Thank You Federal!!!

[model 70]

finally, after a few years of wondering why federal can't get their heads together, they did it. they now offer a 130gr. nosler partition in .270win!!! i've been waiting for this for a while now.

it has NEARLY the same energy numbers than the 150gr. parition load(nothing really to worry about) but is a little better down range as far as drop. now let's hope my rifle likes 'em.

[model 70]

I should also add this,

why are some people "down" on nosler partitions? they seem like a great round for black bear sized game.

[rem 700]

Long range accuracy I would assume.

[Rocky Raab]

I suspect that a few shooters have read somewhere that Nosler Partitions are (allegedly) less accurate than some other bullets, and then they repeat that pearl of wisdom without ever having shot any of them. To be honest, even some gun writers are guilty of similar and erroneous gospel quoting; not all "knowledge" is factual.

It may even have been true at some point in time, but Nosler has made great improvements in the Partition over the years. Today's Partition is probably at least as accurate as most other hunting bullets - although some individual rifles might not reveal that.

I have part of a box left of some of the original lathe-turned, brass jacket Partitions - the ones with the relief cut at the waist of the bullet. I loaded and shot the missing ones. It's true that some of them were "flyers" and landed wide of the group. But it's also true that not one ever failed on a deer! I treasure the ones I have left.

[model 70]

do they really pass through a deer without properly expanding? is this more likely to happen at close or longer ranges?

[Rocky Raab]

M70, the front part of a Partition ALWAYS expands, at practically any range or velocity. But what happens then is what gets some people's eyebrows up: the bullet may lose a large amount of that front half. The lead just wipes off and the jacket peels back around the rear half of the bullet, leaving a small, almosy cylindrical slug. That small slug, however, usually goes right on through the deer.

That loss of the front is inevitable because if the lead is made soft enough to ALWAYS expand, it's not hard enough to hold together. It's a design tradeoff.

But when a hunter walks up and sees what seems to be a rather small exit wound, he thinks the bullet didn't expand at all (BTW, that's also why the same guys think Barnes bullets don't expand).

But they find that small exit on a DEAD deer!

[Jack]

Rocky is dead on, on all counts.
I'm old enough to have used a bunch of the old lathe turned Partitions. They aren't quite as accurate as the new design, in my rifles.....but, we're talking 1.5 inch groups for the old stuff, and smaller groups- as good as any other non match bullet- for the new stuff.
You will sometimes find, as Rocky said, a regular sized exit wound on a deer, if the partition has penetrated a lot, like on a quartering shot. You will find the exit wound rather easily- look on the ground right close to where the deer was when you shot
IMO, the secret of the Partition's success is , in part, that soft front- it always expands. Always. Always.
And the rear, partitioned off section always keeps going.
I've only recovered one Partition bullet from a deer. And that was after 33+ inches of penetration. The bullet destroyed a shoulder joint, too. The recovered bullet looked like the perfect ones you see in the ads.....

[model 70]

ok, well then that 150gr. partition i put through a black bears head at no more than 30 yards...did it expand and hit the animal with all 1500+ ft. lbs. of energy?

seems like on a narrow bodied buck, you would want a "softer" constructed bullet to expand fully, leaving 100% of the felt energy inside the body of the buck you're shooting.

[M.T. Pockets]

I've shot the Federal loads with Nosler bullets for 10 years in .300 Win Mag. Both 180 and 200 grain. Either round shoots as well as any factory round I've ever tried, I'd have to say the 180's shoot the smallest group of any round I've put through this rifle.

As for performance, I think the good old Nosler partition is an excellent all around choice. There are bullets that expand more violently, and there are bullets that hold together and penetrate more, but for just plain killing animals I think it is still the benchmark bullet that others compre themselves to. Mr. Nosler was ahead of his time.

I wouldn't worry too much about not expanding enough, the front part actually seems to open up pretty easily, even at close range on deer. The rear end will keep on going after the front end has lost a lot of it's original weight and usually out the other side. I have seen the rear portion seperate before if it hits something hard, and I'd rather it not since I like exit wounds. I also have to say that it really wrecked what it hit while it was breaking up, because I was quartering an elk at the time. I've used other premium bullets (Failsafes, Barnes-X, Trophy Bonded Bear Claws) and I can't say that I've noticed any better overall performance. I think that .270 round with 150 Noslers would be an excellent all around choice for that rifle. Devestating on deer and I wouldn't hesitate to take it elk, black bear or moose hunting. This is coming from a guy that shoots a .300 Win. Mag for everything on hooves. Good luck with that round.

[model 70]

and the 130gr. ones?

[Rocky Raab]

I really really really don't want to start a range war here, but energy does not kill. Period.

Blood loss, shock and interruption of nerve signals kill. If energy killed, then arrows would be nonlethal instruments.

That bullet you put through a black bear's head destroyed his brain or caused massive blood loss. That's what killed him. It wouldn't have mattered if the bullet stayed inside his skull, or if it was STILL going today. That bear died right then and there.

And for any other animal, it matters not if a bullet goes through both lungs and stops under the offside skin, or if it flies one more inch and falls to the ground - that animal has a hole through its lungs and it is about to die. It also doesn't matter if the thing that went through was a bullet, an arrow, a spear or a Harley. That critter dies of hemmorhage not shock.

[M.T. Pockets]

Just a respectful response, I prefer heavier bullets since I like exit wounds. Animals hit through both lungs can have a couple hundred yards legs under them yet, and an exit wound does help the blood trail significantly. An exit wound with a 130 grain bullet = an exit wound with a 150 grain bullet. I just think the sectional density of the heavier bullet will make an exit wound more likely with the 150.

I can tell you this. I'd rather use a 130 grain Nosler than a 150 grain "standard" bullet if I was looking for an exit wound.