The Ballistic Tips and the Combined Technology Ballistic Silvertips are both made in the Nosler plant in Bend, Oregon. The only difference in their manufacture is the color of the plastic tip.
The Ballistic Silvertips are then sent to another facility to be coated with the black coating that Winchester wants on them.
Hope I am not giving out secrets here, but that was what I was told at the Nosler plant.
You can buy seconds at the Nosler store (Shooter's Pro Shop) that are the Ballistic Silvertips that have not been coated. I use them in my .338 Win Mag and they shoot great groups and put hogs on the ground right now!
The black oxide "Lubalox" coating is marketed by Winchester to be an anti-fouling coating that, unlike moly, doesn't coat the barrel. That and the color of the tips is the only difference.
