A commenter notes:
Ah, another person who finds that the tried and true Core-Lokt is still a very good round, and quite capable of taking care of any problem that the more modern, computer designed bullets can take care of.
I came to the Core-Lokt in 1974 when I bought my first centerfire rile. Up until then, I had been a shotgunner, hutting squirrels, rabbits, ducks and geese. I came to deer hunting in college and decided that I needed a rifle, rather than shooting them with buckshot. So, I saved my pennies and bought a Marlin Model 336 in .35 Remington. Quite a purchase, it cost me ~$100, which represented a week's pay for a pore, starvin' college student who was living in his first apartment.
For ammo, I picked up a box o Remington's 200 grain ammo and never looked back. I hand been reading all the literature and knew that deer run away when shot. When I got my chance a month later at a middling buck, I was a bit surprised when he dropped straight down. He was Dead Right There, in the middle f the trail where I spotted him. I hunted with that rifle for the next 15 years and never had to track a deer. They all flopped.
In 1991 I decided that I needed a new rifle. While brewing the used gun racks, I found a Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08. It had a Leupold scope and the tag said $400. I bought it and the counter guy threw in a box of Remington's 140 grain load. (As I think about it, that rifle also represented a week's pay.) That rile shot that ammo like a laser beam, throwing those Core-Lokt bullets into the same hole with boring regularity. I made some great shots with that rifle. I lost it during a financial crisis stemming from the Great Divorce. Truth be told, I mourned the loss of the rifle more than the loss of the woman. Funny how that worked out. I never bought another 7mm-08. Too many old memories, I guess.
Don't get me wrong, I have used other bullets. I'm a big fam of Sierra's whole line, and I like the Nosler Ballistic Tip. I've used the Barned Triple-Shock And, I have a load in .243 Winchester that uses the Hornady VLD. Bullet technology is amazing these days. But for sub-3000 fps and under 200 yards, it is hard to beat the Core-Lokt. It just works.
5 comments:
The idea of technology improving bullet performance adds value for handguns and smaller varmint type cartridges.
The idea that we need new tech in .30 caliber rifle bullets for general applications, not so much.
The same box of 30-30, 30’06, etc Remington/ Winchester dad bought in 1980 works just fine now.
I think the 'woods rounds' like 30-30 Winchester, .32 Winchester and .35 Remington are all effective with Remington green-yellow box Core-Lokt bullets. Core-Lokt aren't meant for magnum velocity up close, then much slower down range. Too much velocity variation (I think) That round exposed lead tip is just right for controlled expansion in a certain velocity range the wood rounds are used in. My .250 Savage loved the 100 grain running at advertised 2820 fps and our south Texas deer were cleanly taken.
I've shot Core-Lokt since the 60s in my 30-30. Never had a complaint other than how hard it is to FIND it some times...
Your experience with the 7mm-08 has been very similar to my wife's experience. When newlyweds, my wife decided she wanted to go deer hunting with me. I had a spare Remington 600 Mohawk in .308, but she did not like it - too much recoil, the 600 being a lightweight carbine.
My brother had a fellow teacher friend who wanted to sell a Remington 7 Youth for some quick money. I decided to buy it and my wife killed a doe on her very first hunt. She changed her mind after finding out waking up at dark thirty was the rule, not the exception. :^) But the rifle still is in the safe.
My .35 is the .356 Win, an angrier version of the .35 Rem. Take a .358 case and put a .30-30 rim on it, max OAL is standard levergun 2.55”. It will shoot those same bullets quite a bit faster with lots more recoil. The 250 bullet is for elk and bear, and the 180 is a deer hammer. I usually load it to .35 Rem levels with the same results. The 200 CoreLock costs less too.
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