Nice buck with 140gr Nosler BT

[ScreaminEagle]

I got this buck on the first day of rifle season, here in PA. Perfect broadside shot at 30yds. I recovered pieces of the bullet, but like an idiot, I misplaced them. I have looked everywhere. Anyway, most of the jacket fragmented before it entered the chest cavity. This kind of concerned me. The lungs were total mush and I found the base of the bullet against the hide on the opposite shoulder. Buck dropped in its tracks. I guess that is what the bullet is designed for, to transfer all of its energy into the unlucky critter its fired at. It was fired out of my 280.
Load was:
140gr BT
54gr IMR 4350
CCI 200 LR primer
Rem brass

 

[JD338]

Steve

Congrats on a nice buck.

JD338

 

[FOTIS]

Nice buck!

 

[DrMike]

Congratulations on an excellent specimen of Odocoileus virginianus. You asked a lot of the bullet; and it delivered for you.

 

[ScreaminEagle]

Thanks guys

 

[cloverleaf]

That is a nice buck! I guess I would be happy with a BT that performed like that. Dad always said he wanted that bullet to come apart and do some damage to the clock works. his load was a 130 gr. speer from a 7Mag. Always worked for him...seems to have worked for you. 30 yards is still smokin along out of your 280 and you almost punched a hole clean through. CL

 

[PipesMac]

Nice buck. At 30 yds with that load, you're at the top of it's impact velocity there hey? Sounds like what I've experienced with that bullet, deer drop in their tracks, jacket fragments, and a core through to the far skin or out.

I primarily have shot deer with this load out of a .284 Win, almost the same as yours, and love it:
140gr BT
52gr IMR 4350
CCI 200 LR primer
Win brass

All my 140 BT 7mm bullets were from 1992 or so, when I had bought a "stock". I'm not sure if the design is exactly the same now though, but my impression is that the newer ones have been beefed up in the lower jacket a bit?

Great buck, seeing someone else having good success with that bullet always gives me confidence in my own handloads!

 

[SJB358]

Great buck Steve, sounds like the bullet worked as it was supposed to.. That buck wasn't going anywhere with a hit like that!

 

[ScreaminEagle]

I don't even know why I waste time trying other bullets. I always end up sticking with the Nosler Ballistic Tip!

 

[CatskillCrawler]

Grats on the nice buck!

I'm a bit surprised that the bullet lost its jacket before entering chest cavity on a broadside rib shot. I had this issue happen with the original BTs and I abandoned them. I've had a change in heart recently with the BTs beefed up jacket design but this worries me some. This scenario is asking the most one can from this bullet but I'd like to see a little more integrity from it.

I know, dead is dead but on a rib shot I expect a bit more. It may be one of those "you never can tell" moments with terminal results. I plan on shooting the two bullets that gave me issues into jugs to see what happens.

 

[6mm Remington]

Very nice buck Steve. The .280 Remington and 140 gr bullets just seem to go together like milk and honey! I shot the same load in my .280 except I used the 140 gr. Partition and when I get my new .280 it will either be the Partition or the AccuBond 140 gr. bullet.

 

[DrMike]

I consummated a lot of invitations to dinner issued to whitetail and mule deer with a 139 grain Hornady InterLock from my older .280. The Combined Technology BST was equally effective in bring deer home for dinner. It was only because I'm using the .280 for larger game on occasion that I began loading with 140 grain Partitions.

 

[PipesMac]

DrMike,
Would you say the 140gr Partition is more effective/reliable than the 140 gr AccuBond on larger game? How does that compare to the ballistic tip? I ask because I've been working on 160gr AB and 175gr ABLR for my 284, but my "standard load" that has worked great on whitetails was 140gr BT... I assumed I needed to increase bullet weight to have a reliable package for elk or moose. So I'm interested in qualitative improvments in bullet performance with the same 140gr bullet, but stepping up to AB or Partition. I REALLY like that 140 gr BT, and would kind of like to be convinced to stay there...

 

[Guy Miner]

I don't have Dr. Mike's experience on larger-than-mule deer game. Mostly I'm just a mule deer hunter, and like you I REALLY like the performance of the Ballistic Tip on deer. Wow do I like it!

For bigger game? Like elk? I've only shot one bull elk, and I deliberately went to the 175 gr Nosler Partition from my 7mm Rem mag for that job. Felt like I made the right choice.

Then again, Accubonds didn't even exist when I got that bull...

Regards, Guy

 

[DrMike]

Guy's assessment is akin to my own. I am prepared to use 140 grain Partitions (or AccuBonds) on elk; however, I do like more mass (hence, more energy) on elk. I've certainly taken both elk and moose with lighter bullets, but I do insist on bullets that will maintain integrity when passing through heavy bone and lots of muscle. For me, that means a Partition and/or AccuBond (or similarly constructed bullet). Monolithic bullets fall into this category of maintaining integrity, as well. The Ballistic Tip is great for deer sized game, and with enough mass, it will work for elk and moose as well. I took my elk this past fall with a 150 grain ABLR, and it worked quite well. Obviously, I'm quite content using a 140 grain Partition (or AccuBond) in my .280 when the possibility of elk and/or moose is there. Still, if I do go looking deliberately for these larger critters, I am more comforted with more mass. I do pass on shots that are less than ideal when using the lighter bullets. In my .284, I imagine that I'll be shooting 150 grain Partitions or 140 grain AccuBonds next fall. It is possible that I'll go with a 160 grain Partition; but I did throat the chamber a bit longer so I don't push into the powder column, allowing me to gain a bit of velocity. Now, after beating around the bush for so long (a straight forward way of straddling the fence), I will say that I wouldn't feel terribly undergunned with a .284 loaded with 140 grain Partitions and/or AccuBonds when hunting elk and/or moose. It would be similar for hunting black bear. Grizzly? I always prefer more mass. On the other hand, a .284 loaded with 140 grain PTs is better than a stick in the eye.

 

[SJB358]

Pretty hard to beat the in between'er of the 150 PT when looking at bigger than deer. Should still be able to fit it in the magazine and right in between the 140 and 160's... It is one of the bullets that I haven't tried in my son's 7x57 Mauser, but he does accompany me elk hunting next Fall, I am pretty sure, it'll have a 150 PT in the snout..

 

[DrMike]

Pretty hard to beat the in between'er of the 150 PT when looking at bigger than deer. Should still be able to fit it in the magazine and right in between the 140 and 160's... It is one of the bullets that I haven't tried in my son's 7x57 Mauser, but he does accompany me elk hunting next Fall, I am pretty sure, it'll have a 150 PT in the snout..

And that bullet will flatten them, Scotty. I worked up a load for a gentleman shooting a 7X57 last spring. He took a moose each fall using his rifle and shooting 160 grain Partitions. He is a hunter, and not a shooter, however. I worked up a load that shot 1/4 inch at 100 yards with 150 grain Partitions. I was very favourable impressed by the ballistics of the bullet. It was enough to make me serious about using the 150 grain PT in my own Mauser.

 

[SJB358]

Well, we will have to compare notes Mike! I have a bunch of Norma brass ready for the load work..

 

[DrMike]

Well, we will have to compare notes Mike! I have a bunch of Norma brass ready for the load work..

I picked up a couple of hundred Norma brass to work with; I sure do like the quality. If the snow stops, I'll get back out to the range and put a few more rounds downstream.

 

[nvbroncrider]

Pretty hard to beat the in between'er of the 150 PT when looking at bigger than deer. Should still be able to fit it in the magazine and right in between the 140 and 160's... It is one of the bullets that I haven't tried in my son's 7x57 Mauser, but he does accompany me elk hunting next Fall, I am pretty sure, it'll have a 150 PT in the snout..

And that bullet will flatten them, Scotty. I worked up a load for a gentleman shooting a 7X57 last spring. He took a moose each fall using his rifle and shooting 160 grain Partitions. He is a hunter, and not a shooter, however. I worked up a load that shot 1/4 inch at 100 yards with 150 grain Partitions. I was very favourable impressed by the ballistics of the bullet. It was enough to make me serious about using the 150 grain PT in my own Mauser.

That's what I started with mine got plenty of room to push her some more. In about 3-4 weeks I may get to play with it some more. I think the 150 in the 57 is like the 160 in the 280 a real surprising performer.