't mention velocity...

Guys, I'm going to give Scar22 the benefit of doubt. I have a Ruger No. 1 chambered for a .270 Weatherby and I've loaded Hornady SP 150 gr bullets over max and had them come a part.

sorry I did not read all the post.
then it sounds like and operater problem.

i used that bullet in a 270 wsm with a max charge magpro i shot 8 deer with them the farthest a deer went out of the 8 went maybe 1o to 20 yards very little meat damage i shoot alot of hornady spire points and never had a problem

How fast is that load?

i think it was in 3050fps range it is out of a 23 inch barrel browning a bolt

That's good out of a 23� barrel.
I'm getting 3200 fps out of my .270 Weatherby with a max load of Viht N560.

Loose nut behind the trigger.

thats pretty fast for 150 gr bullet that got to be a flatshooting load

It is. It is my long range prairie rifle.

it would work for that have u tryed any of the 140 gr seirra hpbt gameking u could really push them fast

I use Horn. SPs in my 6.5 x 55 Maus. The 140 grain. I launch these at 2630 fps. Get great accuracy and really good performance on deer. They have expanded well on the four deer I've killed with this bullet.

No, I have not.

i dont think i have ever had a bullet that preformed as well as consistantly as the 308 165 BTSP hornady. from 12 yards to 180 yards.

IME, the Hornady SP 165 gr work very well from a .308 Win and a .30-06 at moderate speeds.

what powder are you using behind them 165gr hornady in 30-06

Scar22 - were all those from the same box of ammo??? I load 140 grain Hornadys' in my 270 Win and have nice exit wounds- about the size of a quarter. My loads are very middle of the road speed wise. I am finding that as far as velocity goes, for my hunting situations, less is more.

OULUFINN- how you doing Bruce?

I like the 150 gr. Hornady spire points for everything here in Texas. I have found them to be excellent killers of hogs, deer and elk. I am however the finest rifle shot in North America. They expand and exit in a proper fashion along with being very accurate. I push them to a bit more than 2800 from my 270. I agree that if you did not recover the animal then you can't tell where you hit the deer if you hit it at all.

Doing well. PM sent.

Are you doing the shooting?????
I know some fellows who have rifles that a capable of .5" groups
but they can't hit the side of a barn because of flinching......ymmv

I've killed about 20 critters with em out of a 25-284....one deer went 25 yds....the rest of the critters were DRT....within a step.....

George

Not cole k, but I use 57Gr of IMR4350 behind my 165 Gr Hornadys. They worked very well on whitetails.

GB

i have been shooting 150gr hornady interlok and imr 4064 and h4895 in 30-06 at whitetails here in pa and never had a problem

61 gr RL-19... 2950 fps. Over max load so reduce 10% and work your way up.

I've never NOT recovered a deer in over 33 yrs of deer hunting using 165 gr Hornady BTSPs. I guess if I used 150 grainers I would have been screwed.

Sumpin aint right....

I read some jimdandies online in my years but this one ranks right up there. Did they bounce off? I usually have problems finding deer I miss as well...funny how that works.

it is a jimdandy for sure.

There does seem to be a correlation there, I've had the same thing happen!
Ingwe

OK I can take a ribbing. Maybe they were not behind the shoulder. 3 of the deer were knocked down on there side and 2 of the deer kicked there hind legs over there head. There was minimal blood trail on all the deer. I am very confident in my shooting. Im not the greatest shot & im sure there are alot better than me. With the BT the next 5 deer were shot behind the shoulder and dropped each one in there tracks. Both bullets are factory weatherby ammunition. The SP grouped .5 inch @ 100yds. BT grouped 1 inch @ 100 yds. SP= 3245 Velocity/ BT =3300 Velocity. 26" Barrel.

Glad you can take a ribbing, cause some of the boys might not be done with you.
So what was the original question? Are 150 gr Hornadys too tough for Bambi in the .270 Wby? No. But in my opinion, Ballistic Tips are a better choice. And I'm guessing you got the velocities bassackwards.

Thats ok Im a good sport. I got the velocity from the weatherby website.

I see, I just read them bassackwords

Those may indicate a gut shot. I've had factory Winchester Super X(?) 30-06 bullets fragment on close range broadside shots with no exit wound. Deer were recovered though. Just not as quickly as expeccted. If you don't have confidense in the bullet quit using them regardless of public opinion. There are some things that just defy logic and should be eliminated. The last thing you want in the field is doubt in your equipment.

I've been shooting .308 150 and 165 grain Hornady SP's over H4895 at deer for 9 seasons now. I have no complaints. The original inspiration came from asking a question on shooters.com when I first got into reloading. A lot of those guys came over here. I am forever thankful for that advice. I now shoot the 165 Hornady SP in a bunch of rifles and a bunch of cartridges.

I have killed more than several deer with this bullet and it always performed great, I don't have a clue what happened in your case.............547.

Chances are the deer were lost to "gut shots". I would be ready to bet serious money on it. If you start out aiming "behind the shoulder" and the deer takes a step or you miss a little, you could have trouble. If you study the various deer anatomy pictures on the web, you will see that the lungs angle up and away from the "elbow". For a lung shot, the place to aim on a broadside deer is the crease of the shoulder with the vertical crosshair hugging the rear of front leg. Never intentionally aim any farther back than that.

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Thanks for everyone's input. Im really starting to think the scope was off. Like I said I switched to the Nosler Ballistic Tips on my next trip and killed the next 5 deer DRT.I never shot the SP to see if the scope was off after my first trip. {the crease of the shoulder with the vertical crosshair hugging the rear of front leg} is what I meant by "behind the shoulder".
I harvested 22 out of 27 deer last year (I live in NJ and im allowed to shoot 2 deer at a time.) The only lost deer were the 5 with the SP's. Like I said maybe the scope was off or I just really screwed up. I will try them again .

Just got off the phone with Hornady. The tec said the 150 gr. was to heavy for whitetail and does not open up on a thin skinned animals. They reccomend this bullet for elk sized game. He said the 130 gr. is much better for whitetail and pronghorn. They claim the percentage of weight retention in the 150's is to much, almost acting as a "solid" for thin skinned animals. Where the 20 grain differnce makes the 130's open up to the interlok.

I'm not so sure about what the tech told you. There are lots of folks successfully using 150 grain Interlocks in 270 Winchesters on deer, and your Weatherby would only cause the bullets to open more.

Thats what I was thinking. I was just repeating what the tec said.

The tech told you what you wanted to hear, what any good tech would do:)

g

Deer or not, at the Weatherby's velocities, it should have no problem opening up.

The Hornady Interlokt is a really good bullet. I used them for awhile from my 7mm-08 and killed a decent pile of deer with them one year. They didn't seem to give me as many DRT's as other loads, but they were decent. I always had a dime sized exit hole in the deer if hit behind the shoulder and a quarter sized exit if it hit the shoulder. I did recover one bullet that hit the deer in the chest, facing head on with me and the bullet was found in the opposite side hindquarter.
In my opinion, it sounds like you already have lost your confidence in these bullets so I'd move on to something else. If you're not confident in your gun/load, you'll never trust it so you may as well find a different load to try.

Good luck, I am sure that you are looking forward to your next bullet testing session.

I don't believe the "tech" at all. I've shot everything from 40lb hogs to elk (with a bunch of small and large deer in between) with 225gr Hornady Interlock SP-RP bullets from a .338wm and the performance has been stellar. I have no problem with them opening on 70lb yearling deer and small hogs and have had nearly lengthwise penetration on elk. That is my go to bullet. I've shot many of the same in my .270 with similar results.

I smell troll...

-

Mr. Scar22;
Over the years we�ve killed a fair few animals- mule and whitetail deer, black bears, one moose and one bighorn sheep with Hornady bullets in a few different diameters.

We cut our own game and a few friends cut their game here, so we get to see how their bullets work as well. I�ve yet to see a Hornady not open up in an assortment of bullet weights in .257�, .264�, .277�, .284�, .308� and .338� fired from a variety of initial and impact velocities.

Specifically in .277 diameter, I have seen that the 140gr. Hornady out of a .270 Win will open up and generally exit on game from very small bears to fairly big deer. Resulting tissue damage did not indicate either over or under expansion of the projectile.

A good friend in the Yukon has used the 150gr Hornady in a .270 Win for sheep, moose and if I recall correctly, some black bears as well and he had excellent results.

While I�ve never seen the results of them out of a .270 Weatherby, based on our results with other Hornady bullets, I would not be afraid of trying them.

Frankly I�m stumped as to a possible cause for the results you�ve seen.

Good luck in your upcoming hunts.

Regards,
Dwayne

Guys, I believe this is a "set-up". I live in PA and, while I don't hunt in NJ where Scar claims to live, I have several friends who hunt there. If I remember correctly, there is no rifle hunting in NJ. Archery, shotgun and muzzleloader only. Of course, Scar could have been shooting across the Delaware River into PA!

Ron