Lets cut the chase. There has been so much discussion and pontification amongst all the pundits about what bullet is the best and so on. So lets see what the world has to say, when you can only make one choice between:

1. Nosler Partition
2. Swift A Frame
3. Barnes
4. Other (you may mention your fav. bullet if it is not listed amongst these 3)

Rules:

1. You should have "personally" used all three bullets on a variety and range (size) of game, not just say on whitetail. Not because you are a lesser hunter than the next person, but we are looking for one bullet that performs across the board.
2. When stating your single choice, please specify the range of animals taken with this bullet. This is so others can benefit from your personal experience.
3. Feel free to add any other comments as well.
4. What cals. and bullet wts. you like to use is not important for this discussion. We are only looking for the BULLET MAKE of your choice.

Since I started it! I will go first!

My single vote goes to: Swift A Frame.

Animals taken: From Springbok and Leopard on the small, soft end to Zebra, Eland, Hippo and Buffalo on the tough, big end.

My comments: All the above mentioned game was shot with a 375 H&H. Despite it being a heavy caliber for the smaller stuff, where it is often thought a lighter caliber shooting a softer bullet is preferred. The Swift bullets expanded extremely well and the animals dropped in their tracks.
Shot Placement: For the most part all the above mentioned animals were shot in the right place

Ok guys and girls let the bullets fly..........

* To make it easy to read each persons choice at a quick glance, as I am hopeful there will be many responses, please mention the name of the bullet in the first line of your response so one can quickly see your choice and move on if they wish.

They all occupy a certain niche.

Nosler Partition. Why? Because they have worked extremely well for everything from smaller deer BT/WT,Mule Deer, Elk, Black Bear and Mtn. Goat. Cartridges from 6mm Remington to 300 Winnie.
Shot a deer with an "X" and a B.B. with a Swift. They did well too!!! It is just that I have used N.P.'s from the time when they were "turned". Got to say though, the newer N.P.'s work much better than the old "turned" style bullet.

Depends on the game Reddy. Some of these are too "tough" for thin skinned game (eastern whitetail) in some moderate velocity calibers. But in this class of tough soft points, I'd vote for the nos Partitions without hesitation. I also always liked the grand slams. Shot a black bear diagonally end to end with one in .270 . Very impressive!

If I had only one choice of bullet for North American game, it would be the Nosler Partition, hands down.

Ya point the rifle and ya squeeze the trigger. No need to make it all hard.

Terry

My vote goes to the Nosler Partition, especially the old ones turned on a key machine. The accuracy and weight retention have been outstanding for me. I recovered one from a Brown bear (my avatar) and weighed it. Initially 250 grains (338 WM) that weighed 228 grains when recovered and traveled over five feet inside the bear. It mushroomed over 200%. The accuracy of these bullets have been outstanding with less than 1" at two hundred yards from my rife. Currently, I have over 50 boxes of these old bullets. Do I like these old nosler? No, I love them!

No. 1 in my book is Nosler Partitions. Used them in 257 Roberts, 257 Wby., 30-06, 300 Wby., 300 Apex, 375 H&H. I have been using Nosler Partions since they were turned on key machine circa 1956. From Whitetailed Deer to Greater Kudu I have never had a terminal ballistics failure of a Nosler Partition bullet. They are not super bullets, they don't do it all. They will however, when driven within their design parameters, do what they say they will do, everytime! That's good enough for me!

For my double rifle I use Woodleigh Weldcore bullets and Hawk bullets. Woodleighs are tough and hang together and they won't harm my old English double rifle barrels like modern monolithic can. For thin skinned North American non dangerous game animals and pigs I use Hawk bullets in my double and 404 Jeffery. Hawks expand knock em down.

For expanding bullets, my choice is North Fork.

Driving bands mean less pressure, less fouling and excellent accuracy.

Lead tip with tapered jacket opens up at very low velocity.

Bonded core solid shank design ensures 98% weight retention.

Swift A frames, I have many bullets that I have been able to recover from Ak. Moose to Interior Grizzly to moose ---well you get the idea that have performed flawlessly. Calibers range from .30 cals to .375. have some North Forks loaded up in my .338-06 to down my spring bear-expecting the best.

My favorite expanding bullet is the North Fork.
It does everything well, accurate, expansion, and penetrates. What more could you ask for.
Thanks, Doug

By definitin, I'm not qualified to participate in this discussion. In 40+ years of reloading and hunting, among the bullets mentioned I have only used the Nosler Partition. Of course there's a reason that I have never used the other two, that being that I've never found the Nosler Partition lacking or needed to try anything else.

I've never used the Swifts or the Barnes. Never needed to. I've always had good luck with the Partition BUT....
My favorite is the North Fork hands down. It's my "go to" in the .338 Mag. and I wish Mike would bring them back for my .270. While Partitions have always performed well for me, I find that North Forks are more accurate, therefore:
#1 goes to North Fork and
#2 goes to Partitions
No need for any others for me.
Bear in Fairbanks

I consider the A-Frame, Northforks, and TBBC to be equivalent bullets.....pick the cheaper one and go hunting.

I will disquality myself as having never used the Barnes on game!

Of the ones you list I would go NP. I find the Swift a bit "hard" for lighter game & the Barnes, I just haven't had good luck w/ accuracy, but have just started playing w/ the TSX. One you didn't mention would be the NorthFork, also very good across the spectrum of game sizes.

reddy375 ----- I have shot all those bullets you listed extensively from Colorado to New Mexico to Alaska to Canada and I still have them on my reloading shelves, however I also have a better bullet ahead of them on those same shelves and that is the North Forks. I have now taken the North Forks to those places mentioned plus Africa and it shines above them heads and shoulders. With the bonded core frontal section that has always exhibited that perfect mushroom for me and my buddies (one buddy made a 418 yard shot with a 200 grain North Fork on a trophy 6X6 Bull Elk on East Marino Ranch with one of my loads for his .300 Ultra mag). The solid rear section will never go anywhere and the grooves alleviate barrel fouling problems. I just read a national magazine that had an article about the best bullets and it didn't even mention North Forks but it listed all you mentioned. Think Sierra Matchking accuracy with fantastic toughness, yet those perfect mushrooms. Just my .02's worth. good shooting.

Rhino's.. Hands Down..
AK

quote:

Originally posted by akrange:
Rhino's.. Hands Down..
AK

Want to buy the 9.3 Rhinos that I have for sale in the classifieds?

I don't know how you can pick a bullet until you pick a caliber and target.

I mean think about it, a simple Remington 405gr JSP coming from a 458WM makes a mess of most things. It even works on cars.
On the other hand, (although I like the 70gr speer) I can not think of a single bullet coming from a 5.56x45 that would work on a Grizzly Bear.

[URL= ]tsx bullet[/URL] Here is a TSX bullet I found in a mound of dirt/sand behind a 100yd target at the shooting range.The copper has turned dark brown in color and I don't know how long it has been there.Sorry for the bad pic(first time).

I like the Woodleighs in all calibers, Nosler partition in 30 caliber and up, Northforks and the GS custom bullets in 7mm and up, but I have not used the Northforks or GS Customs in the smaller calibers.

In the smaller calibers I like Hornadys, Rem Corelokt, Woodleighs, WW power points.

I do not like the swifts on smaller animals like plainsgame or deer, elk and antelope. (I do like them on Buffalo, but there are better choices)...I have seen too many deer, elk size animals make too many tracks without a good blood trail on ocassion. I contribute this to the perfect expansion, but that expansion is very smooth and round, and the effect is much like a ball in a muzzle loader IMO., When I complained to Swift about this they told me they had others tell them the same thing and would soon come out with a optional bullet that later turned out to be the Sirraco and it expands a little more raggedly I am told.

I don't really like Noslers on small stuff as they don't leave a good blood trail sometimes. I love them in 30 caliber and up.

As to one bullet for all things, no such animal.

I will Amend My Pick.. Failsafes in all Bore which they were made for. I shoot them in .284, .308, .338..
500 Grains: If you have any Failsafes which You don't want PM Me.. Let's Deal..
AK

akrange, You just got to drive them very hard for them to expand. Can anyone tell me why NorthFork doesn't make 500 grain bullets for the 458?

Atkinson,what would be better on buff than a Swift-A-Frame?

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:
akrange, You just got to drive them very hard for them to expand. Can anyone tell me why NorthFork doesn't make 500 grain bullets for the 458?

Too long for standard twists and would have a greater tendency toward instability and tumbling.

My kids and I only hunt Deer here in Michigan. We switched to Nosler Partitions after having problems with other bullets. Partitions are all we've used for 20 years, with good results.
No experience with the other bullets mentioned above, so no cmt.
If we were going for bigger game than Deer, we'd probably look into other bullets more appropriate for such animals as Brown Bear, or Eland, or...??
Partitions rule.

Don

500,which bullet do you recommend I shoot in a 458 lott? I think you once suggested the 480gr?? Woodleigh for the 458 Win Mag.

It depends on what game you are after. What will you be hunting?

buffalo

If they will function in your rifle, then the North Fork 450 grain Cup Point Solid is the perfect buffalo bullet. It offers very deep penetration but a much larger wound channel than a round nose solid.

If you insist on a lead core soft, then the North Fork 450 grain solid shank will be tops.

I just ordered some of the 450 grain cup point solids.

Shootaway,
Depends on the caliber sometimes. I love Noslers 400 gr. partition in the .416 Rem. but am not crazy about the 300 gr. Nosler partition in the .375 for instance.

In the .458 Win. or Lott, the Nothfork cup point is awesome, absolutly awesome..also in the 404, 416, 375, .470 and 450-400 on buffalo. The Northfork flat nose is a very good solid bullet, but nothing replaces/compares to the cup point.

In a straight soft point bullet for buffalo I still love the Woodleighs, they just punch BIG bloody holes in buffalo. Those ragged long wings ripsaw through the goodies and leaves a lot of blood on the ground.

In any of the big bores you could never fo wrong with a Woodleigh soft on top followed by Northfork cup points for buffalo or just use the cup points and keep life simple.

Other good bullets for buff are Northfork softs, Barnes X, GS Customs.

Shootaway:

According to the NorthFork website, Mike is unable to ship bullets out of the USA as he does not have the export license/authority.

Has this changed? If not, how did you order them?

RCG

Thanks, 500 grains,and thanks Atkinson.RCG,I'll tell you once I get them.I don't want to ruin anything with my big mouth.They will cost me a twice what you pay.