I've been shooting 130 gr NBT's out of my .270 lately because I get awesome groups with them. They work plenty good on white tails where the norm for me is neck shots. I did shoot a deer at just over 300 yards behind the shoulder last year with them and the bullet performed perfectly. It exited and the deer only made it 10 yards with a very large blood trail leading up to it.
I do have to say that the NBT confused me just the other night. I was calling yotes and shot one in the neck at 185 yards. Of course this shot ruined it's night, but when I got up to the coyote, it had about a 6 to 8 inch hole where it had exploded. There appeared to be no exit wound. I'm shooting Federal premiums loaded with the NBT's, and I'm not sure what kind of velocity I'm getting out of my 22" barrel, but it was a little bit shocking to see on that yote. Maybe I hit the very tip of the shoulder up close to the neck, but it's not like a small yote is a super heavy duty animal. Who knows...maybe I had a dud bullet on that shot...

I Won't use them again. I shot about 6-7 springbuck with them this spring in Africa. The results were: animals were blown in two, Shoulder blown off and some really ugly holes. I felt bad about the wounds so, I switched to a 223 with Fmj for the rest of the hunt. Now... I was Using a Magnum rifle...I think going slower they would have been fine...I won't use them in a magnum in the future.



Urdubob

For those of you who want to complain about what is wrong with someone elses equiptment," using a mega magnum at 30-30 ranges", what do you care. One deer, one shot, on carcus= sucess. I normally hunt where shots over 300 yards are the norm. I was on the escape route of a drive and this deer suprized me showing up were it did. Next time I'll go home and get a little dinky 30-30 before I shoot. I'm not really worried about damage, since I don't really care for entreals. The front shoulder, if it would be hit, is only good for jerky and ground meat anyway. To each their own. I wasn't complaining about the hole, but rather bragging.

The replies are correct. Too much velocity a 7mm 08 or 7x57mm would have produced better results. I grew up in PA and lived in the middle of the Rolling Rock Country Clu. Now in New Mexico that STW would have a place but a 6.5x55 handles all the chores out here.

Sure sounded like you were complaining to me. I see a lot of guys (at the range) that think they need at least a 338RUM for 75yd and under whitetails.
I use the 150gr BT's out of a 30-06, and shoot the same kind of ranges you do. When they (deer) surprise you up close the BT does do some awesome dammage.

I agree. The strange thing is that another buddy took an identical shot on a much larger muley (200+ lbs.) two years ago with his .308 loaded with 165 BTs at 2,760 f.p.s.

Would you believe that bullet went all the way through and exited out the front of the chest, literally spraypainting the foliage red for 10 feet in front of that deer?

Therefore, only thing I could conclude about that Texada Island fiasco is that it must have been my shooting angle which directed the bullet out toward one side. I've personally put one of those 165s diagonally through a whitetail, from behind the shoulder to the hip on the other side, so I know they penetrate well and pack a hell of a wallop.

Yea, I'd say they are a bit explosive. This is what the varmint BTs do on a coyote at 406yds when you place one too far back!



MtnHtr