I have noticed a bunch of people saying that they are using premium bullets like the Nosler Partition for hunting game such as Whitetail and Antelope. This post is really more of a question about bullet performance witnessed in real hunting situations. I've used various soft nosed, hollow point, and ballistic tip type bullets because I thought they were more in line with the smaller bodied big game animals. I thought that the premium bullets were for animals on the largish side like moose and elk. My experience with the "softer" bullets is that they can damage a lot of meat if you don't place your shots well. I am wondering if partitions and such actually are a better choice for whitetail sized game. My impression has been that the smaller game wouldn't offer enough "resistance" to cause the bullet to perform very well and you'd basically end up just punching a hole in them. Most of my deer and hogs have been shot with a 7mm08 with 140 BTs and a 7mm mag with 150 BTs. The 7mm08 does the better job as far as I'm concerned. I've NEVER had a deer go more than 10 ft. after a shot from that rifle. The 7mm mag does an extreme amount of damage. I shot a large male bobcat once, I hoped to mount him, and the mag literally blew him in half, with only part of the spine holding him together. The mag has only put one DRT when shot in the body (I mostly shoot does in the head), and I haven't made a bad shot with it, yet. Most have run 50-100yds. I haven't lost any animals, and I'm happy with the performance of both rifles. I do however restrict the 7mm mag to head shots only on does or cull deer for meat conservation. Any suggestions? I was really thinking about working up a load with Sierra Gamekings.

quote:

Partitions are a great bullet for anything you want to hunt. The only difference between the partition and the balistic tip is the partition has a partition.

The front end of the partitions expand rather rapidly, much like a BT.

Can't go wrong w/NP's; they work great on predators as well as larger game.

Regards,
hm

Thanks guys. I do mostly use the 7mm08 for the whitetails, so 140 grain bullets are my choice there, but I think I'm definitely gonna work up a load with some heavier NPs for the mag. You never know when a long lost uncle who lives in Wyoming will call and invite you elk hunting.

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Most of my deer and hogs have been shot with a 7mm08 with 140 BTs and a 7mm mag with 150 BTs. The 7mm08 does the better job as far as I'm concerned. I've NEVER had a deer go more than 10 ft. after a shot from that rifle. The 7mm mag does an extreme amount of damage

Hi Daniel,

My view is that that bullets that fragment or shatter cause the most meat damage. The situation is exacerbated with loads that yield high velocity. The threshold strength of these conventional type bullets is very low and impact velcoties of over 2,100 fps progressively cause fragmentation and lead contamination in the surrounding wound track, far beyond what we generally think.

The 7mm-08 with a 140 gr bullet at 2800 fps MV still impacts at too high a velocity out to 200 yds. The 7x57 mm with say a 175 gr Swift A-Frame bullet gives far less meat damage when typically loaded to 2,350 to 2,400 fps, which then impacts down range at even lower velocities. So there is definately a case to be made to go with a bullet with better integrity than frangible non-bonded lead-core bullets. The 7x57 mm Mauser so loaded, is a dandy for the meat hunter. I have developed a load for my 7x57 with a 160 gr Rhino bullet at 2,460 fps that I am extremely happy with - 98% plus weight retention, intact petals at 17 mm (2.36x diameter)- that is a nice big hole through the heart.

These same frangible bullets that shatter do make antelope fall down in there tracks impressively when shot in the lungs from the side, as the lungs are shattered, but the negative of millions of lead particles is still there. This shot (the side-on lung shot) should not be used as a norm when we evaluate bullet performance, as there will come a time when you need to take an angled shot.

The extra money spent on a premium grade bullet imo is not wasted.

Warrior

I hunt whitetails with 3 rifles.
308 Nosler 125gr Bal.Tips
257 Roberts Sierra 100gr Game King SBT
250/3000 100gr Nosler Partition
My experience tells me that if you Keep the Bal. Tips under 3000fps they do not fragment so much. I killed a Florida 8point that weighed 130lbs and got 100% penetration.
I use the Sierra in the Roberts because it is the most accurate bullet I tried during load development. I have never been sorry.
I use the Partition in the 250/3000 as a security blanket. The 250 doesn't have the pop of the other two but I've never had a deer go further than 20yds.
In direct answer to your Question shoot whatever shoots well in your rifle, but stay away from match type bullets,
GOOD LUCK and GOOD SHOOTING!!!

I like NPs for any game hunting. I shot my first antelope w/ a 160grNP in my 7mm Dakota. It was the load I had worked up for elk. It worked fine, the rponghorn never took a step w/ a high shoulders shot, & there wasl little meat damage. NPs coem into their own when shooting high vel. magnums IMO.

For several years my standard bullet for the 308 was the 165 HPBT [they call it a Gameking now]. It is an excellent bullet. I even killed several antelope with it one at 550+ yards.

I have never recovered one.

I also shot some deer with the 165 Nosler Partition over the same owder charge.

On the typical behind the shoulder shot the Sierra seemed to kill a little quicker.

I used the Partition when walking deer up as I feld it would be better for a raking shot.

Lately I have shot a lot of deer and wild igs with the Winchester factory 168gr Ballistic Silvertip.

It works perfect as well. But now if I am walking them up, esecially pigs I use either a NP or a 165 Trophy Bonded Bearclaw.

My wife and I also shot a lot of deer with a 243 using 100gr Sierra's and 95gr Nosler Partition. Both worked perfect.

Always used the Partitions on mule deer.

You can never go wrong with a Nosler Partition.

They expand at a distance, stay together up close and penetrate deep.

Sorry about the late reply but here's the answer:

If you're not going to a very special hunt the NP will do what you want with the gun you bring.

I've shot mule deer with 286gr. NP's out of my 9.3x62 whilst out elk hunting and they worked perfectly. Exit holes were larger than with 150gr 270 NP's. I've also found that 150gr. NP's work extremely well on both mule deer and whitetail, they also kill elk well but not with the "Hammer of God" affect common with the 9.3.

IMHO, "premium" bullets are useful ONLY when pushing the envelope on a cartridges ability. That includes hunting white tail deer with a .243 but not anything bigger, certainly not needed with any .277 to .308 bullets.

BH1 rule of thumb (YMMV):

Deer:
1) MV equal to or less than 2800 FPS > Average cup and core bullet of choice (mine happens to be Hornady Interlocks). I tend to shoot as a "heavy for caliber" bullet that the particular rifle shoots well to maximize momentum. (180s in my '06, 175s in my 7 RM, 140s in my 6.5x55, etc.)

2) MV exceeding 2800 FPS > Nosler Partitions. If I shoot lighter bullets at higher MV (160s in 7 RM for example), I shoot Partitions.

Tough Game: Appropriate tough bullets.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
Lately I have shot a lot of deer and wild igs with the Winchester factory 168gr Ballistic Silvertip.

.

The Win. Ballistic Silvertip is a Nosler BT w/silver plastic tip according to Nosler Pro Shop. They do work well on deer, I just prefer the partitions. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks, I guess.

Regards,
hm

Regards,
hm

quote:

Originally posted by Warrior:
...The threshold strength of these conventional type bullets is very low and impact velcoties of over 2,100 fps progressively cause fragmentation and lead contamination in the surrounding wound track, far beyond what we generally think.

... but the negative of millions of lead particles is still there. ...

Hey Daniel, I'm a bit surprised no one has mentioned this ultra-leftist radical-liberal ignorance about Lead is Full-of-Beans.

The biggest destroyer of this total stupidity has been the lack of anyone being located by the ace USA Medical Evaluators, that has been Killed or even made Sick in the smallest way from Game Killed with good old Lead and Lead Core Bullets. They have worked for hundreds of years without making anyone sick and will do so as long as they are used.

No need for anyone to list the crack-pot links to Bogus Studies done by people who want to destroy Hunting and Shooting - they have all been proven False.

I don't need any stinkin' Politically Correct Bullets(PCBs).
-----

quote:

Posted by Daniel:
My experience with the "softer" bullets is that they can damage a lot of meat if you don't place your shots well. I am wondering if partitions and such actually are a better choice for whitetail sized game.

Actually any Bullet made can damage a lot of meat depending on where it makes Impact and the Impact Velocity. It takes a lot of effort to balance the Design Envelope of the Bullets we use with the size of the Game and the expected Impact Velocity. Even then, the results will vary.

Partitions are great Bullets and work perfectly most all of the time. Same can be said for good old Lead and Lead Core Bullets.

Best of luck to you.

quote:

I'm a bit surprised no one has mentioned this ultra-leftist radical-liberal ignorance about Lead is Full-of-Beans.

Ditto. Total nonsense.

Lead in it's solid form is NOT DIGESTABLE by animals and, therefore, is harmless to ingest. Many people have bullets left in them due to the difficulty in surgical removal. No one dies from it, or even gets sick, nor do their teeth fall out, etc.

The currently popular "LEAD!" scare is being brought to us by the same prople who brought us GLOBAL WARMING (after it was previously called GLOBAL COOLING!), Y2K, holes in ozone layers, asbestos, second hand smoke, radon gas, Alar on apples, swine/bird flu, clorine in drinking water, etc., etc.

Constantly frightened sheeple have too many things to get wild eyed over killing us all than I can possibly remember!

I think in your 7mm08 , and with the game you are shooting, the balistic tips and such shoul do fine for ya.
I would just pick whatever load is most acurate in your rifle.
Good bullet placment should drop any deer prety quick.
In your magnum, If you want to stay with a lighter bullet like a 140 or a 150 , I would go for a stouter bullet.
The Paretitions barnes tripple shocks, and grand slam speers should be great.
But I think a good choice for the 7mm Mag is the nosler 160 grain accubond.
I load for a frend who shoots the 7 mag and is real happy with that combo for mule deer and Rosevelt elk.
A good compromise to me are the Hornady interlock bullets.
Stouter than a balistic tip or a sierra , and lots cheaper than a partition.
Allways acuracy is king , but when you push a bullet past 3000, it needs to be a stouter bullet, to get good game performance.
...tj3006

quote:

Originally posted by Jim C. <><:
...The currently popular "LEAD!" scare is being brought to us by the same prople who brought us GLOBAL WARMING (after it was previously called GLOBAL COOLING!), Y2K, holes in ozone layers, asbestos, second hand smoke, radon gas, Alar on apples, swine/bird flu, clorine in drinking water, etc., etc. ..

Jim nailed it - same exact bunch of whackos when clinton was soiling the office. They also had eggs, milk, any meat, movie house popcorn and on and on Killing us each week. However, they never did say what "they" ate.

The same fools released a Study this past week that said basically if you eat "Blackened Meat"(aka Seared over high heat) that it will Kill you. So if you know any folks "Grilling" this summer, they are prime candidates for Burial Plots - if you only believe the "change". Pitiful!

Small caliber Partitions seem no better game bullets than good cup and core offerings like the Interlock or CoreLokt, and they tend to be less accurate. So why spend the money?

The small caliber Sierras are great varmint bullets but tend to come apart on game. I've had good luck with bigger Sierras like the 165 Game King in my .308s and the 300 Game King in my H&H. None better for making small groups and they seem to hold their weight pretty well.

I've had good luck with Ballistic Tips in my 308s (150 gr.), my '06 (150 gr.), and my 35 Whelen (225 gr.). Heavy for caliber cup and core bullets are fine for both accuracy and weight retention in both my '06 (200 Interlocks) and Whelen (250 Interlocks).

Premium bullets I like include:

• 7mm X bullets. The 120 is a favorite in my 7-08 and the 150 in the 280 and 7 mag. They fly good and make a nice wound path, but I've yet to recover one from deer or black bear.
  
• Partitions tend to be good mid weight bullets in my 30-06 (180 gr) and my 375 H&H (260 gr.) and 300 Partitions also shoot well in my H&H
  
• I've had good luck on heavy game with Trophy Bonded Bear Claws (175 gr.) in my 7 mag., but they are not particularly accurate
  
• Swift A-Frames are an excellent heavy game bullet in my '06. They are quite accurate, develop comparable velocities to 200 gr. Sierras, but are quite expensive.
  
• I'm still searching for a heavy for caliber set of bullets for the H&H that will give me similar trajectories out to 100 yards with both a bonded/monometal soft point and a solid
  

Agreed with Ratltrap.
I had poor performance with Partitions up close on deer using 7/08. Blew the tip off and 'pencils out' to a diameter not much bigger than .284. Game died but went a ways, shot through lungs. Been shooting Barnes X and TSX ever since.
Can't push them fast enough to fail. They don't ruin much meat and leave no lead residue.
I practice with Hornaday or Sierra but HUNT only with Barnes.

PS If you care enough...send the very best.