How do you guys feel that the Nosler Ballistic Tip Hunting bullet compares to the Accubond? I was trying to buy some 180 gr Accubond "seconds" but they seem to always be out of them. So I thought I would try the 180 gr Ballistic Tip Hunting bullets. If they shoot as well as the Accubonds I want to take them west for deer this fall. Thanks

The BTs work OK for deer. Any hunting bullet works well with deer!

Nosler Ballistic Tips & Accubonds shoot to the same point of impact for me. I shoot a lot of Nosler Ballistic Tips at paper… they tend to work well on deer and West Texas Goats they expand rapidly… if you need a more controlled expansion they are not a good choice…. But you can save your supply of Accubonds by practicing with Nosler Ballistic Tips

I swore off the Ballistic Tips after shooting a Pronghorn in the shoulder using a 140 gr. BT in my 280 Remington. It acted like I'd thrown a hand grenade at the poor thing, just blew up and left the right front leg dangling. I switched to the Partition and never looked back. I later used the 160 gr. Swift A-Frame when I went to Africa and no complaints about that bullet on plains game. I would suspect the Accubond to be better than the BT but, I heard from some of the forum members that they don't like any polycarbonate tipped bullets.

I like Nosler's Ballistic Tip and have used them since the old solid base went away. I have never experienced a failure with them, but must also say I don't use light for calibre bullets except in the .338 where all bullets are reasonably tough. There are no varmint bullets in .338 that I'm aware of.
In my experience the ballistic tip works best when driven about 2800 FPS, and my -06 has delivered excellent results on deer and antelope with Nosler's 165 grain bullet at this speed.
My plan is to load Nosler's new 200 grain Accubond in my 300 H&H this season and I'm doing so not because I'm unhappy with the ballistic tip, but because I'd like to take advantage of something new and promising.

My rule of thumb on NBTs is to limit impact vel. to under 2700fps. So if you are using a 30-06 you are probably ok from 50-400yds. If using a .300mag, I would think NAB.

My friend loves the Ballistic Tip because he wants the deer to drop in place. He sends his deer to a butcher and will never tell me about the extreme meat damage. Always use the heavy for caliber for better results unless you love bloodshot hamburger.

I agree with the guy who stated that deep penetration and contorlled expansion are the way ahead. I use 150 grain soft piont speer spitzers. the deer i generally shoot are fairly small roe bucks.At only upto 150yards or so. i tend to chest shoot mainly. The bullet always exits, the deer never run on. it is fired from a .30-06 with a fairly tame load of 46 grains of nobel #2 giving about 2850 fps. i can go up to 48 without pressure signs but this is less accurate.

I shot a fox in the neck with it from 220yards about 3 weeks ago so it is a pretty accurate load
(the fox was VERY DEAD)

If i was looking to use a new bullet i would look at the sierra pro hunters.

steve

Thanks I wish I could find a less expensive bullet to shoot as well as the higher priced ones. I am currently trying 180 SGK tonight and Sat. I am spending more time on the range than ever Thus I am spending more $$$.

Chain-
You didn't mention the specific calibre you're using so load advice is out of the question, however, I think you'll find the SGK a very accurate bullet. Time has taught me that the HP version offered by Sierra is the tougher bullet. On this same note, you won't hear a bad word about Hornady's interlock bullet either.

If all else fails to produce an accurate load, it's time to find a good copper sovent, check all mechanical issues, and start over again.

If your just talking about bullets for deer. Why you don't buy some Remington core-lokts of Winchester power points. They are fairly inexpensive and a good cup and jacket bullet. You can shoot bunches of them, and if your real concerned about sub MOA accuracy you can individually weigh and sort them.

I have gotten away from controlled expansion bullets on deer in normal weights. ie 130gr in a 270. I feel that they just aren't needed on deer. But I am going to try the light for caliber 110gr Barnes TSX this year in 270 and I have extensively used Barnes TSX bullets out of my 22-250 for deer the last couple of years.

I have had a couple of bad experiences with BT's on game in two different cal. both over 3000 at impact blew up on the shoulder or ribs. I think Accubonds will hold together like a partition even at high speed.Accubonds are absolutly the most accurate bullet in my 7 RM.

The rifle in question is a 300 win. It shoots Accubonds well, I just recently shot some 200 gr Triple Shox well, I can't make it shoot Interlocks, although I haven't spent alot of time with those. Like I said I am going to the range more and it is costing more. I have some Parition 2nds coming this might be my one load does it all load. I was pleased with the 180's last time at the range with some H 1000. If I can b uy the 2nds I will be all set. Thanks

FWIW, Nosler has redesigned the deer Balistic Tips four times since they were introduced. All of the 30cal down hunting bullets were designed for deer. Last year, because customers were using the 180gn for bigger game, it was redesigned with a thicker jacket. It may or may not, now, be too tough for deer. I prefer the 165 for a deer bullet, have you considered it? It is perfect for deer at muzzel velocities under about 2900fps. capt david

I haven't tried that weight very much, my rifle seems to like the heavier bullets. I have shot a few 150's and 165's with mediocre results.

A 180 grain Nosler Ballastic Tip will kill any deer on the Planet Earth from any angle PERIOD. When they start wearing 1" metal armour, we can rethink our bullet choice .

The 180 NBT is actually much tougher than some give it credit for. Chain, if you ever get a chance, grind each (180 NAB & 180 NBT) for a profile and see how close they really are w/ the exception of the bonding of course. The 180 NBT has a pretty thick jacket and a verythick base.

Some may argue they're a bit too tough for small deer.

If your questioning the penetration of the 180 NBT, shoot a few into 6" hardwood saplings and form your own opinion.

Too many folks try the lightest NBT they can find at extreme speeds and shoot 1 animal to form their "NBTs are crap" opinions. I prefer to shoot a pile of game w/ a bullet before I downgrade them. IMO if you go w/ NBTs, just buy the heaviest made in that caliber to load and you'll be well pleased on medium game.

Good Luck

Reloader

In my experiance is does matter what the bullet construction, impact velocity and dimensions are on deer.

The .308 180 Ballistic Tips now have a heavier jacket and may not expand well if, on impact, they meet little resistance.

I would forget about Nosler seconds as they are false economy.

I find that Accubonds and Ballistic Tips shoot the same but the BT's don't penetrate nearly as far. This can be good or bad or not matter.

Buy some 165 BT's and if they shoot well then get some 165 Accubonds and hunt with those.

99, Have you had problems with Nosler 2nds? I have heard that they work well. Thanks

I disliked the stains, scratches and mis shaped meplats that I see on them. They are over priced too. Just compare the prices to first quality and the spread is small.

I was shooting some rifles with them when I got a bunch of the seconds and the groups were not all that good. Now most of the time it's the gun but I questioned the bullets.

It's not worth even thinking about them. For that matter Hornady and Remington bullets have way too much junk in too many boxes.

Regular Sierra's and Noslers are superb.

This makes no sense to me. I find myself askng, why a ballistic tip on deer sized game??? I just don't get it. What am I missing?

Are you guys not finding adequate expansion from a soft point round nose, or even a cup and core BTSP?

Seriously, I'm asking bc I've never shot a ballistic tip at anything I was going to eat. It seems to me that you're compromising penetration for expansion. I can get both with a gameking or prohunter - again on deer sized game. If I want more, move up to an interbond, interlock, or even a TSX. All of these will without question penetrate until the cows come home, expansion is great too. So why shoot a bullet that will expand like the dickens and most likely penetrate, but not ALWAYS.

Are those of you who favor this bullet design more concerned with expansion than penetration? I don't want to argue or debate which is better, just trying to understand the rational behind using this bullet design. Is their niche in smaller caliber rifles that may be marginal for the game you're chasing? I guess I could kinda see that. You'd want as larg a wound channel as you can get. Then again, what if you hit hard bone with this pairing? Some are saying that they're tougher than you think and will penetrate raking shots. Again, this doesn't make sense to me. There is no magic bullet or caliber. You can't have it all. This appears to be a frangible bullet. This is further supported by the previous advice on choosing the heaviest BTip for your cal. Is this so that it is "tougher" and will penetrate? If that's the case, aren't you just adding weight (to yield penetration) to componsate for bullet design? What's the point???

I am a hunter first and a hobby shooter second. I have much to learn and love to play around with "the latest and the greatest." This is just one trend that I can't understand, even on light game (WT deer) it just doesn't make sense to me. Someone please explain it.

In the words of the great rocker J Morrison "Break on through to the other side." If a bullet can't do that 100% of the time on deer sized game.... Perhaps I over emphasize penetration....

quote:

Originally posted by chain:
How do you guys feel that the Nosler Ballistic Tip Hunting bullet compares to the Accubond? I was trying to buy some 180 gr Accubond "seconds" but they seem to always be out of them. So I thought I would try the 180 gr Ballistic Tip Hunting bullets. If they shoot as well as the Accubonds I want to take them west for deer this fall. Thanks

BT's have proven accurate for me. But I would NOT use them on anything bigger/tougher than a mulie......

BT's and accubonds should all go in the same hole when they are fired, and if i remember correctly chuck pritchard from nosler said that u want bts under 2900 or 3000 fps, forgot what one it is.

quote:

Seriously, I'm asking bc I've never shot a ballistic tip at anything I was going to eat. It seems to me that you're compromising penetration for expansion. I can get both with a gameking or prohunter - again on deer sized game. If I want more, move up to an interbond, interlock, or even a TSX. All of these will without question penetrate until the cows come home, expansion is great too. So why shoot a bullet that will expand like the dickens and most likely penetrate, but not ALWAYS.

NimrodRx,

Since you have not used them on anything, I'm assuming you've only heard false rumors about NBTs.

Let me share some facts.

I've taken and witnessed piles of whitetails and hogs that have fallen to NBTs and none of which have ever failed to do a spectacular job of taking the game out on the spot or very nearby. Almost every intance was a complete pass-thru w/ very few stopping on the off side when raking shots were made. If you grind a 180 NBT down for a side profile a think you'll find very quickly that they have a much thicker jacket and base than any of the cup-n-cores you've listed above in your post. I've actually had better penetration w/ NBTs vs some of the bullets you've listed above and I will place a NBT grain for grain against any of them listed in the penetration and accuracy department any day of the week. Don't be fooled by false information and rumors of the horid NBTS .

W/ an NBT much like any other cup and core on the market, you must choose an adequate weight. I prefer to choose the heaviest NBT produced in each caliber most of the time. W/ those, I've never experienced a problem on game. The other plain cup-n-cores you've listed work fine on game as well but, I can assure you they are no better than the NBTs by any means. If an NBT will not do the job right, you need a partition or better IMO.


Good Luck

Reloader

Must be getting close to deer season, cause here is another BT thread.

FWIW, I use 150 gr SST's for my .308. Never had any "grenades" or over kills.

nimrod - i think you're confusing the issue with polymer tips.

polymer tips used in varmint bullets make for frangible bullets. that's fine when your kill zone is 3", and you want uncontrolled expansion. maybe those types of bullets are used on deer - hope not.. my guess is that if they are, its the lighter calibers - .243, etc, and they are mistakenly used.

polymer tips with a bullet like the 30 cal interbond are designed for controlled expansion, i assume, not frangibility (is that a word?). in reality, they probably get a better ballistic coefficient. however, i'm dubious about their ability to promote controlled expansion, anymore than any other properly designed bullet tip.. they look nice, anyway.

reloader, i don't think nimrod was trying to state that a cup and core bullet would perform better than something like a nbt. only that there's bullets that expand just fine without plastic tips.

Harvester, thanks for the clarification. I don't know if "confusing" is as accurate a term as "associating." Yes, I'm guilty of doing so. Heck, just hearing the word "ballistic" conjurs up all sorts of images. And yes, I have never taken game with a BT. Just thinking out loud.

I'm a big fan of the interbond that you mention (for more reasons than it's pretty plastic tip. The ability for the bullet to retain weight, not fragment, and penetrate in a deep straight line is what impresses me. Perhaps a NBT does the same? Is it a bonded bullet of some sort? Honestly, I'm asking because I don't know. My understanding is that the polymer tip promotes expansion, not complete frangibility (nope, that's probably not a word That's what I can't wrap my head around. Outside of solids and some of the Barnes bullets, I've never had (nor heard of) a problem with bullets not expanding when driven at the speeds they're designed for. Now, penetration and weight retention, sure.

So... If the BT penetrates just as well as a cup and core and isn't too highly frangible, then what am I gaining over a cup and core, say a Game King? Your statement that if a NBT won't do the job, then you need a partition or better seems valid to me and makes perfect sense. In fact, I would say the same about the Game King.

Look, I'm not opposed to spending money on premium bullets for hunting. I've shot Barnes Expanders in my ML for years and have just started to expirement with their new TSX bullet in my '06. I do believe that these bullets offer an edge over some of the traditionals and I'm willing to pay for that. Will I ever be in a position to cash in on that edge in the field? Who knows. I'd probably be as far ahead sticking to the Game King or my previous fancy the Interbond.

I know this is mostly speculation and I'm just getting a little punchy waiting for the Oct. 1 opener. It's been a long summer and I'm running out of things to pass the time with until I can get in the field. Not trying to pick a fight. Heck, maybe I'm just fishing for a reason to play around with the Nosler BT next summer. I want to have a good come back when my hunting buddy starts busting my ba!!s for splashing out on another premium bullet again next year

quote:

So... If the BT penetrates just as well as a cup and core and isn't too highly frangible, then what am I gaining over a cup and core, say a Game King? Your statement that if a NBT won't do the job, then you need a partition or better seems valid to me and makes perfect sense. In fact, I would say the same about the Game King.

NimrodRX,

Yeah, I'd say they were about the same too. I can only think of about 3 reasons that I prefer the NBT to the GK, some of my rifles will shoot the NBT more accurately than the GKs, the tips on the NBTs don't get deformed from the normal rigors of loading an unloading while hunting, and another plus is the NBT has alittle better BC. If my rifles shot the GK better, I'd be hunting w/ them most likely.

On the Interbond note, the Accubond is very similar to the NBT in design. It has a slightly thicker jacket and a Bonded core like the IB which is definitely a plus if you are looking for a little tougher bullet. If you like the Interbonds, you'd probably like the ABs. The ABs have been very accurate in almost every rifle I've tried them in. I can't peronally comment on the IBs because I haven't shot them based on the negative reports I've heard on several occasions about their poor accuracy. I know I need to check for myself but, I just hate to waste money on a box when I've heard so many say they couldn't get them to shoot well.

Have a Good One,

Reloader

nimrod - i think you've hit it..

"Outside of solids and some of the Barnes bullets, I've never had (nor heard of) a problem with bullets not expanding when driven at the speeds they're designed for. Now, penetration and weight retention, sure. "

some of the premium bullets are tough enough these days to require something to initiate the expansion, get it opening.

i think with a conventional bullet design, the polymer tip would almost inhibit expansion to a degree - its my understanding that fluid and flesh initiate the hydraulic action that causes expansion in a conventional bullet - a piece of solid material would inhibit that hydraulic action. whereas with a tough, premium bullet, the fluid and flesh is not sufficient to open it up, and therefore, it requires that you drive a hard piece of material back into the bullet for expansion..

at least, that's my understanding..

I've had great success with Nosler BTs on all North American big game animals (all dead in their tracks), except I haven't hunted big bears with them. For the latter, I'd select the Nosler Partition, if I ever get a chance.

I use NBTs with at least a sectional density(SD) of ~0.24 for deer and a SD of at least ~0.26 for elk or moose. In my opinion, Coues deer and antelope require even less of a SD, that is ~0.20 and above.

I've found the Nosler BT to be the most accurate hunting bullet available, although the Sierra GK is a close second. This inherent accuracy and high BC makes the NBT a very good choice for long-range western huntng.

Finally, Nosler BTs are very forgiving in reloading, producing consistent PSIs and velocities. Reloading the "hard" bullets (i.e., Barnes and the like) to maximum is a bit risky and results less predictable. Moreover, the "hard" bullets may not open-up and pencil through the animal, hence potentially leading to a lost animal.

Thanks guys. Informative, without the "my bullet is better than your bullet BS" that so often surrounds such posts.

I learned something.

Good Hunting!