Hornady bullets

[DG870]

154 grain 7mm Interbond from a 7mm Magnum. Hornady quit making the Interbond line of bullets during COVID because it required additional steps to bond the core to the jacket. They were concentrating on producing the bullets with the greatest demand.

The Interbond was distinctly different than the Interlock. I wish they would bring the Interbond back - it was a fantastic bullet.

 

[mdwest]

There are no original DGX and DGS bullets. These bullets were formerly called Interlock or Interbond and their design has nothing in common with the current DGX and DGS bullets from Hornady.

It is well known that the Interlock and later the Interbond bullets from Hornady did not always work as intended, but unfortunately, they are often confused with the new DGX and DGS bullets.

That is incorrect. The original DGX was released in 2007. They performed poorly. A couple of lots even got recalled in 2017.

They redesigned and re-released DGX in 2018. The redesign supposedly improved the bonding.

Google is your friend on this one.. plenty of information on this ranging from hornadys own website to American Rifleman and several other publications… you can also dig through old threads on AH

 

[BonUm16]

There are no original DGX and DGS bullets. These bullets were formerly called Interlock or Interbond and their design has nothing in common with the current DGX and DGS bullets from Hornady.

It is well known that the Interlock and later the Interbond bullets from Hornady did not always work as intended, but unfortunately, they are often confused with the new DGX and DGS bullets.

Original DGX intro 2007

DGX Bonded intro 2018

Note the different product numbers.

 

[Huntsouth]

I

I don’t think there is anything wrong with Hornady quality today but they don’t focus on bonded bullets. Aside from DGX they offer no bonded bullets and nearly every competitor does. The DGX is bonded but has some design features that aren’t as strong as some preferred options like Swift A Frame or trophy bonded bear claw for dangerous game. Shooting a whitetail deer behind the shoulder is very different than shooting a wildebeest or gemsbok on the shoulder and that’s very different than shooting a Cape buffalo on the shoulder. Bonded bullets designed to retain mass and penetrate make a difference on larger game. The bullet performance on game matters more than paper target accuracy.

However Hornady’s CX bullet should be comparable to Barnes and other monolithic bullets on the market.

I just finished a Safari in Mozambique. I used Hornady DGX in .375 H&H, 300 grain. They performed very well. My second buffalo went down from a single heart shot after ~50 yds. No complaints.

 

[uplander01]

I wouldn't hesitate to use the newer DGX or DGS bonded series on big game.

 

[grand veneur]

I wouldn't hesitate to use the newer DGX or DGS bonded series on big game.

In my opinion many of us would use them, especially if they are an improved version of the original DGX and DGS bullets, which I did not know. I shot several Buffaloes with the Interlock bullets and then with the Interbond bullets from Hornady. I did not realize that DGX bullets were already on the market in 2007. Besides, I still had a sufficient supply of Interbond bullets, which I continued to use. After that, I switched to the PP SN bullets from Woodleigh. I never had any problems with all this bullets as long as the bullets was well placed. I did fire everything with the cartridge 460 Weatherby Magnum, which may have compensated for some, but that should not be considered negative. I was accused from side of some members of choosing the cartridge 460 Weatherby Magnum to compensate for the theoretically poor effectiveness of my bullets from Hornady, which is complete nonsense. I did not know at that time that these bullets would be judged so negatively in the future.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I keep seeing don’t use hornday bullets especially on dangerous game.
What has happened to hornady quality?
They were conciseried some of the better options. Locally. Maybe it was because you did not see them used as much as silver tip, cor-lock or federal.
I know I like the interlock on the 6mm load.

I have had a few guns that did not like sst
So has a few more people.

Has the quility gotten worse or were they never really that good?

@Flbt
I can't comment on their DG line but I use almost exclusively Hornady SST in my sons 398 and my 25 and the 40gn VMAX in my 22K Hornet.
They have proven superbly accurate in my rifles and give deadly in game performance.

If'n they made a 225gn 35 cal SST I would give them a try. It's unfortunate they discontinued the 250 gn round nose for the 35 as it is a stellar performer in the Whelen on large game and gives me sub half inch groups in the Whelen.
Those big round noses sure get the games attention. Fortunately I bought a couple of boxes of NOS at an outstanding price, $66aud)/100.

Yes I do/ and have used other brands but find these five the best performance and value for money .
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

They are fine if you like your bullet to perform like a grenade.

@phillip Glass
Having used the 117gn 25 cal SST and the 150 gn 308 SST for quite a few years now on pigs, goats,deer and the odd rabbit and wild dog I have found they hold together well. They drive deep, expand reliably and retain around 50 to 70% of their weight depending on how fast you push them.

The old 250gn RNSP in the Whelen pushed to 2,700 fps punched a golf ball size holes out the other side of a large oryx/gemsbok bull at 120yds and ended up somewhere in the Kalahari sands.
Yes some may grenade but that hasn't been my experience
The VMAX on the other hand definitely grenades but that's what it is designed to do.

For the size of the game and type of game the average Australian and American hunts at home the SST would suit their needs.
Throw in Africa and it's a different ball game.
I would venture to say that the heavier weight SST in calibers from 6.5 to 338 would work well. Even the 225gn in 338 would be a good bullet in MY book
Just my thoughts.
Bob

 

[Flbt]

@Flbt
I can't comment on their DG line but I use almost exclusively Hornady SST in my sons 398 and my 25 and the 40gn VMAX in my 22K Hornet.
They have proven superbly accurate in my rifles and give deadly in game performance.

If'n they made a 225gn 35 cal SST I would give them a try. It's unfortunate they discontinued the 250 gn round nose for the 35 as it is a stellar performer in the Whelen on large game and gives me sub half inch groups in the Whelen.
Those big round noses sure get the games attention. Fortunately I bought a couple of boxes of NOS at an outstanding price, $66aud)/100.

Yes I do/ and have used other brands but find these five the best performance and value for money .
Bob

The factory load interlock was grate with my 6mm and they were good with a cousin 25-06 the old frontier loading.
When they went to the sst those rifles went to shooting pattern instead. Of groups.
I don’t remember what the 25 did
But my 6 went to a 8in group at 100yd
Switch to federal 80gr the group dropped to less than a in.
All from a table top with a leadslead on a measure 100yd range

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

The factory load interlock was grate with my 6mm and they were good with a cousin 25-06 the old frontier loading.
When they went to the sst those rifles went to shooting pattern instead. Of groups.
I don’t remember what the 25 did
But my 6 went to a 8in group at 100yd
Switch to federal 80gr the group dropped to less than a in.
All from a table top with a leadslead on a measure 100yd range

@Flbt
With the 117gn SST my 25 shoots 0.8" at 200
With the 115gn ballistic tip 0.7" at 200
Both started at 3,360 fps
100gn TTSX @over 3,600fps 0.7" @ 200.
Bob

 

[Flbt]

@Flbt
With the 117gn SST my 25 shoots 0.8" at 200
With the 115gn ballistic tip 0.7" at 200
Both started at 3,360 fps
100gn TTSX @over 3,600fps 0.7" @ 200.
Bob

I guessing those rifles just did not like them
just after that I never bought any more when I had other bullets that worked

Also forgot that was the super performance loads so I don’t know if that would make a difference?

 

[Nhoro]

My brother prefers Hornady DGS in his 416 rigby for elephant. He has taken 17-20 elephant and I respect his opinion. I am vague on the numbers because asked and he couldn't remember. I have used DGS in my 458 win mag/ lott. I use Hornady Interlock in my 3006 for smaller plainsgame. I will use use Hornady ammo WITHIN THEIR CAPABILITIES for the PURPOSE THEY WERE DESIGNED. They are not silver bullets that work miracles. Read the design explanation on the box and listen to it. I think that they do what they say on the box. Not necessarily the best but they do what they advertise.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Photograph provided by a close friend during a 2024 Safari to Zambia.

400Gr Hornady Dangerous Game Solid (.416 Rigby factory loads employing the flat nosed steel jacketed FMJ solids) which failed during a side brain shot on a bull elephant. Elephant required two more body shots (including one from the white hunter’s .500/465 Nitro Express) before succumbing during a charge.


Photograph provided by my white hunter in Tanzania during a 2024 Safari.

300Gr Hornady DGS (Dangerous Game Solid) recovered from Cape buffalo shoulder bone/scapula. Ammunition was .375 Holland & Holland Magnum Hornady Dangerous Game Series factory load.

I don't know what's up with Hornady lately, but they should be ashamed of themselves. Bullet failures like this could cause somebody in the hunting party to lose his/her life (esp. when the intended quarry is an irate five ton pachyderm or a 1500 LB Cape buffalo).

This is the seventh & eighth Hornady bullet failure on big game which I've documented over the last five years.


The round nosed steel jacketed FMJ solids that were manufactured by Hornady from 1982-1990 (which were used in Remington & Winchester factory loads of that era) were far more strongly constructed. I recovered several from Cape buffaloes, hippopotamuses & one elephant bull which (barring the rifling grooves) looked as if they could be fired again.

The bigger of my two elephant bulls (at this time of writing) was taken with a clean side brain shot by employing a 300Gr Hornady round nosed steel jacketed FMJ solid (Remington factory load for the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum) in 1982.

 

[deewayne2003]

Hornady 180gr BTSP is my go to bullet for whitetail in my .300Win; likewise for my .270win I use the 140gr BTSP.

I’ve never had a failure and quite honestly I love how they perform at both close range and out to 300+ yds.

 

[grand veneur]

Cartridge 460 Weatherby Magnum, 500gr FMJ bullet from Hornady, not deformed after a frontal brain shot on an elephant. It was about 25 years ago. As far as I remember, the bullet was found somewhere in the back of the elephant. It penetrated very deeply in any case, but certainly an exception.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Cartridge 460 Weatherby Magnum, 500gr FMJ bullet from Hornady, not deformed after a frontal brain shot on an elephant. It was about 25 years ago. As far as I remember, the bullet was found somewhere in the back of the elephant. It penetrated very deeply in any case, but certainly an exception.

View attachment 714806

Those 1980s era round nosed steel jacketed Hornady FMJ solids were even better than the Woodleigh FMJ solids of more modern times.

 

[grand veneur]

On the left side the .458 500gr FMJ bullet in section.

 

[Kevin375]

My small contribution to this thread.
I reloaded the DGX Bonded 500 gr in my .458 Lott to give them a try in the past. I use them on impalas and elands during a trip where I culled a good number of animals.
I have no complain against them, but the sample remains too small to have a serious and personal feedback.
I only recovered one in a eland, another one was lost in another eland during the carving, and others bullets went through elands and of course impalas.

The bullet recovered in the eland shot at ~ 90 meters. It breaks the neck of the animal.
weight retention :

The bullet recovered in water jugs at 15 meters ! The bullet passed through three 10 liters water jugs and was recovered in the 4 th.
356.9 gr = 71.3 %
Even if I prefer my Degol Starkmantel 500 gr, that offers a better weight retention, I will not hesitate to use these DGX Bonded on buffalo if the opportunity arise !