Anyone have experience with. 7 mm Interbonds ?

[Chronos]

Just looking at load testing some 139gr Ibterbonds in my 7-08 and wanted to hear from the guys who've used them.

I know one or two members here have 7-08's, someone must have tried them on goat to small deer sized game?

Chronos

[mausermate]

I have not used the Interbond but do use a lot of the 139gr SST in my 7x57R same, same. guessing you have a typo there with the 239gr.

If you read the blurb about the Interbond and then the SST it's a bit hard to work out what the difference might be. Bit stronger jacket in the Interbond maybe?

Anyway, SST works really well on goats etc and a nice accurate projectile. I don't utilize the cannelure. Guessing you will most likely get a bit less wound channel with the Interbond but not sure what advantage that may be with goats. Might be a disadvantage.

I have also used Hornady's Interlocks, A MAX and V MAX and I like them also. Bit of a fan of the Hornady products.

[Chronos]

Thanks MM, typo corrected, 139gr as you guessed

I've loaded them for a ladder test, just need to get to the range now.

Chronos

[Lorgar]

I have...

I have some targets in the stack with them but can't remember groups... I'll dig them up tomorrow for you (CBF at the moment, it's too f***ing hot to do anything here atm ) and post the works for you then.

[Chronos]

I have...

I have some targets in the stack with them but can't remember groups... I'll dig them up tomorrow for you (CBF at the moment, it's too f***ing hot to do anything here atm ) and post the works for you then.

not so interested in groups, i can work that out for my rifle just more so interesteds in how they perform. i had limited sucsess with speers, more so with rem corelokts, just keen to try a ballistic tipped pill

Chronos

[Korkt]

G'day Chronos,

Not exactly what you were after but I expect this will still help. I've used the 160gr Interbonds in .308 and I believe in 7mm they come in 154gr weights? Lets call it apples and almost apples for the comparison.

As you'll know the Interbond's are one of Hornady's top shelf bullets with the bonded core, but are otherwise much the same as the SST. Polymer tip for expansion into a jacketed boat tail.

Their expansion is obviously good, I found the Interbonds really expand and I was getting very wide mushrooms with about the rear 25% of the bullet being more or less 'intact'.

Compared to the SST which still mushroomed but not as wide, also about the rear 50% of the bullet was 'intact'. I never weighed the projectiles to compare but I put this down to more of the outer bullet peeling away causing more penetration and a little less expansion. There is a clear difference but personally I say the SST still have a perfectly satisfactory mushroom and produce sufficient wound channel.

The Interbond are very good, but you pay. Up to you if it justifies the price.

Hope it helps.

[Lorgar]

not so interested in groups, i can work that out for my rifle just more so interesteds in how they perform. i had limited sucsess with speers, more so with rem corelokts, just keen to try a ballistic tipped pill

Well after all that I couldn't find them anyway

Korkt has pretty much covered it anyway. That more or less matches my experience as well.

On a related note, you could look at Nosler Accubond and Ballistic Tip as well if you just want any decent tipped bullet.

Comparing the two, you could basically replace 'Interbond" with "Accubond" and "SST" with "BT" in Korkt's explanation and have it covered too.

It's clear that the performance on game of the Accubond is better, but the bullets are twice the price and the BT work perfectly anyway on the largest thing I hunt - deer at medium ranges - so no point spending the extra in my case.

[mausermate]

G'day Chronos,

Not exactly what you were after but I expect this will still help. I've used the 160gr Interbonds in .308 and I believe in 7mm they come in 154gr weights? Lets call it apples and almost apples for the comparison.

As you'll know the Interbond's are one of Hornady's top shelf bullets with the bonded core, but are otherwise much the same as the SST. Polymer tip for expansion into a jacketed boat tail.

Their expansion is obviously good, I found the Interbonds really expand and I was getting very wide mushrooms with about the rear 25% of the bullet being more or less 'intact'.

Compared to the SST which still mushroomed but not as wide, also about the rear 50% of the bullet was 'intact'. I never weighed the projectiles to compare but I put this down to more of the outer bullet peeling away causing more penetration and a little less expansion. There is a clear difference but personally I say the SST still have a perfectly satisfactory mushroom and produce sufficient wound channel.

The Interbond are very good, but you pay. Up to you if it justifies the price.

Hope it helps.

That's really interesting. I would have thought from the blurb by Hornady that the Interbond delivered less mushroom than the SST. Tougher jacket, stayed together better, penetrated further. Nothing like personal experience.

Thanks Korkt.

I notice on the Hornady website that the Interbond is "temporarily suspended" wonder what that means? apart from the obvious.

[Chronos]

I think in recent times hornady has had trouble keeping up with demand and so suspended production of a few of their less popular lines, 7mm 162gr Amax was suspended a year of so ago but i read somewhere it was back in production now.

Chronos

[Chronos]

Thanks for all the good info guys, Im well aware the accubonds are more expensive, infact at $88/100 they are the most expensive bullet i have ever bought.

The reason I ask for experience on light goat sized game is i'm planning a couple of trips down around wagga wagga next year and i bought the Accubond to use in my 7-08 to hunt deer but i was concerned about their performance using them on lighter bodied animals like goats and smaller deer. I've heard poor reports about some BT bullets failing to expand and just penciling through, i also had a similar experience with a speer SP that drilled through a pigs front shoulder, exiting the opposite hind leg with a 8-10mm exit hole

I have about 400 162gr Amax here that shoot well out of my 7-08 and a few LR hunters say they perform well on deer in NZ despite being marketed as a target bullet. I could also try them but seem overkill is most of the targets we see are goats. I know the rem corelokts i currently use are known to kill well but i've had quite bad tip damage on them in the magazine and thought the BT accubonds would be more reliable.

Sounds like they're doing the right thing and i'll work up a load and try them out, after all that is the only way to know eh?

Chronos

[Lorgar]

I've heard poor reports about some BT bullets failing to expand and just penciling through

Hmm, that hasn't been my experience for them. As you might remember from other posts 120gr and 140gr are my regulars.

Even on a fox I get expansion with the 120gr. I obviously appreciate the fact that a fox is a far weaker/smaller animal than the 120gr BT are intended for and damage will be extensive regardless, but there is expansion there, my point just being from what I've seen even on light targets with them I find it hard to picture one pencilling through on a larger more heavily muscled/boned target.

And I use the 140gr in my game cartridges.

My 2c anyway, dunno why they aren't working for others, shot placement? Who can say. I'm sure you'll figure it out.

[Korkt]

That's really interesting. I would have thought from the blurb by Hornady that the Interbond delivered less mushroom than the SST. Tougher jacket, stayed together better, penetrated further. Nothing like personal experience.

Mine is only a small amount of testing so I suppose it could vary for others. That's what I got though.

Like I said above, I think the reason for less expansion with the the SST was that the edges of the mushroom peeled away letting the bullet pencil deeper in.

I wouldn't say the claims in the blurb are untrue, in practice they just work a bit differently. Something has to give when it hits... the thicker jacket and bonding hold the jacket to the core, so the core expands down the middle leaving more attached the the jacket. If you've got a thick jacket holding onto lots of body lead I don't know what else you could expect other than wide mushrooming?

I think they just get caught up pushing a feature of the bullet and it comes out a little off. Still good though.

[Chronos]

Thanks for the info guys, it's always good to know as much as you can before jumping in.

The stuff about the nosler BT's (if I remember it correctly now) came from a bloke a good few years back who hunted deer in the UK with a. 7-08. Not sure if any if you remember him, Fast Twist I think his forum name was on the old shootingdotcomdotau

Chronos.

[Weepy]

Maybe their deer are soft, not rugged Australian deer

[MrClark]

Cant help you with the 7mm's but the 165gr .30 cals do wonders on pigs!! Small enterance but out the back!! STRUTH MATE!! Whole nother story. Oh and very very accurate for me

[Chronos]

Cant help you with the 7mm's but the 165gr .30 cals do wonders on pigs!! Small enterance but out the back!! STRUTH MATE!! Whole nother story. Oh and very very accurate for me

Thanks MrClark,

There may be a big difference between the 139gr and your 165's but it speaks volumes for weight retention.

I'll be load testing them Sunday hopefully.

Chronos

[Korkt]

So what's the verdict, Chronos.

Good, yes?

[Chronos]

So what's the verdict, Chronos.

Good, yes?

Didn't get to the range mate, too many other things going on yesterday afternoon and I have the press set up to load. .44 mag loads and wasn't keen to upset the seater mid run. Works out ok because I'm waiting for a barrel to come from the gunsmith too.

I'm planning on spending the day at the range next weekend and take the press plus a few rifles to check sight in before the Christmas hunting trips. No body likes sighting in in the field in the middle of the day when it's 40deg


Chronos

[Korkt]

Understood.

No rush to test, you can be sure they'll do the job