Your favorite Nosler bullets?

Guy Miner

Master Loader
Apr 6, 2006
17,453
4,514
Which of Nosler's many bullets are your favorites, and why?

I've got a few:

.308" 168 & 155 gr Custom Competition match bullets - I shot thousands of those things in competition, wore out a few .308 Win barrels, and earned my "Long Range High Master" from the NRA, mostly using those bullets.

.451" 185 grain Sporting Handgun Pistol Bullet - wow - this thing is very accurate from my .45 ACP handguns, and I've shot at least a couple of thousand of them in the past two years.
PTZ1F53l.jpg


.204" 32 grain Ballistic Tip varmint bullet - accurate and seriously high "splat" factor...

.257" 115 grain Ballistic Tip "Blue Cyclone" for my 25-06, goodness... Accurate and lethal! My favorite hunting bullet.
tXu4Weul.jpg


.308" 165 grain Ballistic Tip hunting bullet, from either the 308 Win or the 30-06, accurate as a match bullet and very lethal on a wide range of game. Heck, just last year it brought down black bear, elk, pronghorn and mule deer for me!
M5MWqh8l.jpg


.308" 200 gr Nosler Partition - I'd had these things sitting around, doing nothing, for years... Then came the grizzly hunt... And I found out that they're seriously accurate, and quite capable of superb performance, including deep penetration on big game. My 30-06 is still sighted-in with them, and I'm not sure I'm going back to anything lighter for elk & bear. Wow, what a bullet!
rv9fI6Zl.jpg


.375" 260 grain AccuBond - YES! Shoots great from my 375 H&H, and clobbers bear from 15 feet to 300+ yards! I haven't tried 'em on anything but bear so far, but they've got to be great on most big game.
q9FBjK0l.jpg


There's my favorites. Yours?

Guy
 
70 grain Ballistic Tips in my grandfather's pump .244 Remington shot well. I got the Nosler bug afterwards and loaded up 140 and 150 grain Ballistic Tips in my 7 Mag and 7 STW. The 7 STW was so accurate with the 150 Ballistic Tips, that I won a 500 yards match with a inch and a quarter 5 shot group with H1000. Shot like a laser. Shot many deer, impalas, blackbucks and hogs at long range with the 140 -150 BT's.

140 -160 Nosler Partition in the 7 Mag and 7 STW, great for tough nilgai.

Then the 140 and 160 Accubonds in both of the big 7's.

Loving the 165 and 168 Ballistic Tips for the .308 Deer and hogs DRT
WXen9uk.jpg

SLVEfpI.jpg


The .300 Winny loves the 180 AccuBond that it shoots .2 to .3 MOA @ 300 yards.
mr0moko.jpg

To confirm again,,,
MmQKNbZ.jpg


I have not tried the CC bullets yet, look forward to try them in the .308

Nosler bullets has been my go to bullet when it comes to hunting, its hard to beat.
 
My current favourites are:

6.5mm 130 gr AccuBond in the 260 Rem

Just the right combination of good expansion, toughness and b.c. Works great for deer but I wouldn't be afraid of shooting moose or elk with them.

IMG_20151030_090510798_TOP (1) by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158444867@N06/, on Flickr


6.5mm 140 gr Ballistic Tip 260 Rem

Works just as well on deer as the 130 gr AB and is quite accurate, pretty inexpensive too. Wouldn't hesitate to hunt elk and moose with them.

IMG_20151031_124616708 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158444867@N06/, on Flickr


120 gr Ballistic Tip 6.5x55

Works very well on deer in my wife's 6.5x55 and is very accurate.

P1020745 (1) by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158444867@N06/, on Flickr


150 gr Ballistic Tip 270 Win

Shot deer with them and found them to be just as good as the 6.5 mm Ballistic Tips, would shoot a moose or elk with them too.

IMG_20160902_103626477 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158444867@N06/, on Flickr


160 gr Partition 270 Win

Have shot 3 bears with them with excellent results, there is nothing in this country I wouldn't hunt with them. It's an excellent heavy game bullet.

P1020633 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158444867@N06/, on Flickr


220 gr Partition 30 cal magnums

A real thumper of a load for big stuff and quite accurate too. This is my friend's grizzly, I don't have any pictures on animals I shot with this bullet

014 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158444867@N06/, on Flickr


200 gr AccuBond 35 Whelen

Excellent for deer sized game while still being tough enough for elk and moose, penetrates well and expands wide.

P1010819 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158444867@N06/, on Flickr
P1010837 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158444867@N06/, on Flickr
P1010838 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158444867@N06/, on Flickr


225 gr AccuBond 35 Whelen

All one really needs to hunt North America I would rate it a bit better for heavy game than the 200 gr version

Fall, moose hunting 2011 076 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158444867@N06/, on Flickr
004 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158444867@N06/, on Flickr
003 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158444867@N06/, on Flickr


We have found that the Ballistic Tips mentioned kill deer sized game well and penetrate well usually leaving a an exit would 1- 1.5" in diameter. The Accubonds are just great all around bullets for pretty much anything. The heavyweight Partitions are excellent heavy game bullets.
 
I've only killed one head of game with Nosler bullets and that is the .358 225gr PT so that's my favorite hunting bullet but I have used a ton of the .451 sports pistol bullets for compitition target shooting.
 
6mm 95gr NBT
.257" 115 NBT
6.5mm 120 NBT
7mm 150 NBT
.308" 180 NBT
.358" 225 NAB


I'm a ballistic tip fan because I always get great accuracy from them and on our East TN whitetails they are very deadly.
 
My fave is the 180 grain, .30 cal Ballistic Tip. Shoot them in 30-06. They are very accurate, they expand well and they hold together about as well as any bonded bullet I've used.

Hard to imagine too many things that walk the Earth, that that combo would not kill.


Got a couple hundred 6mm, 105g RDFs inbound to test in a new rifle built for long range predator hunting and steel shooting fun. Hoping they live up to expectations!
 
The .308, 180 grain Partition comes to mind as the #1 Nosler bullet for us. As I said in another post we have been using them since the early 60's for elk.The .308, 150 grain Partition would be number two, followed by the .284 AB, in 160 grain at the number three for big game hunting. For range use the .308 168 gr. CC is the one for my Tactical, it shoots bug holes with them.
 
I like the .257" 115g NBT from a 25/06 on deer size animald out to 600 yards. Awesome bullet.

My other favorite is the .308" 200g AB. Very hard to beat in a 300 mag from muzzle to 1000 yards from antelope to elk. Very accurate and reliable performance.
 
I've shot a bunch of deer with the .308 150 grain ballistic tips. Very lethal. I punched my first 20 or so elk with .308 180 grain Partition. Both are very accurate out of my 06.
My .338 Jarrett shots both the 250 grain AccuBond and Partition sub MOA. The last few years the AccuBond gets the nod for elk.
I've stuck with the Partition for the .375.
No complaints


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
.223 50 grain BT
.243 90 grain AB
6.5x55, still playing but so far it likes 140 BT, AB and Part
7mm-08, daughters gets a 120 BT, mine gets a 140 AB
7x57 160 AB
.30-06 has alway been a 180 AB but recently started trying some 165's and seem pretty accurate
.300 WSM had been using 200 AB's but switched to a 180
.35 Whelen gets nothing but a 250 Part
 
Just because I've made the most meat with them...

225gr Partition -.358Win
180gr AccuBond - 30-06 & 300WSM

I haven't tried the 260gr AccuBond in my H&H yet but have seen it work on medium and large game out of a buddy's 375Ruger. That and 257 BTs for a finicky Ultra Light Roberts are on the list to try.
 
300 gr .458 Partitions (hint? :) )
140 and 160 ABs in 284
120, 140 BTs in 6.5 and the 130 AB
100 gr PT and BT in 257 with also the 110 AB
Hard to beat any of the 243 from 90 gr up, they electrocute deer
210 PT in 338
 
The 160 gr AccuBond shoots one hole groups in my model 70 7mm rem mag so it has to be my favorite Nosler bullet. I have taken three ten point bucks, a few coyotes, and one two fer shot on a couple of does.
 
My favorite Nosler bullet is the .308 125 gr Ballistic Tip. I shoot it in all my 30 cal. stuff for white tail deer. As long a you keep the impact velocity under 3000 fps it is awesome. I shoot it in 308 Win. & 30x47 rifles and 30-30AI 14" barrel T/C Contender pistol. Bang Flop on deer. My next favorite is the .264 130 gr AccuBond in my 264 Win mag. It holds up to the 3350 fps at close range is super accurate and kills deer bang flop from 25 to a bit over 500 yards so far. Next is the 264. 120 Ballistic Tip in the 6.5x55 it is supper accurate and kills anything from ground hogs through deer perfectly. Also all the Custom Competition bullets are very accurate.
 
Overall, the AccuBond is my favourite Nosler bullet regardless of caliber. Followed by the Partition and then the Ballistic Tip.

I have not tried the E-Tip, but know that it works well.

But when the AccuBond does everything so well, in every cartridge I have tried it in, so easily, to date; why try anything else? If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
 
Every Nosler bullet I've ever used has proven to be both very accurate and very deadly. To date, that includes:

55gr BT - I've been using these in my .22-250 for decades. Great for groundhog control, and any other varmints. I've also been loading them in my AR recently.

95gr BT - Very accurate in my .243, and has done the job well on a couple of deer.

300gr BT - Shoot very well from my .45-70. Looking to use them this fall for deer season.

150gr Partition - Used them last year in my .30-06 for deer. Got the job done and seemed to be pretty accurate, perhaps not quite as much as the BT's, but still MOA or better.

On deck: 150gr BT's for my .30-06. I'm sure they'll shoot well, but I haven't worked up a load yet. Also the 70 (or is it 75?) gr BT's for my .243.
 
I'm a newcomer to Nosler bullets. Not because I wanted it that way. Up until a few years ago I used nothing but factory ammo and stuck with what worked for the most part. On my first elk hunt my first choice was to use a Partition but, it would not shoot accurately in factory stuff.

Now I do hand load for a few rifles and will be loading for at least 7 here shortly. Out of 7 rifles I plan to load for 4 will have Nosler bullets.

So far I've been pretty impressed with the Partition and AccuBond. Not all that surprised considering how many years the Partition has been getting the job done. What did impress me about the Partition is how it works terminally and it has proven more accurate than expected. It also seems to be an over-achiever. Maybe the fact that the nose explodes on impact leaving a blunt shaft which creates more havoc while pushing through? No matter the reason all have been one shot kills.

I am using or will be using the following;
.270 win.............. 150 grain Partition (1.25" @ 300 yards)
300 sav................150 grain Partition (to be developed)
9.3x64.................250 grain AccuBond (1.75" @ 300 yards)
7x57....................140 grain AccuBond (under development)
 
c. schutte - you're getting some great accuracy from your handloads!

Way back when, in the day of the old "screw machine" Partitions, I wasn't real impressed with the accuracy of the Partition. Switched over to mostly using the old "Solid Base" Noslers, which were replaced by the Ballistic Tip bullets.

Some years ago I started using the newer Nosler Partitions, and wow! I was very impressed with the accuracy from my 6mm Rem and the 7mm Rem mag. Their performance on game is darned good, and wow - the accuracy is better than I would have ever expected from a bullet that essentially has two cores!

I expected, and got, good accuracy from the Accubonds. They're basically just a bonded version of the Ballistic Tip, which has always shot well for me.

Don't you love it when something big like a .35 Whelen, 9.3, or .375 shows such remarkable accuracy with a heavy hunting bullet?

Looking forward to your results with the 300 Savage & 7x57 rifles!

Guy
 
Guy Miner":2di75tc5 said:
c. schutte - you're getting some great accuracy from your handloads!

Way back when, in the day of the old "screw machine" Partitions, I wasn't real impressed with the accuracy of the Partition. Switched over to mostly using the old "Solid Base" Noslers, which were replaced by the Ballistic Tip bullets.

Some years ago I started using the newer Nosler Partitions, and wow! I was very impressed with the accuracy from my 6mm Rem and the 7mm Rem mag. Their performance on game is darned good, and wow - the accuracy is better than I would have ever expected from a bullet that essentially has two cores!

I expected, and got, good accuracy from the Accubonds. They're basically just a bonded version of the Ballistic Tip, which has always shot well for me.

Don't you love it when something big like a .35 Whelen, 9.3, or .375 shows such remarkable accuracy with a heavy hunting bullet?

Looking forward to your results with the 300 Savage & 7x57 rifles!

Guy


Wish I could take credit for that 9.3x64 accuracy................... loaded up 4 columns and went to the range. The 3rd column of three loaded rounds shot just under .5" at 100 yards. Load development started and ended right there!

I did have some help behind the scenes from a few folks that I trust like the Good Doctor Mike, our favorite hulking Marine Scotty and a few others like Tom. Anyway, the rifle liked the that powder charge and by chance the seating depth so no monkeying around by me.

I do like that cartridge (9.3x64) In my opinion it's the most underrated out there and only by those who don't know about it. Honestly, if only one gun it would be the one for me.

The 7x57 did OK in the spring and early summer but, I need to revisit it now that I have a magneto speed and do some flat testing. It should come around.

All I need is time........................ something in short supple with me.. 8)
 
Back
Top