Hornady 120gr HP

[RL338]

100yds into milk jugs

I was hoping for a little better results , I have bunch of these and was going to hunt with them this year.

 

[DrMike]

I suppose it would depend on the amount of sinew you were asking the bullet to penetrate. It would work, but there are better bullets available. I hear you on using what you have. I have a surprising collection of bullets that have accumulated over the years which seem always to be left on the shelf as I reach for a more robust pill.

 

[ethmoid1999]

I have a 257 Weatherby It shoots horribly. Anyway, the the 25-06 I love shot best with the old Nosler 115 grain screw turned bullets. The new partitions never did as well. Anyway I've stocked some 110 Accubonds and hope they'll shoot. I haven't had time to try them. I never regarded the 120 hollow-points as game bullets. You might try the Accubonds.

 

[JD338]

Should be fine for deer sized game.

JD338

 

[SJB358]

100yds into milk jugs

I was hoping for a little better results , I have bunch of these and was going to hunt with them this year.

If that bullet made it to the 4th jug you've done better than most of the Berger's that'll barely come out of the 3rd jug till you get into the 210/215 weight class or the 180/195's in the 7mm's. What I mean is 4 jugs is more than ample for any darned deer and I'd bet a dollar that damage and deer running off too far won't be an issue!

I'd go forth and pile em up!

 

[frankm]

+1 to Scottys comments

 

[Guybo]

I just recently ran across 2 boxes of these at an old country store and the guy sold them to me for $10 a box which I couldn't refuse. It's the old Hornady box so I assume they are vintage because I don't see them listed on the Hornady site. Everything I've read about these bullets seems to be positive and it appears that they are in fact a big game bullet. I'm curious so i'm going to see if I can work up a load with them in my 25.06 and give them a try this upcoming deer season. Hopefully they'll do a good job on deer here in NC.

 

[elkeater2]

Guybo, wondering how that worked out for you. I developed a pretty accurate .25-06 load with that bullet. This year I used it on a whitetail buck and two pronghorn antelope. I found excessive fragmentation at 180 to 200 yards. One antelope was hit squarely broadside in the lungs, striking one rib. Fragments ripped through the diaphragm and tore up stomach, liver, and other stuff. Not pretty. I also read that it was considered a game bullet. I don't, regardless of jacket thickness and material. EE2

 

[cloverleaf]

Guybo, wondering how that worked out for you. I developed a pretty accurate .25-06 load with that bullet. This year I used it on a whitetail buck and two pronghorn antelope. I found excessive fragmentation at 180 to 200 yards. One antelope was hit squarely broadside in the lungs, striking one rib. Fragments ripped through the diaphragm and tore up stomach, liver, and other stuff. Not pretty. I also read that it was considered a game bullet. I don't, regardless of jacket thickness and material. EE2

I don't think Elk Eater intended his results as a compliment for the bullet, but I guess I would look at it that way. Dad used to load 130 Gr speers in his 7 MAG. No idea what kind of velocity he got but nothing ever got away. He always said he wanted that bullet to come apart and do the most damage it could inside. Whatever happened after the exit hole didn't help much except to double the odds of a blood trail. If you punched through 3 jugs at 100 yds you did OK IMHO.
Also, what kind of velocity were you running? Not that I have a lot of experience,
but I push 100 Gr BTs at sub 3000fps and they have punched clean through every antelope I've ever shot, not that this is necessarily comparable to a hollow point, but its no AccuBond either. Otherwise, you've got some good practice bullets and lots of options for a tougher bullet if that helps you sleep better. My .02 CL

 

[elkeater2]

CL - nope, I didn't intend a compliment to the bullet. I meant to say that I don't consider it a game bullet for my purposes. Those bullets were probably impacting at around 2900fps at the distances shot. I would much prefer punching clean through antelope as you described with decent weight retention. Hornady quit making these HP's anyway, so I got some SPS 115 BT's I intend to follow Guy's footsteps with. We really cherish our antelope for the table, and hate to lose any to poor shooting or poor bullet performance. I will be sleeping well, thanks! All three are cut, wrapped, some ground into breakfast sausage. I'm normally a generous fella, but this sausage is so good I might just keep quiet! Thanks again for your .02, CL. EE2

 

[cloverleaf]

CL - nope, I didn't intend a compliment to the bullet. I meant to say that I don't consider it a game bullet for my purposes. Those bullets were probably impacting at around 2900fps at the distances shot. I would much prefer punching clean through antelope as you described with decent weight retention. Hornady quit making these HP's anyway, so I got some SPS 115 BT's I intend to follow Guy's footsteps with. We really cherish our antelope for the table, and hate to lose any to poor shooting or poor bullet performance. I will be sleeping well, thanks! All three are cut, wrapped, some ground into breakfast sausage. I'm normally a generous fella, but this sausage is so good I might just keep quiet! Thanks again for your .02, CL. EE2

Ya- I here you. The "grenade theory" worked well for Dad but he didn't see any reason to complain about my BT's either. Blood shot meat never makes good sausage. 115's will let you sleep well, and with a full belly. CL

 

[Guy Miner]

If you want to reliably punch clean through, also consider the Nosler Partition. Sometimes the 115 gr Ballistic Tips don't make an exit wound. Sometimes yes, sometimes no... But they always expand well and penetrate into the vitals just fine.

Guy

 

[Guybo]

Guybo, wondering how that worked out for you. I developed a pretty accurate .25-06 load with that bullet. This year I used it on a whitetail buck and two pronghorn antelope. I found excessive fragmentation at 180 to 200 yards. One antelope was hit squarely broadside in the lungs, striking one rib. Fragments ripped through the diaphragm and tore up stomach, liver, and other stuff. Not pretty. I also read that it was considered a game bullet. I don't, regardless of jacket thickness and material. EE2

elkeater2
I tried everything but could not get them to shoot accurately in my rifle and after reading your post i'm glad they wouldn't lol. I had gotten the Hornady's at a steal and figured i'd try them out. I tried several different powders, varied seating depths, even tried a couple different primers with no luck. After reading your results in the field on game i guess maybe someone was looking out for me . I'll stick with the Speer 120gr Hot-Cors, i have plenty of those and my 25.06 loves them and their performance on game has been excellent for me. Mike

 

[elkeater2]

All, thanks for the replies! I know that my limited experience on critters <180 lbs. isn't a very good test. I also know that the heap of freezer-fillers I shot over the years with Hornady 7mm 139 gr., MV of 2850 - I never experienced this kind of fragmentation with shrapnel going everywhere. I'm pretty certain that the BT's will take care of my worries, launched at 3100 or so. Partitions and Accubonds will do if the BT's don't, but Guy's experience and the bullet tests have impressed me. EE2