I was wondering about anybody's opinions on Hornady's Interbonds. I thought about using them in both my 7mm in a 139 grain or 154 grain and in my 300WSM in 165 grain or 180 grain. I have heard good and bad. The good is generally with being bonded core and the price compared to Nosler. The bad is generally associated with accuracy.

Tell me what you think because I don't have an opinion yet.

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The bad is generally associated with accuracy

This is true and like all internet statements you must try them yourself.

Just because someone had poor accuracy with them don't mean they're not accurate.

Be very careful about such statements.....all bullet companies are in serious competition for your sales and they work hard (all of them) to produce good accurate bullets.

I've had horrible accuracy with Swift's sciroccos too.....but would be absolutely wrong to say they wasn't a good bullet. Just not in my particular gun.

Give them a try for yourself...I've found Hornady's products to be excellent but occasionally their offering don't work for me either.

The most value I get from these forums is the terminal performance data. So far the word has not been kind to Noser's accubond but Hornady's interbond don't seem to get much press.....not sure why that is...

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Originally posted by MThuntr:
I was wondering about anybody's opinions on Hornady's Interbonds. I thought about using them in both my 7mm in a 139 grain or 154 grain and in my 300WSM in 165 grain or 180 grain. I have heard good and bad. The good is generally with being bonded core and the price compared to Nosler. The bad is generally associated with accuracy.

Tell me what you think because I don't have an opinion yet.

Interbonds are just as accurate as the next bullet, other than that, they're the "BEST".
300WSM, 67grs. RE22, WLR primer, 180Interbond . Jay

I worked up a load for my .270 Win. this year using 130 grain interbonds. The accuracy was acceptable but certainly not exceptional for my particular rifle.

The performance on the one mule deer doe that I shot with an interbond so far has been good. Broke both shoulders and passed right through at about 150 yards or so.

If only I'd been aiming at the shoulders.....

I get 3/4" accuaracy from the 165gr IB in my 300 WM. The bullets have performed well for me on elk and deer. They are not as tough as a Barnes bullet etc.. but they are a significant improvement over the standard bullet and reasonably priced.

I use the 154 Interbonds in my 7 Ultra mag and love them. This is the first year I have used them and love there performance on the animals I have taken. my hunting bud uses them in his 300 Win mag and he love them also!

I have found the 154gr/7mm to be a bit soft, although they do hold together well, penetration is lacking. My problem is neither my .280 or 7mag will shoot them under 1.5moa.

I don't use Hornady bullets for hunting anymore. I am not going to say they are bad, there are just better choices. WHen I hunt significant dollars are invested in the hunts, and even when I am on a budget hunt hundreds of dollars are being spent, that isn't counting my very precious time off.

I use one or two bullets typically when I hunt, and on a combo hunt this might spiral into five bullets total used per hunt. I figure the 2 bits additional I spend on a better grade bullet has zip bearing on the total cost of a hunt, yes it requires load development, but most of my hunting loads are dialed in, and Noslers and old Barnes originals are mainstays. ( although I am going to have to solve the Barnes original problem, my secret stash is low and these are currently being hordered by yours truelly).

Hornady's, I don't hunt with them but I shoot a lot of Hornady bullets. I have a rifle or two that don't like them in certain weights, but generally these are good bullets, I stock them on my bench and the truth is I probably load as many Hornady bullets as any other single brand, if quanity is considered, only Sierra would be able to challenge that, and I would need to look through my records and reciepts to see which I buy more of.

I wouldn't buy as many of these if I was unhappy with them, maybe not quite as accurate as some off my Sierra , and Nosler BT loads, and certianly not the premium hunting bullets that Swifts and Nosler partitions are, but there will always be Hornady bullets on my bench, as long as they make them. I think these are excellent value and I am one happy customer.

Well I have to say that some of the most accurate loads I have ever developed were with Hornady bullets. I like shootin them just for plinkin and practice.
As for hunting.. I don't think I will use them again. I have experienced only two bullet failures in all the years I've been hunting and both times I was using Hornady bullets. One occured with a 7mm 154gr spire point and the other with a .308 165gr SPBT.
Everybody's hunting experiences are unique and unlike anyone else's. I'm sure there are countless testimonies atesting to the success of Hornady bullets in the field, and if I were to shoot another animal with one, the bullet would more than likely work fine. But once you experience what I have experienced, you're just a little hesitant to want to use them again. Now understand I'm talking about the standard original 'Spire Points'.. There are better bullets to use for hunting..

However having just done some research on the 'Interbonds' I can't see why these bullets wouldn't work just fine on game. They are a whole new technology and a completely different bullet than the old Spire Points that I grew up with.. Even the new SST's look like something I would also like to try. As someone has said here, the bullet manufacturers are working hard to put out good products and it seems they are all getting on the same train nowadays..

The advantage of the bonded bullets is that they should maintain the good accuracy of the basic bullet while reducing bullet failure to a minimum.

Professional Hunter JJHACK sings the Interbond praises quite often. He uses 165g Interbond in the 30-06 he loans clients who don't want to bring their own rifle. He has written that he's seen hundreds of head of game killed with them with never a failure (when placed reasonably, of course.) Quite a testimonial, I think.

Jaywalker

Filled two tags in Minnesota with the 139g Interbonds at 2800 out of a 7x57. Both quartering shots and neither exited. Performance as advertised with 2x expansion. I would rather have an exit for that country though and would probably use the 154g to do it again. Maybe with greater velocity you would get better penetration...don't know...yet.

I have tried both the 154g in one rifle and the 139g in two. Can't say the accuracy has been exceptional to date

Here's a Wisconsin whitetail killed last Saturday.





Bullet is the 139 IB, from a .280, 7400 Rem. at approx 2800. Hit was a little forward from a perfect center lung hit, went through both shoulders, clipped the front of the lungs and heart. The exit can be seen just above the elbow joint in pic #1.

I've been loading the IB since it first appeared. I started loading the BT, but was VERY disappointed with fragmented bullets and massive shock damage. I then went to the SST, only to find them lacking, or about the same as the BT. This hunter, my nephew, shot 5 deer last year with the same gun/load combo. All were one shot, bang, flop kills. No shock damage, complete penetration.

I load the 165 IB in my 300 WSM. I only killed one so far with it, a small 7 point basket rack yearling. Accuracy with it is excellent, in mine it had to be driven at top velocity to shoot accurately.

Last year I had a 139gr Hornady Interbond blow up on a shoulder of a very large muley. Although it looks as though it worked for Grizz.

I was also shooting a 280 Rem., and my velocities were chronographed at 3050 fps. The muley was about 100 yds away so the impact velocity was probably around 2700-2800 fps.

I could see the big red flower on the shoulder of the deer as it ran away, before I could get another shot off. Thinking I was certain to find the large 4-point (10pt. for easterners) laying 50 yards away or so. Not the case. I did find a lot of tissue and globs of fat and hair.

The blood trail went for about 20 yards and vanished. I went back to the original spot where I had shot it and took a closer look at the blobs of tissue and fat. What I found was pieces of jacket and chunks of lead within the tissue. I started sorting through all of the tissue that was there. I ended up finding almost the complete bullet, the base and all; it weighed about 95grs for all the pieces I found. There was some lead still attached to some pieces of the jacket and other pieces of jacket were bare.

The point of impact was straight up the front leg about mid on the body, right on the point of the shoulder.

From now on, I have switched to 160gr Nosler Partitions to guarantee that it will never happen again. Who know maybe it was just a freak incident of a defective bullet. But, the sad thing was we never found that animal and I am sure it had died somewhere. A heavier bullet is usually always the better choice. That’s just my experience though.

I took this buck yesterday morning with the 154 grain Interbond!

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Last year I had a 139gr Hornady Interbond blow up on a shoulder of a very large muley. Although it looks as though it worked for Grizz.

The bonded design ensures that the bullet achieves controlled expansion with virtually no fragmentation and the core will never, ever, ever, ever separate from the jacket.


Therefore, I don't believe for a minute you were shooting a Interbond bullet, if so, then I would've sent the fragments to Hornady for further inspection. I'm sure they would've sent you a new box of Interbonds if in fact the fragments were from a Interbond bullet. Jay

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Originally posted by Jay Gorski:

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Last year I had a 139gr Hornady Interbond blow up on a shoulder of a very large muley. Although it looks as though it worked for Grizz.

The bonded design ensures that the bullet achieves controlled expansion with virtually no fragmentation and the core will never, ever, ever, ever separate from the jacket.


Therefore, I don't believe for a minute you were shooting a Interbond bullet, if so, then I would've sent the fragments to Hornady for further inspection. I'm sure they would've sent you a new box of Interbonds if in fact the fragments were from a Interbond bullet. Jay

I too am skeptical that this was NOT an interbond. The SST and Interbond are identical EXCEPT for the cannelure on the SST.

Now for the rest of the story. My nephew just called, upon capeing the buck for mounting it, another bullet was found just under the skin behind the shoulder. He said his first shot was a frontal brisket shot, but no evidence could be found in the field of the hit. Well with the skin off, it was evident that he had indeed hit it with the first shot in the front. He has a perfectly expanded interbond bullet, I will get it tomorrow when I help cut the deer up for processing. I will also have the opportunity for a bullet path anallyses to see what kind of wound channel there was. I suspect some major bone was penetrated, to stop an IB in such a short distance.

Stay tuned, this should be good!

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The SST and Interbond are identical EXCEPT for the cannelure on the SST

Really? I thought the Interbond was a bonded core bullet, whereas the SST is not bonded (hence the mixed reports on terminal performance for the SST)?

Bruce

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Really? I thought the Interbond was a bonded core bullet, whereas the SST is not bonded (hence the mixed reports on terminal performance for the SST)?

Opps, What I meant was on the exterior appearance, color of the red tip, boattail and balistic shape. James B has the interLOCK and the interBOND bullet comfused,(I think). The SST is NOT bonded, but is an interlock bullet. In my experience with the SST, it performs almost exctly like a NBT. The interlock design doesn't hold onto the core hardly at all. I switched to the SST from the NBT after seeing the massive bloodshot dammage caused by it. The same thing happened with the SST. Complete core seperations, shrapnell and giant shock area. Dead deer with no tracking, but I'm a meat hunter primarily, I won't eat bloodshot meat!

I just got back from Zim and had one friend use them (220gr interbonds) and another friend use 180 gr Swifts - both 30-cal.

They both worked well on Kudu sized game, but FWIW the recovered Swifts definitely looked better (more uniformly mushroomed, seemed to be more bullet in tact - haven't weighed them yet.)

.284" 154 grain Hornady Interbond

I took a very large Montana Mule deer last fall with 180 gr interbonds in my 300 Wby. The deer was quartering away and the bullet entered about the 3rd rib from the rear and angled forward.Looked like a blender had gone through the heart/lung cavity.broke the front shoulder on the off side and the bullet was recovered against the hide. The jacket & core were still intact although some pieces had broke off the front of the bullet. Remaining piece was between 120 and 130 grs. This fall I took a large 5 pt buck in Manitoba with a 130 gr interbond loaded on a 270 WSM. In a Savage mod 11 the bullet will group 3 shots under 1 inch @ 200 yds. I would suggest there is nothing wrong with the accuracy potential of this bullet. Broadside shot @ approx 300 yds. Lungs looked like the blender was stuck on high. Bullet exited leaving approx a 2 in diam hole. No evidence of any material separating from the bullet. I would use either bullet again in a heartbeat. Also I have shot quite a few interbonds in 270,7mm,30 and 338 cal into wet newspaper. Occasionally small pieces from the front of the jacket will separate (usually at close range when velocity is high) but the rear of the jacket and most of the lead core are always together.

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Originally posted by new_guy:
I just got back from Zim and had one friend use them (220gr interbonds) and another friend use 180 gr Swifts - both 30-cal.

They both worked well on Kudu sized game, but FWIW the recovered Swifts definitely looked better (more uniformly mushroomed, seemed to be more bullet in tact - haven't weighed them yet.)

Hornady doesn't make a 220 30 cal interbond. Nor do they make a 200! 180 is the heaviest they make.

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Originally posted by grizz:

quote:

Originally posted by new_guy:
I just got back from Zim and had one friend use them (220gr interbonds) and another friend use 180 gr Swifts - both 30-cal.

They both worked well on Kudu sized game, but FWIW the recovered Swifts definitely looked better (more uniformly mushroomed, seemed to be more bullet in tact - haven't weighed them yet.)

Hornady doesn't make a 220 30 cal interbond. Nor do they make a 200! 180 is the heaviest they make.

apparently you are correct! he said they were interbonds, but they must have been interlocks!

I wish I had a real clear idea just how the bullet that was found, ended up where it did. The carcass had 4 bullet holes in it! Yes he did fire 4 times! I THINK the recovered bullet hit the point of the shoulder shown in the 1st pic. It broke the shoulder bone and slid under the scapula to end up under the hide behind the scapula. Another on hit high above the ribs, as he was trying to gain his feet. That was the 4th shot, it shattered his spine and exited. One bullet hit the other shoulder and entered the chest doing the dammage to the lung that I observed.

The recovered bullet weighs in at 121.5 grains, or 87.4% weight retention. It is a little lopsided, having impacted some bone. I'll take some pics tonight and post them then, as well as a couple I took of the carcass.

Right now I've got to get ready for WORK, RETIREMENT IN A LITTLE OVER A YEAR!

they shot well in my m70 30-06

165 gr over Varget or H4350, = moa or less

Here's a couple pics of the bullet and where it ended up on the deer;









Expansion at the widest point is .690, for over double the original size!

The bloodshot area left of center on the bottom of the deer's belly is where the bullet ended up. It looks like it hit the leg bone and then it traveled another 12 inches before comming to a rest. I'd say that's pretty good performance.

This bullet looks a great deal like the ones I tested when the interBOND first came out. With an even higher retained weight even after hitting and stoping in an animal.





These were tested in water filled milk jugs,(some here may remember my posts), it was pointed out that water is MORE destructive than flesh.



I'll stick with the interbond for all calibers they make them in, that I have rifles for!

quote:

Originally posted by MThuntr:
I was wondering about anybody's opinions on Hornady's Interbonds. I thought about using them in both my 7mm in a 139 grain or 154 grain and in my 300WSM in 165 grain or 180 grain. I have heard good and bad. The good is generally with being bonded core and the price compared to Nosler. The bad is generally associated with accuracy.

Tell me what you think because I don't have an opinion yet.

FWIW I read somewhere else that Nosler is now offering the Accubond in a 165 gr. .308 bullet.

Since different rifles have different tastes in bullets you might give them a try if you're having trouble with Interbonds in your rifle.