Selecting the appropriate bullet for a particular hunt doesn’t necessarily have to be an expensive or time-consuming process. Indeed, sometimes the older and/or less glamorous choice is the best one.
For instance, the Remington Core-Lokt uses a really old design that first hit the market all the way back in 1939. However, it has proven to be extremely effective when used in a variety of hunting situations over the years.
Featuring a tapered copper jacket that’s mechanically “locked” to a solid lead core shaped like an hourglass, Core-Lokt bullets deliver rapid, yet somewhat controlled expansion and good weight retention. These bullets are known for rapidly mushrooming upon impact and quite often expand to about two times their original diameter.
Image: Remington
However, the hourglass shaped lead core and gradually increasing thickness of the jacket work to stop deformation in order to reduce the odds of the bullet expanding too rapidly and completely disintegrating. Those are both possibilities when using simple cup and core bullets in higher velocity cartridges like the .270 Winchester or 7mm Remington Magnum and can sometimes result in horrific, but very shallow flesh wounds on big game that aren’t immediately fatal.
As a result of those design features, the Core-Lokt is known for delivering a balance of massive tissue destruction and deep wound channels. This is why the bullet is sometimes referred to as the “deadliest mushroom in the woods.”
Remington Core-Lokt ammunition is also usually extremely common and very reasonably priced. Not surprisingly, it’s one of the most popular ammunition choices for deer hunters in North America.
It’s also available in an incredible variety of centerfire rifle cartridges. Of course, it’s an option for the most popular deer hunting cartridges, but Core-Lokt ammo is also available in a number of less commonly used ones as well.
As of late 2020, Remington Core-Lokt ammunition is currently available in the following rifle cartridges: .223 Remington, 6mm Creedmoor, 6mm Remington, .243 Winchester, .25-06 Remington, .25-20 Winchester, .250 Savage, .257 Roberts, 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser, .260 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor, .264 Winchester Magnum, .270 Winchester, 270 Winchester Short Magnum, 7mm-08 Remington, .280 Remington, 7x64 Brenneke, 7mm Mauser, 7mm Remington Magnum, 7mm Remington Ultra Magnum, 7mm Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum, .30 Carbine, .30-30 Winchester, .30-40 Krag, .308 Winchester, .308 Marlin Express, .300 Savage, .30 Remington AR, .30-06 Springfield, 300 Winchester Short Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum, .300 Remington Ultra Magnum, .300 Weatherby Magnum, .300 Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum, 7.62x39mm, .303 British, .32 Winchester Special, .338 Winchester Magnum, .338 Ultra Magnum, 35 Remington, 35 Whelen, .444 Marlin, .450 Bushmaster, and .45-70 Govt.
This ammunition also has a reputation for good accuracy in a wide range of rifles in all sorts of different cartridges. Core-Lokt ammo isn’t known for match grade accuracy, but it’s also rare to experience really bad accuracy with it either.
That said, this ammunition doesn’t use extremely sleek, aerodynamic bullets, So, while it’s great for most deer hunters out to several hundred yards, Core-Lokt ammunition is not the best option for hunters seeking ideal performance at extended range.
Even so, the widespread availability, reasonable price, and good terminal performance of Remington Core-Lokt ammunition makes it a very compelling choice for many deer hunters and explains why it’s still so popular to this day.
