I only use ballistic tips in my .300wthby where I know my shot on deer stands a good chance at being anywhere from 100-400yds. The other year I popped one at 298 lasered that was quartering away and it passed through the whole deer diagonally and was found on the opposite fron shoulder as a lump under the skin. I've never had a problem with penetration on them.

Guys
I had some success today with balistic tips.I have a muzzle velocity of 3025fps+/-.At 150 yds they are just over 2800 fps,what is the magic speedd they must be flying at to expand properly and not frag or blowup on impact?I can't find the post that talks about this.
Thanks in advance Ruttinbuck

What calibre and weight are you using?

I throw 180 grain Ballistic tips out of my 30-06 at ~2850 fps muzzle velocity and have never ruined any meat. I have never had them fail to expand, even on shots that are hovering around the 300 yard mark.

Before the Ballistic Tip bashers get cranked up on this, let me tell you about my experience. I use a 150 grain BT in a .30-06 at 3000 fps for West Texas whitetails (not to be confused with the somewhat smaller Hill Country whitetails) and feral hogs. Performance on either species has been outstanding, and never lacking for penetration. You don't say which weight you are considering, but 150 grains up at 308/30-06 velocities will perform well on deer-type animals up to the size of carabou.

You're going to hear all kinds of horror stories about "fragmentation", "blow-ups", and "meat damage". Meat damage is the only issue that has any substance to it, but let me ask you this: Isn't it tissue damage that kills the game? That's what I thought. You can drill a deer through the lungs with an FMJ and it will certainly die after a while, but not, perhaps, within your range of capitation. Shoot your deer through the ribs and you won't loose a shred of meat to a Ballistic Tip, but the lungs and heart will be jelly. So what's the complaint?

My opinion is pretty much the same as that of Stonecreek. At the velocities that the 30.06 is going to be running, the Ballistic Tips will do just fine. Yes, they are a rapid expansion bullet, but you don't really have to worry about the blow up problems until you start pushing them excessive speeds like those generated by the larger magnums.

Sorry guys my oops.I am using the 165gr in a 300 winmag.I am getting the best accuracy at 3025fps.

I'd say you're in the ideal velocity range. Should be a good load on deer and other light skinned game.

we have worked the same load using RL19 in a buddies rifle of like caliber,..and even at closer range this year (200yds) the harvest was quick and not nearly as messy as some would have you beleive. I am a BT fan in every way...

In the Nosler manual they recommend Partitions at velocities over 3000 fps. At 2800 and below, you should be fine with BT's. I called Nosler a while back and they indicated that they expand well all the way down to 1400 fps, but I may have that last number wrong. It was a while ago that I called them.

RobertD

Ballistic tips will work at the speeds you are talking.

I can just tell you of everything I have seen, you will see more penetration at MV or impact velocities lower than 2700 fps. It also makes less of a mess inside at the lower velocities.

If you are shooting at 200 to 250 yds, MV at 2400 fps will give you a very good load.

Regardless of the velocity people will argue over the bullet will do the job, from 3200 fps down to 1500 fps.

We took a elk cow a few seasons ago that weighted about 650 lbs. It was shot at 175 yds broadside, with a 165 grain Ballistic tip. It went 40 to 50 yds, and was down. Penetration was thru the elk, to under the hide on the far side.
It had destroyed both lungs and the liver.

Muzzle velocity was only 2250 fps at the muzzle on a downloaded 30/06 for a 12 yr old.

I don't think any deer has ever hit 650 lbs.

Cheers and Good shooting
seafire

I drive 180gr ballistic tips out of my 300ultramags at 3350fps and after taking five elk and two moose with clean and quick one shot kills, I am pleased with the results.

Nosler's marketing of Accubond says that in some cases the BT is inadequate for hunting purposes, namely in the .375 space, and the heavy-for-caliber rounds.


I believe there are better bullets...

oh, say the NOSLER partition. for example... obviously nosler thinks they are better... they cost more

and, again, say, nosler, says there's a better bullet... go to www.midwayusa.com and have a look for .375 BTs.. they aren't offered...

then start looking in the 7mm and 308 space... and all the heavy for caliber bullets are ACCUBOND, not BT.... because why?


heck, shoot bt's while they last in hunting weights... The handwriting is on the wall, the accubond will be the replacement

jeffe

Put that round in the chest of a deer and it is yours. If you are within 150 yards or so avoid the shoulders if you like getting meat from them, but at that range picking your target should be no problem.

There is no single 'magic speed'. If you hit a shoulder bone they will lose a lot of weight faster then if you go through the ribs. Go through the ribs and only and get nice exit hole, minimal meat loss, and quick kill. No different from most any other cup and jacket bullet. Have fun!

Ruttinbuck,

I use the Ballistic Tips exclusively in all of my deer hunting firearms. Most of them are handguns, I will list the round, gun and velocity range used at.

Handguns:
270 Win
15" T/C Encore
140 gr Ballistic Tip @ 2700 fps

7mm BR
14.5" Rem XP-100
120 gr Ballistic Tip @ 2500 fps

7mm-08
15" T/C Encore
140 gr Ballsitic Silvertip @ 2600 fps

7.21 Tomahawk
15" Custom Encore
140 gr Ballistic Silvertip @ 2800 fps

7mm RUM
15" Custom Encore
150 gr Ballsitic Tip @ 2850 fps

338-300 WSM
15" Custom Rem XP-100
180 gr Ballistic Tip @ 2900 fps

All of these have harvested at least two deer and in the case of the 338-300 WSM, it has harvested 7 head of game in the last two seasons including hammering a +325 lb 4x5 mule deer at a measured 317 yards with a single shot. The bullet fully expanded and also fully penetrated leaving a very nice 3/4 inch impact hole and roughly a 1" exit wound showing very good controlled expansion.

As for rifles used on deer here goes:
25-06
24" Ruger
100 gr Ballistic Tip @ 3500 fps

7mm Rem Mag
24" Ruger
140 gr Ballstic Silvertip @ 3380 fps

300 RUM
26" Custom M700
180rg Ballsitic Silvertip @ 3400 fps

I have taken dozens of deer with each of these rifles before I started hunting exclusively with handcannons. All have harvested deer at ranges under 50 yards and all have taken deer from 400-500 yards.

I have never been unhappy with the results of the Ballistic Tip or Ballistic Silvertips performance on game at these velocities at any sane range.

Of course, with the new Accubond on the market, the 7mm and 300 RUM will be loaded with the 140 gr and 180 gr version of this new bullet just for added bullet integrity and penetration, not that I have ever had a problem with those things.

Good Shooting!!!

50

50
Thanks for the info.I was hoping to hear some good results.All bullets have exeptions and horror stories.I was originally going to the Baltip only to check my Tikka's accuracy potential, but I am now going to hunt with it.I have tried the accubond in 180gr,but only got 1.3" groups with IMR7828.I have some RL22 coming and will be trying them again.
Thanks again RB

Stick to deer and you'll be ok. Anything bigger at those velocities and it's a crap shoot. This past weekend I had the opportunity to see the results of 150gr BT out of a 308 on two 80lb hogs shot at approx 60 yards. The hogs died, so mission accomplished. Post mortem indicated penetration only through one lung with lots of meat damage ( no big deal to me)and frag damage to heart. The other one same indications. Lesson learned, not sufficient penetration on bigger animals unless you pick your shot and go for soft areas like the lungs. On shoulder shots (my preferred aim point) no way I'd use them on large hogs or anything larger than deer. jorge

I have taken dozens of animals w/ the NBTs. IMO it is one of the best deer-sized game bullets out. The BCs are great and the accuracy is outstanding. I have taken WT deer up to 240# at ranges as close as 10 yards. The bullets have always performed flawlessly and the animals dropped at impact just about every time.

Some say the NBTs don't penetrate, that's BS. I have shot through several large Whitetails and Boar hogs. The only two occasions that the NBT hasn't exited was on a 240# whitetail at close range (50 yards, 140 7mm RM @ 3210 MV) and a 500 pound Russian Boar at close range (150 grn 7mm RM @ 3100 MV). Both animals had perfect mushrooms under the skin on the far sides. The big boar dropped and the big WT only ran 25 yards. The solid base drives them deep and the plastic tip gives great expansion and devastating internal damage.

I have been on toooooo many Loooonngg sparse blood trails on game shot w/ Win Failsafes and Nosler Partitions. From what I have heard the X-bullets do the same. Most of the tough bullets are designed for very large game but, there are always those men that think you must shoot tough bullets on everything. I believe they really enjoy blood trailing game.


Good Luck!

Reloader

Reloader,
if i had posted the inverse of your post, you would be highly offended.

so, let's put it this way.. Nosler knows there's a problem with BT and they created a new product line to fix it... they already have premium TOUGH bullets, and want s premium thin skinned bullet...

Your expereince is "nice"... and, is you DIRECTLY infer that those who use other bullets like to follow a long blood trail...(which also implies both bad shooting and bad hunting ethics)


what do YOU do when there's NOT a blood trail from a BT that blew up? "Oh, i guess I missed"...

like using a 223 on deer, it's not within MY sphere of ethical conduct.

jeffe

jeffeosso,

First off, we are talking of bigger cals not varmint cals.

Out of all of the game animals I have taken w/ the NBT, just about every one fell at impact. The ones that didn't go down imediately had a blood trail so wide a blind man could have tracked them. The exit holes are massive w/ NBTs and SSTs.

Tough bullets make small holes in and small holes out which, results in sparse (if any) blood trails and very little internal damage. It seems that the tough bullets are lacking in the blood trailing department. I have helped several hunters look for game that were shot w/ tough bullets and most of the time we found very little or no blood. I fear that many hunters shoot game w/ tough bullets and when no blood is discovered they assume a "miss."

Deer shot w/ explosive bullets incur far more internal damage which results in quicker more humane kills and massive blood trails (If they move from impact).

Noslers Accubonds are not going to be the replacement of the Ballistic Tips. You will not find that in writing from Nosler. The Accubonds are great bullets but, they are intended for large, tough game animals. The NBT is one of the most popular game hunting and target shooting bullet on the market. They are not going to quit producing one of their most popular products.

Good Luck and Happy Trailing!

Reloader

Reloader,
let's be perfectly clear...

ACCUBONDS ARE REPLACING BTs...

you said "Noslers Accubonds are not going to be the replacement of the Ballistic Tips"

Sure, why not?

Now, go to midway, and look for .375 bullets...the 375 BT is no longer available and the HEAVY for caliber bullets in 284 and 308 are ONLY Accubonds...

So, here's a reality check...

if the BT's aren't made for a caliber, and accubonds are, does one NEED that in writing, or is just the fact that there's no BT (in 2 or 3 years) for hunting weight bullets going to be enough?

I am not talking about "varmit" weight bullets/guns, on my HORRIBLE experiences with BT... 150gr 284, 180gr 308s, and 358's 225gr...

these bullets SUCK on game... nosler knows it.. wake up and smell the coffee.

I can tell you don't have any expereince in the field with well constructed bullets.. and don't really care to learn about them... Partitians and barnes X bullets open at normal velocities... and don't really have a PRACTICAL maximum veloticy for a hunting bullet..

read the first chapter or so of the nosler book, where ric jamison talks about the bullets... and READ it...

oh well, no horse so dead you can't beat it to water...

So, please ask yourself... if BT's were so great for game, why aren't they the preferred off the shelf for premium hunting bullets? Cost? ah, but they are cheap... and cheaper than partitians... which ARE loaded ...

go figure
jeffe

jeffe

I think they are a prety tough bullet.
I load 180 grain balistic tips for my frends 300 win mag, and he has taken 3 or 4 Elk with the load. He has killed at least 25 Elk in his life and with everything from a 30/30 up to the 300, and swears the 180 grain B-tip is the way to go. ...tj3006

Well, I guess I'm just lying about the hogs I alluded to on my previous post. For hogs Fail Safes, Noslers and Xs are the way to go. Shoot ANYTHING in the shoulder with any one of those bullets and your tracking problem goes away. jorge

jeffosso,

You need to wake up and smell the Coffee!

NBTs out sale Accubonds multiple times over and they are "premium hunting bullets".

For your comment on my hunting experience, I have killed several animals w/ all diff kinds of bullets and the NBT has been the best performers so far. It seems that you are the one that lacks experience. Until you have that experience w/ several diff bullets and dozens of animals taken w/ each, YOU HAVE NO ROOM TO SPEAK!

ACCUBONDS ARE NOT REPLACING BALLISTIC TIPS! (can you read that?)

Bullets of 150 grains in .284 and 180 grains in .308 are plenty big enough for large game.

Base your replies on field facts and manufacturer's facts not your own personal assumptions.

Good Luck!

Reloader

One fact that many people fail to realize is that there have been several revisions made to the ballistic tip line over the years.As a result there have been several different versions of many of the sizes and weights of ballistic tips.The earliest ballistic tips were extremely soft but each successive version was toughened up to the point where the latest ballistic tips behave like an entirely different bullet than the first versions that came in the red and green boxes of 100.Many of the negative opinions toward ballistic tips are in fact based on those first bullets as many people stopped using them and have no experience with the latest versions.

You get him jeffeosso! What is wrong with this Reloader charater anyway, arguing with the likes of you! There are few at AR, or anywhere I would wager, with jeffeosso's experience!

ASS_CLOWN

i give up..

shoot what ya like..

jeffe

Jeffeosso.

I will be developing using the accubond in the future.I have 1/2 a box of them here and may try them again.They are 180grs and My Tikka really likes the 165gr.I have had some success with the Hornady BTSP in 165gr as well and I may try the 165gr interbond yet.I know from reading here and on other sites if you keep the ballistic tips at a 2900-3000MV speed in the magnums, alot of guys have had great accuracy and great expansion results from them.I also read that they {nosler} have changed the design of the Baltip from the early model.I hunt mostly wide open country so I am planning on mostly 200yd+ shots.

regards RB

I agree with reloader on this one. I have killed many, many whitetails at various ranges and never had a NBT fail me. I have used 125 grain NBT's in the .308 Win. and 165 and 180 grainers in the .300 Win. mag. Any deer that didn't die where he was hit left a blood trail Helen keller could have followed. Put that bullet behind the front shoulder and it turns the insides to jello. A whitetail is not a dangerous animal that has to be broken down by shooting them through the shouder. Put a good expanding bullet through the lungs and it will do the job.

Jacobite is right on the money FINALLY: put a bullet behind the shoulder on a deer and it's over. The insides turn to jello because the bullet fragments violently. But you have to pick your shot with larger animals, mainly focusing on the lungs and avoiding bone and gristle. The new NBTs were toughened up considerably, but even NOSLER does not recommend them for the tougher species and higerh velocities. IT is arguably the best deer bullet out there, but for anything larger, you are better served by other bullets. jorge

Remington corelock