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Posted: 11/22/2014 11:27:20 PM EDT
What does everyone think of the 139gr Hornady Interlock SPBT in the 7mm Rem Mag for deer? I have 1100 of them that I got in a Lock N Load promotion several years ago. Though I have a bunch of these, if there's a better bullet to use... accuracy and performance wise... I'll use it. Will this lighter bullet hold up for a direct shoulder shot? I like to break bone if I'm lucky enough to get a shot at a big buck in an area with lots of hunting pressure.
Link Posted: 11/23/2014 9:10:07 AM EDT
[#1]
Quoted:
What does everyone think of the 139gr Hornady Interlock SPBT in the 7mm Rem Mag for deer? I have 1100 of them that I got in a Lock N Load promotion several years ago. Though I have a bunch of these, if there's a better bullet to use... accuracy and performance wise... I'll use it. Will this lighter bullet hold up for a direct shoulder shot? I like to break bone if I'm lucky enough to get a shot at a big buck in an area with lots of hunting pressure.
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I'm thinking that if a 60+ grain pill out of a .223 kills Whitetails just fine, then the 139gr. in 7mm will be even more than fine.
Link Posted: 11/23/2014 10:28:22 AM EDT
[#2]
When I used 7 Mag. Hornady Custom factory stuff the 154 grain held together on deer quite a bit better than the 139s. Since you have so many of them I'd load them somewhat mild to keep the speed down in case of a close shot/higher speed impact frag issue. I'd also avoid straight shoulder shots if you want to prevent meat damage. Classic behind the shoulder shots they'll do just fine. They'll surely kill a deer or hog though, regardless.  






I have settled on the 140 grain Barnes TSX for around the last ten years & ain't changing anytime soon. Load 'em to near max and have complete confidence from any angle.

 
Link Posted: 11/23/2014 8:28:10 PM EDT
[#3]
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Quoted:
When I used 7 Mag. Hornady Custom factory stuff the 154 grain held together on deer quite a bit better than the 139s. Since you have so many of them I'd load them somewhat mild to keep the speed down in case of a close shot/higher speed impact frag issue. I'd also avoid straight shoulder shots if you want to prevent meat damage. Classic behind the shoulder shots they'll do just fine. They'll surely kill a deer or hog though, regardless.  

I have settled on the 140 grain Barnes TSX for around the last ten years & ain't changing anytime soon. Load 'em to near max and have complete confidence from any angle.
 
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I'm not concerned about meat damage at all... There is a big, BIG bruiser in the immediate vicinity of where I'm hunting. If he comes by, I'd like to be able to break bones and put him down RFN because if he goes over the hill, he's off our property and there's plenty of pressure down there. A 50 - 100 yard run may very well mean someone else's tag on him. I have a .243, a flintlock and archery tackle to fill my freezer... this guy just needs to go into the dirt fast.

I just don't want to attempt to break shoulder bone with a bullet that's too light to penetrate afterwards and do massive damage.
Link Posted: 11/23/2014 8:29:30 PM EDT
[#4]
Link Posted: 11/23/2014 11:46:58 PM EDT
[#5]
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Quoted:


I'm not concerned about meat damage at all... There is a big, BIG bruiser in the immediate vicinity of where I'm hunting. If he comes by, I'd like to be able to break bones and put him down RFN because if he goes over the hill, he's off our property and there's plenty of pressure down there. A 50 - 100 yard run may very well mean someone else's tag on him. I have a .243, a flintlock and archery tackle to fill my freezer... this guy just needs to go into the dirt fast.

I just don't want to attempt to break shoulder bone with a bullet that's too light to penetrate afterwards and do massive damage.
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Quoted:
Quoted:
When I used 7 Mag. Hornady Custom factory stuff the 154 grain held together on deer quite a bit better than the 139s. Since you have so many of them I'd load them somewhat mild to keep the speed down in case of a close shot/higher speed impact frag issue. I'd also avoid straight shoulder shots if you want to prevent meat damage. Classic behind the shoulder shots they'll do just fine. They'll surely kill a deer or hog though, regardless.  

I have settled on the 140 grain Barnes TSX for around the last ten years & ain't changing anytime soon. Load 'em to near max and have complete confidence from any angle.
 


I'm not concerned about meat damage at all... There is a big, BIG bruiser in the immediate vicinity of where I'm hunting. If he comes by, I'd like to be able to break bones and put him down RFN because if he goes over the hill, he's off our property and there's plenty of pressure down there. A 50 - 100 yard run may very well mean someone else's tag on him. I have a .243, a flintlock and archery tackle to fill my freezer... this guy just needs to go into the dirt fast.

I just don't want to attempt to break shoulder bone with a bullet that's too light to penetrate afterwards and do massive damage.

Based on this thread's title and your first post, I am under the impression you also have a 7mm Mag.

Link Posted: 11/24/2014 9:20:06 AM EDT
[#6]

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Quoted:



I'm not concerned about meat damage at all... There is a big, BIG bruiser in the immediate vicinity of where I'm hunting. If he comes by, I'd like to be able to break bones and put him down RFN because if he goes over the hill, he's off our property and there's plenty of pressure down there. A 50 - 100 yard run may very well mean someone else's tag on him. I have a .243, a flintlock and archery tackle to fill my freezer... this guy just needs to go into the dirt fast.



I just don't want to attempt to break shoulder bone with a bullet that's too light to penetrate afterwards and do massive damage.
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Well then there's a perfect example of when the TSX or TTSX shines. Go for bone with complete confidence! Partition is another good choice. They'll penetrate from any angle & do what you seek on a beast like you describe, though the Barnes will penetrate deeper. Even head on. I'd save the 139s for about anything else where you may not only have a split second and a tough angle to contend with. Good luck getting a bead on the big bruiser. It's fun hunting a particular deer ain't it! They don't get big by being careless.
Link Posted: 11/24/2014 9:26:02 AM EDT
[#7]
Actually just made up a load for this exact bullet for his 7mm  
Using h4831sc he is at 2930fps.

Took it out this past week in Nebraska, Blew through the should and just embedded itself under the skin on the opposite side. Id say no issues. Accuracy so far we tested out to 500 yds and he is very happy.

Link Posted: 11/24/2014 12:14:33 PM EDT
[#8]
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Quoted:

  Well then there's a perfect example of when the TSX or TTSX shines. Go for bone with complete confidence! Partition is another good choice. They'll penetrate from any angle & do what you seek on a beast like you describe, though the Barnes will penetrate deeper. Even head on. I'd save the 139s for about anything else where you may not only have a split second and a tough angle to contend with. Good luck getting a bead on the big bruiser. It's fun hunting a particular deer ain't it! They don't get big by being careless.
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Quoted:
Quoted:

I'm not concerned about meat damage at all... There is a big, BIG bruiser in the immediate vicinity of where I'm hunting. If he comes by, I'd like to be able to break bones and put him down RFN because if he goes over the hill, he's off our property and there's plenty of pressure down there. A 50 - 100 yard run may very well mean someone else's tag on him. I have a .243, a flintlock and archery tackle to fill my freezer... this guy just needs to go into the dirt fast.

I just don't want to attempt to break shoulder bone with a bullet that's too light to penetrate afterwards and do massive damage.

  Well then there's a perfect example of when the TSX or TTSX shines. Go for bone with complete confidence! Partition is another good choice. They'll penetrate from any angle & do what you seek on a beast like you describe, though the Barnes will penetrate deeper. Even head on. I'd save the 139s for about anything else where you may not only have a split second and a tough angle to contend with. Good luck getting a bead on the big bruiser. It's fun hunting a particular deer ain't it! They don't get big by being careless.


Sure is!

Not often you can see a buck like this in Pennsylvania.

Link Posted: 11/24/2014 1:20:12 PM EDT
[#9]
The 7mm RM pushes a bullet to pretty good speeds.  Make it a light-for-caliber bullet like a 139 and its moving very fast, likely 3000-3200 fps.  Take all this speed and add a traditional cup-and-core bullet like an interlock, and you can reasonably expect some over-expansion, particularly on a hard bone.  It might be different if you were talking about a 139 grainer built like a Barnes TTSX.  I would not use your interlock 139 bullets at full 7mmRM speeds.

However, you could slow them down some.  Instead of loading to max speeds, down load them to a more modest velocity.  Load them to 2700,2800 fps and they will open very reliably, with far less chance of over expansion.  Penetration will be deeper.  In other words, take your 7 mm Rem Mag, and load these bullets to mimic a 7mm-08.  You won't be using the full capacity of the Magnum, but the bullet will behave much more reliably.

If you want to anchor him right on the spot, forget using velocity.  Use shot placement.  Forget the lung or heart shot.  Try to take out the vitals AND the skeleton as well.  Break both forelegs while shooting  the heart and he won't be able to go far, and will bleed out before he can go 20 yards.  Or use a high shoulder shot and the shock to the spine will drop them right there.  They bleed out with the lungs gone before they can get going again.
Link Posted: 11/24/2014 1:35:54 PM EDT
[#10]
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Quoted:
The 7mm RM pushes a bullet to pretty good speeds.  Make it a light-for-caliber bullet like a 139 and its moving very fast, likely 3000-3200 fps.  Take all this speed and add a traditional cup-and-core bullet like an interlock, and you can reasonably expect some over-expansion, particularly on a hard bone.  It might be different if you were talking about a 139 grainer built like a Barnes TTSX.  I would not use your interlock 139 bullets at full 7mmRM speeds.

However, you could slow them down some.  Instead of loading to max speeds, down load them to a more modest velocity.  Load them to 2700,2800 fps and they will open very reliably, with far less chance of over expansion.  Penetration will be deeper.  In other words, take your 7 mm Rem Mag, and load these bullets to mimic a 7mm-08.  You won't be using the full capacity of the Magnum, but the bullet will behave much more reliably.

If you want to anchor him right on the spot, forget using velocity.  Use shot placement.  Forget the lung or heart shot.  Try to take out the vitals AND the skeleton as well.  Break both forelegs while shooting  the heart and he won't be able to go far, and will bleed out before he can go 20 yards.  Or use a high shoulder shot and the shock to the spine will drop them right there.  They bleed out with the lungs gone before they can get going again.
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This is exactly my goal. I was wondering if those bullets would be good for this... I have other guns available to me; I have a .270 (that I'd rather not take out because it's a collector and I'll be going through the woods a bit), a .243, and if I'd like I can borrow my brother's .444, a 12 gauge slug gun or his .300 WSM. I prefer to use my own guns, but I'm thinking that if I'm going to take out both shoulders I might be better off going with one of his guns that's ready to go instead of loading up some of these 139's.
Link Posted: 11/24/2014 2:20:11 PM EDT
[#11]
I would normally say a 7mm is perfectly fine on any deer but why handicap yourself with a bullet you don't have 100% confidence in?

I did a quick look online at midway and they had several premium loads in the 160gr weight with bonded bullets.

Yikes they are pricey but then again you really can do a lot of hunting with one box. Four or five shots to check your zero and the rest of the box for deer . The heavy bonded bullet should be capable of solid hits from any angle even on this big animal .

I will guess you have more experience with your 7mm than with the brothers 300wm so just go with your gun .

Normally I am the guy who says not to worry about the caliber , just get a gun you can get to hit where you want to and go with confidence
but your deal of wanting to anchor a special trophy begs for the high priced ammo.

Good luck !

Link Posted: 11/24/2014 4:01:47 PM EDT
[#12]
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Quoted:
I would normally say a 7mm is perfectly fine on any deer but why handicap yourself with a bullet you don't have 100% confidence in?

I did a quick look online at midway and they had several premium loads in the 160gr weight with bonded bullets.

Yikes they are pricey but then again you really can do a lot of hunting with one box. Four or five shots to check your zero and the rest of the box for deer . The heavy bonded bullet should be capable of solid hits from any angle even on this big animal .

I will guess you have more experience with your 7mm than with the brothers 300wm so just go with your gun .

Normally I am the guy who says not to worry about the caliber , just get a gun you can get to hit where you want to and go with confidence
but your deal of wanting to anchor a special trophy begs for the high priced ammo.

Good luck !

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I tried the 160gr LRX from barnes and it would not stablize in flight. Box says 1:9.5 or faster. Mines 1:9.5, when I called he said no way unless its 1:8.

Edit: Typo
Link Posted: 11/30/2014 12:03:05 AM EDT
[#13]
I've been using the Hornady 139 btsp with 65 gr.H4831sc in my 7mm Rem. Mag. for whitetails for many years (20 +) with great success.I dropped an 8 point in his tracks this year with this very load @ 100 yards.I shot a 160 grain a few years ago in this caliber while hunting pronghorn antelope and it proved a little heavy as it did not expand and made almost the same size exit hole as the entrance after traveling from the front shoulder to the opposite rear ham.I went to 139-140 grain bullets after that for deer size game.
Link Posted: 12/1/2014 12:39:17 AM EDT
[#14]
Maybe just use barnes tsx and blow through both shoulders?

Either way, a 7mm will kill a deer dead and fast.
Link Posted: 12/1/2014 3:26:37 PM EDT
[#15]
I would think your best bet would be a 154g. Interlocks are not the toughest bullets in the world but deer aren't elk. Just my opinion but I've been shooting and reloading 7mag since 1990.
Link Posted: 12/7/2014 7:42:19 PM EDT
[#16]
I have two 7mm Rem Mag rifles, but hunt mostly with .280 Remington (three rifles).  I can easily get 3000-3050 fps in the .280 with a 24" barrel using that same 139 Hornady and Nosler 140 Ballistic Tip bullets.  I have seen some poor terminal ballistics for shots at close range due to over expansion or lack of penetration if hitting the shoulder.  The former can be helped by reducing the load.  But I do like to break bone.  While the 140 Nosler BT has been my "go to" 7mm bullet, I am using Barnes 140 TTSX bullets now, intentionally breaking the shoulder, and still getting an exit wound.

But, you have all that 139 Hornady.  Use it. Try to keep velocity at or under 3,000 fps, and avoid taking shots right at the shoulder,  Even then, you may not have an exit wound.  The Hornady Interlock is a lot like the Nosler BT.  Just a bit too light constructed for 3,000 fps or reliablebone breaking, especially if you have to take a shot inside of 100 yards.
Link Posted: 12/7/2014 10:19:05 PM EDT
[#17]
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Quoted:
I have two 7mm Rem Mag rifles, but hunt mostly with .280 Remington (three rifles).  I can easily get 3000-3050 fps in the .280 with a 24" barrel using that same 139 Hornady and Nosler 140 Ballistic Tip bullets.  I have seen some poor terminal ballistics for shots at close range due to over expansion or lack of penetration if hitting the shoulder.  The former can be helped by reducing the load.  But I do like to break bone.  While the 140 Nosler BT has been my "go to" 7mm bullet, I am using Barnes 140 TTSX bullets now, intentionally breaking the shoulder, and still getting an exit wound.

But, you have all that 139 Hornady.  Use it. Try to keep velocity at or under 3,000 fps, and avoid taking shots right at the shoulder,  Even then, you may not have an exit wound.  The Hornady Interlock is a lot like the Nosler BT.  Just a bit too light constructed for 3,000 fps or reliablebone breaking, especially if you have to take a shot inside of 100 yards.
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Thanks.

Yeah, the BTs can get pretty explosive. I took out my .270 yesterday and shot a doe in the  back of the neck... about 2" below the skull... with a 130gr ballistic tip going about 3000fps. The entry hole was easy to see, but I'm not really sure it exited. It hit the spine directly, and there's nothing but mush under the skin. The head's pretty much detached under the skin but there's no obvious exit wound. I poked around a bit and didn't see anything.

I took it out because I was sitting closer to the center of the property and wasn't targeting the bruiser. I don't think I'd shoot a deer through the shoulders with a BT.  I do need to experiment more with the 139g interlocks though.
Link Posted: 12/8/2014 4:06:14 PM EDT
[#18]
I know I've posted already, but this three confuses me....  

You have a BIG buck, and want to anchor him so he doesn't end up on someone else's wall.  And you have a zillion of these 139's you want to use.

Which of these two choices is more important???

If you want to use the 139, by all means do so.  If you load to full 7mm Rem Mag speeds, expect a failure.  Download to 7mm08 speeds and it will work.

However, if your actual goal is to flatten this buck, spend $35 and buy a box of bullets appropriate for that deer.  Take your pick:  A 160 accubond, 160 or 175 partition, 160 ttsx, etc  All will get it done, and without the failure issues of a 139 traditional cup and core bullet at 3000+ fps......

Link Posted: 12/8/2014 6:15:18 PM EDT
[#19]
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Quoted:

I'm thinking that if a 60+ grain pill out of a .223 kills Whitetails just fine, then the 139gr. in 7mm will be even more than fine.
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Quoted:
What does everyone think of the 139gr Hornady Interlock SPBT in the 7mm Rem Mag for deer? I have 1100 of them that I got in a Lock N Load promotion several years ago. Though I have a bunch of these, if there's a better bullet to use... accuracy and performance wise... I'll use it. Will this lighter bullet hold up for a direct shoulder shot? I like to break bone if I'm lucky enough to get a shot at a big buck in an area with lots of hunting pressure.

I'm thinking that if a 60+ grain pill out of a .223 kills Whitetails just fine, then the 139gr. in 7mm will be even more than fine.


I'm of this opinion as well.  Seems to be a lot of concern about the 139gr out of a 7mm blowing up on the shoulder or shortly thereafter, but I shoot for the shoulder in .223 offerings with success.  The 7mm Rem Mag has more than enough horsepower to get the job done. Load some up and do it!!!
Link Posted: 12/8/2014 7:38:27 PM EDT
[#20]
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Quoted:
I know I've posted already, but this three confuses me....  

You have a BIG buck, and want to anchor him so he doesn't end up on someone else's wall.  And you have a zillion of these 139's you want to use.

Which of these two choices is more important???

If you want to use the 139, by all means do so.  If you load to full 7mm Rem Mag speeds, expect a failure.  Download to 7mm08 speeds and it will work.

However, if your actual goal is to flatten this buck, spend $35 and buy a box of bullets appropriate for that deer.  Take your pick:  A 160 accubond, 160 or 175 partition, 160 ttsx, etc  All will get it done, and without the failure issues of a 139 traditional cup and core bullet at 3000+ fps......

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I was curious as to real-world experiences with this particular bullet. If the feedback I got was such that it would work, I'd have loaded up a batch and ran with them.

I got conflicting reports on the bullet performance, so I just went with another rifle to be safe.

Didn't see him anyways.  

Oh well, maybe Saturday...
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