I have a question about what most of you consider good bullet performance. A few weeks ago I used a 7mm STW laoded with a fairly hot handload of R22 and a 150 grain CT Balistic Silvertip to take a whitetail doe. The range was lasered to 268 yards, and the shot was across a wide open alphalfa field using a bipod.

Anyways, the doe was just slightly quartering away, the bullet hit about 4 ribs in front of the back rib, and traveled towards the far shoulder. The entrance wound was about the size of a quarter, but I did not get any exit wound, instead I had some minor bruising on the far side by the shoulder. Internal damage was massive. The stomach, liver, part of the heart, and even the lungs had holes of varing sizes in them. The doe dropped at the shot and never moved a muscle.

I didn't recover any of the bullet, but from the number and size of small holes in the various tissues I'm assuming the bullet came apart. I must admit that the bullet would still have been going a little faster than the reccommended 3000fps for a BT.

My question is, is this what you want a bullet to do? I had minimal muscle (meat) damage, and total organ damage plus an instant kill. A lot of guys are against a bullet not holding up real well, but it seems to have actually worked in my favor this time. What do you think good bullet performance is?

You can't argue with success but I think that you are pushing those BT's to the ragged edge.

Myself, I like an exit wound on a quartering shot but regardless I still do not like a bullet that blows up on a big game animal.

What could happen on your next shot? Maybe at something larger and more desirable!

My question is... Are you happy about that performance/would you use it again? I want an exit and entrance, but many people are on the flip side. I think the deer was satisfied, sure seemed humane.

I think it's exacty the performance that bullet was supposed to have. The BTs at great for shooting deer-sized game in the ribcage. I wouldn't use one on anything bigger or something that you REALLY don't want to lose, like a huge buck. Those guys don't always give you broadside or quartering shots at their ribcages...

The deer fell dead to the shot and you didn't damage any meat, sounds like the perfect kill
to me. You didn't have to track her so you didn't
need an exit hole for blood trail. I would stay
with that load even on larger deer. Most pass through shots I have seen will run a ways even with internal organs destroyed. I like it when they fall dead on the spot and no worrying about
someone else getting the deer or tracking for hours on end. One word of warning though, don't
try a shoulder shot with that bullet or you may
lose the deer. When BT's hit thick bone they often explode on impact with varying results. A
ballistic tip is just a hollowpoint with plastic
in the hole and hollowpoints don't penetrate like
a solid tip in most cases, and for that reason I
would use a harder bullet for game larger than deer. I have killed many deer with BT's and most of them didn't go more than 50 yards and that's
with the same kind of internal damage as you described. Just my 2 cents worth. BLR7 !

Lets be real here. The shoulder attachment is thin bone (and higher up out of the optimal kill zone), but the upper leg bone/joints which are more in the kill zone are much heavier. If on big game you choose a bullet that hits a "soft zone" (quartering or broad side rib cage) and the bullet disentegrates without pass through, you have limited yourself to "soft zone" shots. If you are disciplined enough to only take these shots and you are marksman enough to make them, then roll them over. However, with such a load, anything else is not ethical in my book.

I would slow the BT down a bit with a heavier bullet or use a different bullet altogether. I have not had a deer run further than 75yrds with a good (SST and/or BT bullet) passthrough lung shot. I prefer to not hit the heart since if it is intact it will pump blood (making for less bloody meat), I will have a heart to eat (yum,yum), I will not have destroyed a shoulder (again, yum,yum), and I think the animal will bleed out & drop faster. The blood trail from this kind of shot is impressive to say the least. If I have to take them through the shoulder, I am confident that the load is up to the task.

Deke.

Personally I like damage to the insides but an exit wound. I recently switched to Groove bullets and I am very satisfied with their performance. Here look at this:

http://www.groovebullets.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=736

This I consider perfect performance!

And accuracy to boot! The most accurate bullet I ever shot!
http://www.groovebullets.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=534

[ 11-14-2003, 00:10: Message edited by: POP ]

The deer dropped, that's good performance...

The REAL question is if it would be a good solution to all situations. For a mostly broadside shot on deer, clearly it is.

There are a number of people here that like the heavier Ballistic tips for moose and elk. Some of them have had great sucess, so I do not argue, but I'd prefer something a little tougher.

But for a small doe? A BT would be just fine.

I'm a whitetail hunter from PA, and have been using Nosler 150 gr ballistic tips in my .270 win for the past 8 years or so. I don't own a chrono yet, so I don't know how fast they're going out. I do load them near the max of the book specs powder wise. most of the deer I've shot have been in the range of 100-130 lbs.

Performance - it all depends on placement. this past season I shot a buck broadside at 75 yards. The deer took off running, I shot it again 75 yards later, and it went down like a ton of bricks. I flipped the deer over, couldn't find an entry or exit wound.

Gutted the deer. First shot - mid chest, 6" behind the front shoulder. 1 broken rib (entry), both lungs, liver, and aorta were severly lacerated (lungs came out in mushy pieces). This deer was running strong 75 yards later!

2nd shot - loins/spine just in front of the rear legs. Dropped like a ton of bricks. Runied the best meat.

There was no "blood trail" from either shot.

When I skinned the deer, I found both bullets (complete mangled jacket with some lead in the base) just under the hide opposite of the entry. This has been my general experience with ballistic tips - they don't come out.

I hit a doe at 30 yards once - she took off running like she wasn't hit, then dropped 100 yards later - there was nothing bigger than a square inch in the chest cavity, no meat loss what so ever. I flipped this deer over 4 times before I found the entrance wound. No exit wound, no blood trail.

I also shot a big buck in the neck from the front - the deer came off his feet and dropped on the spot.

Shot a doe at 150 yards broke both shoulder blades, bullet didn't come out. Deer was blown off her feet and dropped.

I once gut shot a buck, (this taught me to aim better) and trailed pieces and parts of intestines for 400 yards. In this case the bullet went through, leaving a 4" diameter exit wound. I have not taken a questionable shot since then.

In my experience, for whitetails, 150 gr Ballistic tips in a 270 are deadly. They are releasing all of their energy into the animal. they don't leave blood trails. You collect what you hit. Where you want to pick up the animal depends on where you hit it.

No matter what bullet diameter your shooting it should mushroom to twice it's original size, and retain 75% of it's original weight. The perfect bullet has yet to be invented, to many factors come into play after the bullet leaves the bore. The perfect bullet must do the job at point blank range to the farthest distance you intend taking any game animal and that is a lot to ask for.

Very high velocity bullets will often disintegrate on close range shots. On the other hand bullets with very heavy jackets will not mushroom at all on long range shots.

Jpothof,
In my opinion,your bullet performed perfectly,in that particular situation.
On the other hand,my 170 grain 30/30 Hornaday Interlock can be counted on to kill just as quick as yours,and also exit.(in the same situation)
I have the confidence that my bullet will perform just as well,even at a greater angle,and having to push through greater resistance.
With the greater power of your cartridge,I would expect better performance/penetration.
You are limiting yourself to broadside shots,only.
Maybe,if you,reduced your load(power),the bullet would hold together better.If not,you might consider a different bullet.
Frank

BTs are good bullets for deer & antelope w/ good to perfect placement. The problems will come up when you hit a leg/shoulder or hip bone. My friend, who was a guide for several years, has seen lighter weight BTs "blow up" on the front chest muscles of larger deer. If your happy, keep using them, but I think there are better bullets out there.