Speer Hot Cor.....are they any good?

.284 · February 17, 2013, 10:08 AM

Well, I'm not so sure. In my 44 mag, I have tried the Gold Dots and was not impressed with inconsistent weights of the individual bullets. The 210 grainers varried as much as 4-5 grains. They shot okay but the weight variance bothers me. I have a TC encore chambered in 280 Rem and have tried Barnes and Sierra an found both to be quality bullets. Trying to give Speer another chance, I ordered the 130 gr Hot Cor's. I started weighing some and again found them to have about a 2 grain variance. Now, I know I'm getting nit picky but I think that they should be a bit more consistent. Also, I believe that the lead core is poured in to the jacket which I have read is both their claim to fame as well as their downfall. I found quite a few comments saying Speer is the king of jacket core separation. I'm not really worried about the bullet's ability to take down a deer as much as frags in the meat. I have them so, I'm going to bench test them. However, I would like to hear some reviews from my trusted TFL members. Not really limiting this to my two calibers, just an overall opinion of Speer Hot Cor bullets.

GeauxTide · February 17, 2013, 06:25 PM

Deer bullets in the Speer 7mm line begin at 145 grains. They work very well until you push them to 3000. In your 280, they will work as well as any Cup and Core.

wncchester · February 17, 2013, 08:17 PM

"Speer Hot Cor.....are they any good? "

Naw. That's why they quite making them years ago.

m&p45acp10+1 · February 17, 2013, 08:24 PM

I have not used any one game though I loaded a bunch of the .311 for my Mosin Nagaint. They shoot well, and I am sure would kill anything I hit right with them.

.284 · February 18, 2013, 09:52 PM

Well, I shot three test loads on Sunday and was not really exicited nor depressed. They shot okay. I first shot 5 loaded with 55 grs of IMR4350 and they sucked. Then I tried 59 grs of RE19 and they shot a 2" group at a 100. Finally, 60 grs of H1000 shot the best group at about an inch and a half. I didn't get chrono data from the H1000 group due to lighting conditions but I suspect it was about 3000 ft/sec. I have much better options than the Speer Hot Cors and will probably just use then up. But, hey that's we reload to try stuff out.

Any other info to defend or attack these bullets would still be appreciated.

February 17, 2013, 10:08 AM	#1
.284 Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2009 Location: davison, michigan Posts: 665	Speer Hot Cor.....are they any good? Well, I'm not so sure. In my 44 mag, I have tried the Gold Dots and was not impressed with inconsistent weights of the individual bullets. The 210 grainers varried as much as 4-5 grains. They shot okay but the weight variance bothers me. I have a TC encore chambered in 280 Rem and have tried Barnes and Sierra an found both to be quality bullets. Trying to give Speer another chance, I ordered the 130 gr Hot Cor's. I started weighing some and again found them to have about a 2 grain variance. Now, I know I'm getting nit picky but I think that they should be a bit more consistent. Also, I believe that the lead core is poured in to the jacket which I have read is both their claim to fame as well as their downfall. I found quite a few comments saying Speer is the king of jacket core separation. I'm not really worried about the bullet's ability to take down a deer as much as frags in the meat. I have them so, I'm going to bench test them. However, I would like to hear some reviews from my trusted TFL members. Not really limiting this to my two calibers, just an overall opinion of Speer Hot Cor bullets. __________________ Guns have only two enemies, rust and politicians! Deer are amazing creatures....so please don't burn the sauteed onions and I'll pass on the steak sauce, thank you.

February 17, 2013, 08:24 PM	#4
m&p45acp10+1 Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 3,930	I have not used any one game though I loaded a bunch of the .311 for my Mosin Nagaint. They shoot well, and I am sure would kill anything I hit right with them. __________________ No matter how many times you do it and nothing happens it only takes something going wrong one time to kill you.

February 18, 2013, 09:52 PM	#5
.284 Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2009 Location: davison, michigan Posts: 665	Well, I shot three test loads on Sunday and was not really exicited nor depressed. They shot okay. I first shot 5 loaded with 55 grs of IMR4350 and they sucked. Then I tried 59 grs of RE19 and they shot a 2" group at a 100. Finally, 60 grs of H1000 shot the best group at about an inch and a half. I didn't get chrono data from the H1000 group due to lighting conditions but I suspect it was about 3000 ft/sec. I have much better options than the Speer Hot Cors and will probably just use then up. But, hey that's we reload to try stuff out. Any other info to defend or attack these bullets would still be appreciated. __________________ Guns have only two enemies, rust and politicians! Deer are amazing creatures....so please don't burn the sauteed onions and I'll pass on the steak sauce, thank you.

February 17, 2013, 06:25 PM	#2
GeauxTide Senior Member Join Date: April 20, 2009 Location: Helena, AL Posts: 4,424	Deer bullets in the Speer 7mm line begin at 145 grains. They work very well until you push them to 3000. In your 280, they will work as well as any Cup and Core.

February 17, 2013, 08:17 PM	#3
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	"Speer Hot Cor.....are they any good? " Naw. That's why they quite making them years ago.