This is just a one time result. My friend shot a whitetail deer 180 pound 8 point with a 308 win using winchester combined tech. black coat bullet 168 grain. The shot was at 45 yards and the bullet entered in the front of the chest and traveled the full length a couple inches below the backbone. The only part of the bullet recovered was the jacket no core at all but from the looks of the jacket it exspanded well. Total jacket core seperation.

Kevin,

Was the bullet used the Ballistic Silver Tip? The performance sounds like it. I don't believe either the Fail Safe or the Partition Gold would give that performance.

Tom

The COmb. Tech. bullet has a partition, so it's doubtful that BOTH cores would separate. I am also thinking this was a Win. Silvertip (NBT). How much of the jacket was left?

Dear fredj338,

There are three Combined Technology bullets and only one has a partition, the Partition Gold. The Ballistic Silvertip is basically a Nosler Ballistic Tip and it doesn't have a partition. Neither does the Fail Safe in the traditional sense but of the three, the performance discussed sounds like the Ballistic Silvertip.

Tom

Still the bullet showed good penetration. Even if the core and jacket seperate it doesn't mean it did not do it's job. Since it was recovered you have to say it performed perfectly, right?

Thanks T, I wasn't really thinking of the Failsafe as I can't imagine one coming apart?

The only 308Win 168 grain load that I can find in the catalog is the Supreme Ballistic Silvertip (#SBST308A), and that would be the Combined Technology Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet.

Regards, Bill

Bill I think you right on the bullet. Other than the jacket and core seperating it performed perfect. I would say about 80 to 90% of the jacket was recovered but no core and no traces of lead on the inside of the jacket. It looked like somebody just tipped the bullet upside down and the core fell out, of course we know that didn't happen.

I also use the Combined Tech BT in my .308 and .30-06. I have experienced similar performance with the 150 gr. out of the .308 win., but it was also less than 25 yds. I have also shot deer at 400+ with my .30-06 and the 165 gr. BT. The beauty of this bullet is that it shoots so damn accurate and expands at any range that you can hit with. The fact that you recovered the bullet tells you that it did it's job. I'm tired of people bitching about bullets that they have recovered "failing" I was taught the point of a bullet is to kill what you're shooting at, if you recovered the bullet, it did it's job, right? I'm not flaming on you, just expressing my opinion. You don't seem discontent, it sounds like you're reporting what happend. I shot two mule deer bucks last weekend with my .30-06, one at 100 yds, the other ran towards me and I shot him when he stopped broadside at about 50 yds. both were chest shots, the first double lung and a piece of lung fell out of the farside skin when we skinned it, the second was a heart shot, both had beautiful entrance and exit wounds, for my money, the Nosler Ballistic Tip or Combined Tech BT is the best light-skinned game bullet on the planet.
Yardbird