Sadly, I think I’m done with Partitions

[Jurome]

I have been really stepping up my reloading program in the last three years and have been doing load development in seven different calibres. I have invested a small fortune in Partitions of every calibre and weight and have been trying desperately to find any acceptable level of accuracy. None found whatsoever.

I know how to develop a load. I have a whole bunch of sub-moa results logged in my database with a multitude of makes and calibres. Everything but Partitions I have had success. It is the only bullet in my stock that I have yet to succeed.

Today I tried my hand for the several hundredth time with a 130 grain Partition in a .270. Absolutely hilarious results…spraying lead in a lovely 4” star. I realized in the last year and a half, in 7 rifles and about a dozen powders I have dumped about $300 worth of Partitions and powder into the back stop and yet to have one successful group. Once,
In a .243 I once got a one inch group. Repeated the load and went back to range to unsuccessfully repeat the result. I have used all the Nosler and Hodgdon data and even tried suggestions from other forums.

I think I am done. I read all the success stories about Partitions and can’t understand why with every other make of bullet I try, I can get those to shoot accurately. This is unfortunate because I sure like the way they perform on game.

Anyone else suffer my plight, or am I unrealistic to expect 1-1.5” as a basic standard?

Cheers

 

[SJB358]

I’ve been using PTs on and off since I was a kid reloading at 13-14 years old. I’m 48 this year. I’ve never struggled like you mention to get inch 3 shot groups with them. Sometimes no matter what I do I can’t get them smaller but MOA is really, good enough in most cases.

I’ve notice PTs have an issue if they aren’t seated dead straight. Any measurable amount of runout seems to make them shoot like bananas. They also don’t shoot great till you give them a good kick in the rear.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

I can understand your frustration. Sometimes PTs are not the most accurate bullet for me, but I've never experienced the level of inaccuracy you have stated. We all know some rifles just don't like certain bullets or load combinations. 1-1.5 in group size that you are willing to accept for the PTs is not asking too much for sure. Odd that each of your rifles won't do this for you. Sounds as if you have certainly tried. No shame in moving on to something else. Have you tried the ABs? They give as good of results as the PTs and usually are able to get good groups. Just a rambling thought.

 

[Guy Miner]

I've been pleased with the accuracy of Nosler Partitions from a variety of cartridges. Agree with SJB that a good thump helps.

6mm Rem
25-06
7mm Rem Mag
308 Win
30-06
300 Win Mag
375 H&H

All shot well over the years. First started shooting Partitions back in the 1970's - they were made differently back then, now the bullets are more accurate. Accuracy with each tends to be around 1" or a bit more with each of them. I'm not doing anything special with my handloading.

Regards, Guy

 

[jimbires]

I've never had to fight with them .for me , they seem to shoot best close to the lands , .010 - .020 jump . most everything I load for is at , or near, max powder charges .

 

[salmonchaser]

My only complaint about partitions is Nosler never made one in 750gr for the 577. My 375HH shoots them to well under MOA. Most everything else has been right at 1moa or a touch more. Chasing accuracy I have largely switched to Accubonds but I still keep partitions around. I know I’ve a box loaded for : 257 Roberts; 7x57; 3006; 300 HH; 338; and several for the 375HH.
My guess is your rifles are possessed of some form of evil spirt cast on you by some old girl friend. I think some form of exorcism is in order. Good luck!
I took Partitions to Canada last year for my moose hunt and have yet to decide if I’m taking partitions or accubonds to Africa this spring.

 

[JD338]

I have only had 1 rifle not like PTs, a Remington 700 VLS 22-250 and that was due to the 1:14 twist.
Every rifle I've loaded with PTs has shot MOA or better. Several have shot .5 MOA -
243 Win, 257 Roberts, 6.5 Rem Mag, 280 AI, 30-06, 300 Win Mag & 338 RUM.
As for your 270 Win, what powders have you tried? The "classic" powder is H4831, have you used it? The more data you share, the better we can help you.
Also, there's always the chance that your rifle just doesn't like the 130 PT. Maybe try the 140 and/or 150 PT.

JD338

 

[Bruce Mc]

My 270 was stubborn in accepting a the 130 Partition and required a lot of fine tuning with powder and o.a.l. 150s were much easier.

 

[Firebird24]

I’m not a pt fan but I have never had issues getting them to group acceptably. Old rifles really loved those short heavy lead tipped bullets!
I’m in agreement with the above-try the AccuBond and see what you can do with that one or one of the other options. I’ve gone to the ablr in several rifles but I do like to shoot a little distance now and then. . .

 

[Blkram]

I too have never had an issue with obtaining acceptable (1-1 1/4" groups) to excellent accuracy (sub-MOA groups) with Partitions over the years, whether I was using book COAL or measuring the jump to the lands as my reloading skills developed later. There have been many instances where the rifle preferred other bullets over the Partitions and I have stuck to those , in those rifles e.g., SGKs, Speer Hot Cors, AccuBonds, etc. The AccuBond has become my favourite hunting bullet overall, as it is easy to find good loads for, usually provides excellent accuracy (sub-MOA), and provides excellent on-game performance.

The key to remember was that the Partition was designed for on-game performance; expansion combined with retention, for penetration, and not for overall accuracy. We are pleased when we have a rifle that shoots these bullets with sub-MOA accuracy, as that helps with out confidence in placing that bullet accurately in the vitals. And for many hunters that do not shoot past 200 yards at game, due to their hunting environments, a 3" group at 100 yards is still minute of deer at 200 yards.

I have loaded them in the following cartridges and/or used them in factory ammunition:

• 6.5x55 (140 gr)
• 270 Win (140 gr)
• 270 Wby (140 gr)
• 7mm-08 (140 gr)
• 280 Rem (150 and 160 gr) edit: realized that I have tried the 150 gr factory ammo in the 280 - 1.165" group)
• 7mm Rem Mag (160 gr)
• 300 Win Mag (180 gr)
• 338-06 (210 gr)
• 338 Win Mag (210 gr)
• 358 Win (225 gr)

I still need try them in the following:

• 250 Savage (100 gr)
• 257 Roberts (115 gr)
• 376 Steyr (260 gr)

 

[Jurome]

I’ve been using PTs on and off since I was a kid reloading at 13-14 years old. I’m 48 this year. I’ve never struggled like you mention to get inch 3 shot groups with them. Sometimes no matter what I do I can’t get them smaller but MOA is really, good enough in most cases.

I’ve notice PTs have an issue if they aren’t seated dead straight. Any measurable amount of runout seems to make them shoot like bananas. They also don’t shoot great till you give them a good kick in the rear.

Yes I even added concentricity checks and straightening to some loads to no avail. Cheers

 

[Jurome]

I can understand your frustration. Sometimes PTs are not the most accurate bullet for me, but I've never experienced the level of inaccuracy you have stated. We all know some rifles just don't like certain bullets or load combinations. 1-1.5 in group size that you are willing to accept for the PTs is not asking too much for sure. Odd that each of your rifles won't do this for you. Sounds as if you have certainly tried. No shame in moving on to something else. Have you tried the ABs? They give as good of results as the PTs and usually are able to get good groups. Just a rambling thought.

Hello, yes I have been loading Accubonds with much better success. All three of my .243's did not yield super tight groups but a handful of 0.75 - 1.25" groups. My Creedmore and .264 Win Mag sub moa for some.

 

[Jurome]

I've never had to fight with them .for me , they seem to shoot best close to the lands , .010 - .020 jump . most everything I load for is at , or near, max powder charges .

Thanks very much, I have tried a handful of ladders that showed hope, seating from close to far with no success.

 

[Jurome]

My 270 was stubborn in accepting a the 130 Partition and required a lot of fine tuning with powder and o.a.l. 150s were much easier.

So funny you mention this...boy did my .270 reject my last few 130 grain tests the other day lol!!

I found in .243 the 80 grainers the worst for me... the 100 grain much better; around 1.0 - 1.5" groups but repeatable results not as reliable.

I’m not a pt fan but I have never had issues getting them to group acceptably. Old rifles really loved those short heavy lead tipped bullets!
I’m in agreement with the above-try the AccuBond and see what you can do with that one or one of the other options. I’ve gone to the ablr in several rifles but I do like to shoot a little distance now and then. . .

Yesterdfay I fired my first ever hand load with ABLR 129 grain out of my 6.5 CM (Howa)..just throwing a dart at the recipe book to try something, my first load was 0.460" for a three shot group lol. Going to give these more attention for sure.

 

[Jurome]

I too have never had an issue with obtaining acceptable (1-1 1/4" groups) to excellent accuracy (sub-MOA groups) with Partitions over the years, whether I was using book COAL or measuring the jump to the lands as my reloading skills developed later. There have been many instances where the rifle preferred other bullets over the Partitions and I have stuck to those , in those rifles e.g., SGKs, Speer Hot Cors, AccuBonds, etc. The AccuBond has become my favourite hunting bullet overall, as it is easy to find good loads for, usually provides excellent accuracy (su-MOA), and provides excellent on-game performance.

The key to remember was that the Partition was designed for on-game performance; expansion combined with retention, for penetration, and not for overall accuracy. We are pleased when we have a rifle that shoots these bullets with sub-MOA accuracy, as that helps with out confidence in placing that bullet accurately in the vitals. And for many hunters that do not shoot past 200 yards at game, due to their hunting environments, a 3" group at 100 yards is still minute of deer at 200 yards.

I have loaded them in the following cartridges and/or used them in factory ammunition:

• 6.5x55 (140 gr)
• 270 Win (140 gr)
• 270 Wby (140 gr)
• 7mm-08 (140 gr)
• 280 Rem (160 gr)
• 7mm Rem Mag (160 gr)
• 300 Win Mag (180 gr)
• 338-06 (210 gr)
• 338 Win Mag (210 gr)
• 358 Win (225 gr)

I still need try them in the following:

• 250 Savage (100 gr)
• 257 Roberts (115 gr)
• 280 Rem (150 gr)
• 376 Steyr (260 gr)

Wow you have quite a list there! I have loaded them in .243, 7x57 Mauser, 30-06, .300Win Mag, .264 Win Mag and .270. I'd say the most consistent (non-fliers), although not accurate (around 1.75"-2.25") was in the .264 Win Mag.

 

[Blkram]

Wow you have quite a list there! I have loaded them in .243, 7x57 Mauser, 30-06, .300Win Mag, .264 Win Mag and .270. I'd say the most consistent (non-fliers), although not accurate (around 1.75"-2.25") was in the .264 Win Mag.

Well, this list took over 35 years to acquire this handloading experience (over 38 years of hunting big game). It has been an enjoyable adventure! And it's not over! More to come! (Hope to acquire the experience level of DrMike, Guy, and FOTIS, just to name a few here on Nosler, someday!)
I am a hunter first, so on-game performance is my first priority. Having the accuracy to ensure that when I do my part, the confidence is high that the bullet will produce quick, clean kills.

The other enjoyable piece is learning more about this passion, with the experimentation that helps us achieve that next level of success.
When I find something that works, I generally stick with it. (If it ain't broke, don't fix it mentality.)
But I will not pass on the opportunity to experiment with other new hunting bullets as they come out and start proving themselves. For example, the new Terminal Ascent bullet is proving to be another great hunting bullet. I have taken over a half dozen animals with it so far, all one shot kills, and I have yet to recover a bullet from game taken from 43 yards (caribou) to 296 yards (red stag). I'm also looking forward to seeing the performance of the new Tipped Fusion bullets.

 

[Deer Hunter]

I’ve only minimal experience with them and mine was that they just didn’t set the world on fire in the accuracy department… I like NBT!!! Those thing shoot excellent in every caliber I shoot them in!!!

 

[Deer Hunter]

You guys are gonna make me try them in my 243

 

[jimbires]

I’ve only minimal experience with them and mine was that they just didn’t set the world on fire in the accuracy department… I like NBT!!! Those thing shoot excellent in every caliber I shoot them in!!!

ballistic tips are another bullet that's easy for me to find accuracy .

 

[wvbuckbuster]

You guys are gonna make me try them in my 243

The 100gr PT in the last 243 I had was the best deer bullet I found that grouped and performed hands down.