375 Cal Hornady 300 grain RN IL's...how tough are they?

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Jeff/1911

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I asked this in the "New King" thread...but figured it was maybe a bit off topic there...:redface:

Does anyone here know how tough the .375 Cal - 300 grain Hornady Round Nose Interlocks are ? These bullets are listed as the Hornady number 3720.

If fired from my Ruger No 1 in 375 H&H...will they usually expand on deer when loaded up to 2500 fps or so? I ask this because I'd like to load up a bunch of these, then zero my rifle with them so as to have a good "all around, do-everything" load for my 375 H&H.

Their having a lower BC than the spire point design doesn't concern me, as this rifle/ cartridge combo does not need to be a long range rig. ;)

Thanks, Jeff/1911.
 
I've never had a problem of any kind with 300 gr. Interlocks; Interbonds on the other hand, proved to be frangible. I've shot hundreds of the Interlocks, and ended up giving the last box and a half of Interbonds away.

I've had excellent accuracy with the 300 Interlocks with 78 gr of WW760, 79 gr. of RL19, and 68 gr. of IMR4064. I wasn't able to get the Interbonds to shoot very well at all.

While I doubt there's anything on this continent that is beyond a 300 gr. Interlock, a premium bullet that shoots very well is the 300 gr. Barnes TSX with 67 gr. of IMR4064. My personal "all around" load had more or less become a 270gr. Barned TSX with 74 gr. of RL15. A more economical (and wonderfully accurate) load is the 270 gr. Hornady JSP (round nose OR pointed) with 73 gr. of RL15. All of the foregoing are well within 'book' parameters, and all are very accurate in my rifles.

And yes, I'm quite sure the 300 Hornady RN will expand on a deer. Besides, it makes as big of a hole going in as many do coming out. Your deer will think it was hit by a truck.
 
They've been killing thin skinned game for a long time now, I wouldn't use them on buffalo.
I've shot thousands of the RN 300s at paper and plinking, but if they aren't a buffalo bullet they aren't a do everything bullet. One thing about them, they always seem to shoot well, a lot better than they need to for any use a 300 grain roundnose is liable to be put to.
 
Dogleg said:
They've been killing thin skinned game for a long time now, I wouldn't use them on buffalo.
I've shot thousands of the RN 300s at paper and plinking, but if they aren't a buffalo bullet they aren't a do everything bullet. One thing about them, they always seem to shoot well, a lot better than they need to for any use a 300 grain roundnose is liable to be put to.
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Dogleg,

Could these be considered a good "Grizzly" bullet, even though you wouldn't use them on Buffalo?
 
Jeff/1911 said:
Dogleg,

Could these be considered a good "Grizzly" bullet, even though you wouldn't use them on Buffalo?
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I've only shot one grizzly, and that was with a 225 grain .338 TSX. I couldn't help noticeing that it wasn't even half the size of a buffalo, was soft and squishy, and had thin skin. ;) Buffalo are as solid as a large rock with a thin coat of black paint.

I shared a camp in Zimbabwe with an American that popped a fair bull broadside with a factory loaded 300 grain Hornady Interlock bullet. It got dark so they had to make the recovery in the morning. Turns out the buff had enough left 12 hours later that it had to be shot a few more times with a .416. The bullet came apart by the time it got to the second lung, and a buffalo can run pretty good on 3 cylinders.
For an encore, he ran his ammo belt into a huge eland before finishing it with the PH's gun.
I should point out this was with a .378 Weatherby which has a fair velocity lead on the H&H. Still, you won't find a PH that would put them on the short list of buffalo bullets. I'm likeing the A-Frame now, I have 3 buffs with that one.
 
Odds are it would work fine, but shooting a wet bear is like shooting a wet sack of cement...Pay attention if you are going after coastal bears.
Here I would definitely suggest a better bullet.

Overall I'd select a 300Win with a premium Barnes, Nosler part./accubond, or Swift over a 375H&H with a plain cup and core bullet...For any big animal.
FWIW I think round nose bullets expand sooner and bigger than a spitzer design...Problem is in a cup and core design there is nothing to stop the expansion if the going gets tough.

Just a personal preference here, but I prefer them to leak from two holes....Easier to find and they generally don't go as far.
The other reason is bears don't tend to leave much of a blood trail (if at all) from the entrance hole.
 
I like the 380 gr Rhino, I've found it to be accurate and takes a large case .375 bore rifle to a slightly higher level.

The old version of the X bullet was simply outclassed by the Rhino. From left to right 270 gr XLC, 300 gr X, 380 gr Rhino. The wound volume from the Rhino was perhaps 3X that of the X's despite their velocity advantage.
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The 380s are certainly accurate enough
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Even at low velocity or on light density target they show some expansion
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I would restrict the choice for the Rhino bullet to long cartridges like the H&H, the Ultra or either of the Weatherbys. Shorter cartridges like the .375 Ruger can't hold enough powder due to the bullet's long shank extending into the powder column, even with ball powder. I tried to make it work and I barely broke 2000 fps with Win-760. I think the .375 Ruger is at its best with a 270 gr TSX or a 260 gr Accubond. With my 20" .375 Ultra I observed an increase in velocity from 2300 to 2350 by switching from H-4350 to Hybrid 100V with the heavy Rhino bullet.
 
Better performance in a massive bullet at moderate velocity. Interesting...

Looks like it's not wanting in the accuracy department. 1:12" twist?
 
Dogleg said:
That's interesting. The TSXs could stand a little larger wound channel.
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Penetration and wound channel are a trade off.
Big wound channels are nice, but I will trade a bit of that at the expense of an exit hole.

The 380 Rhino is so long penetration should not be an issue, but the same can not be said of the shorter 300x.

Boomer,
I noticed you compared the old x to the Rhino?
I have noticed an increase in internal damage and a reduction in penetration with the TSX?
Anyone else notice this?

One of these days I want to shoot some game with some of those 350gr TSX bullets...That bullet is so long it must penetrate better! :)

FWIW I'm running a 11" twist on my 375 in the belief the 375 bullets need more stabilization.
 
I recall reading on Accurate Reloading that the 300gr Hornady Spire Point has a poor reputation in Africa. (jacket and core separation) The RN version seems to be okay, although I think I'd want something of tougher construction for buffalo.:)

The Hornady RN 300gr don't have much lead exposed at the tip. Noticeably less than many other RN bullets designed for deer and moose. I have a feeling that is so that there isn't rapid expansion and bullet separation.

They do look pretty badass, I should try one out on a bear this spring. Or a yote.:p
 
Penetration and wound channel are a trade off.
Big wound channels are nice, but I will trade a bit of that at the expense of an exit hole.
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I'll trade a bit of the TSX penetration for shorter runs. Then you don't need the exit hole.:p Mind you the 6 animals I shot with TSXs this year never ran anywhere, but I shouldered every last one of them.
 
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I can confirm what Boomer was saying about the cases needing a long neck for the 380gr to work. Boomer was kind enough to let me try a few in my Taylor, and I could only fit about 56 grains of powder into the case - the shank of the bullet extends just too far into the case. I would think the same problem would occur with the Ruger case.

The 350 grain Rhino bullet might work a little better, and I think a guy could reach 2200fps with the shorter cases.

I also noticed that the Rhino bullets have a lot more lead exposed than the Hornady 300gr RN bullets. How that translates to expansion I'm not sure.
 
Dogleg said:
I'll trade a bit of the TSX penetration for shorter runs. Then you don't need the exit hole.:p Mind you the 6 animals I shot with TSXs this year never ran anywhere, but I shouldered every last one of them.
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I have no issues with shoulders....I take them when I can.
One is good....two is gooder! :D
 
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