booked black bear hunt in '07 in alaska. was happy with my win338 for brwonies in '95 & '02, so i will use it again. thought i might try hornady interbond 225's, VS the 250 swifts i used before. has anybody been happy with the interbond in real field experience? i'm new to this forum & would appreciate your thoughts.

I had one that gave me about 15inches of penetration in a Whitetail at about 80yds. This is out of a 7mm Mag. so the velocity was pretty high. The only thing I recovered was the bottom cup of the bullet with some jacket. The deer dropped at the shot. 162gr Hornady Spire Point.

quote:

Originally posted by Perforator:
I had one that gave me about 15inches of penetration in a Whitetail at about 80yds. This is out of a 7mm Mag. so the velocity was pretty high. The only thing I recovered was the bottom cup of the bullet with some jacket. The deer dropped at the shot. 162gr Hornady Spire Point.

Perforator, Chaz mentioned if anyone used the INTERBOND, not INTERLOCK, big difference. IBs don't separete from their jackets, 162Interlocks do, I've tested that years ago when doing penetration tests with 160 Partitions. I've see the remnants of a IB that went through one elk and ended up in another, 87% weight retention that originally was a 165IB shot from 30-06. Outstanding bullets! Jay

I was not happy with the 139gr IB out of my 7mmRM last year on whitetail. I didn't get the expected penetration at close range.Then again thats the only time I've used them.

I used a 130 grain .270 Win at over 3200 ft/sec on a whitetail doe. Range was approximately 80 yards and penetration was less than expected and damage was way in excess of what I thought would occur. This was the second deer in a culling and the Nosler Accubond (140 grain) was awesome in comparison. Either way you pays your money and you take your chance.

I've shot two deer and an elk withthe 165 IB at close range. All of the shots were 50 yards or less. Velocity at impact was around 3150 from my 300 WM. Both the deer were lung shot. I got complete pentration with both. Exit holes were approximately 1/2" to 3/4". I think this bullet is a little stiff for deer sized game (at least shot through the lungs). It did not come apart at close range and their was not a lot of meat damage.

I shot the elk at 35 yards though the base of the neck. He dropped at the shot. I got complete penetration through the neck and out the top of his far shoulder. 2" exit hole. I think the elk was big enough that the bullet really opened up. The IB seem to work for me. I have yet to see one fail to penetrate, although I have not seen how it would handle a shot through heavy bone.

quote:

Perforator, Chaz mentioned if anyone used the INTERBOND, not INTERLOCK, big difference. IBs don't separete from their jackets, 162Interlocks do

My bad. Thanks for pointing that out to me. Didn't read it close enough.

Sorry Chazgreen, I don't have any experience with it.

I plan on using 225 grainers out of my .338 in a couple weeks in SA, so I'll report back on them. I had really good luck with TSXs last year, but I'm a sucker for experimentation!

308sako/rob15G/ how deep was the INTERBOND bullet penetration that you were dissatisfied with? was the animal quartering to you??thanks;;chaz

Out of a 7RM, I used a 154 gr. Interbond last year to take a medium-sized doe. The bullet entered the ribcage on the right side and travelled up and through the spine, completely shattering it and exiting with about an 1 1/2" exit wound. The internal devastation was impressive, and the bullet should more than sufficient for your hunt.

My experience with the Interbond is very limited and only with the 150 grain, .30 caliber version. In an extremely-accurate .308 WCF, I could not get the tight groups that every other bullet seemed to give. I did shoot one hog (app. 200 lbs.) with the load, which developed 2780 fps from the 20" barrel. At 160 yards, the bullet penetrated the onside shoulder blade, did significant damage to the vitals and exited app. mid-ribcage on the opposite side. On-game performance was good, but my disappointment with the accuracy (not to mention my disdain for that awful, unsightly cannelure) steered me away from them. The Nosler Accubond performs just as well on game, and on paper, it punches impressive groups. For our central Texas deer, the Accubond is too much of a good thing and doesn't transfer as much shock to the small-bodied animals, but for the hogs, it's just the ticket.

Bobby, The current .308" 150 grain Hornady Interbond does not have a cannelure. The .308" 150 grain Hornady SST does have a cannelure. Might want to give the Interbond another try and play with seating depth to try to find accuracy.

To the topic: The smaller caliber Interbonds cannot be compared with the .338" 225 grain Interbond. I'd be surprised if it weren't a great performer for hunting black bear and brown bear.

Jackfish-Thanks for the update. I tried the IB very early on -- and as to a cannelure, I may simply be thinking of the SST as I really despise that "feature" on a hunting bullet. I may give the IB another shot sometime.

Folks.

Have settled on the 165gn IB out my '06 as my 'goto' load. Produced 3/4" groups and 'bang flops' on 14 Roe Deer, 3 CWD, 8 Fallow and 5 Sika Deer of various sizes.

All exhibited significant internal damage and complete pass through. Limited meat damage.

Most testing shot was a shoulder hit on a Fallow Buck weighing @170lb at 330 yds. Down with one hit.

Should work fine on a Black Bear - they dont seem to come apart at close range, open up just fine further out. Works for me!

Rgds Ian

Chaz,
The shot was taken with the buck quartering toward me.Hit him on the point of the near shoulder bullet did not penetrate past the shoulder area in fact it took me two months to find the deer. 7mmRM at 3250fps is to much gun for close range shots with the 139gr IB but I expected at least a 100-300 yd shot no closer.

I have used 180 gr Interbonds on top of a 300 WSM and had multiple failures on deer. I am not pushing them at excessive velocities (2950 fps) so I cannot recommend them for big game. I surely would not use them on bear.

Doug

I have a tough time believing that Interbonds failed on a deer. Are you sure that they weren't Interlokt? I've seen alot of tests that run side by side with Nosler Accubonds, and the Interbonds actually had a little more weight retention and expanded quickly, while the Accubonds had a little deeper penetration and opened slower. But all in all both bullets performed very well and I don't think you can go wrong using either on anything short of an elephant.

I, too, have a difficult time believing an Interbond failed on a deer. While I wasn't impressed by their accuracy, their performance on game and in test medium suggested they indeed lived up to their billing.

quote:

Originally posted by MontMike:
I have a tough time believing that Interbonds failed on a deer. Are you sure that they weren't Interlokt? I've seen alot of tests that run side by side with Nosler Accubonds, and the Interbonds actually had a little more weight retention and expanded quickly, while the Accubonds had a little deeper penetration and opened slower. But all in all both bullets performed very well and I don't think you can go wrong using either on anything short of an elephant.

Yes, Hornady 180 gr INTERBONDS (NOT INTERLOCKS) on WHITE TAILED DEER. Not just one bullet failure but three!!!!

Hornady makes other types of fine bullets and I use them for HPR (e.g. A-max) but I will not use the IBs for hunting after my experience on deer during the past year.

Keep in mind that my experience is on animals - not on shooting ballistic gel or some other nonsense. All of my failures have been direct-hit shoulder shots. In these hits, the bullets tore apart and failed to yeild any appreciable penetration. Your mileage may vary but I have stopped loading them for hunting.

Doug

BTW from an accuracy standpoint, the IBs performed very well

Doug-Would you please elaborate as to how much penetration, weight retention, range, imact angle, etc.?

Thanks in advance,
Bobby

I can only speak for the success of one Interbond bullet, as that was all I needed on a bull elk last year. It was a 165-gr. Light Magnum .30-06 factory load. The elk was between 275 and 300 yards away; the bullet entered behind the left shoulder and exited through the right shoulder muscle. There was extensive internal damage to the heart/lungs, but the exit through the shoulder didn't ruin much meat at all. The bull wobbled 20 or 30 yards or so after he was hit and then collapsed. Will I use it again? What's not to like?
Accuracy in my M70 is good, between 3/4 and 1 moa. Sighted in 3 inches high at 100, I am only 3 inches low at 300. This seems to me like a good all-purpose load for just about anything the .30-06 is good for, and I see little need to use much else, although I have had equally good results with the 180-gr. Nosler Partition.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobby Tomek:
Doug-Would you please elaborate as to how much penetration, weight retention, range, imact angle, etc.?

Thanks in advance,
Bobby

Bobby,

The last deer I shot in March this year was an adult buck. He was quartering toward me at ~125 yds. The shot hit him on the point of the shoulder. I can't tell you the weight retention because the bullet, essentially, disintegrated and I did not work to recover fragments. There was minimal penetration past the shoulder where the bullet entered. Basically, the bullet just blew open the entry-side shoulder. Again, this is 180 gr Hornady Interbond on top of a 300 WSM being pushed at 2950 fps out of the muzzle.

Also, I had taken other deer without incident in much the way that John G described above with the IBs. They seem to open fine and give full penetration or pass-thru when they do not encounter anything of appreciable strength (tissue only). When I have hit bone mass - forget it the bullet fails.

Doug

gents/ thanks for the feedback, both neg & pos; it really helps. i will be using a 338 & i expect the jacket to be heavier & will accomplish quick kills on a good black bear. now to the bench to see if it will shoot accurately...........

quote:

Originally posted by chazgreen:
gents/ thanks for the feedback, both neg & pos; it really helps. i will be using a 338 & i expect the jacket to be heavier & will accomplish quick kills on a good black bear. now to the bench to see if it will shoot accurately...........

Chazgreen,

One other bullet you might consider loading is the Speer Grand Slam.

Good luck with your loading and subsequent bear hunt.

Doug

The Interbond is a good bullet I have shot them in 30 & 416 cals. They group very good and I have not recoverd any bullets yet!

my buddy shoots a 150g out of his 300wsm, he killed 3 bucks in tx last fall and we didnt not recover a bullet. impressive damage, shot one cull buck at 50yds blew completely through offside sholder, pieces of bone were sticking through exit hole and this bullet was traveling well over 3000fps when it hit.

jesus! there are alot of great tough bullets for the .338 win mag. Its at its best with the heavier bullets for big critters. ie 225,250, 275 gr. the 225 IB should shoot pretty flat. just try them first to see if your rifle likes to shoot them where you aim them. I think the swift A frame 250 gr would be ideal for bears. mean ones. don't listen to the bullshit about a bonded bullet failing on lung shot deer at 2900 fps. hell, regular cheapo corelocts and Power points have been killing the heck out of critters for years.

quote:

Originally posted by Dufur:
don't listen to the bullshit about a bonded bullet failing on lung shot deer at 2900 fps. hell, regular cheapo corelocts and Power points have been killing the heck out of critters for years.

Not sure if that was a shot at me but truth be said, my experience with IBs failing was not simply a "lung shot." They were direct-hit shoulder shots - bullets never penetrated deep enough to be a lung shot.

Doug

Doug and I had the exact same experience with these bullets. It's not bull.

Doug-Thanks for posting the additional details.
Bobby

quote:

Originally posted by douglast:

Bobby,

The last deer I shot in March this year was an adult buck. He was quartering toward me at ~125 yds. The shot hit him on the point of the shoulder. I can't tell you the weight retention because the bullet, essentially, disintegrated and I did not work to recover fragments. There was minimal penetration past the shoulder where the bullet entered. Basically, the bullet just blew open the entry-side shoulder. Again, this is 180 gr Hornady Interbond on top of a 300 WSM being pushed at 2950 fps out of the muzzle.

Doug

Sorry but Im calling BS. You would need a freaking varmint bullet to perform like that. A 180 gn anything will bust up a deer quite reliably. You claim "multipule failures" but your elaboration is weak at best. Did the multiple deer die?

I know from my own testing that even non-bonded BT's of that ilk are every bit as tough as Speer hot cores which have been killing deer sized game for decades, and it is also a well known fact that 180 gns is a lot of slug for a deer.

Im not buying it at all.

Why would you shoulder shoot a mangie deer anyway? Afraid it might turn on you if you dont?

Sounds like an overactive imagination to me.

I'll be the first to tell you I've not shot a lot of deer--probably 15 or 20 in the last 15 years--but I've shot enough and seen enough shot to know that strange things can happen once a bullet leaves the muzzle.

I too once shot a smallish doe in the shoulder at about 40 yards. The deer was obscured by thick brush, and I had to wait 5 or 10 minutes for a shot. It seemed to be a clear alley when I did shoot--but who knows whether it snicked a twig or something.

When the bullet hit the shoulder, it totally blew it off, and I mean totally! The doe ran, quartering, towards me (maybe it wanted to whup my ass!?) through about 2 feet of snow and collapsed about 10 yards away. I then shot it in the back of the head.

That was a .308 Winchester 150 gr. factory ammunition (and as I've posted before, I don't remember what make). After entering the shoulder, the bullet traveled under the skin towards the "belly-button." At no point did it appear to enter the body cavity.

Now, I agree that it's awefully difficult to imagine 180 grains of anything not breaking the shoulder and continuing on into the chest--but I will admit, strange things can happen--they've happened to me!

Good luck this fall,

friar

quote:

Originally posted by Wstrnhuntr:

quote:

Originally posted by douglast:

Bobby,

The last deer I shot in March this year was an adult buck. He was quartering toward me at ~125 yds. The shot hit him on the point of the shoulder. I can't tell you the weight retention because the bullet, essentially, disintegrated and I did not work to recover fragments. There was minimal penetration past the shoulder where the bullet entered. Basically, the bullet just blew open the entry-side shoulder. Again, this is 180 gr Hornady Interbond on top of a 300 WSM being pushed at 2950 fps out of the muzzle.

Doug

Sorry but Im calling BS. You would need a freaking varmint bullet to perform like that. A 180 gn anything will bust up a deer quite reliably. You claim "multipule failures" but your elaboration is weak at best. Did the multiple deer die?

I know from my own testing that even non-bonded BT's of that ilk are every bit as tough as Speer hot cores which have been killing deer sized game for decades, and it is also a well known fact that 180 gns is a lot of slug for a deer.

Im not buying it at all.

Why would you shoulder shoot a mangie deer anyway? Afraid it might turn on you if you dont?

Sounds like an overactive imagination to me.

Whntr,

I don't really care if you are buying anything or not - I'm not selling anything.

I am just giving you my experiences on 3 whitetailed deer that I have shot with IBs and have had bullet failures. I have also shot several more whitetails with IBs and did not have bullet failures. From a statistian's point of view, a sample size of three is not significant so have it your way. I will not use them on medium sized game and if people ask my opinion, I would not recommend them either. If you want to use them, fire away. But don't give me any crap about my experiences. I have no ax to grind with you, Hornady, or anyone else.

Doug

Why take a chance, I would use a 210 or a 225 Nosler Partition.