I too have been teetering back and forth about which bullet to choose (for south texas whitetail). I decided on Interbonds once, then read on Shortmag forum that they were not expanding on game (antelope), just punching holes. So, I decided against them and started leaning towards Interlocks, then I understand they're not polymer tipped and are basically the same as SST's and are supposedly too fragile for bone penetration over 3000 fps. So now I'm leaning back in the direction of the Interbonds. I've had a good bit of experience with what Nosler bal. tips do and don't do on deer. Originally I was less than impressed with the fact that very few exited, but, then again, I don't think one deer went over 80 yards and with this being the trend, an exit wound and blood trail really isn't needed. In my situation it would be worse to have minimal expansion and an exit wound, and the deer travel farther into a virtually impenetrable thicket of thorns. All this being said, I'm back to square one, with no idea of what bullet to try. This must be how a woman feels in a shoe store.

I'm looking to work up a whitetail load for a new (to me,anyway) 300 H&H using 165 or 180 gr. bullets, which should have a muzzle velocity of about 3,150 and 3,050 respectively.

I've used Nosler Partitions a lot for hunting loads in the past and while "terminal performance" is great accuracy has never been anything to write home about, so I've been thinking about giving Hornady SST's or Interbonds a try.

There isn't a lot of information out there about either of these bullets, but I understand that the SST's have problems if launched at over 3,000 fps. While I haven't read much about the Interbonds, I typically think of bonded bullets being designed for heavier targets and I'm wondering whether they will expand properly on one of our scrawny southern deer (a 200 lbs buck would be a hoss around here, and I've shot enough deer that unless its a nice buck I would just as well shoot a small doe for the freezer.)

Bottom line, I'm hoping someone could help me figure out the useful range of velocities for expansion on deer-sized game for both of these bullets.

Brian

What's the average range at which your deer are taken?



Launch speed isn't really the issue with the SSTs; impact is.



RSY

The interbond would be much less apt to blow up on close in hi velocity shots. The jacket is much thicker than the sst yet they seem to open well and maintain a lot more weight being that the core is bonded to the jacket. They shoot very well out of my 300 H&H.

Personally I think that if your moving them out at or over 2800 FPS I would err on the safe side and load up interbonds. Under that speed I highly doubt that the bond would make much difference. I think that either will expand just fine for what you are using them for but the SST might not hold together at higher velocities. Better safe than sorry, right?

A buddy hit a 150 lb buck behind the shoulder at 175 yds with a 180 Hornady Interlock. The bullet ranged up into the aft shoulder, broke into eight pieces and did not exit. I would estimate the the MV at about 2900 fps.

another vote for the interbond. I shot a small 2x2 mule deer about the same as a white tail with an interbond, went down as if lighting struck, plus they shot sub moa

99, the Interlock and the SST are the same design bullet except the SST has the polymer tip, don't confuse them with the Interbond even though it also has a polymer tip, they're not even close in design. The Interbond is a much tougher design than the Interlock or SST.

I find the Hornady Interbonds on the soft side if impact vel. is much over 2700-2800fps, so the SST would be even worse. I would go w/ the Nosler Accubond instead.

Oscar,

Your right. I know what the bullets are and I was offering a report on a bullet that's similar to the SST.

I understand that the deer shouted out "bullet failure, bullet failure, bull.......... and then took two steps and dropped dead.

I'vr read many reports of SST or Ballistic Tip "failures" on various hunting forums. They "fail" because the bullets fragment internal to the game that was shot. However, they always state that the game dropped dead. I question the term bullet failure. Some folks seem to consider a bullet that doesn't go completely through game and leaves an exit wound, a failure.

I have also heard about BTs or SSTs hitting bone at very close ranges fragmenting without entering and doing mortal damage. I never seen or expiernced this so I can't say if that is indeed true.

Belaw, I broght my thread on expansion tests I did with the interbonds to the top. If you've already seen it, then ignore please.

I think the interbond would work great on even the biggest whitetails. I'm shooting the 165 myself, now if I can just get one, I can report on actual field trials.

If I would get a chance to hunt elk or moose, I would go with the 180 IB. Hornady will eventually come out with a 200 IB, just to keep up with nosler.

Belaw, 7mm/154gr Interbonds I have recovered from wetpack tests are almost inside out w/ much less penetration than say a 160gr NP. The term bullet failure bothers some guys because to them if the animal dies in short order then when did the bullet fail. I like complete penetration on a broadside shot because I know the bullet will get where it needs to go on a 1/4 to or away shot. A bullet that turns itself inside out is less likely to penetrate where I want it to when I want it to. Interbonds almost pancack, soft, @ 2800fps IV. Everyone hunts w/ what they like though, even the SMK boys.

Fredj338, I found the same thing with the Innerbonds when shot into wet clay, they pancaked at high velocity but still retained much of their weight, the partitions penetrated farther but with a much smaller wound channel as soon as they lost their front half. The 200 gr accubonds I tried also pancaked much like the innerbonds but also retained a goodly portion of their weight. Neither penetrated as far as the partition but both penetrated farther than regular bullets. Even though they pancaked they retain much more weight to help carry a larger wound channel farther than other standard style bullets.The core bonding process on both these bullets seems to work as the folded back petals of the mushroomed bullets still carried lead clinging to them. They both have much thicker jackets than the standard types but I'm thinking the jacket material is softer allowing it to expand easily yet not fragment like standard cup and core bullets. I've not yet had either the innerbond or accubond slip a core even when they are pancaked right out.

My concern was that the Interbonds might be too tough, that they might not expand properly on deer sized game... I gather that your experience has been exactly the opposite, that they over-expand and therefore don't penetrate enough.

Hmmmmm, now that's going to make me think a bit. That's what makes this Board such a great resource!

Felcher, I'm glad to see I'm not alone!

My original concern (possibly based on the same forum posts you referred to) was that they wouldn't expand well on deer. Several posters on this thread pointed out that the opposite may be true, that they over-expand at the expense of penetration.

I've about decided that I'm going to work up two separate 165 gr loads, using Interbonds and Nosler Partitions, and try each this fall. I have a friend whose place is doe-heavy and he has a stack of doe tags, so I should be able to give the Interbond bullets a fair test.

I tried 180 SST's on 2 deer this year, TP&W management hunt in the hill country, small deer, dressed at 95 and 125 lbs. Previously I have used Nosler BT's in several sizes on about 20 S. Texas deer.

SST and BT on game performance was indistingushable to my eye. 2 samples is pretty small, but since BT's are more accurate in my rifles, I stuck with them.

300WSM, 165 and 180 NBT, 180 SST

I have managed to recover 2 165 NBT's, after about 20" penetration. Yeah, there was little left but the base and jacket, but come on, whitetail deer and 20" penetration, you do the math! 180's will just go deeper.

I have had deer move at the wrong time and blown through BOTH shoulders with 165 NBT's. Meat damage is large, kills are quick.

You have to decide if the tradeoff is worth it for you. Any .308 cal SST should work nicely on deer, especially if you like heart/lung shots. If you go with the Interbond I would suggest going as light as your rifle will shoot to get velocity up and improve expansion. With the SST go the opposite.

I HAVE SEEN 2 160SST'S SHOT FROM A 7 REMMAG AT LESS THAN 30 YDS.. THE TURNED THE FRONT OF THE DEER INTO JELLO..THEY DID NOT EXIT THE DEER AND WERE IN PIECES.. THE SHOOTER THREW THE REMAINDER OF THE BOX INTO THE TRASH CAN..IF THERE IS A CHANCE I'M GOING TO HIT A DEER AT OVER 2800 FPS I'M USING A PARTATION

Sounds like good advice, now I feel like maybe I'm getting somewhere! I was thinking about the 140 Interbonds in the 270WSM. From what I've read, I should be able to load them to 3100+ fps in a Mod. 70 (24" bbl.). What is your thoughts on that combination?

Well *$%#@#,
I just looked and it appears that Hornaday doesn't make a 270 cal. 140 gr. Interbond. Dad gummit, Does anybody know anything about the Nosler Accubonds??

They only make them in a 140 grain for the .270. Actually they are only making them in 5 calibers right now.


Check it out...

http://www.nosler.com/chartaccubond.html

I might be the guy people are referring to on the shortmags forum with the antlope. That antelope was shot broadside through the chest about 6" behind the shoulder and ran about 50 yds. Then was shot again facing me. That bullet went all the way through and exited the left ham leaving a small hole. Both bullets exited. The antelope ran another 100 yds. and laid down and required a finishing shot. Upon gutting the antelope, I found very little internal damage. Both lungs had small holes through them. The facing shot put a small hole through the liver and such before exiting. I didn't lose much meat off the hind quarter either. This was also the largest bodied antelope I've ever shot. Muzzle velocity was right around 3200 fps out of my 270 wsm, range was just over 350 yds. After that, I loaded up some 130 grn.ballistic tips and killed a nice deer. Again around 350 yds behind the shoulder, the deer fell right there and I had a complete pass through. A couple of weeks later, my father killed a nice deer with my gun. Right at 240 yds, instant death and another complete pass through. I'm not going to tell anyone what they should be shooting, just passing along my personal experiences. This year I'll be shooting partitions because they group right at a half inch and I think you get the best of both worlds between expansion and penetration. For what it's worth, I've killed a lot of elk with the Hornady interlock (180 grn out of a 300 win.) and had great luck. The interlock is way tougher than the SST. I used the SST for a year on antlope and deer and never had a "failure", all pass throughs, but the insides were a mess. Thanks for listening to my ramblings.
When all is said and done, remember SHOT PLACEMENT!!!!!

I like the Interbond for whitetails.

154 grain Hornady Interbond, 2950 fps from a 280 Remington AI, 100 yard shot, complete pass through, dropped at the shot.

Jumpalot,

You make great points. The NBTs and SSTs are great bullets from antelope on up to mulies.

When you are talkin' shots of 150+ yds, you need something that is going to expand and cause internal destruction which, results in quick humane kills. IMO it is not very ethical to shoot 80-250 pound animals w/ "Hard to destruct bullets." They don't do hardly any internal damage.

As you said "from experience," I too have seen a several game animals run 100s of yards when hit right in the kill zone w/ tough bullets some of which were lost due to little or no blood.

The bullet contruction debate will always be a huge debate but, all I can say is I base my opinions on experience in the field not on what I hear in Magazines and on the Internet.

Good Luck and God Bless!

Reloader

Jumpalot,
Thanks for the input. What you experienced with the bonded core bullets is exactly what I can't afford to have happen where I hunt. The majority of the time there is no opportunity for a follow up shot, and as Reloader mentioned even with perfect shot placement with little tissue damage, an animal can travel a long distance. I think I will load some more Nos. Bal. tips for this season and just wait and watch others post results on game with the bonded cores for awhile. Does anyone know how the NBT's and SST's compare as far as penetration and expansion??
By the way, thanks everyone, for all the input and posts on this topic. It has really helped me, getting lots of other folks thoughts and input.

I've been loading Nosler Accubonds for my .270 WSM. Magpro is THE powder to use in this caliber!! It's easy to get 3200+ fps with the 140 Accubonds. I'm not even done playing with loads yet and my Savage 116 is shooting .6 MOA. As far as their performance on game, I can't say, but there is quite a bit of info in Shortmags from guys who have used them sucessfully.

bowhuntr

Based on my tests, I would say that the interbond will expand well at reasonable ranges as long as they leave the muzzle at top velocities. The first jug is always shredded into at least ten pieces.

Now I realize that solid water is harder on bullets than the lungs of meat animals. I also know that at longer ranges,(3-400 yds), they won't expand as well. The farthest range I have available is 200 yds. So I will load the .308 again to it's top speed and then at a reduced velocity to simulate long range. I'm also going to test the 139 7MM interbond with my .280. Jumpy, was that the 139 that you were shooting in your 7 WSM?


As for the SST, I switched to it after misserable performance with BT's. I surmised that with a thicker jacket, and the interlock, it would be a better bullet for whitetails. I load for my family for our deer hunts, so I was loading it in 6 different rifles. In EVERY case they were no better than the ballistic tip. Bloodshot meat, schrapnell, core seperations and in one case failure to exit. I have several jackets with no trace of lead, the core exiting in a tiny hole.

What I call bullet failure is; bloodshot meat. Now I hear constantly on the internet about shot placement. Here in WI we have a lousy 9 day season. That means a lot of pressure, which means our shots are here now, gone in less than a minute. A lot of times we have to take a shot a less than a desireable angle, or the dead run. So I need a bullet that will go through from any angle.

Thanks grizz,
Although I don't prefer it, I'm willing to deal with the bloodshot meat. Since you've used both NBT's and SST's, did you get better penetration (more pass throughs) with the SST's?, and was the accuracy of the two bullets comparable?

Felcher,

I would have to say they are about equal in penetration although, I have not used the SST on near the game animals that I have used the NBTs on.

I did have a good chance to try out the SST at close range last year on a 160# whitetail at approx 20 yards. The bullet (.308 150 grn. SST at a MV of 2950 fps) entered just behind the front shoulder (broad side) and exited w/ a 1.5" hole. There was very little meat damage but, organs were jelly.

When I have shot game at close range w/ the NBT the exit wounds have been around 2 inches but, I dont eat deer ribs so there was no meat loss. Out of dozens of animals shot w/ the NBTs, the longest trail was 25 yards and most dropped at impact.

I have told this story several times but, here goes again:

I shot a 500 lb Russian Boar w/ the 7mm 150 grn. NBT loaded at 3110 fps. The Boar was standing in a creek 60 yards from me when he presented the shot and after I squeezed off he sank right there in the creek. I didn't know how big he was until I couldn't budge him from the water. After some serious pulling w/ an atv I saw how big the beast really was. The bullet impacted right behind the shoulder in the "shields"(real thick leathery skin) and was against the hide on the opposite side.

Ever since that Big Boar I have been a Big Fan of the NBT and I feel very confident on its performance on game.

I couldn't say which one penetrates more. The NBT has the "Solid Base" and the SST has the "Interloc Ring" so, they both have something to help in the penetration department.

I do think the NBT has the accuracy edge. At least, in my rifles it does.

Good Luck!

Reloader

These pics are of a 130 pound spike buck that was hit with a 154 SST from a 7 mag Savage. Not sure of the velocity, but a mid load of H870. Range was 35 yds. No pass-through and a lot of bloodshot meat.




Above is what was visible after getting the hide off on the back side of the deer.



This is what was found under the front leg, where the jacket was found fully inside out. Small bits of lead was all that was left of the bullet.



This is the entrance side, you can see the shock damage from the explosive opening of the bullet.



Here's the sum total of what was left of the bullet. Considering that the bullet hit the scapula, clipped the bottom of the spine and came to rest against another bone, it didn't do too bad. Of course with a front spine hit, he dropped in his tracks! There was enough energy released inside the chest cavity with secondary projectiles to mess up the lungs, which ended up killing him.



Entrance wound.

Dang, forgot to reply to the accuracy question. There's no doubt in my mind that the NBT is more accurate/ easier to achieve accuracy with than the SST. At least in the guns I load for. Mine are run-of-the-mill factory bolt guns of various manufacture.

Thanks Grizz and reloader,
I now have a "clear picture".

My 7-08AI shoots 140gr Nosler Ballistic Tips in the .4s and Partitions in the .6s. I prefer the Partitions since northern Missouri bucks can run quite large, but both are more that what's really needed for deer. Nonetheless, I'm always trying new things at the range. Last week I tried 130gr Barnes. My rifle didn't like them, at least with the powder I tried. Today I tried some Hornady Interbonds. I was not impressed with the groups. I'm sure they will work wonders on game, but so do the Noslers, and they are more accurate by far, but I'll keep playing with the Interbonds and the Barnes because I like to shoot and I have plenty of those bullets on hand.

Just my $.02, and worth almost all of it.