Hunter Value of Hornady 6.5mm 160 grain InterLock Round Nose Loads in Forest Terrain

This 6.5mm InterLock® Round Nose was designed for shorter ranges say under 150 yards in forest terrain on deer, bear and even moose. This round nose, maximizes delivered energy (like a hammer) more so than a spitzer for the same distances.  With some luck,  I did find some bullets on-line and made a purchase. One of the outstanding attributes of heavy 6.5mm bullets is that the Sectional Density (SD) of say 160 grain 6.5mm bullet is about 0.328. It translates to bullet penetration, in spades. Couple that wallop of penetration at the get-go with a round nose and you get a huge mushrooming bullet that acts like a plow that resists deflection and exits leaving a significant wound channel and blood trail that is easy to see.

I endeavored to find an accurate load for the Hornady 160 grain for my 6.5 Creedmoor rifle. I worked up and hand loaded 43 grains of WIN 760 powder per the 8th Edition Hornady Manual. and achieved a one inch group at 100 yards delivering over 2635 fps. This powder produces one of the fastest and accurate loads.  This is slow compared to say a 130 grain spitzer traveling at 2900 fps but the slower, heavier 160 grain has far more penetration on larger big game. The Swede’s use it on their moose in the 6.5×55 Mauser cartridge that is very similar to the 6.5 Creedmoor! Just keep your shots short to say 150 yards.

This bullet fills a niche for shorter range big game and I hope it stays. It is a great New England round in the northern spruce of New Hampshire or Maine for those who hand load the 6.5, like myself.

I have found that Hodgdon has a helpful on line load listing for Pistol, Rifle, and Shotgun by going to the reloading data center at https://imrpowder.com/

Below is an article I have written on Flat Nose and Round nose bullets that adds to your understanding.

Flat Nose and Round Nose Bullets for Big Game

There are new powders to try too. Have fun!

Good Shooting!

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About Ed Hale

I am an avid hunter with rifle and Bow and have been hunting for more than 50 years. I have taken big game such as whitetail deer, red deer, elk, Moose and African Plains game such as Kudu, Gemsbok, Springbok, Blesbok, and Impala and wrote an ebook entitled African Safari -Rifle and Bow and Arrow on how to prepare for a first safari. Ed is a serious cartridge reloader and ballistics student. He has earned two degrees in science and has written hundreds of outdoor article on hunting with both bow and rifle.