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Power Points, Corelocks and?

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05 July 2004, 03:17
captdavid
Power Points, Corelocks and?
I load 150 PP in my 308 @2775. I find these perfect for our Texas whitetails and pigs up to 200yds. Nothing I shoot will weigh much, if any, over 200 lbs. I found a good load and just stopped looking. Now it's summer. I'm just wondering how corelocks, and highshocks, if you could get them, compare. I'm intrested in your comparison in Power Points, Corelocks, and High Shock in 180 and 150 grains. Thanks capt david
05 July 2004, 03:54
<allen day>
If you're going to hunt Texas whitetails and hogs, I don't think there's too much difference with any of the ones you mentioned, as well as the Speer Hot Core, Sierra Game King, etc. On light big game, all of these bullets are good.

I have found that Hornady Inter-Locts are a step up from most standard bullets, and behave about like Remington Core-Locks. In fact, I have it on good authority that many of the bullets Remington loads and sells as Core-Locks are sourced from Hornady. Anyhow, I've found that Hornady's shoot amazingly well in a wide variety of rifles, and are as reliable and lethal as anything I've used for Texas whitetails, of which I've shot a great many.

For an all-around load that I'll use for all manner of big game, from small deer to moose and elk, I prefer premium bullets such as the Nosler Partition.

AD
05 July 2004, 04:05
Johnny Ringo
Power-points are the toughest of the three.
Federal Hi-shoks are a decent enough bullet, and as loaded by Federal, are wicked accurate in my guns. They are fairly soft, and nothing fancy about them. Not overly tough, not complicated design, but they work. Especially on deer-sized game. Never had any problems with them.

Core-locks? Mixed opinions. The RN core-locks are an excellent, tough, heavy walled bullet that gives reliable, repeatable performance time after time. The PSP core-locks have become a thin-walled mockery of their former selves, due to Remington bean-counters trying to save a buck. Still an OK bullet, but I'd go heavy for caliber with these.

Remington's Quality Control has gone down in recent years as well, and some Rem bUllets shoot good, while others......

John Barsness tested some Rem 150 gr PSP Core-locks on his juenke tester a while back .... and said they were the worst he'd ever tested. (of all brands!) This machine tests concentricity, which translates to accuracy.

I've had limited experience with Power-points, but ironically have had a pile of it with Corelocks (both RN and PSP) and Hi-shoks.

My opinion, in a nutshell??


Federal Hi-shok - - -good bullet in heavy for caliber at less than 2700fps mv. VERY accurate bullet.

Win PP - Has been accurate for me so far, tough bullet, sectioning shows a very heavy wall, great all around bullet.
Reliable expansion, repeatable results. Same thing, time after time.


Core-lock?? RN are tough, reliable, and reasonably-to-scary accurate.
EXTREMELY reliable performance and expansion. You KNOW what they are going to do.

CL PSP? Generally accurate enough for hunting. Not as "absolutely" reliable as RN, but still more than enough for deer-sized game.

My choice of the three??


The Winchester PP. I think you have found a winner, and I wouldn't change a thing, if I were you.
05 July 2004, 16:34
BigNate
As has been said, their is little difference between them. I personally like the Winchester PP quite a bit for factory stuff. If you want some good deer bullets for the .308, try the Speer Deep-shok.

There are so many good reloading components that it would be hard to make a poor choice. I have been buying several boxes of whichever "good" bullet is on closeout. I picked up Barnes XLC's for $15, Woodlieghs for $16, ect. At these prices load developement, practice, ect. isn't as expensive and is very good to build confidence.
14 July 2004, 06:08
3584ELK
Bullets from Rem/Win/Fed are fine if you shoot common calibers, but try and find a Core-Lokt in 9.3 persuasion!

I agree with Allen Day on the Hornady Interlocks, I have never had a failure, they always expand, and they always kill quickly for me.

BTW, you can't get Interlocks in 9.3, but I have them in .348/ .358/ 6.5/ .308/ .257/ and .458- I shoot Speers and Swifts in the 9.3x64.
15 July 2004, 03:37
Reloader
I have found the PSP Core-locts to be terrible out of a 7mm Rem mag and a 30-06.

Bullets fired from each cal. would not hardly ever exit on small Whitetails (100-150#) shot "Broad-Side."

On the other hand, as Johnny Ringo stated, the round nose Core-locts give me excellent penetration in my 30-30 win.

I switched to SSTs and NBTs and Problem solved. I have been getting full penetration on whitetails and hogs from 100-250#.

Good Luck!

Reloader
15 July 2004, 04:33
<BCSteve>
My dad shot a cow moose last year about 500-600 lbs at about 150 yds. He used my 7mm Rem mag with factory 175 PSP Corelock. He go a slightly quartering behind the shoulder shot and the bullet exited thru the opposite leg. The moose didn't go 10 yds before collapsing. Complete penetration thru the vitals and the front leg muscle. I shot a bull moose a few years ago with the same rifle but with Federal Premium 165 Sierra BT (don't ask why) at about 200 yds. The moose died (can't complain too much) but the bullet never made it to the off side of the chest cavity. The bullet stopped in the guts somewhere and wasn't recovered. I wouldn't consider the Sierra BT a moose bullet but wouldn't hesitate to use the corelock.
15 July 2004, 05:06
WannabeBwana
Couple years ago, I shot a 195 lb (dressed) 10 pt buck at 20 yards with .280 Rem. 165gr. PSPCL and got two holes. The exit wound was about 2" round.

Last year, I shot another 195 lb (dressed) 10 pt buck at 45 yards, and a calf moose at 200 yards with .300 H&H 180gr. PSPCL. Same result as with the first deer, though I put a second shot into the moose, because it looked like it didn't even react to the first shot, even though it was a lung/shoulder shot that resulted in about a 10 sq. yd. blood/tissue spray on the far side. Second shot was into the liver and was recovered in the off-side skin. Proper mushroom. Never remembered to weigh the bullet, but I would expect it was around 140-150gr. left over.

I wouldn't hesitate to use either again.