Hornady interlocks or Rem. Core-loks?

[Woodyed]

Only 2 of the major bullet makers claim to lock the cores of their bullets to their jackets and they are Hornady Interlocks and Remington's Core-loks. I realize there are custom bullet makers that do also (Berger, Nosler,etc.) but I'm only interested in the 2 major producers, Hornady and Remington as they are the most affordable. I would like to know from users of these 2 brands which you have had the best luck with not only in hunting, but accuracy. Which of these 2 core lock versions gave the best expansion on game and which one was more prone to shed its jacket. Which one gave you the most pass-thru on animals you shot. In other words, which one do you load the most of and have the greatest confidence in.

[spclPatrolGroup]

I've used interlocks for a while (.270), and don't have much to complain about, most of the time the bullet go through on a rib or neck shot, or break teh shoulder on a shoulder shot, I wouldnt use them for soemthing like a coyote, tehy would ruin the hide. My brother has been buying factory core-lokt ammo for his .270 and hasnt had a problem retrieving his deer either. Either will get the job done.

[hornetguy]

I've used the 140gr Hornady Interlocks almost exclusively in my 6.5 Swede.
I've taken maybe 6 deer, ranging from a 90# doe up to a fully mature, healthy 180# or so buck, at ranges from just under a hundred yards, out to about 150-175yds. It also smacked a small pig, maybe 60#, at about 50-60yds one night. It was overkill for that, as I could have taken it with my K-hornet, if I'd been carrying it.
All were one-shot drops, except for the last smallish "cull" buck that sprang sideways about 10yds and fell through a barbed wire fence. All bullets exited, none have been recovered.
I have not had any bad experience with the core-lokt bullets, just haven't used them much. The Hornady's work for me.

[totaldla]

The Hornady's were most affordable and the ones I used in 270w held together perfectly. I can't comment on the Remingtons.

[azar92]

I've only used the interlocks on gave once. It penetrated from the front right quarter, through a lung, through the intestines, and out of the left rear quarter. The deer did a 30-yard dash and gave it up. I've never used the core-lokt on game, but I imagine they would be comparable.

That being said, in the same rifle the interlock was much more accurate for me than the core-lokt. That made the decision easy. Buy a box of both, load them up, and let the rifle tell you which it prefers. There's probably not enough of a difference between them to really fret over.

[FrankenMauser]

Even though I have hundreds in my component stash, and quite a few loaded, I have never taken game with an Interlock or SST (essentially a tipped Interlock).

I have, however, taken many antelope with Core-Lokts, and have seen Elk and Deer taken with them. The Core-Lokt is an amazing, overlooked bullet. While expansion of the spitzers is not as predictable as something like a Fail-Safe or Barnes TSX, they do quite well. I'd like to say we've been able to recover several of the bullets, and they were fantastic mushrooms; but I can't. Nearly all of them were a complete pass-through, including some full length body shots. Those that have been recovered were not pretty, but retained 60-80% of their weight, and were largely unfragmented.

Every rifle in my family can print 1.5" or smaller groups with Core-Lokts. Some reliably print sub-moa groups with bulk CLs.

The only bad experience I have had with a Core-Lokt was not the bullet's fault. With a 100 gr Core-Lokt in .243 Win, the hunter shot an antelope in the butt. The bullet struck the ball joint of the femur, the thickest part of the pelvis, and went directly into the spine. It had too much velocity, and struck nearly 10" of bone. The bullet couldn't handle it at that velocity, and exploded as it progressed down that wound track. The largest recovered fragment was no more than 10 grains, and most of the fragments are most easily described as 'grains of dust'. It was a failure, but I blame the idiot that pulled the trigger.

The last few years have been good to me. I have finally been able to afford Swift, Barnes, Woodleigh, Norma, and Berger bullets. ...But I still buy Core-Lokts. It is an exceptional bullet, for the price; and most North American game animals do not need a 'premium' bullet.

I use 165s in .30-06, 130s in .270 Win, 80s and 100s in .243 Win, and 180s in .30-40 Krag.

[Doodlebugger45]

Hornadys are my main standby bullets, both SST and Interlocks. They shoot as accurately as anything else that I can find that are still affordable. Before I started handloading, I used quite a bit of factory Remington ammo with CoreLoks. They performed well on game no doubt and were as accurate as I needed them to be. I don't use them for handloading simply because they are hard to find on the shelf of my local dealers.

[wncchester]

I've used both type in multipule hunting calibers, really can't tell any difference in effect. Some rifles like one or the other a little better but the accuracy difference isn't great. So, I've seen no clear advantage one way or the other.

[Doyle]

I've got a box of the Interlock SSTs on backorder. I've shot stuff with core-lokts. Yes, they perform well on game. However, they have the BC of a brick.

[Bamashooter]

I have always had good luck with remington. I dont know about the interlocks, I have never used them. I have a massive stash of remington so I dont think I will change anytime soon.

[cdoc42]

As stated above you have to experiment to see which bullet your rifle likes. I hammered a buck at 60yds with the HSST in 130gr in my Win M70 .270 and his eyes were glassed over by the time I walked up him. But the Hornady 150gr Interlock BTSP dropped a buck for me with my .270 WSM (which doesn't like 130gr bullets). My Sako .270 hates anything but Rem CorLok in 130gr. I have my old original Rem M700 in .270 and it fires 1" groups with Hornady 150gr Interlock BTSP and believe it or not, shoots just as well with Hornady 150gr ROUND NOSE!!! They shoot separate paths at 200 and 300 yds (as expected) but at 100 yards it is hard to tell the difference.

[jwilson48]

for my dollar hornady gets the vote. remington is a proven company and i have killed more deer with corloks than you can shake a stick at but interlocks perform just as well with generally better accuracy. and they are typically easier to find for reloading

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

If your talking about "major manufactures", as stated in your origional post, then Hornady and Remington ARE NOT the only players.

Yes, they make a lot of bullets and both have their followers. Personally I lean toward the Hornady.

However, there is a major reason some of the other manufactures products cost more. QUALITY and INTEGRATY.

When your figuring the cost of bullets in your hunting trips, your talking about pennies for even the best bullets when compaired to the cost of fuel to get to your hunting camp.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[Woodyed]

When I stated that these were the major manufacturers I was relating their bullets to affordable bullets. I've seen the expression many times on the rifle forums that "Dead is Dead" and this is so true whether it is the result of a bullet that costs 19 cents or one that costs 60 cents or more. If the 19 cent bullet performs as it is intended to, is accurate, and and puts the animal down, then why buy the 60 cent apiece bullets. Judging from all the replies to this post it seems that the Core-locks and Inter locks do all that and satisfy the needs of a lot of hunters. Granted that a lot of the custom bullet makers have bullets that perform and have the same qualities as the Core-locks and Interlocks, but it hasn't been proven to me that they are any better, worth the extra cost, or make the animals any more dead.

[Water-Man]

I've been using the Core-Lokt bullets for almost sixty years with never a problem. The calibers include .35 Rem., .270, .30-06, .30-30 and 6.5x55 SE.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Well Woodyed,

You are correct, most of the time.

However, if you hunt long enough you WILL see a bad shot, making one or seeing one.

Now maybe this is because you or the criter moved at the instant the trigger broke. Maybe it is because the angle was bad. Whatever, but when it does, that is the point at which the ".60" cent bullet looks very cheap while the ".19" cent bullet just cost you your critter or at best only a lot of meat distruction.

Many people will tell of how well brand "X" has done for them over their entire hunting life and I'm not going to debate their results.

I am simply stating that I have hunted more then long enough to see a number of shots which went bad for whatever reason. Shots taken by other folks, and yes a shot or two by myself.

And when it happens, bullets of premium quality can save the day or a lot of good meat.

Bullets are what they are, and as such perform to level for which they are designed.

The choice is certainly that of the hunter/reloader, but it still does not change the facts.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[William T. Watts]

I agree with Crusty, I've used Remington Cor/lokt & Hornady, of the two I prefer Hornady. I still use Cor/lokt's and Hornadys for plinking, when it comes to hunting I use nothing but Nosler's. Nosler has been my bullet of choice for more than 25 years because they are accurate and produce massive tissue damage! My .02 William

[ipscchef]

First of all, you have not specified what it is you want to hunt with these bullets, or what caliber you intend to use. That can make a huge difference. In addition to what type of hunt you are thinking of. If you are going on the Elk hunt of a lifetime in say, Northern New Mexico and have drawn a tag to a unit full of world class bulls, then worrying about your bullet cost would be just plain silly, and potentialy disasterous when you are spending several thousand dollars for a weeks hunt. If you are like me, and hunt smallish Pa. whitetails out of my back yard on my farm, then bullet selection becomes much less critical.
Having said that, I generaly concur with the other posters. I have used the CoreLoct bullets for many years, mostly out of my 30-30, and they do a fine job ont these critters at moderate ranges. But for longer shots on bigger game, like the 350lb.+ Bucks that roam the woods around my sons' home in Vermont, I would prefer the Hornady. But again what are you shooting at, how far, and out of what gun? All of these factors play a signifigant role in choosing a bullet. As another poster said, the CoreLoct has the BC. of a brick compared to the Interlock. I am not sure what you mean by "Custom" bullets.
And I have to agree with Crusty Old Coot, Hornady and Remington are most certainly NOT the only two major players in the "Bonded " game. Nolser is at least as big of a player in the bullet industry, if not bigger than Hornady. Having loaded thousands of their bullets, I can state that the Accubond is the equal of ANY OTHER bullet in that ( Bonded) class. What I stated above is meant to re-affirm what he has said. Every one of his points are valid, as are a lot of other posters info. You have gotten some very good info here, IMHO.
Again if you will give more details of how you intend to use the bullet, you will most likely get even more intelligent feedback.
JMHO, and as always, YMMV
Willy

[FrankenMauser]

Now maybe this is because you or the criter moved at the instant the trigger broke. Maybe it is because the angle was bad. Whatever, but when it does, that is the point at which the ".60" cent bullet looks very cheap while the ".19" cent bullet just cost you your critter or at best only a lot of meat distruction.

I just wanted to clarify here.

The example I used, about the antelope shot in the butt with a Core-Lokt, would have had just as much meat damage, and the same outcome with a premium bullet. It was a bad shot, a bad angle, and the bone fragments caused more damage than the bullet. A premium bullet would have done just as much damage, but with an exit wound that didn't matter, in that particular case.

Sometimes, a premium bullet might help. Almost always, it's just the bad shot that ruins the hunt - not the bullet. Using premium bullets as a crutch for poor shooting is like getting a vehicle with traction control, so you can make yourself believe it's okay to drive 75 miles per hour in a blizzard.

Premium bullets have their place, but they're not required for 90%+ of North American game. A bad shot is a bad shot.

[89blazin]

+1 for Mr. Watts. I have used them all, and Nosler Partitions have had unquestionable massive adverse impacts on the elk and moose I have shot.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

The worse damage I have seen or heard about was with a 30/30 to the butt of a mule deer buck. That would have been back in the 1950s.

Cousin got that one.

Since that time I have seen equally poor hits with much heavier/faster rifles, but with premimum bullets with less damage.

Yes, the premimum bullets are designed to open up quick, but only to a given point, where a typical cup & core bullet in cases just keeps expanding.

As I said before, the choice is up to each hunter/reloader and I only speak to to what I have seen over the years.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[wncchester]

Use the Hornady or Remington of your choice with confidence. The ONLY time the costly premium bullets accomplish anything is when you're pushing the envelop on velocity and mass for the game.

[Elkins45]

I've shot a bunch of whitetails with the 270. For many years I loaded up Nosler Partitions in 130 grain, but for some reason I can't quite remember I hunted one year with the Hornady 130 Interlocks. They actually tended to drop the deer a little quicker, I assume because their expansion isn't as controlled. So now I use them for all my practice ammo and quite a bit of my hunting season.

I don't worry about a bad shot lengthways through the animal because I have the luxury of being able to take standing shots and not having to shoot at running deer. I carry the premium bullets if I haven't taken my one buck for the year because the chances of the bullet failing if I accidentally hit the heavy shoulder bone of a big buck are greater. I would definitely choose the Nosler's if I'm ever drawn for an elk tag. But when I'm going out with the intention of shooting a small meat doe than I figure the regular Horndays are up to the task.

[crowbeaner]

I depend on Interlocks in several calibers. They hold together better than the Core Lokts.

[Doyle]

You didn't say what caliber or what speed you are going to drive them. If they are going to be loaded hot (faster than about 2900fps at the muzzle) then I'd go with a Hornady Interbond over the Interlock.