150 gr. Hornady Interbond in .300 WBY...

[wilydawg]

I will be hunting PG in Namibia in April '12, and plan on taking my .300 WBY as my primary rifle. The larger animals will be kudu, gemsbok, zebra, and wildebeest. A couple of years ago, I went on a quest to find the most accurate factory load for this rifle (reloading is not an option right now - I have reloading equipment and the know how to use it - but since my last move it is still in the garage boxed, and I can't seem to find the time or space to properly set it up, buy dies for this caliber, work up loads, etc) After exhaustively testing many of the available factory offerings primarily in 180 gr, I could not find the consistent accuracy I was looking for. In fact, some that I tried were very poor, and the best I could find did not meet my expectations. Then I tried 150 gr. Hornady Interbonds (not to be confused with Interlocks) in Hornady's Custom Ammunition line, and it was like a light went off! This rifle exhibited accuracy I never knew it had potential for, and with that, my confidence in the rifle soared. It's funny, but my nephew has this same rifle, and when he tried this ammunition he too saw a HUGE improvement in accuracy over the ammo he had been using.

Knowing that suitable energy and proper bullet construction for the job at hand is a big part of the performance equation, and that conventional thinking says that 150s are "light for caliber" in a .300 WBY, I also know that bullet placement is arguably more important still. And a lot can be said for confidence in a rifle as well. With all that said, I began using the 150s in the field.

Since then, I have taken cow elk, whitetail deer and large black bear (300#+) with this cartridge, from 35 to over 350 yds, at a variety of angles, with positive results. I have recovered bullets (at app. 60-75% weight retention), as well as experienced pass throughs, but in every case the animals either dropped in their tracks, or went down very near to where they were hit. With that said, I also hear about the "toughness" of African animals, something I have no personal experience with.

Although I spoke with Hornady, who assured me that this load was more than adequate for my intended use, they also recommended a new load they are offering, a 165 gr. GMX. I picked some up to check their accuracy in my rifle, as according to Hornady, they may be even more effective than the Interbonds. I have no personal experience with solid copper bullets, but hear mostly good things about them. For any consideration however, they must prove to be accurate in my rifle. If not, I will definitely be using the 150s on this hunt.

Does anyone have any experience using or witnessing the use of 150 gr. bullets, particularly the Interbond's, in the .300 WBY for plains game? What about the 165 gr. GMXs?

Thanks in advance for any input, and good hunting!

 

[TERMINATOR]

Personally, I would use (and DID use) 180 grain for the tougher plains game of Namibia or at a minimum the 165 grain in a good bullet. (See my article on hunting Nambia for the species you mention)

I am sure you can kill them with the 150, especially if you are patient enough to pick great angles, but I DO consider it light for caliber on tough, heavy animals like Gemsbok, Zebra and Wildebeast.

But I won't be the one paying for any lost animals so have at it!!!

Personally, I prefer some lead in my bullets to get more expansion/bigger wound channel as long as they still penetrate (a balancing act) but I will admit to having no experience with solid copper bullets, mainly because I am so happy with the performance I have gotten from 180 grain Partitions and Trophy Bonded Bearclaws on tough game with my .300 Wbys (I own two) that I never felt the need to try anything else.

But those 150 Interbonds would be perfect for many small to mid size animals IMHO even if a little light for the heavier ones. On the other hand, 180's were great on the Zebra, Kudu, Gemsbok while overkill on Impala etc.

Probably a 165 grain bullet of tough construction would be ideal for all if you exclude Eland

 

[enysse]

I like the GMX bullets...about the same as the Barnes bullets or Nosler E- Tip among others.

The 150 Interbond is fine as long as you don't take that sharp, quartering too shot that can bounce off a front leg or rib cage. Wildebeest, waterbuck, eland, kudu, zebra, and oryx are tough. To me they are no tougher than elk.