Nosler Balistic tip report

[Delw]

For those of you who dont like them and think they explode heres a report....

Gun:.243 varmit rifle 12x leupold scope. The gun shoots around 3/8 at 100 yards.

load: is around 1 grain below max I will get that out later.. shooting 90 grain balistic tips...

Target: Texas dall at around 75 yards, facing away from me and slightly turn to the right(about a 10 degree angle). and his front feet were higher than the back.

Shot placement: behind the last rib about 4" below the spine

the skinner found the bullet in tacked just about where the neck starts from the shoulder. Looked to me like the heart both lungs, liver and some other organs had damage.. The entrance hole was about the size of a .243 round and there was no exit hole....

I havent weighed the bullet yet but its real close to full weight, it mushroomed perfectly with one piece of copper sticking out just a little more than the rest....

I am impressed

Delw

 

[Kraven]

Thats great Del.Those bullets performed really good.That 180 grain ballistic tip in the .300 win mag did the trick for even at 5 yards lol.

 

[BuzzH]

Delw, you may be impressed, but I wouldnt be. In my opinion a bullet that fails to exit on a shot like that, is not worth a crap. I wonder how much blood comes from a 243 sized entrance wound??? In my experience not much. If a bullet fails to exit on that kind of shot, I look for something better.

I've read all the BS nosler has put out on the new ballistic tip being the cats ass, but I've killed several antelope and deer with the ballistic tips. I dont think they are as good as the old nosler solid base lead tip bullets. I always got good exit holes with the old style bullets, the new improved ballistic tips arent nearly as good.

 

[danr55]

Buzz, I can only quote an article from a very old issue of Sports Afield:

" Well sir,in spite of there being no exit wound, the animal died within a couple of yards. What part of the bullets performance do you consider a failure?"

The fact that the complete transfer of engergy took place within the animal and the animal died on the spot, leaves me to wonder why a second hole is necessary? There isn't much tracking involved and you say you've shot several animals and they all dies without exit wounds. I don't see the logic. Did you have any animals that were hit in the vitals that ran off or were not recovered?

 

[Delw]

Buzz... The way I look at it I dont want my bullets to exit.. If they exit you dont get 100% energy in the animal....
I know at over 600 yards the antelope I shot with the same load and gun dropped like a rock with a balistic tip. It was hit in the neck. the legs folded up and it went down.. Kinda a cool sight never seen anything die or go down that fast..
I also shot a little couse deer with my 22-250 ar 400 yards used a barnes bullet... They thing dropped like a p-dog on 50 grain tnt bullets. this deer was shot just behind the ribs and a tad High....

Delw

Delw

 

[Ithaca 37]

I prefer to have a bullet exit the animal just in case I need to track it . I use Nosler Partitions because I've been lucky enough to find loads for them that give me groups under one inch at 100 yards in both my big game rifles, and that's good enough accuracy for me for my hunting purposes.

I actually have loads for each rifle using ballistic tips that are around one half inch at 100 yards but prefer the killing effectiveness of the Partitions more. I've had great luck with Partitions.

Concerning the debate about whether bullets should exit or exspend all their energy inside the animal; the best scenario would be to have it exit with just enough energy to fall to the ground next to the animal.

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 04-06-2002 10:49: Message edited by: Ithaca 37 ]</font>

 

[Delw]

ithaca "Concerning the debate about whether bullets should exit or exspend all their energy inside the animal; the best scenario would be to have it exit with just enough energy to fall to the ground next to the animal. "
I will agree with that statement that way you can have the best of both worlds incase you need to track

Delw

 

[Nodak Hunter]

I'm not particularly fond of Ballistic Tips for big game hunting, but I use them extensively for varminting.

I agree with BuzzH that the old Solid Base Noslers were the cat's meow for deer and similar sized animals. I was fortunate to have stocked up on 140 gr 7mm Solid Bases after they were discontinued, but before they were gone. I still have three boxes of them, and they are the perfect whitetail/muley bullet for my 7mm Rem Mag.

If Nosler brought them back I know they'd sell well, and probably wouldn't cut very much into Partition and Ballistic Tip sales. Most people I know who used them switched to Hornady Interlocks for general use.

I did, and now I'm switching from regular Interlocks to SSTs for the same use. Now that I've figured out how to make X bullets shoot better than Partitions, I'm switching my heavy duty loads from Partitions to Xs.

 

[MLM]

There you go! A bullet I think should spend all of its self up in the target, as long as it is not paper! But the New SST is about the best thing since sliced bread. I took two Caribou with out them moving a step. And this was in a 280 using the 139 grain SST! Great bullet, but WE all know there is nothing that replaces a WELL placed shot!
Mike Murphy

 

[Delw]

MLM what is the "new sst"
Delw

 

[1_pointer]

It's a Hornady Bullet. It's basically a interlock with a tip like a ballistic tip. Check 'em out, they look cool and if I remember right are cheaper than BT's.

 

[WDSWIFT]

Correct-a-moon-do there 1 pointer. They are made by Hornady as you say, and have a plastic tip, they are called SST. MLM, myself, and another partner of ours took them 'bou hunting with us last Sept. All 6 bulls were 1 shot kills, 5 were drop on the spot. Ranges from 30 to about 190 yds, some were walking, most were running shots. I'm not easy to impress with bullet performance, but I WAS impressed with them. Both on paper, and in terminal performance.

I still am fond of the NBT's but, the SST has a niche without a doubt. I'm just itching to get my fingers on some for my 243 and especially my 6.5-06. WD

 

[Delw]

cool I will have to check them out....


Thanks
Delw

 

[John]

My question for you is that if it does not exit on simple broadside shots where it hits little or no bone, then what kind of boat and on what creek are you going to be on when you happen to hit a sholder? I think I'll stick with a bullet that will exit. We have all been on that "creek" and it smells bad. John.

 

[MLM]

John , not picking on you but why load a super fast , custom bullet and blow out half of it worth on the other side of the game? You can ask WD, I shoot one Bull just left of his middle chest bone, it was a head on shot and he dropped like a stone. When the guide went to quater him, the whole left side was broken up, just shattered! Now that is what a bullet is suppose to do, hydrostatic shock has a lot to do with a clean kill! I am sure WD can add more , but this was the best acting bullet I have yet to use on big game! But again, there is NOTHING that is better than a Well placed shot! Hope this fits the topic without trying to bother anyone . This is just my thoughts and what I have seen with my own eyes!
Mike Murphy

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 04-28-2002 09:12: Message edited by: MLM ]</font>

 

[Delw]

I never hit a shoulder... I never shoot at a shoulder.... A shoulder is not a vital spot... WHy wound an animal by breaking its shoulder when you can kill immediatly ?


Delw

 

[BuzzH]

Delw, you never hit a shoulder? How much stuff you killed in your life? I'm not trying to be a smart ass, but unless you walk on water and part the red sea, I dont see how you can avoid sometimes shooting just a little forward on a big game animal and hit the shoulder.

Also, I will have to strongly disagree that a shoulder shot animal is only wounded. I dont have my records right in front of me, but I've taken more than just a few critters in my life with a shot through one or both shoulders. By studying the anatomy of a deer/elk/moose or other ungulate, its pretty apparent that theres quite a lot of vital material between the shoulders of these type of animals. A bullet of proper construction placed in that area will equal one very dead critter. At least in my experience.

I do believe that John, has asked the million dollar question regarding the "stop on the off side, have the critter absorb all the energy" bullshit that crops up.

To answer that question, there is no possible way, and I mean no way for a bullet to perform that way. Its unreasonable, unattainable, and downright riduculous to even talk about it.

What we CAN attain with bullets like the Nosler Partition is to have a bullet that expands quickly on the front half, creating nice wound channels, and have the back half hold together to ensure proper penetration on raking shots/shoulder shots etc. Sure, on a simple broadside shot these bullets will obviously pass through nearly 100 percent of the time, and thats good. The same bullets will also allow you to take an animal on a quartering shot or when a bullet is placed on a shoulder. Perfect, all scenerious equal a very dead critter. Also, again unless you shoot everything in the head or neck, its awful nice to have 2 holes in a critter, with a larger than caliber exit, for nice blood trails. Myself, I dont shoot stuff in the head or neck, and most of the critters I shoot in the body travel a ways before dying, I prefer to follow a nice juicy blood trail to my dead critters.

I've had this discussion many times with many people. To each their own, but I will assure you that shooting bullets that follow the BS theory of energy staying in the critter (which requires rapid expansion and thin jackets) will cost you animals. Thats a fact, and myself and many of my buddies have all learned that lesson the hard way.

I'm not trying to piss anyone off, and maybe everyone does have to learn the hard way, I'm just trying to save you the grief I went through. But, I have found that most good hunters all eventually come around and realize what theory regarding this issue is correct, and which is comparable to a fairy tale.

 

[The Hedgehog]

I prefer the Hornady V-MAX myself. Explode on impact bullets are pretty neat.

I actually did shoot a whitetail buck at 25 yards with a 300 Win, 180grain ballistic tip, cruising mach 3 (like 3250fps). Man... talk about a mess. It was like shooting a basketball through the thing. Dropped it like a ton of bricks. I can see how hitting a bone with a bullet like that wouldn't be so cool. I've never used them much since.

I shoot factory Noslar partiions now in my 300 RUM. They shoot well and do the trick. I used to load up failsafes and those were my favorite.

 

[Delw]

Buzz...
"Delw, you never hit a shoulder? How much stuff you killed in your life? I'm not trying to be a smart ass, but unless you walk on water and part the red sea, I dont see how you can avoid sometimes shooting just a little forward on a big game animal and hit the shoulder."

I have shot lots of deer and a few elk and antelope.. I dont aim for the shoulder so I dont hit it... I dont walk on water Yet! LMAO...

Your not pissing me off dont worry about it...


"I understand where your coming from....
I'm not trying to piss anyone off, and maybe everyone does have to learn the hard way, I'm just trying to save you the grief I went through. But, I have found that most good hunters all eventually come around and realize what theory regarding this issue is correct, and which is comparable to a fairy tale."

That is a very good quote BTW...


Delw

 

[1_pointer]

Buzz, while I fully follow your logic one thing was not addressed in your post. The animal being shot. Some animals require tougher bullets than others. That being said, I've read more than one test where the 200gr ballistic tip out penetrated the 210 gr. partition out of the same .338 Win Mag or .340 Weatherby. The larger caliber ballistic tips are designed for big game hunting. However, I've never shot anything with either, just giving the info I've read.