I think a Core-Loct is a heck of a bullet. It is the bullet I used with my first rifle, a 30-06, and is the factory round I grab when I get a new rifle I'm not set up to handload for yet. That said, I do load premium bullets in virtually all of my hunting loads, Barnes X, Bear Claw, etc. In the grand scheme of things they are not that much more expensive handloaded and it gives me confidence to know I'm using the best. They are not really needed for my whitetail hunting but I want blood coming out of both sides if I have to track and the premium bullets make this more likely.