Howdy fellas, I'm a newbie here and would like some of your thoughts on the Ballistic Tip bullet. This will be my second year using this bullet in my .30-06. Last year I had good results using it in 150gr. on the local deer, with shots hitting behind the shoulder. Shoots accurately in my rifle. My concern is the horror stories i've read on other forums about hitting shoulder bone. There were pro & con on this to be sure, however, having not hit shoulder yet myself was wondering about you alls thoughts on this. Of course it's not my intention to aim for the shoulder bone, but hey s**t happens. Any info or experiences shared would be greatly appreciated.
.30-06 150gr. Ballistic Tip
- Thread starter b tip 06
- Start date
Richracer1
Handloader
- May 12, 2005
- 2,141
- 121
Welcome to the forum. :grin:
At what range are you shooting? B-tips are great bullets, but can become like varmint bullets when the impact at greater than 3000 fps. Do you know what your velocity is with the 150BT?
As for meat damage, I think just about any bullet that hits a big bone is goinbg to do some significant meat damage. Damage may not be from the bullet itself, but also from the fragmenting bone.
If your hapy with the 150BT and it shoots good for you, stay with it. You might consider the 150 AccuBond or even the 165 BT or AccuBond.
Keep us posted on your decisions and post pics if you get them.
At what range are you shooting? B-tips are great bullets, but can become like varmint bullets when the impact at greater than 3000 fps. Do you know what your velocity is with the 150BT?
As for meat damage, I think just about any bullet that hits a big bone is goinbg to do some significant meat damage. Damage may not be from the bullet itself, but also from the fragmenting bone.
If your hapy with the 150BT and it shoots good for you, stay with it. You might consider the 150 AccuBond or even the 165 BT or AccuBond.
Keep us posted on your decisions and post pics if you get them.
Guy Miner
Master Loader
- Apr 6, 2006
- 17,832
- 6,298
Personally, I prefer the 165, but we have pretty good size mule deer here, and bear season is always open during deer season - so maybe that's why I like the 165's...
I've nothing against the 150's though - I just like the extra 10% of bullet weight. Heck, I used to be a 180 grain shooter and about 15 years ago started using the 165's & 168's most of the time for my .30-06 and .308 Win.
BT's are good deer bullets!
I've nothing against the 150's though - I just like the extra 10% of bullet weight. Heck, I used to be a 180 grain shooter and about 15 years ago started using the 165's & 168's most of the time for my .30-06 and .308 Win.
BT's are good deer bullets!
DrMike
Ballistician
- Nov 8, 2006
- 37,489
- 6,475
I join Richracer and others in welcoming you to the forum. If you've read through the posts for a while, you'll know that it is composed of a great group of individuals who are willing to share their knowledge and learn from one another.
At the velocities generated by a 30-06 and on deer-size game, the BT will work very well indeed. It is a well constructed bullet that will do precisely what it is designed to do, which is take game cleanly while yielding good groups from your rifle.
There are horror stories about many different types of bullets on various forums. Most are anecdotal without a scientific basis. The fact that a bullet has been used by millions of shooters over a long period with excellent results is a strong recommendation. In this competitive environment, if a bullet were flawed, it would not survive regardless of how much money were poured into advertising. You can use the Ballistic Tip with confidence.
Best of luck and great success as you take deer this year as well.
At the velocities generated by a 30-06 and on deer-size game, the BT will work very well indeed. It is a well constructed bullet that will do precisely what it is designed to do, which is take game cleanly while yielding good groups from your rifle.
There are horror stories about many different types of bullets on various forums. Most are anecdotal without a scientific basis. The fact that a bullet has been used by millions of shooters over a long period with excellent results is a strong recommendation. In this competitive environment, if a bullet were flawed, it would not survive regardless of how much money were poured into advertising. You can use the Ballistic Tip with confidence.
Best of luck and great success as you take deer this year as well.
Greg Nolan
Handloader
- Nov 25, 2004
- 2,143
- 18
DrMike +1
Welcome :grin:
Welcome :grin:
- Nov 4, 2004
- 25,439
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b tip 06
Welcome to the forum, glad to have you here.
Many of the horror stories you read about the BT bullets are either fabricated or operator error. You have to use the right bullet for the application. Nosler BT bullets were designed for deer sized game. They are not designed to smash big bone, that is what the PT is for. Staying away from shoulders is sound advice.
The BT's are designed to open at impact velocities of 3000 fps down to 1600 fps. This is what makes the very appealing to the handgun shooters.
The Lighter BT's have a tenancy to do a tremendous amount of damage. I shot a WT doe on the point of the shoulder with a 7mm 140 gr BT from a 280 Rem at 150 yds. Deer was DRT but pulling off the hide revealed the rest of the story.
The hole into the chest cavity was about the size of my fist. There was not much left to hold the shoulder together and there was a lot of blood shot meat in the shoulder.
When it comes to hunting, I like to plan for the worse and hope for the best. I think the 165 gr BT is ideal for deer sized game. The 180 gr BT is also an excellent choice. It will open up on deer and hold together well for penetration. The lower velocity of the 165 gr and 180 gr BT's, when compared to the 150 gr BT, will also result in less meat destruction.
JD338
Welcome to the forum, glad to have you here.
Many of the horror stories you read about the BT bullets are either fabricated or operator error. You have to use the right bullet for the application. Nosler BT bullets were designed for deer sized game. They are not designed to smash big bone, that is what the PT is for. Staying away from shoulders is sound advice.
The BT's are designed to open at impact velocities of 3000 fps down to 1600 fps. This is what makes the very appealing to the handgun shooters.
The Lighter BT's have a tenancy to do a tremendous amount of damage. I shot a WT doe on the point of the shoulder with a 7mm 140 gr BT from a 280 Rem at 150 yds. Deer was DRT but pulling off the hide revealed the rest of the story.
The hole into the chest cavity was about the size of my fist. There was not much left to hold the shoulder together and there was a lot of blood shot meat in the shoulder.
When it comes to hunting, I like to plan for the worse and hope for the best. I think the 165 gr BT is ideal for deer sized game. The 180 gr BT is also an excellent choice. It will open up on deer and hold together well for penetration. The lower velocity of the 165 gr and 180 gr BT's, when compared to the 150 gr BT, will also result in less meat destruction.
JD338
Larry in SD
Handloader
- Nov 8, 2004
- 426
- 1
I too would like to welcome you to a great site. A lot of very knowledgable people here with lots of experience.
I have used 150gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips from a .30-06 for as many years as there have been 150gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips. In fact most of the time I use the same exact load in the various .30-06's, XX grs. of H-4350 or IMR-4350 depending on what the individual rifle shoots best with.
I too have read a lot of the horror stories about Nosler Ballistic Tips. When the local people that were complaining were quizzed the answer was generally the same, the Deer was less than 50 yards and they hit the shoulder blade dead center. Well I have been hunting Whitetail Deer since 1967, and I believe that the results might well have been the same regardless of what bullet was used. The point I am trying to make is the one JD made, ie the higher the impact velocity the more rapid the expansion is going to be.
I would have to say if you are happy with the the results you have been getting with the 150gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips in your .30-06, WHY CHANGE?
I for one happen to like the fact that the Nosler Ballistic Tips tend to open up and expand a little quicker than some other bullets. To me this means more shock to the animal so chances are it is not going to travel far.
Larry
I have used 150gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips from a .30-06 for as many years as there have been 150gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips. In fact most of the time I use the same exact load in the various .30-06's, XX grs. of H-4350 or IMR-4350 depending on what the individual rifle shoots best with.
I too have read a lot of the horror stories about Nosler Ballistic Tips. When the local people that were complaining were quizzed the answer was generally the same, the Deer was less than 50 yards and they hit the shoulder blade dead center. Well I have been hunting Whitetail Deer since 1967, and I believe that the results might well have been the same regardless of what bullet was used. The point I am trying to make is the one JD made, ie the higher the impact velocity the more rapid the expansion is going to be.
I would have to say if you are happy with the the results you have been getting with the 150gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips in your .30-06, WHY CHANGE?
I for one happen to like the fact that the Nosler Ballistic Tips tend to open up and expand a little quicker than some other bullets. To me this means more shock to the animal so chances are it is not going to travel far.
Larry
As long as you keep any big game ballistic tip under 3000 fps muzzle velocity you will be good even if you hit the center of the front shoulder. I always shoot for the center of the front shoulder when possible. It drops them in their tracks. We feed what is left of the shoulder to the dogs. I shoot a lot of deer with the 125 gr ballistic tip in my 30 cal rifles. I just keep it under 3000 fps. I killed a huge (for the area I hunt) 9 pointer last year with my 30X47 HBR (it's a wildcat on a shortened 300 Savage case) with the 125 ballistic tip at 2850 fps. I popped him broad side in the center of the front shoulders at 107 yards and he hit the ground so hard he bounced and never even quivered.
A lot of the "failure" of the ballistic tips that you read on the internet are just stories that somebody made up or are the magnum boomers pushing them too fast.
I have been working with a 264 WIN mag. with a 27 3/4" barrlel and it will shoot 120 ballistic tips in little bitty groups but they are moving 3600 fps. There is no way I will use them to deer hunt with. I am working up some loads for the 130 accubonds they will work OK at those high speeds.
A lot of the "failure" of the ballistic tips that you read on the internet are just stories that somebody made up or are the magnum boomers pushing them too fast.
I have been working with a 264 WIN mag. with a 27 3/4" barrlel and it will shoot 120 ballistic tips in little bitty groups but they are moving 3600 fps. There is no way I will use them to deer hunt with. I am working up some loads for the 130 accubonds they will work OK at those high speeds.
Antelope_Sniper
Handloader
- Jan 25, 2008
- 2,618
- 0
Years back dad loaded a box of 150BT's for friends 30.06. Dad offered to load him something heavier, but his friend just wanted the 150's because they didn't kick too bad.
Well, he's killed just about everything there is to kill in Wyoming with that box of shells, including a 6x6 bull elk, and not one critter has required a second shot. The big bull was 80 yards broadside, and he made it about another 30 yards before he dropped. He's killed so many critters with that box of shells, it getting about time to load him another box, and for some reason, I bet he'll ask for another box of 150gr Nosler Balistic tips.
Well, he's killed just about everything there is to kill in Wyoming with that box of shells, including a 6x6 bull elk, and not one critter has required a second shot. The big bull was 80 yards broadside, and he made it about another 30 yards before he dropped. He's killed so many critters with that box of shells, it getting about time to load him another box, and for some reason, I bet he'll ask for another box of 150gr Nosler Balistic tips.
DrMike
Ballistician
- Nov 8, 2006
- 37,489
- 6,475
Funnily enough, if 150 grain bullets are considered good elk medicine in the 270, why wouldn't they work just fine in the 280 and the 30-06? Old duffers like me were trained to shoot heavy for calibre, but the newer bullets are better constructed than the cup-and-core bullets of some years back.
Antelope_Sniper
Handloader
- Jan 25, 2008
- 2,618
- 0
Old duffers like you read alot of Elmer Kieth when you grew up!
DrMike
Ballistician
- Nov 8, 2006
- 37,489
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When I was growing up, we had no means of reading writing or writing reading! However, I'm grateful for some of those old timers who wrote such (though we didn't know it then) cutting edge pieces of literature.
- Nov 4, 2004
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I read a lot of Elmer Keith and Jack O'Connor when I was a kid.
The BT is designed for deer sized game. Although the 30-06 150 gr will work
on elk, the 165 gr would be a better choice. I'd use a PT.
JD338
The BT is designed for deer sized game. Although the 30-06 150 gr will work
on elk, the 165 gr would be a better choice. I'd use a PT.
JD338
- Thread starter
- #14
- Nov 4, 2004
- 25,439
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b tip 06
We are happy to help. There is a tremendous amount of knowledge here, just a mouse click away. :grin:
JD338
We are happy to help. There is a tremendous amount of knowledge here, just a mouse click away. :grin:
JD338
DrMike
Ballistician
- Nov 8, 2006
- 37,489
- 6,475
Jim,
You are absolutely correct. In the 30-06, the 165 grain is a far better choice for larger game. I'll go a step farther. Because of where I hunt, I prefer to load my rifles that are shooting Nosler bullets with either the Partition or the AccuBond. I never know when I'll need to rely on my rifle because of a dispute with a mountain grizzly, or I'll get a less than perfect shot at an elk or a moose. I want enough gun to push a bullet at sufficient velocity to get the job done, and I want a bullet designed to hold together regardless of the toughness of the animal it must harvest. Both the PT and the AB work just fine to bring down deer as well as larger game.
Having said that, The BT is a fine bullet that will do what it is designed to do.
- Nov 4, 2004
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DrMike":j947t0gz said:
Well said DrMike. +1
JD338
DrMike
Ballistician
- Nov 8, 2006
- 37,489
- 6,475
JD,
I do not like tracking wounded game. I learned a long time ago to use a good bullet that will reach the vitals. To be certain, I am responsible to ensure that shot placement is good, but having done that, it is still the bullet that must work, and on big animals, there can be a lot of "stuff" the bullet must work through to reach those vitals. The PT and the AB will get the job done. I hope to find out how well the E-Tip works this fall, but I really don't have any doubts about the bullet.
I do not like tracking wounded game. I learned a long time ago to use a good bullet that will reach the vitals. To be certain, I am responsible to ensure that shot placement is good, but having done that, it is still the bullet that must work, and on big animals, there can be a lot of "stuff" the bullet must work through to reach those vitals. The PT and the AB will get the job done. I hope to find out how well the E-Tip works this fall, but I really don't have any doubts about the bullet.
Antelope_Sniper
Handloader
- Jan 25, 2008
- 2,618
- 0
For anything heavier then deer/antelope 165gr ab/ 180gr BT/ab would be my first choice as well, but some folks can make the lighter stuff work.
- Nov 4, 2004
- 25,439
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Here is my thought process and why I like heavy bullets-
Plan for the worst and hope for the best.
JD338
Plan for the worst and hope for the best.
JD338
