# If you had to choose a cheap soft point for elk hunting



## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

what would it be? Let's say that all copper bullets had never been thunk of. Bonded core bullets? What's that? Even Nosler never got around to making the partition. All you have to choose from are all the cup and cores adorning the shelves of your local sporting goods stores for $20 a box. $25 to $30 if you shoot a magnum. Which of these bullets would you choose from? Do any seem to hold up any better than the others? Are they pretty much all created equal so you just choose whichever one shoots best from your gun?

It seems like the Winchester Power Points shoot pretty accurately out of most of my guns and they have accounted for a 5x5 bull elk and a 175 inch 4x4 buck for me. The elk was shot with a .300 win mag at pretty close range and the power point slipped the core. The elk dropped in its tracks and never even wiggled but per the standards of the bullet experts I guess this one "failed." I've shot most of my big game with Sierra Game Kings because my dad hand loaded 165s for the .30-06 with game kings. He shot a couple bull elk with them and they never complained that it wasn't enough bullet. I never did take an elk with them, but I killed quite a few deer with them and they always dropped them pretty hard. Left pretty big exit wounds in them from what I remember.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Speer GrandSlam.


-DallanC


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I have a friend that only shoots Federal factory ammo that is loaded with 150 Sierra Spitzer boattails out of his 7mm Rem mag. He bought a couple of cases of them years ago and is still shooting them, and only shoots about 10 rounds a year. He uses them on deer, elk, and even a moose with no problems.


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## fishreaper (Jan 2, 2014)

I like to push money towards Winchester and Remington the most when it comes to factory ammo, especially if ballistic silver tips count as non-bonded cup and cores. If I had been able to get those before I started loading e-tips, it would be all I shoot out of my .243. For a while they completely stopped loading 95 grain bst's and you couldn't find the bullets either. 

With that said, I've only heard good things about Hornadys soft-point bullets.


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

Remington Core-Lokt. " Deadliest mushroom in the woods "


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## 35whelen (Jul 3, 2012)

depends on caliber but hotcor at a reasonable velocity would be my pick.


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

Hornady soft point boat tails. They did a fantastic job on any big game I hunted.


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## silentstalker (Feb 19, 2008)

In the .30 cal I would shoot the 180 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips. They have a beefed up jacket and are considered fully capable for elk. They are very accurate as well.


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## Kevin D (Sep 15, 2007)

The Hornady Interlock bullets that Al Hansen mentioned has been my favorite non premium bullet. It's crimped like the Remington Cor-Lokt to discourage core/jacket separation plus has a boat tail design for better long range energy retention. I've killed scores of elk and deer through the years with their 162 gr BTSP through my 7 mag before the premiums came around. 

I did experience some core/jacket separation on occasion so they aren't perfect, but it was always on dead animals so the bullets still performed well enough to get the job done. Most still punched through the other side. I jumped on the Nosler Accubond band wagon a few years ago, but when these bullets became scarce I reverted back to the more available tried and true Hornadys.

I've never lost an animal from bullet failure with Hornady Interlocks and I wouldn't feel disadvantaged at all using them on any big game animal in Utah.


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## Azar (Oct 21, 2014)

Yup, Hornady Interlocks for me too.


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

KineKilla said:


> Remington Core-Lokt. " Deadliest mushroom in the woods "


Very good bullet for short range hunting.


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

DallanC said:


> Speer GrandSlam.
> 
> -DallanC


Where can I buy factor Speer GrandSlam. I haven't seen it in any stores for several years now.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

ridgetop said:


> Where can I buy factor Speer GrandSlam. I haven't seen it in any stores for several years now.


I dunno... I'm still shooting up old stock. GrandSlams are on the cheaper end of the "Premium Bullet" spectrum, good sturdy bullets.

-DallanC


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

DallanC said:


> I dunno... I'm still shooting up old stock. GrandSlams are on the cheaper end of the "Premium Bullet" spectrum, good sturdy bullets.
> 
> -DallanC


I used them in my 30-06 when I shot my 2002 Vernon buck and the results were very impressive.
But I haven't been able to find any for my 7mm.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Try Midway or Brownells on line. 

I have a friend that is trying to get rid of some 175 grain 7mm's I think. I'll have to ask him.


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## jungle (May 10, 2008)

Ditto previous posts for the original core-locked "interlock" bullet by Remington; the Pointed Soft Point Core Lokt?. This bullet has killed untold numbers of big game, perhaps more than any other bullet, for decades.

The PSP Core lokt is actually fine out to longer ranges.


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

jungle said:


> Ditto previous posts for the original core-locked "interlock" bullet by Remington; the Pointed Soft Point Core Lokt?. This bullet has killed untold numbers of big game, perhaps more than any other bullet, for decades.
> 
> The PSP Core lokt is actually fine out to longer ranges.


I'm sure it kills as far as most hunters have any business shooting. It has the bc of a lump of poo and is therefore no accubond or berger for the long range stuff, but that would be of no concern for your typical hunter anyway. I have a box of 180 core lokts for .300 win mag. I'm gonna shoot these as well as some 180 grain hornadys, federal power shoks, and winchester power points all in 180 grain and whichever one yields the tightest groups will be my ammo of choice for that gun.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

Hornady Interloks, Remington Corelokts, and Sierra Gamekings. I also really like Nosler Ballistic Tips in Heavy-for-caliber low velocity applications.--------SS


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

When I was a punk I used the cheapest and most available bullet I could buy. I only had a handful of firearms but I shot all the time. "BC" was "before Christ" so I didn't want anything to do with that old crap. 

1975: anything up to 400 yards was dead meat.


Now I'm a half-blind old fart with more guns that I have time to shoot. I buy the most expensive projectiles I can find; even silver-tipped bullets for zombies. "BC" means "Ballistic Coefficient"; very important if you road hunt, shoot road signs at 2000 yards, or spend too much time on outdoor forums. 

2015: anything up to 350 yards is dead meat.


God bless everyone with only one or two rifles loaded with Remington Core-Lokts.


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