- Nov 4, 2004
- 27,181
- 13,770
Partition vs solid base in 30 cal
- Thread starter cjmac
- Start date
Guy Miner
Master Loader
- Apr 6, 2006
- 18,267
- 8,528
Impressive performance!
highoctane
Handloader
- Apr 20, 2018
- 267
- 606
I've wondered how these Solid Base bullets would perform on "things" other than paper. That's really good performance.
I've got some 30 cal 165's that shoot extremely well. I think I'm going to try some 150's in my 308
DrMike
Ballistician
- Nov 8, 2006
- 38,213
- 8,341
That'll do!
Alaska
Handloader
- Aug 20, 2006
- 1,115
- 602
Suggest the AccuBond for hunting over the Solid Base and Ballistic Tip. You are correct the Ballistic Tip does show more expansion and weight lost.
Suggest Zero with cheaper BT and fine tune with AccuBond your zero and hunt with AB.
Partition is a do all bullet from heavy to light game.
260gr in 375 is a lot of gun for deer !
For Deer I was always a big fan of the 165gr Speer Hot Core SP in 30-06 and 308 Win.
Last edited:
Blkram
Handloader
- Nov 25, 2013
- 3,494
- 4,462
First, any hunting bullet at 2600-2700 fps from a 308 Win that is accurately placed in the vitals will quickly and cleanly harvest game, including the smaller whitetails you are hunting at reasonable distances. Bullet placement is more important than bullet construction on this smaller big-game animal.
Unless hit in the brain or spinal cord forward of the shoulder, you cannot reliably count on the animal being DRT (dead right there). But this requires more accurate bullet placement as the spinal cord is small target.
Heart shot animals may be DRT, but usually run about 100 yards before expiring. Double lung shot animals may also expire DRT, but still typically run some distance, but typically less than a heart shot animal, as the brain does not provide an adrenaline surge as it does for a heart-shot animal, and the muscles receive less oxygen that causes the animal to expire quicker.
A single lung animal will take a little longer to expire, and can cover longer distances before expiring.
A liver shot animal can take 6-8 hours to expire. A paunch hit can take 24 hours or more to expire from shock and septicemia.
A cup and core bullet will provide good expansion and reasonable penetration, on this animal at these distances, even if you hit the heavier bone of spine or elbow joint. Both the Ballistic Tip (BT) and Solid Base fall into this category. (As do many other great bullets such as the Sierra Game King, Hornady Interloc, Speer Hot-Cor, winchester Power Point, Remington Corelokt, etc.)
While a high shoulder shot is good for destroying the spine and shocking the central nervous system when placed accurately, for the high shoulder shot, death is typical when the hit is forward of the shoulder...but can result in a knockdown that may still require a coup-de-gras to finish the animal. And this is usually required if the high shoulder shot hits slightly behind the shoulder.
The benefits of premium and mono-metal bullets is typically better weight retention and penetration characteristics. And will improve performance if heavier bone is encountered as the bullet penetrates to the vitals.
As mentioned, the Partition falls more into this category, despite it still being a cup and core design, with the difference being the Partition that allows for better weight retention for enhanced penetration. While a great bullet, it may or may not be as accurate in your rifle as a BT or AccuBond (AB) with their sleeker designs and higher BC numbers (which are of no real benefit when not shooting at longer distances (300 yards and beyond). But do provide better weight retention for penetration potential. Some rifles really shoot well with them! You'll only know by trying them in your rifle.
The AccuBond is a great bullet (my own personal favourite), and if it shoots well in your rifle, would be recommended. The AB has proven to very consistent in accuracy potential, on-game performance, and ease of use in quickly finding good handloads across the caliber spectrum.
The mono-metals have proven good at weight retention and penetration, but can be finicky with accuracy; your rifle will love them or hate them, with no real consistency for in between results. And of course, some areas require lead-free bullet use.
A note on expansion; a bullet that doubles its original bullet diameter is great expansion, while 1.5 times is still good expansion. So if your 0.308"" bullet expands to 0.616" or more, it has performed as designed. What is the diameter of a nickel? Sorry, I do not know offhand...but suspect that a nickel sized exit wound from the Winchester Power Point has performed as expected. And the exit wound doubles the sources of blood letting for aiding in tracking the animal for recovery, and this is a desirable trait.
The key in your statement suggests that the less than expected performance was due to the shot being a little off. I wouldn't write it off based that one experience, as they have been taking game reliably for decades.
Recommend that for hunters with less experience and confidence in their shooting abilities from field positions, that they shoot for the vitals with the largest area to improve their chance of success, and this is the the heart/lung area with a 6-8" diameter in a whitetail, depending on your local species and size of that deer. This will improve their chance of success. (The spinal cord may be less than 1" in diameter in your smaller whitetails.)
At the end of the day, find the bullet and load, or ammunition, that performs the best in your rifle, that will increase your confidence and ability to accurately place that bullet for a quick, clean kill.
Best of luck in your quest!
Unless hit in the brain or spinal cord forward of the shoulder, you cannot reliably count on the animal being DRT (dead right there). But this requires more accurate bullet placement as the spinal cord is small target.
Heart shot animals may be DRT, but usually run about 100 yards before expiring. Double lung shot animals may also expire DRT, but still typically run some distance, but typically less than a heart shot animal, as the brain does not provide an adrenaline surge as it does for a heart-shot animal, and the muscles receive less oxygen that causes the animal to expire quicker.
A single lung animal will take a little longer to expire, and can cover longer distances before expiring.
A liver shot animal can take 6-8 hours to expire. A paunch hit can take 24 hours or more to expire from shock and septicemia.
A cup and core bullet will provide good expansion and reasonable penetration, on this animal at these distances, even if you hit the heavier bone of spine or elbow joint. Both the Ballistic Tip (BT) and Solid Base fall into this category. (As do many other great bullets such as the Sierra Game King, Hornady Interloc, Speer Hot-Cor, winchester Power Point, Remington Corelokt, etc.)
While a high shoulder shot is good for destroying the spine and shocking the central nervous system when placed accurately, for the high shoulder shot, death is typical when the hit is forward of the shoulder...but can result in a knockdown that may still require a coup-de-gras to finish the animal. And this is usually required if the high shoulder shot hits slightly behind the shoulder.
The benefits of premium and mono-metal bullets is typically better weight retention and penetration characteristics. And will improve performance if heavier bone is encountered as the bullet penetrates to the vitals.
As mentioned, the Partition falls more into this category, despite it still being a cup and core design, with the difference being the Partition that allows for better weight retention for enhanced penetration. While a great bullet, it may or may not be as accurate in your rifle as a BT or AccuBond (AB) with their sleeker designs and higher BC numbers (which are of no real benefit when not shooting at longer distances (300 yards and beyond). But do provide better weight retention for penetration potential. Some rifles really shoot well with them! You'll only know by trying them in your rifle.
The AccuBond is a great bullet (my own personal favourite), and if it shoots well in your rifle, would be recommended. The AB has proven to very consistent in accuracy potential, on-game performance, and ease of use in quickly finding good handloads across the caliber spectrum.
The mono-metals have proven good at weight retention and penetration, but can be finicky with accuracy; your rifle will love them or hate them, with no real consistency for in between results. And of course, some areas require lead-free bullet use.
A note on expansion; a bullet that doubles its original bullet diameter is great expansion, while 1.5 times is still good expansion. So if your 0.308"" bullet expands to 0.616" or more, it has performed as designed. What is the diameter of a nickel? Sorry, I do not know offhand...but suspect that a nickel sized exit wound from the Winchester Power Point has performed as expected. And the exit wound doubles the sources of blood letting for aiding in tracking the animal for recovery, and this is a desirable trait.
The key in your statement suggests that the less than expected performance was due to the shot being a little off. I wouldn't write it off based that one experience, as they have been taking game reliably for decades.
Recommend that for hunters with less experience and confidence in their shooting abilities from field positions, that they shoot for the vitals with the largest area to improve their chance of success, and this is the the heart/lung area with a 6-8" diameter in a whitetail, depending on your local species and size of that deer. This will improve their chance of success. (The spinal cord may be less than 1" in diameter in your smaller whitetails.)
At the end of the day, find the bullet and load, or ammunition, that performs the best in your rifle, that will increase your confidence and ability to accurately place that bullet for a quick, clean kill.
Best of luck in your quest!
- Nov 4, 2004
- 27,181
- 13,770
The 165 gr SB shoots very well in my 308 Win and is very effective on WT deer. It holds together and penetrates deep. It won’t disappoint.
https://forum.nosler.com/threads/308-winchester-165-gr-solid-base-whitetail-country.47484/
JD338
