Nosler Ballistic tips

[gd357]

I loaded up some ballistic tips in my 7mm Rem Mag for deer hunting this fall to see what the difference would be in terminal performance on whitetails versus factory ammo. I may have overdone things. Took a neck shot on a doe at about 60 yards. The exit hole nearly encompassed the entire width of the off side of the neck. I also shot a doe at a similar range in the chest. She was slightly quartering towards me, and the bullet exited 3 or 4 inches in front of the diaphram. However, the fragmentation was such that the diaphram and stomach were both ruptured.:eek: Now the whole idea was to shorten tracking jobs and drop the deer on the spot, but this seems a bit extreme.

gd

[L. Cooper]

My experience with Ballistic Tips has lead me to the opinion that they are ideal deer bullets in "heavy for deer" calibers if you go to the heaviest Ballistic Tip you can find for your caliber. I shoot 150 grain B.T. in my 270; 180 grain B.T. in my 300 Win., for example.

You didn't say what weight you were using in the 7 Mag, but I suspect it was a light version.

Ballistic Tips in my rifles are very accurate, and they provide good blood trails as well as fewer tracks after the shot than "harder" bullets like Nosler's Partitions.

I like them for deer.

[Rocky Raab]

60 yards is also rather an extreme test for any bullet from any magnum.

It just wasn't an appropriate combo for the conditions.

Ballistic Tips are superb long range deer bullets, out where their impact speed allows them to perform normally.

[wyt_tail]

I have had very good luck with Nosler B.T. bullets. I have shot deer with 7mm Rem Mag, 6.5-06 and had the same results, one shot kills! These kills were at all ranges from 35 yards to 220 yards. I have killed at least 14 deer or antelope and had the following entrance and exit wounds without any type of large exit holes as some claim. I think they are using lighter, varmint type bullets for deer size game!

Entrance wound:
http://photos.imageevent.com/judeinpa/huntingpics/small/bullet1.jpg

Exit wound:
http://photos.imageevent.com/judeinpa/huntingpics/small/bullet2.jpg

I use them and will continue to use them on deer size game or smaller.

Jude

[RUMLUVER]

I have had nothing but bad luck with the Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets they have always exploded and only one exit wound. The only exit wound that I have seen using one came from a 25-05 and you put a basketball through the hole! The rest of my experience with them is all failure to exit. Most recently was 3 years ago with a .270 Winchester loaded with 140gr B.T.'s at about 3000fps. This buck was shot twice first time in the neck at 80 yards and the second time in the chest. The first shot exploded on the neck failing to penatrate through or break it all that resulte was blood shot meat. The second shot entered on the near side and exploded no exit wound at all. After that I use Hornady SST's and Swift Scirocco's all the accuracy benifits without the explosions. I have used these 2 bullets in everything from .260 Remington to my .338 Ultra Mag with great results and have found no reason to try B.T.'s again. Most recently I am experimenting with .30 cal 180gr Interbond's in my .300 RUM to see what these will do.

[Rocky Raab]

Purely for info, RUMLOVER, at what ranges/velocities were the other BT "failures?"

I ask because that doe was a short range/high speed hit, just like gd357's.

[Evan03]

i dunno but ive seen less damage way less on the deer i shot this year at about 200yds with the my2506 and 100gr nosler balistic tip. bullet fully penetrated and exspanded into mushroom comeing to rest inside the hide on the far side.

maybe that was just perfect ideal sinaro for the bullet.

my reason for decideing the bullets would work well on deer was because theyve seemed to work great on coyotes. small exit wounds from 100yds and further. much smaller exit wounds than the 220 swift pushn 55vmaxes.

i know coyoite realy isnt any comparison but i did recently shoot one right through the vitals with the 2506 and 100gr nbt. bullet exited with hole that was very small to say the least.

im loading strickly nosler balistic tipps in my rifles for deer. 165s in the 3006 140s in the 270 and 100s in the 2506.

so far i havent had any bad luck.

on a side note. i ounce shot a deer at about 40yds with 130gr core lockt factory load through my 270win. right through both shoulder blades. this was very ugly. id almost wonder if balistic tip wouldnt have been better in that situation. needless to say that was one shot afair. but hole front end of the deer was pretty well gone.

[wyt_tail]

BTW, the load I was using in my 6.5-06 was 120 grain Nosler B.T., 54.2 gr. of Rl-19 @ 3025fps doe was 35 yards when hit.

Here is another shot with a Nosler B.T. 120gr. with 53.5 grains of IMR 4350, in 6.5-06, of my Sons doe. His shot was about 45 yards and the same results. Notice the trickle of blood behind the front leg. Bullet exited just as the pics above with a heart/lung shot. Lot of blood from mouth from taking out both lungs.

http://photos.imageevent.com/judeinpa/huntingpics/websize/adamsdoe.jpg

Here is a pic of my doe shot at 35 yards. Bullet entered just behind where the scope turret lays (dot behind turret) as seen in pic.

http://photos.imageevent.com/judeinpa/huntingpics/websize/judesdoe2.jpg

Jude

[RUMLUVER]

Rocky ,

The other B.T. explosions I had were with a 115gr B.T. from 25-06 traveling about 3000fps it impacted braodside at about 150-175yds entered and blew big hole out other side but that was 15yrs ago. Another example was a 165gr B.T. at about 2950 from a 30-06 4 years ago this one entered the deer looking at me center chest about 7 inches down from neck crease. That bullet entered and exploded shredded lungs and heart. I won't argue that all these deer died but that kind of performance is not what I'm looking for. I shot 3 deer 2 years ago with 180gr Swift Scirocco's from my .300 RUM travel at 3276fps at ranges of 60 - 300 yards and always complete pass through and instant kills that's what I expect from my bullets. I know my B.T. experiences arn't the norm but they were mine and that is why I don't shoot them.

[wyt_tail]

I'm curious! I have always heard these explosive stories about the Nosler B.T. and never experienced any in the years I have used them. Does anyone who has no luck with these bullets have any pictures to back up the story?

Even an outfitter I had hunted with in Montana asked me what type bullets I was using. When I told him Nosler B.T. he told me that that was the worst bullet made for hunting. That was until I shot an antelope with one and that changed his mind on the B.T. bullets.

Jude

[Evan03]

one thing that im curious of is that the ones that have seen the bullets perform not as theyd like still seemed to be shooting them.

if a bullet isnt performing why keep useing it. do something difrent.

or maybe over 15 years time the acuracy was so great they just had to be tried again.

anways i am beliver and will use the nosler balistic tipp untill it fails to impress me.

[Rocky Raab]

They have changed over 15 years, as a matter of fact. So the way they perform today should be different.

However, they ARE designed to be a quick-opening bullet, so I will not doubt that they sometimes may open explosively.

Just curious, RUMLOVER, if complete penetration is your goal (and there's nothing wrong with it), have you tried Partitions?

Nosler specifically says that the BT is for quick expansion and the Partition is for penetration. They're clearly trying to meet the needs of both sides of that debate - and have succeeded.

[RUMLUVER]

wyt-tail,

I wish I had some pictures to show you but we never have taken pictures of our deer while gutting them.That would have been the only way to show that the bullet exploded once it entered. The one doe that was shot and had the big exit hole I'm not sure if we have a picture of that or not but if we do I will post it. I'm glad that you have had the best of luck with a B.T. I know others that do also but as for me I will continue with a Hornady SST and Swift Scirocco's in polymer tipped bullets.

[L. Cooper]

I have seen almost all of the disadvantages mentioned here go away when I started using heavy for caliber Ballistic Tips. They tend to be heavier in construction than the lighter versions, and start at slower velocities, so the effect on deer is a reliably expanding bullet that will always penetrate completely on broadside shots.

I have seen the opposite shoulder become jelly if both shoulders are shot at relatively close range (less than 100) but the accuracy in many loads, the reliable expansion and energy delivery, and the long range energy retention keep me using them. I think they result in less hunting after the shot too.

But only if they are the heaviest I can find in that caliber.

[RUMLUVER]

As for me I like to be ready for anything that presents itself. A shot between 50 and 500 with whatever I'm caring. This year it was a .338 Ultra Mag and I don't think a B.T. would have held together at the range and velocity that I hit my deer this year but it was the only deer I saw that day and had to take the shot. I was using a 210gr TSX at a muzzel velocity of 3379fps and the deer was 90 yards away when I hit it and the bullet stayed together very little blood shot meat and complete pass through. The deer didn't go 5ft from where it was hit either. This load consits of 96gr of RL22 and shoots 1/2 groups when I do my part what more could a guy ask for. I use another load with a 210 Swift Scirocco and 97.5gr of RL25 this moves at 3248fps leaving 1/2 to 5/8 groups day in and out. To me this too is a better all around bullet for all circumstances one may come across in the field. But these are just what I choose to use right or wrong that's the way it is.

[gd357]

With the conditions that were presented, I guess I expected similar results to what I got. The problem being that shot opportunities range from up close and personal to 450 yards or so (maybe I need to carry 2 rifles??? LOL!). I haven't shot the load through a chronograph yet, but according to the manual the velocity should be over 3200 fps. That would be plenty to cause massive bullet fragmentation at that distance. I'll try it out at longer ranges if possible before ditching the load.

gd

[Evan03]

nothing wrong with that. both very good big game bullets

[Esox357]

My buddy uses the 140 grain NBT loaded one grain over max in his 7 rem mag. He occasionally gets some blood shot meat but not nearly the softball exits as alot of people mention. They look alot like WYT-Tail's photo. He likes them alot and continues to use them. Esox357

[RUMLUVER]

gd357,

I wouldn't abandon the load all together take it out and blow up praire dogs. But if you want something to stand up to close to distant shot from your 7mm Mag try 150gr Scirocco you will find it to be very accurate and long for caliber with a high BC. This thing will also level anything from 5-500 yards without blowing up. I know this for sure I have used it myself in a 7mm RUM with great results. It would alieviate the need for 2 rifles at once. You should get a good amount of velocity out of it also.

[Evan03]

i think what we have here is the need for miracle pill. we want our bullet to perfrom to our standerds no matter the situation we put it in. wether it be close far broadside quarteing away or standing on its head.


the sinple truth is atleast this is how i see it. there is not one bullet on the market that can meet all my critera.

by loading nbts im makeing a compromise. better at acuracy at the cost of bullet perfromance. i have not used the nbts inside 150yds nor have i used them past 200 on biggame. i do know at the 200 mark they work great.

i just now got to thinkn well why not sacrifice alittle acuracy for a bullet that is built tougher like the partition. it might not be as acurate but id be able to kill game from 0 to 400yds with well placeded shot. however i might have deer walk off on me due to lack of exspansion at close range.

but i wont do that the nbt is the one bullet im holding my confidence in. all my rifles shooting them acurate. and ive got all kinds of confidence in the bullet.

load up some paretitions and acuracy degrades and and confidence falls.



so basicaly what im getting at is that all these bullets mentioned will work. and that the condidence in you pill and load will be all you need to get the job done

Evan

[gd357]

Evan03,

I initially started out looking for a more frangible bullet design as a result of several questionable experiences with tougher bullets. I shot a mature doe with a 160 gr partition out of the 7 mag, and she went 300 yards before dropping on a double lung shot. She had a ton of fat, so there was no blood trail, and with no snow, it was just persistance and luck that we found her.

I guess I'm just quibbling over details, since I'd much rather have a little bloodshot meat than have difficulty finding the animals. No doubt terminal performance was exceptional, and you couldn't ask for a shorter trail. I can't say that the bullet failed because on both occaisions they exited despite high impact velocity, and a design to open quickly. I guess I can't complain, and having had time to think it over, I'm content with the results. I didn't put the proper thought into how they would expand at that distance, but they still did the job, and in the end, that's what I was looking for in the first place.

gd

[RUMLUVER]

I still say that a Hornady SST is as accurate as a Nosler BT but less frangible. I also agree with the fact that is no one perfect bullet for all conditions.

[Freebore]

gd357,
I shot a caribou with the the 115 Ballistic Tip from a 257 Weatherby @3450fps and found the bullet completetl pealed back to the base in the off shoulder. (See Proof in Photo section Caribou 2005). I shot that animal at a range of 337 yards in the neckright side slightly quatering towards me and into the off shoulder. I was suprised that the bullet deformed that much at that distance BUT I did hit a lot of bone.
My first 'bou tha trip I shot at 125 yards and destroyed the lungs with a 2 !/2" exist wound. It went about 40 yards and piled up.
My first experience with Bal Tips was not pleasing. I have since had very good luck with the jacketing change. My first experience was a doe at 60 yards broaside, 7mm-08 a 150 grain BT @2500 FPS and the exit hole was huge, the size of a grape fruit, she did not go anywhere but I knew then this was not practical for deer in the front shoulder, back then.
They are a much better bullet know. I have taken antelope beyound 600 with a 55 grain out of a 220 Swift in the lungs, dead in 25 yards. Same experience with a 22-250 on a whitetail doe at 385 yards in the heart, complete destruction of the heart and no 'meat' damage.
In the woods here in Pa though I use Speer Hot cores exclusively.
Shot placement is utmost importance with any bullet, but a well constructed bullet helps of placement.

[gun44]

I use the 95 gr BT in my .243 with a load of 42 grs of H414, and I have killed seven deer with this load, the nearest about 20 yds, and the farthest about 210 yds, and I have yet to have one run over about 20 yds, with most dropping in their tracks! The deer shot at 20 yds ran the farthest, and she had an exit wound about 4 inches in diameter! The one shot at about 210 yds, had an exit wound about 6 inches, and he dropped in his tracks! In each case, the BT performed superbly! I have also used BTs in my .270 and 7 mag, with equal results! I love the BTs!

[RUMLUVER]

I have used 139gr Hornady SST's in a 7mm-08 to take 2 deer and 1 pronghorn antelope all 1 shot kills none running more that a couple yards from where they were hit. No exit holes over an 1-1/2 to 2 in. all were shot inside 150 yards they are very reliable bullets. I think they are the most accurate and deadly non-bonded bullets for deer and antelope sized game for the money. With more reliable expansion than BT's I will keep using them but this has just been my experience and if people find results that they're looking for in BT's that's all that matters.

[Varmint Hunter]

If you really want to see DRT, shoot a 140gr B-Tip @ 3,500 ft/sec into a whitetail's chest at 50 yards. The deer will be dead before its body hits the deck.

:D

Its almost unbelievable how fast it kills.

[RUMLUVER]

Or at least what's left of the body will hit the deck.

[Cal Sibley]

I purchased a box of Nosler 6mm Bal. Tips recently and was surprised to find they were flat based. I had previously noticed only boat tails. I've also heard the jackets are thicker in todays bullets so maybe Nosler is listenig to the complaints about the Balistic Tips fragmentiung so badly. Let's hope so. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

[Lycanthrope]

The new BT's are pretty tough. I use the 140gr Combined Technology bullets out of my 7STW at 3400fps. They carry through and leave quarter sized exit holes.

I have posted on this forum pics of a 160gr Partition that absolutely grenaded on a whitetail at 3250fps. I have it somewhere if anyone wishes.

[Budweiser]

I have a Ruger 7 mag and with the NBT it performs great. These bullets are not made for subsonic velocities. They are designed to open up on contact.

Straight Shooting

Budweiser

[PJgunner]

"I know my B.T. experiences arn't the norm but they were mine and that is why I don't shoot them."

IIRC, you said that was about 15 years ago. Rocky said the ballistic tips were different back then. About 5 years ago, I shot a Mule Deer buck with my 7X57
loaded with the 140 gr. Nosler ballistic tip. I found three boxes at a gun for a decent price so I bought them. A couple of things hee. One, these were early boxes of these bullet that contained 100 bullets rather than the 50 with the same price when Bob Nosler took pver the company. The bullets were loaded to 2800 FPS from my 2" barreled Winchester m70 Featherweight. The deer was maybe 55-65 yards out and when I shot, I heard the very sharp crack of bone being hit. The small herd headed up hill while the deer I shot went down into a deep gully. As I hurried up the slope to reach the gully, I twisted the crap out of my right knee and was unable to walk for the most part of the next hour. Sad to say, I never recovered that deer. The people that were with me ended up being too busy getting my sorry carcass off that hill.
I've since had surgery and that knee has never been the same.
To this day I don't know what tht bullet did when it hit that deer, but I'm thinking that it hit a rib and literally blew up. All I know is the animal was never recovered and that haunts me to this day.
Paul B.

[Ridge Runner]

BT's packaged 100 per box, in 243 (95 gr) on up are the old BT's just a varmint bullet in heavier weights. those packaged 50 per box are a nosler solid base boattail with a polymer tip. I've had 2 of the older BT's suffer jacket core separations and didn't exit. these were out of around 50 deer and a couple bear shot with them. there is absolutely no better deer round than a .257 115 gr NBT (the new ones) at 3000 fps, haven't had a deer stop one yet.
RR

[rainydays]

Like some, I have used the NBT in the past in my 6MM and .257 Roberts for deer. While I found them to be accurate, I had to follow to many blood trails which I dislike doing. I went back to using Sierra Prohunters, which are about as accurate in my guns, and haven't had to track anymore deer. I do have some accubonds loaded up for these rifles, but have yet to try them out on a deer.

[gd357]

Hmm... Almost forgot this one. A dozen or so whitetails later, I've seen everything from DRTs where they never heard the shot that hit them, to deer that made it out of sight. 30 to 300 yards, can't say that I've got a bad thing to say about them. They will create a bit of a mess up close and personal, but will certainly work. Rib meat is fairly nonexistent on whitetails anyway. They are extremely accurate, and that is what I love about them. Terminal ballistics can be a tricky thing if you get too wrapped up, and dead is dead.

gd

[Rocky Raab]

As in all things, you have to pick the right tool for the job. NBTs are designed for long to ultra-long range hunting where impact speeds are way below muzzle speed.

Using an Nosler Ballistic Tip in a magnum rifle for 50-yard shots is a lot like wearing a Dior cocktail dress to a calf branding.

[Ol` Joe]

As in all things, you have to pick the right tool for the job. NBTs are designed for long to ultra-long range hunting where impact speeds are way below muzzle speed.

Using an Nosler Ballistic Tip in a magnum rifle for 50-yard shots is a lot like wearing a Dior cocktail dress to a calf branding.


I agree!
Hunting wgt BTs and std cartridges such as the 30-06, 7-08, 308 go great together IMO on deer sized game. Start a Ballistic Tip with a SD of ~.240 and up at 27-2900 fps and you`ll bring home the bacon at almost any reasonable range. Run them at warp speed and you need a differently constructed bullet up close.