Interlock ?

[wisconsinteacher]

Now that I have my .338, I need some bullets. The local store carries Hornady bullets. I was thinking of trying the 200gr Interlock. I am guessing they will work on deer and bear. I am guessing most will say go with Nosler, but has anyone ever used the Interlock for hunting?

 

[DrMike]

Hornady makes a fine bullet. I use 180 grain InterLocks for my proof loads on the 300 WSM. They are cost effective, and they kill quite cleanly, provided one recognises the limitations of a cup-and-core bullet. They will work very well out of your 338 on black bear and deer.

 

[corbin9191]

The only bullet I use in my 270 win is a 140 grain hornady interlock bullet. They will create a devastating wound channel through a deer. I have shot a cow elk with one at 450 yards and dropped it on the spot, no second shot needed. Great bullet in my opinion.

 

[JD338]

I used to shoot a lot of Hornady in my early days of reloading. I bought a box of .358 cal 250 gr bullets for my 35 Whelen for load development. Good bullets.

JD338

 

[HeathSexton]

200gr Hornady SP's from my .358 Winchester, sub MOA and big'ol leakin' holes on deer around here.

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

Whenever I have used my 30-06 for deer I trusted and do trust completely in the Hornady Interlocks. I have never lost a deer with them whether I used 150, 165, or 180 grain bullets. They retain their weight very well and I have even used them successfully on elk.

I once shot a doe that was quartering away from me and it hit her in the right side ham and passed all the way through the offside shoulder and lodged just under the hide. The bullet was a perfect mushroom. It was an istant kill as it popped both lungs and the liver and the bullet which was a 165 grain to start out with still weighed 110 grains. I killed a 156 B+C 4x4 mulie buck in 2006 and a 6x3 Non-typical Mulie buck in 2009 both with Hornady bullets in my 30-06. The 4x4 fell to a 150, the 6x3 fell to a 180.

I prefer the performance of the AccuBond on elk even in my 30-06 but Interlocks are an accurate, affordable bullet designed for deer and sheep. I see no problems with you using them on deer and bear, especially in the 200 grain weight. Good hunting, let us know how it goes!

 

[FOTIS]

wisconsinteacher

you got a pm

 

[SJB358]

I like Hornady bullets alot. If I didn't have such great luck with buying Nosler 2nds, I would shoot many more Hornadys for practice and deer hunting. For one, they are a better price than any other bullet I have found, they are usually quite accurate and if they are matched to the cartridge - ie heavy for weight, the regular Interlocks are pretty robust. I have had decent luck with Interbonds in both accuracy and game taking ability. I think they are really about the same as the AB's in performance. Plus, with Hornady marketing an SST that usually shoots almost exactly the same, it makes for a good performing deer load to compliment their bonded bullets. The main reason for my huge Nosler affliction is the PT. That is where I can't find anything else matching their ability, so I will pay what they want for them.

I have a pretty decent selection of bullets on the bench, mostly Nosler, but Hornady runs a strong 2nd for sure. If they shoot well for you, I doubt they would let you down. Hornady has a great reputation like Nosler. Scotty

 

[TBASTIAN]

It isn't the 200 grain you mention, but I'm getting great results on paper with the 225 grain Hornady Interlock. This load shoots under MOA in both my Browning A-Bolt and Browning BAR Safari II.

225 Grain Hornady Interlock
RL19 - 72.0 Grains
Winchester WLRM Primers

I use the same load with 225 grain Barnes TSX's for elk hunting. Bullet performance is perfect, and the bullets I've been able to find in the bulls show picture perfect results with virtually 100% weight retention.

 

[Oldtrader3]

I use the 200 gr Interlocks in my .338 Federal. They are accurate and match up fine with the 2600 fps velocity of the Federal cartridge. I prefer the 225 gr Partitions for my .340 Bee though. I have also had good luck with the 225 Interlock Hornady's when I had a .338 WM.

 

[Elkman]

For deer and little bear the Interlock will work fine, I would watch my shots however and try to avoid as much bone as you can. I am a PT fan and for deer and black bear I give my self the same advice. good hunting

 

[R Flowers]

You have some fine responses here regarding the Hornady Interlock and I agree with them, BUT, I would shy away from the particular Hornady in question.

The 200 grain Hornady in .338 in much too fragile for everyday use in a 338 Win Mag. I bought my first .338 Win Mag a long time back and messed with about every bullet I could find. The 200 grain Hornady shot good, but was quite impressive for tearing up game.

There were several of us messing with the .338 here in town at that time. The guys that shot deer with the 200 Hornady sure ruined a lot of meat. Some of those deer were darned near in two pieces.

I had settled on the 250 grain Sierra and the performance was much better. Instant kills with darned little meat damage. ( I shot deer, elk, wild hogs, etc. with that 250 Sierra, no complaints, ever.)

We even used to shoot a lot of ground squirrels and jack rabbits with the .338's just for practice. That 200 Hornady would explode one like a 220 Swift while the 250 Sierra or the heavier Hornady's would just sort of plow through them.

If you want to shoot 200's in your .338 try the 200 grain AccuBond. I had great success with the 200 grain Ballistic Tip, but it has been discontinued.