338WM 200g Hotcor / 225g SST / 250g Interlock SP

Now I've got my 338 Win Mag Vanguard up and shooting well with some effective handloads, it was time for some bullet penetration tests! I had three different cup and core bullets on hand so I thought it would be fun to test them in newspaper pack.

The three bullets I had on hand were the 200g Hot Core SP; the 225g Hornady SST, and the 250g Hornady Interlock SP. I've been using these from my 338 WM and they all give me pretty much 1.5 inch groups at my range which is set up at 120y.

I decided to shoot two of each into the newsprint pack, loaded to different velocities to simulate roughly impact speeds at 50 and 150y, when loaded to fairly standard MV.

To that end the loadouts looked like this:

Speer Hot Cor 200g
a) 2850fps b) 2650fps

Hdy SST 225g
a) 2700fps b) 2550fps

Hdy I'lock 250g
a) 2550fps b) 2350fps

The samples loaded up for the test:



I had chronoed these loads in various forms during load workup so I was quite sure of the speeds they were doing. The newspaper was packed very tight and left dry, in fact there was a mix of a few magazines in there so it was quite a hardy medium and I knew it would be a rigorous test of the bullets.

So to the results:

200g Hotcor
a) 2850fps 9.5 inch penetration ret.wt. 114g exp.dia.0.843





b) 2650fps 8.0 inch penetration ret.wt. 77g exp.dia 0.672





225g SST
a) 2700fps 8.5 inch ret.wt. 89g exp.dia. 0.783





b) 2550fps 8.5 inch ret.wt. 104g exp.dia. 0.780





250g Interlock
a) 2550fps 11.0 inch 190g exp.dia. 0.977





b) 2350fps 10.5 inch 171g exp.dia. 0.917





Both Hot Cors lost most of their cores. In fact sample B which was actually going slower lost all of its core, and penetrated less than the faster sample A.

Both SSTs similarly lost most of their core, however the slower sample B more predictably held together better.

The 250g Interlocks held together much much better, and even though mangled were not in bad shape, with most of the core intact. They also penetrated roughly 25% further than the lighter bullets and expanded more as well. Interestingly and like the Hotcors, the A samples of the 250 grain Interlock retained more weight and penetrated further than the B sample which had a slower impact speed. Not what I expected really.

As I said above, the impact speeds were meant to simulate hits around 50y and 150y for samples A and B respectively, when loaded to moderate muzzle velocities.

All in all you'd have to say the 250g Interlock would be the best choice for really heavy game. But a word of caution; when loaded to full power, Moses do they kick!

So there you go. Far from perfect methodology but a fun thing to do on a late winter day on the farm.

Nice work!

JD338

Thank you!
Great info and I am grateful you took the time to do this and share your results.

Vince, try and get your hands on some Sierra 225 grain pro hunters. I've used them on Elk and penetration/weight retention is excellent.

Thanks big rifle man.
I'm running the Barnes 210 grain TSX BT in my .338 Win Mag and very happy with the results.

Though any of those will kill, design makes quite a difference. It is a good argument for choosing a bullet that is designed to maintain integrity at impact velocities. Good test and interesting results. As for the separation of the Hot Cor at lower velocities, it is impossible to draw any conclusion without a larger sample. Still, it is suggestive of what to expect, mirroring the experience of many people.

good work. I've always been quite fond of the interlocks. Seem to most always shoot quite accurate and hold up very well in tough conditions.

You're right about dry magazines and newspaper being a brutal test of bullets. I destroyed a 270 gr, .375" Hornady, slamming it into packed magazines at close range.

Good test, great photos. I liked the way you loaded to two different velocities, to simulate strikes on game at different ranges.

Regards, Guy

Yes Guy, too brutal perhaps. But it really tests them. I've tried wet newspaper, dry, a mixture of wet and dry. Not sure which is best. Going to do a 308cal Interlock vs NBT vs Amax test next; think I might go wet again for that.

Mike, yes it occurred to me the sample size is too small to draw any conclusions. Suffice to say the 200HC performed similar to the 225SST. The 250IL penetrated 25% further than the others because it held together better and probably didn't expand as quickly. I am sure in a game animal it would penetrate more than 25% further. Whether that would mean quicker kills would depend on many other factors.

I have a bunch of Hotcors loaded for 5 days of pig hunting next week. I will let you all know how they go!

Nice work!

Just re examined the projectiles again. Seems the A sample Hotcor retained more of the core than I initially gave it credit for. No doubt that's why it penetrated further.

As you can see the SSTs definitely both lost their cores. Both were a nice wide expanded diameter though.

Another pic.

Worth noting that you've got a 500 fps difference between your fastest & slowest loads.

That alone contributes significantly to how the bullets perform on impact. Higher velocity sure doesn't help a bullet hang together.

Just thought I'd mention that. It's huge in explaining bullet performance.

Regards, Guy

True. No doubt the SST and HC would hold together better at the speed of the Interlocks as well.

Having said that the slower of the SSTs and HCs lost more weight. Anomalous perhaps.

Edit: Meant to say slower of the Hotcor and Interlocks lost more weight. Sorry!

Very cool test Bob. Those Hotcores are usually pretty tough in their weight class till you step up to a heavier bonded bullet.

It'd be cool to see how well a 210PT would do compared to those. I am very impressed with that sleeper of a bullet.

I can't imagine the heat created in dry newsprint like that. It must really hammer those bullets very hard.