308/180 Gr. BT- Redesigned? How 'bout it Nosler?

[nomosendero]

I read an article in May/June Sports Afield: Choosing a better game bullet.
Barness wrote the article & as a side note stated that alot of Elk hunters
have been asking for a "tougher" 180 BT & that the 180 now has a much thicker jacket, in fact he says the new jacket is 60% of the bullet wt.

1. Nosler, is this true.
2. If so, will it be longer now (seems it would be) & shaped more like the AccuBond.
3. Would the BC change, I know the AccuBond was rated the same as a BT
in the 180, even though the Acc. was longer & some claim it dropped less ?
4.Would it be more likely than before to have the same POI as an AccuBond. If so, it would make me & others more likely to use both, I would still prefer bonded on Elk & bigger, but would like to see a tough BT.
5. I have noticed the box has changed for the BT, did this happen the same time the bullet changed, if not is there a lot # to look for.
My 300 Sendero wants to know

Thanks

 

[FOTIS]

As far as I know they were in fact redesigned a long time ago. I have been using them since then (along with others) and performance has been very consistent. Tougher bullets since the upgrade indeed.

 

[JD338]

nomosendero

The 180 gr BT was in fact redesigned a few years back. It is a very robust design and is suitable for elk in the 300 mags.

JD338

 

[nomosendero]

nomosendero

The 180 gr BT was in fact redesigned a few years back. It is a very robust design and is suitable for elk in the 300 mags.

JD338

I use the second generation bullet & yes it is alot stronger BT than the ones sold back when they werer in the red box & said Solid Base Ballistic Tip. To me, the 2nd gen bullet is old news. No, this article acted as though this was a new thing & for the 180BT only, which lead me to believe a 3rd gen. BT may have been offered. Maybe John just woke up from a several year nap. :shock:

So you are saying there is no 3rd. gen 180GR BT, right?

 

[JD338]

I believe that the current design is a 3rd generation of the 30 cal 180 gr BT.
I am thinking this was done maybe 4-5 yrs ago. Maybe Nosler will chime in with an official response.

JD338

 

[OldMan]

I don't know when they changed them, but I have used them (180 b.t.) for about 4 years in my 300 win mag. Both deer and elk have been bang flops, what else do you need? 8)

 

[Nosler4]

Here's the word I received:

1.) No. The 150gr and heavier 30cal BT’s were “beefed up” in 1999 or 2000, but the jacket weight as a percentage of total bullet weight is no where near 60%.

2.) The 30-180 BT is almost as long as the AB, and has been this way as long as the AB has been in existence. The actual length difference between the two is almost inconsequential.

3.) N/A

4.) N/A – POI has more to do with how a particular bullet reacts to your rifle. We've had bullets of the same weight, just different type (Partition vs. BT) shift horizontally by 6” at 100 yds before. Shooting your rifle is the only way to tell.

5.) No, and no.

Hope that helps!
:grin:

 

[nomosendero]

"Hope that helps!" Yes it does. 2 of those questions don't mean anything in view of the fact that the jacket is not as John B. stated. Before I say he is wrong about the 60% stuff, I will go back and read again.

Thanks Nosler4 & JD!

 

[Guy Miner]

I supplied the ammo for a friend of mine who has gone to Africa several times. Primarily he used a .300 Win mag for plains game. He tried both the 180 Nosler Partition and the 180 Ballistic Tip.

I assumed the 180 Nosler Partition would out-perform the Ballistic tip. Not so according to my buddy. He got quicker kills and no tracking with the ballistic tip... Everything he shot ended up dead, but the b-tip did it better and his PH asked him to only use the b-tip bullets because they were doing so well.

He did step up to a .375 H&H for his Cape Buff, I don't know what ammo he used for it, but it was a merry chase according to him! :grin:

 

[kraky]

Not trying to "muddy the water" but did they toughen up the 150 and 165 at the same time or just the 180??

 

[JD338]

Not trying to "muddy the water" but did they toughen up the 150 and 165 at the same time or just the 180??

My understanding is just the 30 cal 180 gr BT.

JD338

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

There are a could of old, been there done that type hunters on this site that post about lightning kills with the 180 AB on elk. I believe them!

 

[OldMan]

There are a could of old, been there done that type hunters on this site that post about lightning kills with the 180 AB on elk. I believe them!

Well, I am old (60) and have done most of that! I have killed 2 elk with the 180 gr AB with my 300 win mag and a bunch more with the 180 BT. So far the BT's have all been one shot kills and so have the AB's, but the BT's have put them all on the ground right there. The AB's have both been , run for 40-100 yds and fall dead! Two elk are not enough to say thay don't knock em down as quick. Both were heart shots and my experience shows they tend to run a ways on heart shots. My point is the Ballistic Tips in 180 have been good to me!

 

[JD338]

There are a could of old, been there done that type hunters on this site that post about lightning kills with the 180 AB on elk. I believe them!

Well, I am old (60) and have done most of that! I have killed 2 elk with the 180 gr AB with my 300 win mag and a bunch more with the 180 BT. So far the BT's have all been one shot kills and so have the AB's, but the BT's have put them all on the ground right there. The AB's have both been , run for 40-100 yds and fall dead! Two elk are not enough to say thay don't knock em down as quick. Both were heart shots and my experience shows they tend to run a ways on heart shots. My point is the Ballistic Tips in 180 have been good to me!

OldMan,

Have you recovered any of the bullets, either BT or AB?

JD338

 

[OldMan]

I recovered a BT from a 4 point buck my son shot with my Weatherby 2 years ago. It still weighed 142 grains and hooked my son on them for his Tikka 300 WSM.

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

That might be my new recommendation for folks shooting the 300 RUM.
Hey Yotesmoker, we should try some of those in your new 300 REM CDL.

 

[OldMan]

That might be my new recommendation for folks shooting the 300 RUM.
Hey Yotesmoker, we should try some of those in your new 300 REM CDL.

I have loaded some for a 300 Ultra, but I only loaded them to 3135 fps and they did OK. My nephew uses the 200 AB on his at 3200 and it is a bomb. I bet a 180 BT at 3400 would vaporize on the hide!

 

[kraky]

Tikka's just don't like the 180 nos bt...especially the 2nds which did this!

 

[YoteSmoker]

Nice Shooting!

 

[JD338]

kraky

Nice group you have there.

JD338