Ballistic Tip question

[Guest]

I have been engaged in a discussion on another forum regarding the BT, and whether or not it is really a 'deer bullet'. Having exhausted my patience with the one guy who is continually arguing, I'd like to know, for a fact, is there any difference in construction of the BT in the Varmint version versus the Hunting version?

 

[JD338]

Yes, there is a difference in construction between the varmint and big game bullets. The .257 cal 85 gr BT and smaller cal bullets are all varmint bullets. The .257 cal 100 gr BT and bigger are for big game. The impact velocity needs to be 3000 fps and below.
The BT is basicaly a hollow point with the polycarbonate BT tip wedge which promotes rapid expansion. The BT is designed for deer sized game and not intended to be used for busting shoulders, that is what the PT is for. Having said that, the 30 cal 180 gr and 338 cal 200 gr BTs are used on elk with great success.

I have used the 7mm 140 gr BT on WT deer and Caribou and it kills like lighting. Only recovered 1 bullet under the hide of a WT deer. Well over 1 dozen kills have had exit holes about the size of a quarter to fifty cent peice.

Remember that there are a lot of internet failures, some of which are second and third hand stories. I think a lot of these failures are human error. The wrong bullet was used or poor shot placement. Also, some will say that the bullet lost its core so it failed.
Here is the only BT I recovered from a WT deer,140 gr 7mm from a 280 Rem at 150 yds. The bullet was under the hide of a very dead deer. It dropped in its tracks!

Do you think this bullet failed? I don't. It did its job and we ate venison. :lol:

JD338

 

[Guest]

I've seen the quote, "No failed bullet has ever been recovered from a dead animal."

Now, let me clarify my question a bit:

I know there is a difference in nomenclature for the varmint BT's and the hunting BT's. But is there a difference in construction, or is it just a matter of the heavier stuff being thicker in the jacket (by a function of overall weight/length) and the ratios of jacket taper are the same?

 

[JD338]

dubyam,

The BT varmint bullets have a thinner jacket. The BT game bullets have a thicker jacket. The heavier weight bullets use the same thickness and taper, just a longer jacket. This ratio is part of the reason why the 7mm 120 gr bullet performs so well on deer size game when compared to the heavier 140 gr and 150 gr weights.

JD338

 

[Guest]

So, just to clarify, the varmint bullets have a thinner jacket profile than the hunting bullets, in terms of ratio of jacket to core? I know the heavier the bullet, the longer the jacket, the thicker the base of the jacket, because of the length. I just want to be sure I get this right when I explain it elsewhere.