Hornady American White tail - .308 150grn interlock

[Jack0106]

Any of you Lads and Lassies use this ammo?

Its all my local RFD has in stock and with deer season coming very close I'm curious what peoples opinions are.

I read on the box that its a "lead alloy bullet designed for maximum penetration even on the biggest white tails".

So my concern would be penciling a Sika Deer and having to get the dogs out.

Maybe I'm overthinking it.

Thanks in advance,

Jack

 

[Heym SR20]

I have used the 7mm 139gn Interlock for a number of years. The Interlock is a good old fashioned cup and core bullet. Out of my 7x57 and 7x65R at a muzzle velocity of c2650 to 2700 fps I have shot many Roe and few red with it from all manner of angles and through the ribs behind the shoulders or via both shoulders. With Roe, it just picks them up and dumps them on the floor where they kick for a moment or two. With Red, they stagger and fall over. A friend used my 7x57 a couple of years ago loaded with the Hornady 275 Rigby Load (which uses the 139gn Interlock bullet) and he shot a decent Red Stag at 200 metres and it went straight down.

There is good damage caused, but they don't blow up. With Sika, I would n't hesitate to use them, and indeed put them through the point of the shoulder to anchor them on the spot.

The 30 cal is pretty much the same and doubt whether there would be any discernable difference. If they are what is available I would use them.

 

[stubear]

So far as I am aware they are loaded with Hornady's Interlock bullet which is a standard lead cup and core with a "lock ring" at the cannula to stop the jacket separating completely from the lead.

I know a guy who uses the same cartridge but in .270 and it decks fallow quite happily.

Assuming they shoot accurately in your rifle I cant see why you would have an issue with them.

 

[Jack0106]

Perfect, thanks guys

 

[Millerich]

For some reason my T3 wouldn’t chamber at least half the box I tried. Grouped as well as the Winchester and Sako I tried alongside it, but returned the remainder of the box as I couldn’t rely on being able to chamber a follow up round.

 

[Jack0106]

For some reason my T3 wouldn’t chamber at least half the box I tried. Grouped as well as the Winchester and Sako I tried alongside it, but returned the remainder of the box as I couldn’t rely on being able to chamber a follow up round.

That seems alarming. I too have a t3x [emoji51]. Hornady arnt generally a dirty round though. The only time I've experienced that is with Winchester 42 grain rimfire ammunition. After 10 or so, the brass would remain in the chamber after cycling the bolt and you needed to pry it out

 

[stubear]

I tried a box in my .25-06.

It didnt group that well in my particular rifle so I never bought more, but it wasnt particularly messy either.

Give it a try and see how you go!

 

[Muir]

Any of you Lads and Lassies use this ammo?

Its all my local RFD has in stock and with deer season coming very close I'm curious what peoples opinions are.

I read on the box that its a "lead alloy bullet designed for maximum penetration even on the biggest white tails".

So my concern would be penciling a Sika Deer and having to get the dogs out.

Maybe I'm overthinking it.

Thanks in advance,

Jack

The Hornady Whitetail line is the low price end of Hornady's hunting ammo line. Markets as "Whitetail" because that is the most prevalent deer species in the US. I have a friend that shoots this ammunition in his 6.5 Creedmor and loves it. The Interlock bullet is a game killer. I have shot thousands of them through 308 in 150 and 165 grain, and taken large mule deer and whitetail both. If your rifle shoots them well, the bullet performance won't be an issue if you do your job.~Muir

 

[ejg]

Normally very accurate at least in any 308 I tried, in the 150gr version it was the bullet that did the most meat damage of any I tried. Expands more dramatical than say SST or A-Max. No problem if one avoids heavy bone. Certainly drops em.
edi

 

[John_R]

Normally very accurate at least in any 308 I tried, in the 150gr version it was the bullet that did the most meat damage of any I tried. Expands more dramatical than say SST or A-Max. No problem if one avoids heavy bone. Certainly drops em.
edi

That's the opposite of the experience most people I know say of them.

I use Interlocks with mostly good results. 7mm 139 grain is my deer bullet of choice. I did push 6mm 87 grain fast enough for deer legal energy and found it got messy, as you say, in the event of hitting bone.

 

[Jack0106]

That's the opposite of the experience most people I know say of them.

I use Interlocks with mostly good results. 7mm 139 grain is my deer bullet of choice. I did push 6mm 87 grain fast enough for deer legal energy and found it got messy, as you say, in the event of hitting bone.

id say it was a liquidizer type situation haha

 

[Jack0106]

Normally very accurate at least in any 308 I tried, in the 150gr version it was the bullet that did the most meat damage of any I tried. Expands more dramatical than say SST or A-Max. No problem if one avoids heavy bone. Certainly drops em.
edi

yeah they boast a tapered jacket to make sure it expands. Super thin at the nose and thicker as it goes towards the base

 

[ejg]

if you compare 150gr Interlock on left then Nos BT 150, 155gr A-Max, 165gr SST, 165gr NosBT, 190gr Sierra MK.
Easy to predict the behaviour of that bullet by looking at the design.
edi

 

[Uncas]

I tried a box last year they would not group in my rifle.

 

[243varmint]

if you compare 150gr Interlock on left then Nos BT 150, 155gr A-Max, 165gr SST, 165gr NosBT, 190gr Sierra MK.
Easy to predict the behaviour of that bullet by looking at the design.
edi

Looking at that picture I would think the same But I use 165gr interlock boat tails out of my 06 doing around 2700fps. No problem at all. Like all bullets wrong place it gets messy.
Now I loaded some Nosler 150bt. Shot 3 fox cubs on last light. Evaserated all 3 of them. Looked like I'd gralloched all 3 on the spot. Then shot a roe buck in the shoulder. I had to bin the whole front end and most of the saddle. Maybe just a one off but I never used them again.

 

[ejg]

The Nos BT has a large plastic tip, much larger than A-Max or SST. Expands quick but the rear section holds together.
At some point we must destroy some part of an animal to kill it. I'd rather give some meat to the dog than loose an animal. Soon we will all be using copper/brass bullets and using a dog.
edi

 

[Daniel308]

Any of you Lads and Lassies use this ammo?

Its all my local RFD has in stock and with deer season coming very close I'm curious what peoples opinions are.

I read on the box that its a "lead alloy bullet designed for maximum penetration even on the biggest white tails".

So my concern would be penciling a Sika Deer and having to get the dogs out.

Maybe I'm overthinking it.

Thanks in advance,

Jack

I use hornady american whitetail on sika and they are a good hard hitting bullet the interlock seems to be doing the damage i have been working with them since the first of August and we have taken odd red with them aswell they seem to be a good bullet

 

[Gd87]

I use them in my .270 and my rifle loves them.
Like one member said, on Roe they just drop on the spot.
I did use one on a muntjac at 50m before and there weren’t much meat left.
Will be trying them on Reds and fallow this coming season

 

[dlz90]

I don't use the factory whitetail loads but have shot many sika fallow and reds with excellent results with my handloads and the 150 GRN interlock bullets, I really rate them accurate dependable and offering very good terminal performance on all deer size game.

D

 

[Jack0106]

great response fellas, thanks for your input