Ballistic tip bullet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrZ8abbwyzs

I was told before that this bullet isn't intended for this type of punishment.... :?:


as the last question asked by the audience about the Nosler BT......... it appears that it held up as well as the Federal TBT.. However as the Fed Rep said, not all scenarios are the same with every shot. I would say that the angle and distance and cartridge and most of all bullet weight would factor in also.

Angle, velocity, etc. do play into it.

Additionally there are two things worth keeping in mind with the video.

1. Bone isn't the same once it is dried out. Dr. Ashby who did extensive testing on broadhead performance noted the difference and used bones that were fresh - as in shot with a rifle and the animal was than shot with archery tackle within minutes. A lot of his testing was on whole animals as ballistic gel does not reproduce the effect of different densities of tissue, muscle, sinew, internal organs, etc. Ballistic gel just gives a uniform medium for testing...

Edited to add a quick summation of this is the second to last paragraph in the box on page 7: https://www.grizzlystik.com/PR/Ashby_2007_Update_4.pdf - page 7.

2. Not all BT are super tough. The 30 cal BT's ,in particular the 180 grain, is beefed up with a thicker jacket as Nosler anticipates its use on Elk. I am unsure about the jacket on the 165 gr that they tested, but I believe it is still proportionally thicker than a 6mm or .277 BT.

Keep in mind the AccuBond is basically a bonded and often times heavier jacketed BT. So the BT's are great big game bullets; but I personally think that at a higher velocity (2900-3000+ fps) a bonded or mono bullet starts to make sense.

I'll go along with muscle density are different and if an animals' adrenaline is ramped up too, which they didn't mention.

Good video, I've watched it before.

I've tried quite a few different bullets for my hunting, and some years back the Nosler Ballistic Tip became my standard hunting bullet. Mostly I hunt mule deer, some pronghorn, occasionally elk, and now and again black bear. Usually with a 25-06 or a 30-06 rifle. I'd normally use the 25-06 on pronghorn, coyote and mule deer, then go to the 30-06 (or bigger) for larger game.

Three years ago I decided to do my entire season, four big game hunts, with just my 30-06 and my standard handload which is the 165 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip moving at a spiffy 2970 fps, a full 170 fps faster than the load featured in the video. My handloads were accurate, under one MOA from the slim-barreled sporter rifle. Results were excellent:

First up was a Washington bear hunt. One shot at 325 yards. The bear moved about 10 yards after being hit. It was a "raking" shot, the bear was quartering away. The bullet lost the core, and the jacket was recovered in the off-side hide, weighing about 73 grains as I recall. The core exited the bear causing a pretty decent exit wound.



Then I left for Wyoming for a mule deer and antelope hunt I try to do every other year. The 30-06 put one 165 gr Ballistic Tip right through a pronghorn buck at about 245 yards. That bullet was not recovered, but the antelope surely was. A couple of days later I got a shot at a nice 4x5 mule deer buck at about 140 yards. The animal was facing me. The bullet went into the chest and was recovered from the flank, stuck in the off-side hide.




Finally in late December, I used my Washington state cow elk tag on a great hunt. I searched several days and finally was presented with a 338 yard uphill shot at a cow elk. I'd intended to shoot behind the shoulder, but... Things happen. The 165 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip went through the shoulder blade, destroyed both lungs, and the elk stumbled about 20 yards downhill before dropping. I never found the bullet. It appeared to have broken the off-side scapula, but probably didn't exit the animal. As elk go, this was a big cow, likely twice the weight of my average mule deer.


The meat was, as you might expect, excellent!

It was a great season, four big game animals down. Each dropped at the shot or ran but a few yards. The mule deer did require a finishing shot when I walked up to the buck. I remain convinced that the 165 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip is a darned good hunting bullet, particularly for 308 Winchester and 30-06 rifles that don't push it too fast.

I've used Partitions, and Barnes TSX bullets. They normally penetrate deeper. The Partitions have been surprisingly accurate for me too. But I tend to use those when penetration is more important. Antelope, black bear, mule deer and cow elk don't require all that much penetration to reach and disrupt the "vitals" and those Ballistic Tips have been so consistently accurate, I can't turn my back on them...

Oh - at higher velocity, the 115 grain Ballistic Tip from my 25-06, is going about 3120 fps at the muzzle, and has done a very nice job on mule deer, antelope and coyotes.

There's a great book by the way, from a fellow who used the 30-06 and 165 grain Nosler Partitions to hunt almost every big game animal in North America. He turned to the 200 grain Nosler Partition for Kodiak bear and some other large beast. I don't remember which. His hunting took him a couple of decades, with a simple 30-06 bolt action Remington.


I like the 165 gr Partition as much as I like the 165 gr Ballistic Tip. It's not quite as sleek, but that front end expands fast and the rear core keeps on penetrating... Heck of a bullet!

Regards, Guy

Great write up Guy. I’ve got a bunch of trust from the BTs. One of my Mashburn brothren has slayer a lot of elk with the 150 BT and you couldn’t tell him there is a more deadly bullet. I still don’t believe there is a better deer bullet or elk once you step into the heavier for caliber BTs.

2017 I only hunted mule deer in Washington, and dropped a 3x3 mule deer instantly with a 115 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip from my 25-06 Remington 700 at about 212 yards. Am eating burger meat from good ol' D-17 tonight:


2018 I hunted Wyoming again with both the 25-06 and the 30-06. Somehow I ended up using the smaller 25-06 on the bigger animal, and scored a one-shot kill on a mule deer at 355 yards, using the 115 gr Ballistic Tip:


Then, fearing that the 30-06 would be envious... I used it for my antelope hunt and put a 165 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip through the shoulders of this antelope at about 255 yards:


I particularly like the Ballistic Tip for longer range shots on medium game like deer & antelope, but the bullet works well on heavier game like bear and elk as well.

I do think that if I needed one load to do it all, I'd go with a 165 or 180 gr Nosler Partition from my 30-06 rifle. Thankfully, I don't have to do that. :grin:

Regards, Guy

I'm jealous !

Slickrem - I've shot a fair bit of game with Nosler bullets over the past 40+ years. Happy to answer any questions. For the most part, I really like Noslers. When I shoot something with them, something falls down pretty quickly. Call me an enthusiastic consumer if you will, I think those fellows in Oregon make some mighty fine bullets. :grin:

BTW, also shot my way to NRA Long Range "High Master" using a 308 Winchester and 155 & 168 gr Nosler competition bullet. Ya... Apparently they know how to make a really accurate bullet as well.

There are so many good bullets avail anymore. Nosler among them.

Regards, Guy

slickrem":a7pukzr5 said:

I'm jealous !

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Don't be. I'm old. I squirreled away some money for hunting along the way. I treasure my hunts.

My youngest son hunts here in Washington with me. Am hoping he'll finally go to Wyoming with me for a deer & antelope hunt. I still handload his ammo.

Oldest son shoots rather a lot, but doesn't hunt often. Ah well. He'd rather ring steel and poke holes in paper, but he has come out and helped me quarter up a buck, then hike it several miles back to the truck. :grin:

I find myself envious of the guys who have hunted caribou, moose, brown bear, and Africa...

Regards, Guy

Great pictures Guy!

Guy,
you live out there... I don't ! LOL
I have upstate PA with a limited amount of deer and bogus game laws pertaining to black bear.

For the last 5 or 6 years bear season has been extended, along with the regular season, into deer season.. usually the first week of deer, now the full two weeks of rifle.

Ya can't bait, or use lures. It's ridiculous.

BTW...you ain't that old ! Not much older than me.. I'll be 53 in October.

I too have had great success using Ballistic Tip bullets in many calibers ; 6mm - 95 gr, 6.5 mm 120 and 140 gr, 270 - 130 gr, 7mm 140 gr (7-08) and 150 gr (7 mag), 30 cal - 150, 165 and 180 gr. Like Guy it is normally my go to bullet. Mainly used on deer and hogs up to 250#. However, on an African safari I did kill a very nice Kudu bull (800 #) and a big warthog (300#) using the 30/06 with 165 gr BT's. I have never found them wanting for the game I hunt.

I load for my buddy. 180 BT at 3K from his 300 Win mag. Killed elk with no issues all under 100 yards

FOTIS":6lc6qsfi said:

I load for my buddy. 180 BT at 3K from his 300 Win mag. Killed elk with no issues all under 100 yards

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I’ll one up ya, my good Idaho buddy uses the 180 BT at 3250 from a Wby and my other partner in Montana used it at 3350 from a RUM on a whole lotta elk... not a complaint in the bunch other than a pile of animals. Put it this way, everyone loves Interlocks and they aren’t near the thick jacketed devils a Ballistic Tip is.

FOTIS":o7b04egl said:

I load for my buddy. 180 BT at 3K from his 300 Win mag. Killed elk with no issues all under 100 yards

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That's impressive - elk are big and tough, and that bullet is still scooting along real fast at ranges under 100 yards... Nice!

Buddy of mine did well in Africa with his 300 magnum and 180 grain Ballistic Tip bullets, plains game. His PH was impressed with the quick kills.

Guy

I'm a big fan of the BT. Going to use the 130 in my .270 this season.

Count me / us as a fan of the BT/AB bullets. 6mm - 90/95gn, 6.5mm - 140gn, 270 - 150gn, 30 - 180gn, 338F - 200gn.
We have had much success with the BT. This is our goto bullet for most of our loads. As I look at this - we use heavy for cal BT bullets in all but one long range rifle of my son's.

Killed alot of deer with the 120 BT in a 260 remington. I was running them hard also 3000 fps. Never recovered on even on deer shot inside of 50 yards. I have to say that was a great load for me and killed alot of deer. Was way tougher than I ever imagined

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The Ballistic Tip bullets works for me very well. The 308 with the 168 Ballistic Tip at 2800 fps put a half dollar exit on a spike whitetail last season and never made a step and is a very accurate bullet. I have used the 140 and 150 BT in the 7mm Magnums out to 350 yards easily. I have yet to use a 180 BT in my 300 Magnum that has not touched game, since I got it last fall. A 180 BT chugging along at a hair shy under 3200 fps is good medicine. Ballistic Tips never failed me, I'm a fan of it and its my go to hunting bullet.

Good write up Guy and nice pictures.

Quite a few years ago I used a 150 gr BT in a 30-06 to shoot a black bear. It died quick from a shot through the lungs but didn't make it past the far shoulder blade on a slightly quartering shot. After that I stopped using them but over time learned that they had been toughened up considerably since then and tried them again.

The discontinued 35 cal 225 gr was first at 2700+ fps from a 35 Whelen, it ended up being a favourite until Nosler stopped making them and turned them into an AccuBond. Still wish they made them, moose, blacktailed deer and a stone sheep fell to them and I still would be using them if Nosler kept making them.

Since then we have used the 120 gr in my wife's 6.5x55, the 140 in my 260 Rem and the 150 gr in my 270 Win on numerous deer with quick kills and no recovered bullets so far. They are our go to bullets for deer sized game in those rounds, would have no issues shooting bigger animals with the 140 gr 6.5 mm and even a bit more so with the 150 gr in the 270 Win.