7mm 150 grn BT’s on close range shots

[JCS]

I am wanting to give the 150 grn ballistic tips a try in my REM 7mm magnum but wanted to check with you all and see who has used these on close range shots. I hunt only whitetail deer in a mountainous area and all my shots are under 100 yards. Average shot is probably 50-60 yards. So what are your thoughts? Would this bullet hold together on a bad angle shot at 50 yards at 7mm rem mag velocities?

 

[RL338]

Welcome aboard. As I tell others BTs are fine for the boiler room , but they need to stay off of bone. Partition are a better choice for a 7mm Rem Mag under 100yds.

 

[Guy Miner]

I have a huge respect for Nosler's Ballistic Tip....

That said I can think of better combinations for short range shots than a 7mm Rem Mag with 150 grain Ballistic Tips.

I mean crud, I took my muley at 170 yards with a 30-30 this year and performance on game was excellent. If I was shooting a 7mm Rem Mag at whitetail deer under 100 yards, I'd download that rifle considerably. Minimum levels from the load book. And consider a heavier bullet to slow it down a bit. And avoid "bad angles" too - just put it in the heart/lung area.

All that velocity at short range, with a fairly "soft" bullet on whitetail just seems like one heck of a way to waste good deer meat.

BTW, welcome to the forum.

Regards, Guy

 

[JCS]

I have a huge respect for Nosler's Ballistic Tip....

That said I can think of better combinations for short range shots than a 7mm Rem Mag with 150 grain Ballistic Tips.

I mean crud, I took my muley at 170 yards with a 30-30 this year and performance on game was excellent. If I was shooting a 7mm Rem Mag at whitetail deer under 100 yards, I'd download that rifle considerably. Minimum levels from the load book. And consider a heavier bullet to slow it down a bit. And avoid "bad angles" too - just put it in the heart/lung area.

All that velocity at short range, with a fairly "soft" bullet on whitetail just seems like one heck of a way to waste good deer meat.

BTW, welcome to the forum.

Regards, Guy

I bought the 7mm mag years ago to go out west on an elk hunt, so it’s what I use for deer at home. I was planning on keeping the velocity 2800-3000 fps. I actually tried the bt’s years ago when they still had the thin jackets and was not happy with them. But I have been reading that Nosler beefed up the jackets on them some time back to hold up better. Unfortunately when you mountain hunt like I do “bad angles” are just part of it. You see the deer and have about 10 seconds to decide if it’s a shooter and to then get the shot off. Definitely not like the hunting videos where they are studying everything with a spotting scope. Thanks for the quick reply

 

[RL338]

Look around for some 175gr. Partitions and you’ll be good to go close range.

 

[Guy Miner]

I bought the 7mm mag years ago to go out west on an elk hunt, so it’s what I use for deer at home. I was planning on keeping the velocity 2800-3000 fps. I actually tried the bt’s years ago when they still had the thin jackets and was not happy with them. But I have been reading that Nosler beefed up the jackets on them some time back to hold up better. Unfortunately when you mountain hunt like I do “bad angles” are just part of it. You see the deer and have about 10 seconds to decide if it’s a shooter and to then get the shot off. Definitely not like the hunting videos where they are studying everything with a spotting scope. Thanks for the quick reply

Ya, I've taken black bear, elk, mule deer, pronghorn and whitetail with Ballistic Tips, but I have to admit they were from a 30-06 at about 2940 fps muzzle velocity, and the closest shot was 140 yards on a mule deer. It expanded well and penetrated well. Nosler did a fine job of beefing up the jacket on the Ballistic Tips years ago. The first ones did indeed expand too quickly.

My 7mm Rem Mag shoves a 150 out at over 3200 fps... It's a 26" barreled Ruger Number One, so it gets some free velocity from that longer barrel. I really like the 160 grain bullets at about 3050, but even those can mess up a pronghorn pretty bad.

Did you get your elk with that 7mm Rem Mag? I hope so! I took a big ol' bull elk quite a few years ago with a 175 grain Nosler Partition from mine. Great bullet!

Regards, Guy

 

[DrMike]

I've always shot either 175 grain PTs or TBBCs in my 7 RM, except for a few times shooting 160 grain PTs. I've taken moose, elk, whitetail, mule deer, and black bear with the loads. No great problem with blood shot meat.

 

[JCS]

Ya, I've taken black bear, elk, mule deer, pronghorn and whitetail with Ballistic Tips, but I have to admit they were from a 30-06 at about 2940 fps muzzle velocity, and the closest shot was 140 yards on a mule deer. It expanded well and penetrated well. Nosler did a fine job of beefing up the jacket on the Ballistic Tips years ago. The first ones did indeed expand too quickly.

My 7mm Rem Mag shoves a 150 out at over 3200 fps... It's a 26" barreled Ruger Number One, so it gets some free velocity from that longer barrel. I really like the 160 grain bullets at about 3050, but even those can mess up a pronghorn pretty bad.

Did you get your elk with that 7mm Rem Mag? I hope so! I took a big ol' bull elk quite a few years ago with a

Ya, I've taken black bear, elk, mule deer, pronghorn and whitetail with Ballistic Tips, but I have to admit they were from a 30-06 at about 2940 fps muzzle velocity, and the closest shot was 140 yards on a mule deer. It expanded well and penetrated well. Nosler did a fine job of beefing up the jacket on the Ballistic Tips years ago. The first ones did indeed expand too quickly.

My 7mm Rem Mag shoves a 150 out at over 3200 fps... It's a 26" barreled Ruger Number One, so it gets some free velocity from that longer barrel. I really like the 160 grain bullets at about 3050, but even those can mess up a pronghorn pretty bad.

Did you get your elk with that 7mm Rem Mag? I hope so! I took a big ol' bull elk quite a few years ago with a 175 grain Nosler Partition from mine. Great bullet!

Regards, Guy

Guy, unfortunately we did not kill any elk but the trip and the scenery were well worth it. On the mountain where I hunt if a deer runs 75 yards after you shoot it, it actually runs out of sight. The way the mountain is all cut up with draws, hollows, thickets, etc if you do not have a blood trail to follow you have your work cut out for you finding that deer. I’ve had the seven mag for several years and I’ve tried multiple bullets in it. I thought the partitions were just a little bit too tough for Whitetail, and even though they exited it did not seem like the bullet had expanded very much and I did not get a good blood trail. A big buck on the mountain can reach about 250 pounds on the hoof, which is not big by some standards but it’s a pretty good deer to me. They dress out around 185 pounds. I’ve shot two bucks in the last five years with 154 grain Hornady interlocks and did not have the bullet exit. One was a spire point and the other was a round nose. Both of those were broadside shots through the lungs. What little bit of blood was put down on the ground actually came out of the Deers mouth and nostrils and it took me quite a while to find both of them because they both ram 100 yards and there were only sparse specks of blood. So it’s very important to me to get a decent exit wound and a good blood trail. That’s why when I heard that Nosler had beefed up the ballistic tip jacket I thought about giving them a try again, because they shot very well in my rifle. Again, thanks for the quick replies

 

[jimbires]

a few of the guys I hunt Kansas with use 165 grain ballistic tips shot from 300 RUM's . they run the bullet fast . they depend on the bullet coming apart and destroying the vitals . these bullets seldom get an exit . they say the deer drops in it's tracks . I'm not sure I agree with their method , but I can't argue with their results . I've seen deer taken this way , and it sure leaves an impression on them . where we hunt it's waist high to shoulder high grass , weed , stubble . it's very hard to track in , so they try to anchor them on the spot . they tell me this is the best combo they have used for putting them down on the spot .

 

[wvbuckbuster]

When I was shooting a 7mmRM Winchester Mod 70 24 in. barrel I tried 140gr Rem CL, Nosler BT, Nosler AB,150gr Nosler BT, Sierra Game King. The 140gr Nosler BT did the most damage. Shots of 50yds or so were with Rem CL and Nosler AB. 66grs IMR4831 with the Rem CL and BT 140gr 64grs RL22 with the AB. 65grs IMR4831 with the 150grs. Purposely shot a big doe at 100yds with the Nosler 150BT thru the shoulder broadside just to see what damage resulted. Wasn't what I'd call excessive but bloodshot meat yes. Granted these loads weren't speed demons but were fast enough for me. Sold the rifle to a nephew and he has used Nosler 160gr PT from 75-150yds with good exit wounds not much bloodshot meat. Personally, I don't find it a great loss losing front shoulders since our deer are so small there's not a lot to begin with. High shoulder shot anchoring deer is my preferred shot if available. Don't see any reason why a Nosler 150gr BT shouldn't work for you. If you want to eat up to the hole slow them down as others said or use a medium bore with heavy bullets like 35 Rem or such. Just my 2 cents. Dan.

 

[NYDAN]

I have used the Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets on whitetail deer for about as long as they have been made in a variety of cartridges. In my mind they are the perfect deer bullet. In particular I have used the .150 gr. BT in both the 270 Win. and the 7mmRM with excellent results. Here is a post on the 150 gr. 270 Win. https://forum.nosler.com/threads/150-bt-vs-the-shoulder-joint.36719/. I have shot three deer with the 150 BT in the 7mmRM. The first was at a longer distance than you are asking about but I think it is relevant. The buck was about 200 yards away, only about 20 yards from the line fence. The buck was slightly quartering away. I tucked the bullet into the back edge of the near shoulder. The bullet made a complete pass throught and he never made it to the line fence. The second large buck was a little closer with a quartering to shot with a pass through. He dropped on the spot and I never saw a twitch. The third was at the distances you are talking about. However, that was a head shot on a doe which, of course, dropped her where she stood.

I would (and plan to continue) to use the 150 gr. BT from my 7mmRM on deer. I believe my loads are 3100 fps or less at the muzzle.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[TXbaldhunter]

The 150gr 7mm Ballistic Tips work great.I shot this old doe with one out of my 7mag at around a hundred yards or so.MV was around 3100fps.I've shot several with this bullets,results were all about the same.Lights out,DRT.

 

[JCS]

Thanks for the replies and the pictures everyone!

 

[RL338]

The 150gr 7mm Ballistic Tips work great.I shot this old doe with one out of my 7mag at around a hundred yards or so.MV was around 3100fps.I've shot several with this bullets,results were all about the same.Lights out,DRT.

I would say lights out with holes like that

 

[TXbaldhunter]

I would say lights out with holes like that

Absolutly !!!

 

[PJGunner]

Maybe the OP might like to give this a try. It would require resighting the rifle but would result in less meat loss I would think. These are tested loads.

STAIRSTEP LOADING THE MAGNUMS
From HANDLOADER MAGAZINE #44 July-August 1973---Article by John Wooters

.300 Win. Mag.
Bullet Weight: 30-06 .308 WCF 30-40 Krag 30-30
150 gr. 62.5 gr./4895 60.0 gr./4895 56.0 gr./4064 45.0 gr./4064

180 gr. 57.0 gr./3031 55.0 gr./4064 50.0 gr./4895


7MM Rem. Mag.
Bullet Weight: .280 Rem./ .284 WCF/7MM Express 7x57 Mauser
140 gr. 57.0 gr./4320 54.0 gr./4895

160 gr. 52.0 gr./4064 50.0 gr./4895

175 gr. 51.0 gr./4064 50.0 gr./4320


.358 Norma Magnum
Bullet Weight: .350 Rem. mag./.35 Whelen .358 Win.
200 gr. 59.0 gr./4064 53.0/3031

250 gr. 56.0 gr./4895 54.0 gr./3031


.458 Win. Mag.
Bullet Weight: 45/70
400 gr. 42.0 gr./4198

Paul B.

 

[JD338]

FWIW, last year I used the new 7mm 160 gr BT in my 280AI at 3000 fps to anchor a late season doe in her tracks. Range was about 50 yards and the exit was not excessive.

JD338

 

[NYDAN]

FWIW, last year I used the new 7mm 160 gr BT in my 280AI at 3000 fps to anchor a late season doe in her tracks. Range was about 50 yards and the exit was not excessive.

JD338

I forgot that Nosler came out with the 7mm 160 gr. BT. I must not have ever seen any for sale. That would be very interesting combination.

 

[salmonchaser]

Also a big fan of ballistic tips on deer and Antelope size critters. I’ve used them since they were introduced in my 30/06, she loves them. I’m also a big fan of blood trails and breaking bone as I hunt country that falls 1600 to 2000 feet in a mile. From your responses I think you might really like the AccuBond. I’ve shot a deer or two with them but where they really shine is in my 338 on elk. I’ve killed at least 20 elk with Accubonds at distances from 30 yards to 501. Often breaking at least one, normally the far side, shoulder. I’ve recovered exactly one bullet. I recall only two elk needing a follow up shot and both of those would have been dead if I had just waited a minute or two. I’ve never been concerned about meat loss with the accubonds. I’ve had more than a couple of deer messed up by ballistic tips, really try to stay off bone with those.
Just to confuse the issue my mule deer load is 100 gr. BT in my 257 Roberts; 140 gr. BT in my 275 Rigby; 150 gr. In my .30/06 and I’ll probably load 165s in the 300 HH.
Welcome aboard and please share your experience going forward. Prior to the AccuBond and the Ballistic tips I shot Nosler Partitions exclusively on coyotes to moose. Pretty dang good bullet as well.

 

[DrMike]

Also a big fan of ballistic tips on deer and Antelope size critters. I’ve used them since they were introduced in my 30/06, she loves them. I’m also a big fan of blood trails and breaking bone as I hunt country that falls 1600 to 2000 feet in a mile. From your responses I think you might really like the AccuBond. I’ve shot a deer or two with them but where they really shine is in my 338 on elk. I’ve killed at least 20 elk with Accubonds at distances from 30 yards to 501. Often breaking at least one, normally the far side, shoulder. I’ve recovered exactly one bullet. I recall only two elk needing a follow up shot and both of those would have been dead if I had just waited a minute or two. I’ve never been concerned about meat loss with the accubonds. I’ve had more than a couple of deer messed up by ballistic tips, really try to stay off bone with those.
Just to confuse the issue my mule deer load is 100 gr. BT in my 257 Roberts; 140 gr. BT in my 275 Rigby; 150 gr. In my .30/06 and I’ll probably load 165s in the 300 HH.
Welcome aboard and please share your experience going forward. Prior to the AccuBond and the Ballistic tips I shot Nosler Partitions exclusively on coyotes to moose. Pretty dang good bullet as well.

THIS!