Anyone ever shot the 170g flat-point Hornady Interlock designed for the .30-30 in a .308 Winchester.

They shoot almost one-hole in one of mine.

Thinking of using them for a leopard hunt in brushy terrain where shots will be 100 or less. Anyone have an opinion on that? They are ~2650 at the muzzle.

Lane
Isn't it designed to perform at a lower velocity? Wonder if it will hold together at your higher fps.
That being said, I have no experience with that particular projectile.

Should be "lights out" on a leopard at shorter ranges. I wouldn't hesitate to use it. Leopards are relatively light-framed and about the weight of the usual whitetail. More are likely lost to bullets that are "too hard" than those that expand quickly.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
Should be "lights out" on a leopard at shorter ranges. I wouldn't hesitate to use it. Leopards are relatively light-framed and about the weight of the usual whitetail. More are likely lost to bullets that are "too hard" than those that expand quickly.

My thoughts exactly. I have asked Hornady their thoughts and will post.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
Anyone ever shot the 170g flat-point Hornady Interlock designed for the .30-30 in a .308 Winchester.

They shoot almost one-hole in one of mine.

Thinking of using them for a leopard hunt in brushy terrain where shots will be 100 or less. Anyone have an opinion on that? They are ~2650 at the muzzle.

Keep the velocity to about 2100 to 2200 fps and they should work just fine. Push them much faster, and there might be a blue streak in front of your muzzle.

I have seen this in rifle matches, guys using el cheapo bullets in the standing stage, but still pushing them too fast. There will be this blue streak, sometimes a blue puff, as the bullet fragments in the air.

I shot 5hat bullet for years out of a 30 06 for whitetails and hogs. Never lacked in performance. And it might not cost as much as some other bullets but it is a quality round. No blue streaks here.

quote:

Originally posted by Walker:
I shot 5hat bullet for years out of a 30 06 for whitetails and hogs. Never lacked in performance. And it might not cost as much as some other bullets but it is a quality round. No blue streaks here.

Thank you kindly for sharing.

Only downside is your taxidermist might have to sew up a big hole on the opposite entry side.

Just a little experiment . . . .

Pick a"likely distance you propose/assume to shoot the leopard

Place a fairly good sized (24"X24") piece of cardboard centered about 5 feet behind a gallon jug of water.

Center shot the jug of water and look at the bullet hole(s) in the cardboard.

Water should be a little harder on the bullet than will a leopard.

OR

When in doubt go to a more substantial bullet.
Be sure to post your results of water test and leopard..

Hornady says the bullets are fine in up to elk sized creatures at speeds up to .30-06 capabilities just fine.

You got Hornady’s response.

It’s a cup and core design, and those have been used for decades in standard velocity .30-06 rounds successfully.

A leopard is not a very stoutly built animal, and lots have been taken by guns with less capability than a .30-06.

Now I’m going to veer into opinion…. I’ve shot all mine with buffalo legal rifles.

I think since this shoots well for you, but it’s an expensive hunt and you are asking the question you have some level of doubt on its suitability. This hunt is big money and a screw up puts other people’s lives at risk.

While I have no doubt it would work, (and IMO, even a target .30 bullet will on leopard) with the doubts you have, I’d just go and get a premium type hunting bullet- AFrame, partition, accubond, whatever and use the interlocks for target practice.

That way there is no nagging thought at the back of your head, and you’ve given yourself every chance to have success. Sometimes subconscious issues have a way of making them happen.

Even if you pay scalper rates the bullet is the least of your expenses on this- hell, the time you spent ruminating on this likely more cash value at your billing rate than that.

Why don't you post this question in the Africa Hunting topic.

I should have been more specific. A 170 gr. hornady flat tip is a 30-30 bullet and at 30-06 velocity 2600-2800 and close range will probably over expand. It will cetainly kill the leopard but will leave a big exit hole.

Hornady stated that the only thing that makes this a .30-30 designed bullet is the fact that it goes through a die at the end that flattens the round-nose.

I posted the question here to see if anyone commonly shot deer, elk etc with it. Nothing magical about leopard…about the consistency of a whitetail.

I have nearly all the bullets listed by Dr. Butler in my reloading room.

My logic:

1) leopards shot from 50-100 yds max. Don’t need a spitzer boatail for that.
2) brushy conditions: why ideally you avoid hitting any limb…this is hunting. Flat-base round profile bullets get the edge from me over spitzers in brush.
3) leopards are relatively soft and it is thought by many that too hard of bullets are more likely to be a problem than too soft
4) this rifle will put 3 in a 1/3” ragged hole in exact same spot with a cold barrel…every single time.

It was my intention to shoot 165 gr Partitions…and may. But after shooting this bullet a few times I began thinking I should just go with it.

It is an interlock design, those hold together well. You have the velocity range now, sounds like it will be fine. The bonus is a round nose expands very quickly. That is good for you.

Ive used them in my 308 Savage 99, many times, they work fine, not sure Id take a Texas Heart shot with them, dunno about that...I used them on small whitetail and Mule deer in Texas..

Although I really like Hornady bullets in my Bushmaster .450, I’ve always used Sierra GameKings in 165 grains for my .308 and .300 WSM. I’ve used them on both whitetails and African Plainsgame with excellent results. Highly accurate and kills game DRT.

I have used the same bullet in my .30/06 on red deer and works well. It opens quickly and still penetrates well. In a big animal it will wear the mushroom down if it has a lot of animal to go through, and exit may be small as just the shank will be caught in the hide or exit.
On a thin skinned little creature like a leopard I expect it would kill it dead, but might leave a decent sized exit hole.

I also queried Hornady about their performance and velocity and they replied that it could be driven up to 2500 fps and work reliably. That was ten years ago. I was loading it right at that velocity.

I would buy more of them but cant find them down here for a couple of years straight now...