I was just curious why the Remington Roundnose core-lock is not a more popular bullet? In the test Handloader magazine did, these bullets performed extrelemy well, even holding up under magnum velocity impacts of 3100 fps.
Granted, ballistically, rounds noses suffer, but for work under 200 yards, especially in standard velocity calibers (non-mags) the Rem Core-lock roundnose looks like a real winner. What do you think?
I think with most hunters corelock bullets have a bigger following then you think. I can almost gaurntee you that more ammunition is sold and more game taken with std lead bullets such as the corelock then with more exotic designs.
Those of us that frequent these types of forums tend to be better informed and more intersted in firearms then most. Like in anything else, people like this try to find what they believe to be the absolute best in thier hobby. For a lot of the guys around here that may be a Barnes or a Swift.
The corelock is a good performer in my book, along with the Hornandy interlock, while they may not be the best choice for super high velocity hunting loads, they will serve most hunters very well.
I know in my Model 81 Rem. Formally it was my dads, it has shot nothing but Rem. RN 200gr Core-Locks.Only two of the slugs that were recovered from deer in 63yrs of hunting weighed 182&185grs. Both were your perfect mushroom. Fuzz
Aaron I have had very good experience with the core-lock. The 170 grain 30-30 and the 130 grain in the .270. I don't think I have ever recovered a slug. I have often wondered why hunters use premium bullets on anything smaller than an elk and maybe even elk. Bryan
Posts: 583 | Location: keene, ky | Registered: 24 January 2001
The most common and popular commercial ammunition sold to the American public is Remington Core-lokt ammunition. It is sold in every filling station, sporting goods store and license stop you walk into. The ammunition is accurate and probably accounts for more animals killed every year that is killed with reloaded ammunition. I have several boxes that I have picked up when I thought ammunition was going to be unavailable for my sons or daughters rifle.
For reloading in all my standard calibers, 7x57, 7X61 S&H, 30/06, 30/284, 30/40 Krag, and 270 Win I use both Remington Core lokts and Hornady Interlock and have for years. I buy Core-lokts in 500 round boxes which makes them a cheap round to shoot. I am still shooting them on a regular basis. These are my fun rifles. They are accurate bullets and recoil is no problem in these rifles. I only use these rifles for practice and for hunting close to my home.
I had a set of identical rifles built for me and they are the rifles I prodominently use for hunting. In these rifles I use premium bullets and these are the rifles that I take when I travel. When developing a load for any of these rifles I still use Hornady or Remington bullets. However, I have always felt if you are traveling to hunt the cheapest part of the hunt is your ammunition and it should be the best.
Good Hunting Steve
------------------ Every man dies, but not every man really lives!!
Posts: 439 | Location: Kansas by way of Colorado and Montana | Registered: 04 April 2001
Aaron I use the Core-lokt bullets in my 8X57,308,30-06,and 358JDJ and I love them they work for me ever time. I like the bronze point it works great to.
My experience with Corelokts is that they don't perform quite as well as most other "standard" bullets in terms of consistent expansion and penetration. But the positive comments on them here just highlights the fact that in most applications, super "premium" bullets are unnecessary and no better and sometimes worse than "standard" bullets.
Bull elk is about the toughest animal that the typical North American shooter will ever encounter. While I feel more comfortable using a Nosler Partition on them, I'd prefer the Corelokt to some of the "super tough" premium bullets which penetrate a lot and expand only a little.
Shooting through whitetails with Barnes X or Winchester Fail Safe, or whatever dollar-a-pop bullet makes no sense when almost any Hornady, Speer, Sierra, powerpoint, or corelokt will result in quicker kills.
But each to his own. If you really enjoy seeing your bullet sail off into the sunset after zipping through a deer's midsection, then that's fine too. I just don't think that "never recovered one o' them bullets" is that good a recommendation.
Posts: 13266 | Location: Henly, TX, USA | Registered: 04 April 2001
Nothing wrong with the core-lock for deer. I got my first rifle, a .30-06, when I was 13. I didn't start handloading for about 15 years. I have shot well over 100 deer with the 150 grain core-lock and it always performed perfectly. Some penetrated all the way through and some didn't. All were one shot kills, and only a very few ran more than a few yards.
I still buy them each year whenever they are on sale, burn them up on targets and reload the cases. My old -06 still puts 3 of them into less than 1/2 MOA.
------------------ Ignorance is curable, but stupidity is terminal.
I have had good luck with the core-lokts on deer sized game. I have never tried anything larger with them. I have taken deer with 130 grain .270, 165 grain .30-06 and 250 grain .35 Whelen and 117 grain .257 Roberts. All were effective and usually pretty accurate.
I have used them in 180 gr weight (30-06) for a few moose and was pleased with the results. A friend has killed several moose and elk with this bullet in both 30-06 and .300 Win Mag.
The .30 180 grain pointed core-lokt worked perfectly for me in Namibia this July. I used a 30-06 and all eight of the big game animals I took were one-shot-kills. My kills included a hartebeest(350lbs+), a gemsbok(400lbs+), a kudu(657lbs) and a zebra(700lbs+). The bullet performed perfectly on all shots and the animals died real quick.
At higher velocities(3,000fps+) you may be asking for trouble using these bullets on 700lb game but at 2700fps they work great.
