I've been a fan of Partitions for many years, still am I guess but have pretty well converted to X bullets the past few years. Especially for very large game and big bores as the newer .375 and .416 Partitions were stiffened up a couple years ago in order to hold up to the UltraMags (and no doubt to compete with Swifts and X's. Anyway the ones I've recovered show very limited expansion - but super penetration.
In the strange bullet behavior department I had a 400 grain .458 bullet fail to open last spring. I know it failed because I recovered it on the off side of a Brown Bear. Randy Brooks asked for it as well as the box in order to trace the source of that batch of copper. It was the first proven failure of an X I've seen. I also have partitions and Trophy bonded bullets recovered from game that also failed to open due to pinched noses. Still, todays bullets are the biggest improvement in armament since smokeless powder.

You are doing too much thinking, take Rick F's advice and try the North Fork bullet, you will not regret it. Good luck and good shooting.

Hhmmm, interesting story. Bullets do funny things from time to time. A lot can depend on the entry point, angle of entry, disposition of the game (calm / frightened...) water soaked hide, what my tea leaves told me this morning....
I once shot a fine 5 point bull elk as he peeked around a fir tree at less than 35 yards. I was armed with a pre 64 win 70 in .338 throwing 250gr noslers partitions. He was slightly angling towards me and all I could see was the head, neck and leading edge of the near side shoulder. I aimed as close to the tree as I could trying for the off side shoulder and hopefully the lungs. When I dressed him out I found that the bullet had clipped the bottom of the spine where it makes that big dip down in the neck and turned the bullet sideways (keyhole). That big bullet traveling about 2700 fps was stopped at the off shoulder and was squished flat! No big deal cause I still got the bull, but an oddity none the less. Another time I shot at a good blacktail buck moving through an oak thicket with a .243 and 95gr n/p. The buck went down so hard he bounced! I aimed at the chest at 25 yards or so and the entry hole was found in the neck and was the size of a nickle!! Wow! Found a manzanita branch had intercepted my bullet 1/2 way to the deer and fully expanded the projectile - it hit the buck some 18 or so inches from point of aim, broke his neck and left a caliber size exit hole....another blacktail at 100 yards stopped my 130gr n/p under the hide..full broadside, nothing hit but ribs and hide....a mnt goat had 2 of the same bullets go clear through and tear up the rocks beyond with similar hits. Darndest one of all was a little soaking wet blacktail forky I hit with a Remington bronze point 130gr screeming out of my .270 at a whole 35 yards. Blew an entrance hole you could throw my hat through - seriously ! No exit hole. Messy.
All dead, all went home. But funny stuff happens cause there are few controls in the field.
Those Noslers are danged fine bullets. So are the Barnes and a whole flock of others. Shoot what you have confidnce in and put em where they belong and have fun. Blacktail53

35Whelen, thanks for sharing your story.

I always hesitate to blame the bullet if I can't find the bullet, but if your Nosler did indeed strike the animal where you were aiming, then that is a strange one!!

I agree with you and Dave Scovill partially on the large mushroom limiting bullet penetration. I'm convinced that a large, rounded mushroom like this North Fork, or the typical Swift A-Frame for example, lowers the tissue "cutting" and therefore limits penetration. However, if a bullet opens and expands like the Brnes X is designed to do, with sharp petals that can cut the tissue, I don't think it limits penetration much. The North Fork did keep that nice long shank which I believe helps penetration, more specifically straight-line penetration.

Although the North Fork worked great in this instnace, I am also going to try the 225 triple shock as North Forks are not exported out of the USA, and are therefore a pain to get in Canada.