Ballistic tips. Some tougher than others?

[nitis]

A thread on another forum came up and they were talking about how the 120 gr ballistic tip was actually tougher than the 140 (.284) and didnt blow up as bad due to a thicker jacket.

One showed a picture of the 2 bullets cut in half and it is apparent that this is true.

IS this the case for all calibers do some weights have heavier jackets for certain reasons or another?

How do we know?

I ask as I have heard this is true when it comes to the 180 gr in .308. But what about my 257s and 277s

I would just assume use BTs and save a ferw bucks if I am not going to loose half a ham in the process!

Thanks

 

[Scott Spencer]

I have not heard of this it is a good question. Do different bullets have different jacket thicknesses...depending on the lead core sizes?

 

[jmad_81]

The 7mm 120 BT uses the same jacket as the 140 BT, just shortened. So it is a bit thicker than normal from what I understand. As far as I know this is the only BT that has a thicker jacket until you start getting into the .338s and up.

My wife shoots them out of her 7-08 and they put four deer down last fall. All but one were one shot kills and that was operator error. The amount of damage depended on shot placement. One doe was shot at about 130 yards through both shoulders and the meat loss was a bit excessive (Full penitration though). All the others were behind the shoulder and things looked alot better.

 

[JD338]

nitis

In the BT Hunting bullets line, the .308 cal 180 gr BT and larger calibers are much more robust and are very capable of taking elk, moose and African plains game.

The only exception is the 7mm 120 gr BT. As already described by jmad_81.
All other BT Hunting bullets are designed for deer size game.

JD338

 

[nitis]

jd can one translate that to less "blow up" on the bullets we have discussed?

 

[JD338]

jd can one translate that to less "blow up" on the bullets we have discussed?

The BT is designed for rapid expansion and a lot of trauma to the wound area. The higher the impact velocity, the more violent it can become.
The BT is designed for impact velocities below 3000 fps.
Hitting bone will also enhance this, although same can be said about other bullets when they hit bone too.
A lot of the "blow ups" are caused by operator error, driven too fast, wrong bullet for the application or poor shot placement.

JD338

 

[russ808]

Spot on JD. I reloaded some 7mm mag for my friend. I used 150 grain BT's , thinking that he would be taknig shots way out there as he likes to shoot in an open grassy area spot. He called and told me that his wfe shot a doe at about 40 feet and the doe ran away. He later shot a buck and said that he hit it five times before it dropped and only after a head shot. I asked the distance of the shots and was told they were from 15 yards to 70 yards. It appears that at that range the rounds were exploding just under the skin as they were traveling around 3100 fps. I changed to accubonds and the problem went away. He now shoots them close and far with the abonds. He has shot over 20 deer and muflon so far this year with the abonds.(culling)

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

The .284 150gr BT's impacting over 3000 can be very interesting on game. With a muzzle velocity of 3500, and a 475 yard hit, with one bullet I managed to damage every majore internal organ north of the diaphram. Heat, both lungs, liver, kidney's, splean, and the diaphram had schrapnel in them. There was not much of an exit hole, and the critter didn't go very far.....the 160 gr AB's hold together much better, and leave nice distinctive exit holes.

 

[Ridge_Runner]

I've shot 17 bucks and 1 bear with the 140 BT, launched at 3550 fps, have not saw the "blowup under the skin" that everyone harps on. yeah on a close range shoulder shot they may not exit but they are a cup and core bullet. how many other non-bonded bullets will?
Todays ballistic tips in the med. game calibers and weights (which are packaged 50 per box) are the exact same makeup as the old tried and true, solid base boattail except they have a polymer tip instead of lead.
If they use the same jacket as the 140's in the 120's, doesn't it make sense thay'd do the same on the 100 and 115 .257's? or the 165 and 180 .308's? 130 and 150 .277's?
RR

 

[JD338]

I've shot 17 bucks and 1 bear with the 140 BT, launched at 3550 fps, have not saw the "blowup under the skin" that everyone harps on. yeah on a close range shoulder shot they may not exit but they are a cup and core bullet. how many other non-bonded bullets will?
Todays ballistic tips in the med. game calibers and weights (which are packaged 50 per box) are the exact same makeup as the old tried and true, solid base boattail except they have a polymer tip instead of lead.
If they use the same jacket as the 140's in the 120's, doesn't it make sense thay'd do the same on the 100 and 115 .257's? or the 165 and 180 .308's? 130 and 150 .277's?
RR

Ridge,

The 7mm 120 gr BT is the only bullet that shares a jacket with another bullet, all the other offerings have their own jacket.

The BT and the old SP bullets are pretty much the same. They perform differently because the BT is a hollow point with the polycarbonate wedge tip. The wedge really opens up the bullet, mush faster than a conventional soft point.

JD338

 

[Ridge_Runner]

you mean a nylon tip will open up the bullet faster than a lead tip? in my way of thinking a SP bullet is the same, sept for lead instead of nylon filling the hollow cavity in the nose of the jacket. am I wrong?
RR

 

[Ridge_Runner]

and you have to admit, its hard to swallow that they make multiple weight BT's in 257, 264, 277, 284, 308, and possibly others but the 120 gr 284 is the only one that shares a jacket.
RR

 

[bteate]

I've saw BT's perform flawlessly on a number of occasions, it used to be the only bullet I would use. I've shot a 175 lb whitetail buck at 75 yards from stem to stern, found bullet under hide on the hind quarter and it was a picture perfect mushroom. I also shot a 210+ lb buck at 110 yards with a .308 and it looked like you cut it length-wise with a band saw, zero expansion no pass-through, the tip was deformed but was still there. I kept the two pieces for a long time but misplaced them somewhere. I don't use them anymore but they probably accounted for more than 30 whitetail, but I don't want to take the chance again. I did however find the big buck about 20 yards from the shot but did not bleed a drop, not even where he laid but he was a dead deer never the less.

 

[Elkman]

My 02. I have been using and seen the Partitions used in a number of rifles on lots of game over the years. You can't hit much of anything at 20 yards in the shoulders or ham joints with any bullet and not expect lots of mess. But over the years they have preformed for me from way too close to way far away. I use them as my primary hunting bullet in most of my rifles, and will continue to do so. I just ordered another 100 (probably will die before they are gone) but I can hope. :grin: :grin: :grin:

 

[Colin]

I don't think a lot of people understand that bullets have a "working velocity". With all the the hype about velocity, most push their bullets too fast.

If factory rounds of brand/caliber "X" shoots 3,000fps, then handloading the same bullet up to 3,300fps is better, right? Well, not always.

These velocity tolerances can be gained by calling the manufacturer.

I'm not saying that bullets don't fail. We are all hunters, which in turn makes us PHD's in physics, right. There are far too many variables for the average person to truly determine bullet failure. Sure, if a bullet blows up on the surface, one would conclude bullet failure...but, was that bullet moving above its working velocity?

 

[jmad_81]

I just want to be clear. I wasn't bashing the BT by any means. I know what they are ment to do, and they did a great job. I have never shot a deer with them, or made a high shoulder shot and dropped an amimal where it stood. I instructed my wife to shoot the shoulder wanting to test both the bullet and the shot placement. Shot went a bit low and did what I expected it to. Every single deer that was shot with them last year had a whole clean through it. She will still be using the 120 BT this year for her doe, but she will shoot it behind the shoulder.

If she was shooting a 7 Mag instead of a 7-08 I would have her shooting a different bullet for sure!

 

[cloverleaf]

I think "Bob in Tx" shot those 120 grainers frequenly from his 7mm-08 on Texas pronghorn , deer and hogs. He'd have to speak to that for sure but as I recall him saying, they were deadly and plenty tough. CL