Lawdog
Lawdog
Not saying that you are wrong, just that I disagree with you on this topic. Granted the ballistic tips (original types not the bonded types) were/are notorious for blow ups and not holding together. However, I have seen a number of big game killed over the years with Win PPs and STs, Remington Core-locs, Sierra Game Kings, Speer Hot Cores, Nosler BTs/Partitions and Hornady Interlocks. I also go back far enough to have observed the effects of several other bullets (domestic and foreign) including Herters, DWM, Norma and others. I also have observed numerous "premium" bullets in action, Barnes, Woodleigh, Swift, Grand SLams, Bearclaws and a couple others.
I have, over the last 30 years, come to have a very high regard for the Hornady Inter-locs. This is especially true if used in "standard" cartridges with velocities at or below 2900 fps. Many get into trouble by using bullets designed for the standard cartridges in the magnum cartridges. I concur that if one is shooting a bullet at over 2900 fps then a "premium" type bullet is called for. Over the years I have shot quite a few balcktail deer, mule deer. elk, a couple caribou and a Rocky Mountain Bighorn with Hornadys 180 gr SPs and SPBTs out of a couple '06s. I push them to 2700-2800 fps depending on barrel. Ranges have been from 25 yards to 456 yards (paced or lazer range finder). I have yet to have anything close to a "bullet failure" (commonly refered to as a jacket core seperation). I have also used the Win 150 gr ST and PP, the Hornady 150 SP and the Hornady 165 SPBT in a .308 Winchester with excellent results on deer, coyotes and one bear. In other standard calibers for use on big game I also have become fond of the Hornadys but would not hesitate to use a "cheap bullet" that comes out of a yellow, red or green box either.
The longest shot I ever took on big game was a muledeer at a paced 610 yards with a .308 (sniper rifle) loaded with the 165 Sierra HPBT Game King bullet. The deer was in a very large wide open area in SE Oregon. The shot went true through the shoulder and heart exiting out the other shoulder. The deer went maybe 15 yards and died. I do not make a habit of shots that long but I had the equipment and the opportunity that time. Actually I have only shot 5 big game animals over 200 yards, 3 were under 300 yards, an elk at 456 yards and the deer at 610 yards. The majority of my big game kills have been under 100 yards, even in the "wide open spaces" of the west.
All of the above mentioned bullets I have recovered have shown excellent expansion at all ranges and killed extremely well. They all killed as well as any Nosler Partition. I quit using the Partitions some years ago. Partitions are fine bullets though many times not quite as accurate as others but certainly adequate for big game. What I disliked about them was the front half of the bullet most often acted like a varmint bullet on impact (I prefer a shoulder shot puting the bullet through the heart) creating a lot of unecessary meat damage. The back half always drove on and killed well enough. However, I never have noticed that they killed any better than the "cheap bullets". I have always considered it a contradition when those who tout "bullet failure" as core jacket seperation have no qualms with losing the front half of a Nosler Partition, isn't that seperating the core from the jacket? They usually will show a jacket seperated from the core that they recovered "under the hide on the far side" of a deer or elk and moan about the "bullet failure". I have to ask; if the "failed" bullet was recovered from the dead animal, what part of "failure" is that?
I don't remeber if it was on this forum or another but a poll was taken on the range of the deer that was shot last year. While interesting it was predictable; most all (about 90%) that responded (30+ I think) said the deer they killed last year was under 150 yards. For this we need a magnum? Or a premium bullet?
Guess my point here is that most of the "cheap bullets" work wonderfully well in standard cartridges. There are some of them, the ballistic tips in particular, that do not do well. Also some standard bullets are missued, i.e. a fellow recently complained that the 170 FP he loaded to 2950 fps in his '06 was pratically blowing the little deer apart at the 25 to 100 yard ranges he was shooting them at. Well duh!!! That was a 30-30 bullet meant to perform at 2100 fps. We should not condem all of the standard bullets just because a couple of them do not do well or that a hunter misuses them or shoots poorly and will blame the bullet instead of himself. If one chooses to use a premium bullet I have no qualms with it as it is their choice and they do perform well also. I have not found premium bullets necassary for use in standard cartridges and I choose to use the regular bullets to hunt with, not because they are "cheap" but because they work.
Larry Gibson
