Has anyone use the Hornady 500 grain Softs and Solids on Buff? If so, how did they perform? Thanks
Doug

I have not, but would encourage you to try the new Interbond from hornady. The bonded core would make it an improvement over the interlock.

As for hornady solids, well there was a time when practically only hornady made solids - so i can only imagine how many buffalo they've taken.

Today's monos are no doubt better, with "fewer moving parts."

Nassos Roussos now uses only Hornady 500 grain round nose interlock soft's as loaded in their .458 Lott ammo for back up on the Nile Buffalo hunted in Ethiopia. So far....so good!
My only experience was with the good old 500 gr. Lead core FMJ's which are no longer made. I never shot a buff with one but they sure penetrated on Elephant once I switched to the Lott.
Rich Elliott

Rich Elliott

I killed a buffalo with an old Interlock 500 grain soft and finished him while he lay on his side with a 500 grain Hornady solid through the spine and out the brisket. The bullets worked just fine and if anything the newer ones are better.

the old 500 gr. solids were very good solids and I never saw one fail, and the old Hornadys interlock softs were good in the 458, but failed in other calibers...The new HOrnaday solids and softs I have not heard good or bad on them, but that information should be fourth comming this next year or two as folks use them...I am betting the new bonded core Hornady bullets combined with an interlock are as good as any premium, but only time and a hell of a lot of kills will prove a bullet....

Ray,

I think you will be dissapointed in the 458 Interbond.

I recovered a couple of them at av velocity of 2365 fps at 20 yards and they blew up.

Just bonding to a standard gilding metal jacket does not make a premium bullet. The WW 510 grain RNSP does better as it has a thick and ductile brass jacket w flash coating of copper.

Specs are 349 gr retained weight (70%) and only two 5 gallon water buckets penetration compared to 3-4 buckets for other good premium bullets.

It mashes flat and fractures 3 of 5 star fish shaped propellors.

It is junk basically.

PS FOr those of you who are not familiar w my unconventional test medium it has correlated to over two dozen bullets recovered from cape buff by 90-95% for penetrationa expansion and weight retention.

Dont shoot this bullet over 2000 fps. Its tin foil.

Andy

How about a Woodleigh Weldcore 480grs have any used these as a first on buf followed with a solid..

Mike

The 500 gr Woodleigh RN has about 20 grains less retained weight than then new Protected Point but dissapoointing damage to the 5 gallon water buckets.

Its a whole lot better bullet than the Hornady Interbond with more than 1/3 greater penetration but still not equal to a 400 or 450 grain bonded North Fork or NF Cup Point.

The Nosler Accubond and Hornady Interbond are basically bonded varmit bullets. I am not sure what purpose they serve.

For real premium bullets look to original TBBC, not new Speer which uses gilding metal rather than copper jacket, North Fork, heavier Swift and Kodiak, and if you like low to no expansion solids, the Barnes X and Tripple Shock.

Everything else is a bit of a dissapointment.

Results of my test of 24 premium 458 bullets will be in African hunter.

Andy

Gentlemen,

The solution to this problem seems quite simple: just use North Fork cup nose solids and solid shank bonded softs when you are after buffalo.

http://www.northforkbullets.com

I was shooting my 458 Lott a couple of days ago, using the 500 Gr. Hornady roundnose. I wasn't doing a penetration test per se. I did shoot through a hard wood 4x4, which I was using to hold my target. I believe it's oak, and it was penetrated without problem. One shot did cause either the bullet to explode or the post to explode because it had a .458 size entry and a 4" exit. The rest of the holes were 50 cent size exits.

Andy,
Are you saying the Barnes X and Triple shock do not penetrate??
Doug

I'm aware of the change to their 500gr RN from the old Interlock to the new Interbond, but I did not know they also changed their 500gr Solid. What did they change in the Solid?

458RugerNo1

It used to be a lead core then a fairly thick steel Jacket covered with a softer metal to protect the rifling (I suppose). Now it's all an homogenous alloy...like so many of the new WONDER bullets ( I wonder why they made them)

Rich Elliott

Rich,

Thanks for the info... So it's a homogenous solid now - no lead core at all?

I guess we can only hope it's an improvement over the old, but it's too early to tell until reports come in from the field.

My theory is that these changes (of the RN and the solid) were prompted by their Lott loading and it's popularity. Due to it's higher working velocity they didn't want to risk their bullets having trouble with failures, especially in the RN Interlock.

500grains, IMO, has found the trick that will take care of 90 % of the bullet failiers experienced with any bullet. The North Fork CUP is the best of all worlds, that is if they feed in your rifle. Addtionally, the NF solids are the only Mono-metel solid I will use in my doubles, and I consider them to be perfect Buffalo medicine! If Ele is on the menu, then the NF flt point would be better, but that is a guess on my part.

I used both soft, and solids from Hornady on Buffalo and had no problem with them at all. I haven't used the new ones. I have used the Barnes Super Solids, and they are good in a bolt rifle, but I wouldn't use them in a double rifle, no matter the make, new, or old!

In the past, what ever solid I used, my first shot, on Buffalo, was always a soft, but that is before I tried the NF Cup! In my doubles I will use nothing else for buffalo now!

Stimulated by this thread, I did a bit of cursory research.

The new Hornady solid is advertised as an "encapsulated" solid bullet. I believe that it does, in fact, have a lead core, although it is entirely enclosed by the jacket material.

What the jacket material is made of, and how Hornady manages to encapsulate the core with it, I do not know.

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
Stimulated by this thread, I did a bit of cursory research.

The new Hornady solid is advertised as an "encapsulated" solid bullet. I believe that it does, in fact, have a lead core, although it is entirely enclosed by the jacket material.

What the jacket material is made of, and how Hornady manages to encapsulate the core with it, I do not know.

mrlexma, has it right. The new FMJs have a copper colored plug in the base to seal the lead core. The jacket is brass colored and non-magnetic.

Hog Killer

Hogkiller--Thanks for the info. No steel jacket? This is beginning to sound like no more of an "improvement" than the post-64 Model 70.

retriever
I shot 2 buff in Zim last June. First shot on #1 was a 480 Woodleigh Soft. Perfect performance.
I shot 2 Swift 500 grain A Frames into the second buff, also perfect performance.
Also the 480 Woodleigh Solids performed perefectly on buff and elephants.
All from my 450 No2.

It would be nice if Hornady would make the steel jacketed FMJ agaim. But when I talked to the folks at Hornady about this, they said that the reason they quit was that they could no longer get that steel alloy. Sound like a PR smoke screen to me. Maybe someone "saw" them as APs.

I have a few of the old steel jacketed, they are open at the base with the lead core showing. I take it this is simular to the Woodlieghs.

Hog Killer

When I was at the plant last summer, the AP story was the excuse I got, that they were no longer allowed to make them. Yet Woodleigh comes into the country. At least they are magnetic, so I have to assume some type of steel.
The old Hornady was good. Never failed for me anyway at reasonable velocity. Some distortion with .378 Wea. loaded full up.

The softnose 500 gr have the same brass colored jacket. If it's for toughness I wish they'd use it on the 416 400 gr too.

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:
The softnose 500 gr have the same brass colored jacket. If it's for toughness I wish they'd use it on the 416 400 gr too.

I believe they are already in production, with 375s on the way.

Just confirming that the Hornady bonded softnosed 416 400 grainers are brass colored.

I think I got them through Midway.

Magnum Hunter,

I said the Barnes X and Triple Shock were "low to no" expansion not low to no penetraiton.

They penetrated well as they had very modest expansion, the 400 and 450 grain loosing all 4 X petals and the 500 grain retaining two of four but turning over 180 degrees and ending base forward.

Hope this clarifies.

Hornady may do fine at 2000 fps but it sure needs alot thicker and tapered jacket at 2400 fps.

Andy

Thanks Andy,
I see my mistake. Doug

Magnum hunter, I shot a buff with a 450 barnes X
at 40yds. He took a perfect shoulder shot and it went clean throuh to far side took out top of heart and lungs with bone chips...Went all of 11 yards...and was down for keeps...bullet weighed 445grs. and still had all petals intact..

Used Bridger solids on my bull ele recovered two perfect solids one went into the skull and the other from shoulder forward into neck 6 feet of penetration... pics were posted a
couple of weeks back..

Mike

Andy do you think the Hornadys were being pushed to fast??