Now that Hornady & Nosler are "bonding their cores", will Sierra & Speer be the only guys left with non-bonded core bullets?

Will Hornady and Nosler drop their standard lines, and bond everything?

Not if they know what's good for them. Not everyone uses premiums especially for deer and more deer are shot every year than any other big-game animal. I love the standard BT's, I probably won't use the bonded core ones, if it ain't broke don't fix it! Nosler already has the perfect premium, the Partition, they don't need this bonded core. MHO
Yardbird

Not likely. Since 95% of hunters don't know or care whose bullets they use, they're going to buy the least expensive ones available. This means conventional, non-bonded, all-the-tooling-was-paid-for-back-in-1970 standard bullets.

George

Hey Terry, Though the Speer Hot-Cor bullets are not soldered in, they are tough enough for the things I shoot.

But, Speer is also now producing the "Trophy Bonded" bullets and the Uni-Cor pistol/revolver bullets, so that only leaves Sierra on your list. Remington is also making some "plated-on jacket" bullets(like the Uni-Cor), which is as bonded as bonded can be.

So, it looks like that leaves Sierra, Winchester and some of the Custom Bullet shops without a bonaded bullet. Since it is a hot market, they will probably jump in soon too.

[ 01-30-2003, 00:42: Message edited by: Hot Core ]

I doubt it as certain game is killed easier with conventional bullets than they would be with bonded premiums. I am talking about thin skinned stuff here and the conventional bullets ability to expand violently sometimes.

To answer the question. I think the non-bonded core bullets will still have a large market, because probably the majority of the hunting public, hunt deer sized game or down, and shoot them. I recently hunted Canada and found most hunters up there use the factory non-bonded core bullets and do quite nicely for themselves, as they have since they started hunting. My personal hunting is of the larger game, and for me the tougher bullets are desirable for my magnum chamberings, and the speeds generated. My minimum bullet is a Nosler Partition when I go over the Deer sized game, and the North Fork the ultimate. I will still shoot the non-bonded core bullets for under Deer sized game and for fireforming some of my magnum loads. Although many thousands are like me, hunting the larger game in this country,and others hunting in Africa, millions still use the old tryed and true bullets they grew up on. To the bullet companies credit, they are improving on the old standards, in my opinion. Good shooting.

They better not since I don't want to be target shooting with Swift A-Frames!

Long live standard bullets. They work.

The day the big boys discontinue their beer bullets and go strictly champagne is the day that Homee invests in some Corbin equipment and brings them back, but I dont see that happening. As long as there is a market for what I consider reasonably priced bullets, they will continue to be produced.

No, they shouldn't disappear, and I sincerely hope they don't. Not everyone needs premium bullets, and there's a bigger market for moderately-priced projectiles and ammunition than than the premium stuff.

AD

T.B.,

I don't think they're going anywhere. I killed quite a bit of game with BTs and they've always performed very well. I believe our Buff Hunt winner used them in her .375 on plains game and had very acceptable results. While I go to A-Frames on the bigger stuff, NBTs are very reasonably priced and allow me to remain very proficient with my .375. Life is good.

Joe

I'll stick to Remington Core-Lokts. After seeing pictures of some of the game Jack O'Connor killed with them, I find it hard to justify something else. For something bigger than elk, I would probably just get a Swift A-Frame.

As long as there are shooters who appreciate the performance of the medium capacity rounds such as the 6.5x55, 7-08, etc., there will always be a tremendous demand for the "standard" bullets. Much of my hunting is for hogs, which are definitely tougher and more stoutly constructed for deer. But a 140 grain, 6.5mm bullet soft point at medium velocity (27-2800 fps) is all that's needed. The high SD contributes to excellent penetration, and an exit is almost always the norm. For my style of hunting of deer and hogs, there's just no need for a premium bullet. Should I be going after elk, well, then a Partition is definitely in order...