If an expanding bullet is under consideration, consider hammer bullets.

https://hammerbullets.com/product-tag/375/

always in stock, great folks to deal with, and damn deadly.

their design is trying to get the best of both worlds of monometal and expanding. the 4 petals are designed to break off creating separate wound channels, with the shank continuing on (70% or so) for penetration.

You can also email Steve about any particular experience on DG and load info, he's quick to respond usually.

The hammer forums as well as lots of discussions over on LRH would be good places to find info as well on the bigger bore hammers.

Reloading International has Northforks 300 and 350 grain in stock in 375

Folks are condeming a Nosler for shedding petals in the 375! others are raving about a new designed bullet that sheds its petals and setting the world on fire, welcome to the contridictory world of the internet!!

I can only assume, God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy!

ALL OF TODAYS BULLETS ARE GOOD ENOUGH..

What is up with Nosler? They haven’t had Partitions in stock for eons.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Folks are condeming a Nosler for shedding petals in the 375! others are raving about a new designed bullet that sheds its petals and setting the world on fire, welcome to the contridictory world of the internet!!

I can only assume, God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy!

ALL OF TODAYS BULLETS ARE GOOD ENOUGH..

Misses the point. The problem I've had with Partitions in the past is due to the rear of the bullet not being bonded to the core. I've had several where the front sheds as designed, but the troubling part was the back end completely came apart as well. I recovered a few Partitions in that state from moose and caribou out of my 340 WBY.

With the CEB bullets, the front pedals shed but leave a 100% solid brass back end for penetration.

It's this difference ... the brass back end that drives like a solid vs the potential disintegration of the non bonded rear on the Partition ... that sways my preference toward the mono metal design. I've come back around to the Barnes TTSX however, although I do still shoot the CEB in my 9.3x74R double as I've developed a great load for it.

As to the disintegrated Partitions on my moose and caribou, yes, it killed the animals, otherwise I wouldn't have recovered them. BUT ... on something like a buffalo or brown bear, I don't want the projectile to disintegrate. I want expansion for sure, but want the bullet to retain enough mass to penetrate deep into the animal.

The Partitions I’ve recovered have looked pretty gnarly from time to time, but they have never failed.

I would use them on anything needing an expanding bullet, but nowadays I am a Barnes TSX man when it comes to buffalo.

I still use 150g Partitions in my 270 Win and 270 Weatherby. For North American game short of Alaskan brown bears they leave little to be desired. In my 375 Weatherby I use 300g A-Frames at 2800 fps. In my 500 Jeffery I use 570g TSX's at 2300 fps. All great bullets when used for the game intended.

For elk and bigger TSX or TTSX for sure or similar monos.

For softer game…Partitions are a good choice.

I don't think I missed the point, are some here not aware that the cause of petals coming off is the bullet turns over at the last minute in 99% of the cases..None of these DG bullets in question lose penetration "on contact" to start with, this petal business comes about in the last few inches of penetration and comes to rest on the off side hide or leaves a exit hole.. Ive seen many monolithics sticking out the hide off side butt first..

I don't understand the thinking that a Nosler sometimes blows the front end off or some petals anyway and its a villian and I will add, AS DOES ANY MONOLITHIC, you can't have it both ways, both work the same and get the same results..the rest it utter BS..

Because loosing the petals still leaves you 90 percent weight with no harm to inertia and momentum driving the bullet.

Losing over 30 percent weight that a partition does harms, lessons penetration that is much needed on large species as identified by Dr. Robinson who has more experience than any of us.

There are such better bullets from Swift, Norfork, Bonded Bearclaw, TSX, and even Weldcores the juice is not with the squeeze to use partitions in this application.

I like the Accubond, but I would not use it on big bears after shooting a cow elk and Big Red Stag with it, which it did fine. Lost 30 percent of its weight, lodged against the hide, and made big holes on both sides after not hitting heavy bone. The Partition acts very similar.

Now some people think the Nosler Partition after loosing the front should penetrate better than an Aframe because of less drag once the nose is lost. I do not because of inertia and momentum loss.

For expanding bullets I only use Swift A-Frames. No problem no worries.

In 2003 I shot 2 cape buffalo in Zimbabwe.

Both were broadside. The first shot on both was broadside through the lungs/top of heart with a .375" 300gr Nosler Partition(MV+-2550fps).

Both bullets were found INSIDE the ribcage against the far side. Neither bullet had enough remaining momentum to penetrate the far side ribcage.

As far as penetration goes, that is about as borderline as you can get.

Partitions are generally great bullets, but the 300gr .375 is on the "too soft" side for buffalo, as far as I'm concerned.

On a side note: whenever this discussion comes up, people start talking about partitions in general, or about the success they have had with them in other calibers. When we are discussing the 300gr .375", the performance of partitions in .338/.416/.458 is meaningless to the conversation, IMO.

Having broken both shoulders on buffalo with that bullet and killed them with double lung shots I also agree this blog is worthless, brain shots that took out the brain and 8 inches of neck and vertabre..amd calling a bullet soft because it stopped on against a buffalo rib after full penetration is not failure or anything near poor penetration and it killed..

I will add that buffalo ribs are different thann any other animal that I know off, inasmuch as they over lap each other, and offer way more resistants' to penetration of any kind. Penetration has never been the problem with the 375 H&H, it has as much penetration as any big bore and more than most..Ive seen an so have most knowledgeable PH it get complete penetration of an elephants head.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Having broken both shoulders on buffalo with that bullet and killed them with double lung shots I also agree this blog is worthless, brain shots that took out the brain and 8 inches of neck and vertabre..amd calling a bullet soft because it stopped on against a buffalo rib after full penetration is not failure or anything near poor penetration and it killed..

Ray, I am going to ask you: How many buffalo have you actually killed with a .375" 300gr Nosler Partition?

I ask because I know that you have killed a lot of buffalo, but I also know that you like to use many different cartridges and many different obscure bullets. So I wouldn't imagine that you have a very large body count using this combination.

I never used the word "failure". If you really believe that a bullet that stops INSIDE the ribcage on a broadside shot is not "anything near poor penetration" I would have to disagree with you.

Both of my recovered bullets made it through the vitals but failed to even penetrate into the far side ribcage.

And you consider that good penetration?

What if the shot had been a quartering shot that required more penetration than a broadside shot?

If, as you say, the 300gr partition is not "too soft" then why do you and others recommend reducing velocity to increase penetration? It sounds like you are trying to work around a bullet that is obviously too soft for the application.

But I am interested to know how many buffalo you have actually killed with a 300gr partition in .375....

Correct you are Jason.

A few years ago, I shot a buff bull with a CEB Safari Raptor. I hit the bull just behind the point of the shoulder as he faced me quarter on. The petals shed inside the ribcage and we located the remaining solid shank just under the skin on the opposite side, near the anus.

That's full length penetration AFTER the petals shed. On buffalo, THAT's the type of penetration I want.

I’ve had multiple PH’s tell me not to bring Nosler Partitions for buffalo.

I’ve used them in smaller rifles (.350 on down) and never had an issue with them, although after shooting an eland with my .30-06, I decided that the 06 is not an eland gun. It worked, but when the finishers require multiple shots and don’t penetrate through the chest, it’s an issue- although my take is the .30-06 is marginal on eland. Should have used my .375.

JBrown,
Im not real sure but it was my go to bullet in the 375 for years, and I probably shot at leat 5 or 6 bulls with it..I would then have to ask you the same question..by your own admission you you state your Nosler passed through the "vitals" and stopped on the rib cage??? that suits me??

I might add that Ive had that same happpen to me with a number of big bores, and in fact Ive had a 416 stop on the off side skin of an IMpala and a 450-400 stop on a blue Wilderbeast, it happens quite often as a matter of fact..Barnes had the same happen with his early X bullets, yet the killed. He discusses that in his reloading book.

You have picked a situation that happens often and in fact is preferred by many in that they state the bullet expends all its energy within the body and not in Dar ES Salaam..I have had both no exit and exit, both killed in every case, and the only advantage is an exit usually gives you a better blood trail but not always,as that depends on bullet placement..

I would think your complaint is with the 375 as opposed to the 300gr Nosler..Its a great caliber and I used it a lot and had but one incident that concerned me, the 300 gr. bullet of WW slipped on a frontal shot and went between the shoulder and the rib cage down the rib cage under the skin an exited out the flank doing little damage, the follow up shot broke the spine and was lost in the vitals, but killed the bull, I can name a number of kills that didn't faill but were questionable with my 404, 416 and even one with a 470 and a 458 Lott..All this stuff comes to light over the years and one learns most of it is usless information and all bulllets fail partially or completely at one time or another..but all of todays bullets are the best we have ever had and those incidents are rare and in your case did not fail.

Thats my story and Im sticking to it! The 375 and the 300 gr. Nosler have dispatched many buffalo and will continue to do so..

416 Rigby, 350gr Barnes TSX recovered from my last buffalo. 99% weight retention. That's what I want in a dangerous game bullet.

THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I have a shoe box and an ocean shell full of recovered bullets, many are Noslers from game of all sizes, mostly buffalo most Noslers form a mushroom a few blow the front off, so that tells me some have not used the partitions as much as others, and are misleading the facts.. Its like an article in Outdoor Life in the late 1940s or early 1950s. When Nosler saved the world of failed bullets//and made the 375 H&H king of the bush and the love of the best PHs of yesteryear.

I like the partition because.....I have a lot of them.

Does anyone remember back around the late 80s or so when Nosler discontinued the 300 grain partition? There were a lot fewer options for great bullets then. When they finally saw the light of day and started making them again I promptly stocked up on what I figured would be a lifetime supply. I probably still have 800-1000 of them and a similar number of 220 grain 30 cals.

If I were to do that over, I'd go with the TTSX or A frame or old bearclaw as I think they're all better, but the partition hasn't gotten any worse. The only one I ever I had fail was a 180 grain from a 30-06. I hit a grazing bull moose at 110 yards on the point of the shoulder and he didn't even look up or stop eating. I thought I must have hit an unseen branch and missed. Shot again about 2" from the first and it broke his shoulder and he dropped right there. It looked like the shoulder joint turned the first bullet sideways and it just came apart, flattened, and shed the rear core with hardly any penetration. I don't think that would happen with a mono or bonded bullet. Bob

I bet that first bullet did deflect right before impact from small brush contact and hit sideways.

I will let this rest but suggest if you drive a 375 at max 2600 plus, thats a mistake and can cause problems on ocassion..Drive them at 2500FPS, they make mush rooms and penetrate..To those nay sayers all I can say is don't use Noslers or the 375 and go your merry way, thats what Id do with failed bullets or calibers. I had many failures with the early Barnes X bullets, like Nosler they got flooded with calls and fixed the problem. Both Nosler and Barnes addressed the problem, and still some are whining about it!

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
I bet that first bullet did deflect right before impact from small brush contact and hit sideways.

In hind sight you are probably right. One incident of course isn't conclusive by any means, but after that I switched to 220 partition in the 06 exclusively (again, mainly because I had a bunch) and more importantly put together a light 22" 375H&H on a stainless M77 action that was the same size and weight and loaded them to a comfortable 2450fps as my new all around rifle. Worked great for bears but I did use a 300 grain TBBC on a bison and got a complete broad side pass through! I can't argue with that.

Good question??

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
What is up with Nosler? They haven’t had Partitions in stock for eons.

Same as with most, and thats a shortage of unemployment that began with Covid and has not healed inasmuch as welfair is more than most companies can absorb thanks to that idiot in the whitehouse. Never would have said that back in the day..The democrats are ruining our way of life and rule of the constition..

AT least thats what they tell me on most orders being slow, who knows..

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Folks are condeming a Nosler for shedding petals in the 375! others are raving about a new designed bullet that sheds its petals and setting the world on fire, welcome to the contridictory world of the internet!!

I can only assume, God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy!

ALL OF TODAYS BULLETS ARE GOOD ENOUGH..

Misses the point. The problem I've had with Partitions in the past is due to the rear of the bullet not being bonded to the core. I've had several where the front sheds as designed, but the troubling part was the back end completely came apart as well. I recovered a few Partitions in that state from moose and caribou out of my 340 WBY.

With the CEB bullets, the front pedals shed but leave a 100% solid brass back end for penetration.

It's this difference ... the brass back end that drives like a solid vs the potential disintegration of the non bonded rear on the Partition ... that sways my preference toward the mono metal design. I've come back around to the Barnes TTSX however, although I do still shoot the CEB in my 9.3x74R double as I've developed a great load for it.

As to the disintegrated Partitions on my moose and caribou, yes, it killed the animals, otherwise I wouldn't have recovered them. BUT ... on something like a buffalo or brown bear, I don't want the projectile to disintegrate. I want expansion for sure, but want the bullet to retain enough mass to penetrate deep into the animal.

I'm reading this thread for the first time and here we are in March '23! But the comment by Todd on his experience with Partitions on moose from his .340 caught my attention as that's what I'd used in my .340 on a bull moose, but with distinctly different results as to the bullets themselves! I used the 250gr Partitions near 3000 fps. The first shot was nearly broadside at about 165 yards. I aimed just behind the shoulders, midway up, and that's where the Partition hit, going through both lungs and made exit leaving a trail of blood and lung tissue across 20 yds of bush beyond. The bull didn't know where that came from or what hit him, but he reacted as though a bigger bull had kicked him in the gut! Impressive! Still standing, looking like he was ready to fall, I side-stepped about 5 yds for a better angle and he saw me! He wasn't going anywhere but made an attempt to swing away when he received the second 250 NP behind the short ribs and went down in a depression of the landscape. I waited 7 - 8 min for my son to arrive from his lookout, and he wanted to see the bull and got too close... the bull stood in a wobbly fashion with its rump to me. By then I was within about 35 yds and gave him another in the rump. He went down to stay - all 1100 lbs. On arrival my son was the first to see the bulge under the hide next to the fist bullet's exit. He dug it out with his knife. A day or so later, the butcher dug out the third from the hit in the rump - he found it in the front portion of the chest, up against the rib cage... that one had penetrated at least five feet! Both bullets lost their front cores, were rounded at the partition and retained 71%, though the one from 35 yds(hitting much faster) was shorter. The rear core was intact in each.

A 286gr Partition was fired from my 9.3 x 62 into a 6' black bear frontally as it faced me at 68 yds. That bullet was retrieved in the right flank in front of the hip - falling out in shinning. Impact was ~ 2500 fps and weighed 211 grs (74%) after retrieval, with some "wings" pointing forward that meant it tumbled. Otherwist intact.

Two weeks ago, I purchased another .375 H&H. The last departed my cabinet 1/4 century ago and was replaced by the .340. The problem currently is to find ANY bullets! But I still have nearly a full box of 250gr Sierras, and was able to purchase a box of Barnes 270 TSX and another of the 300gr TSXs. They will mostly see the range for testing and sightin. Then a bear hunt beginning May 1st.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

Hello Bob. Could be the difference in our 340 WBYs results with the partition is that I was shooting the 225gr projectiles instead of the 250s. A bit more velocity on my loads and perhaps a bit too much for the back end of those partitions at the time. This hunt was in 1998 BTW.

In any event, once I switched to the TSX and TTSX, and earlier on the XLC, I've never had to question if the projectile was suspect. That's ranged from coyotes/bobcats/white tails with a 243, running the gambit to buffalo, brown bear, elk, kudu, eland, zebra, lion, leopard ... etc with the 270, 7mm Mag, 30/06, 300 H&H, 300 WBY, 338 WM, 340 WBY, 375 H&H, 416 Rigby, and 500 NE.

Partitions WERE the gold standard back in the day. I'm sure they still work today. There are just better options these days.

But as always, YMMV.

I’ve had 180gr partitions come completely apart on black bear with a 300 Wby at close range. Yes it killed the bear but at Weatherby velocities I’ve since moved on to Barnes bullets. Overall I very much like Nosler Partition bullets but in a cartridge that’s a bit slower.

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:
Hello Bob. Could be the difference in our 340 WBYs results with the partition is that I was shooting the 225gr projectiles instead of the 250s. A bit more velocity on my loads and perhaps a bit too much for the back end of those partitions at the time. This hunt was in 1998 BTW.

In any event, once I switched to the TSX and TTSX, and earlier on the XLC, I've never had to question if the projectile was suspect. That's ranged from coyotes/bobcats/white tails with a 243, running the gambit to buffalo, brown bear, elk, kudu, eland, zebra, lion, leopard ... etc with the 270, 7mm Mag, 30/06, 300 H&H, 300 WBY, 338 WM, 340 WBY, 375 H&H, 416 Rigby, and 500 NE.

Partitions WERE the gold standard back in the day. I'm sure they still work today. There are just better options these days.

But as always, YMMV.

Thanks Todd, and I agree with your summation. While I've not had a "failure" using Partitions, and I still have one box of the 286gr in 9.3, yet I've come to like the AccuBonds a bit more. I killed a bear with the 250gr in 9.3 and was more impressed than with the 286 NP. But in tough media tests the TSX's have out-penetrated everything else in .458". The "little" 350gr TSX was nearly as "effective" as solids in penetration and left the 500gr Speer African GS in arrears by 9", and held onto 350 grs weight (100%), the 500 AGS lost 190 grs at 310 remaining (62%). But I used that 350gr TSX on a smallish black bear at 100 yds, hit frontally and made exit in flank (like the 286 NP in the 6-footer) and that bear went 75 yards in a semi-circle, ending up 40 yds behind the bait setup - the farthest any dead bear has ever gone in my experience. So, I'm convinced that that 350gr/.458 was way too tough and passed through without expansion! MV was 2750 fps.

So, for me, since I use larger bores for all things, I think that a 235gr TSX in .375 H&H at ~ 3000 fps would insure expansion on my next bear - since I never know what size I might be dealing with. There's a source in Toronto that has the 235s. Other offerings are scarce in this area, and the price is fair at about $60 for 50.

Your thoughts, since you have a lot more experience with the TSX's. I haven't yet seen any local source for the 235 TTSX's.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

I would use a Swift A-Frame or Barns TSX before a Partition.

quote:

Originally posted by Ongwe:
Personally, if they were all I could find, I would use the 270 grain TSX before I'd use a Partition.

And have.

And i would use the .270 grain before the 300 grain.....you don't need the 300 in a mono metal.

For those in Daktari's camp ask why a 375 soft will penetrate an elephant skull and more often than not it passed thru and the solid always passed thru, Ive tested the Nosler and the woodleigh on dead elephants, and Ive seen it pass thru hippo, and Eland, and eland are larger than buffalo body wise..but some say the 375 fails to penetrate, I call BS to such..bTW Doctari says in his book, load the 375 down to 2400 or 2500 to save such problems. In fact he makes a case for the 375 in AR Page more recently I believe, ran across it a couple of days ago..

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
I have all the respect in the world for Doctari. and I have seen all bullets fail or seem to fail what ever the case may be. Any bullet can fail at one time or another, I saw early BarnesX bullets fail in all respects, until changes were made. I have on film two cape buffalo one shot 13 times and the other about 15 times with 470s and 500s by some clients in Boise, Id. amazing film. Bullets change, opinnions change as a
result, and confusion and disagreements are rampant!

I've never had a Nosler fail on buffalo, and thats all I can go by, I suggest it may be because I load them at 2400 to 2500 fps..

Yes, sometime ago, Nosler moved the partition forward and greatly improved the bullet I'm
told, I think Ive used that improved version, but wouldn't swear to it..I shaved some Noslers and one box of new bullets show the partition moved forward and the partition itself is thicker and shows to match a heavy swift bullet..

All this said my personal favorite 375 bullet for buffalo is the 350 gr. woodleigh PP, it just a heavy bonded core and suits me to a T..

Hymn, by your own admission, you stated you don,t agree with Robinson, please allow me the same option, I fully disagree with him on Noslers and a number of knowledgable men on this sight also consider a Nosler partition is a great buffalo bullet, the last bull I shot and my largest of many received the shot on the point of the shoulder and got a 2 inch exit hole , ran 75 yards and dropped, typical as opposed to this instant kill BS on buff, Hippo and elephant..Ive seen hundreds of buffalo killed and precious few dropped on the shot short of brain, spine shots, regardless of caliber..Lots of well known PHs consider the 375 a best buffalo caliber for their hunters and Noslers a proper bullet and disagree with Doctari, disagree ment is always acceptable in conversatins such as this..

I have 3 box of 300 gr. partition one has metal clip holding the cardboard and a 59 dollars sticker on it (Canadian) so they must be very hold, called nosler and gaVe them the lot number and the reply was sir they are very old because I have no record

the other box is same but no metal clip same answer from nosler

the 3 boxes is a new one and on it it says on the box a larger rear core

well I took a torch and burn the lead out

measured all to them at the rear portion and front portion with a mike and ALL WHERE EXACTLY THE SAME

quote:

Originally posted by canuck4570:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Atkinson:
I have all the respect in the world for Doctari. and I have seen all bullets fail or seem to fail what ever the case may be. Any bullet can fail at one time or another, I saw early BarnesX bullets fail in all respects, until changes were made. I have on film two cape buffalo one shot 13 times and the other about 15 times with 470s and 500s by some clients in Boise, Id. amazing film. Bullets change, opinnions change as a
result, and confusion and disagreements are rampant!

I've never had a Nosler fail on buffalo, and thats all I can go by, I suggest it may be because I load them at 2400 to 2500 fps..

Yes, sometime ago, Nosler moved the partition forward and greatly improved the bullet I'm
told, I think Ive used that improved version, but wouldn't swear to it..I shaved some Noslers and one box of new bullets show the partition moved forward and the partition itself is thicker and shows to match a heavy swift bullet..

All this said my personal favorite 375 bullet for buffalo is the 350 gr. woodleigh PP, it just a heavy bonded core and suits me to a T..

Hymn, by your own admission, you stated you don,t agree with Robinson, please allow me the same option, I fully disagree with him on Noslers and a number of knowledgable men on this sight also consider a Nosler partition is a great buffalo bullet, the last bull I shot and my largest of many received the shot on the point of the shoulder and got a 2 inch exit hole , ran 75 yards and dropped, typical as opposed to this instant kill BS on buff, Hippo and elephant..Ive seen hundreds of buffalo killed and precious few dropped on the shot short of brain, spine shots, regardless of caliber..Lots of well known PHs consider the 375 a best buffalo caliber for their hunters and Noslers a proper bullet and disagree with Doctari, disagree ment is always acceptable in conversatins such as this..

I missed this. I was not ignoring you. You are 100 percent correct in I must, need, shall, and agree that you can take an opposite account on the subject. The OP deserved to hear both calls. Use what one wants in fear and trembling based on the information and personal knowledge available.

I even noted some state as fact the Partition will out penetrate the same weight and caliber them a swift because loosing the nose decrease surface area for drag. I disagree because one is loosing so much momentum and mass when that happens.

As for elephant, I agree. I never understood. Yes, I read everything out there how a .375, 300 Solid is recognized as being able to penetrate the skull of a bull better than something bigger and slower that does not penetrate as well.

Yes, penetration is not everything, but on elephant is is by far the most important thing.

I not in the camp one can reliably “stun” an elephant. Maybe you will. Has it happened? Yes. The fact is wo turning off the CNS one is playing the lottery. Better to be able to reach the CNS from bad angles.

That said if I were going Elephant Hunting o would use a
458 Lott;
416 Rigby, Remington, Kregoff;
500 NE.

Those are considered great at penetration with good bullets with a limitless more smoke. Best of both.

A lot to do about nothing, but to each his own, is my best advise, whatever works for whoever..

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
A lot to do about nothing, but to each his own, is my best advise, whatever works for whoever..

Ray makes a lot of sense in several ways if we understand what he means. Of course, we all have our own experiences with rifles and their handloads. My experiences are not African of Alaskan, but typical North American in the northeast of our continent, which has a lot of unspoiled rugged wilderness in the central and northern regions of our Province of Ontario. The big game hunted are deer, moose, elk and black bear. Then, of course, there are the predators apart from small game.

Big bucks can go to 400 lbs, elk 2x that, bull moose up to 1400 lbs, some male black bears have surpassed 600 lbs.

I specifically chose an 1895 Marlin in .45-70 for black bear, and I've owned a total of ten .45-70s (not all at the same time, but up to a total of three at the same time in my cabinet). Before I owned my first I had a .338 WM. But those .45-70s made me into a big-bore, heavy bullet fan. Then, also, I'm a fan of the mid-bores: .338 - .375. That brings me to discuss Partitions vs X/TSX/TTSX.

I have much more experience with Partitions than with the various Barnes Xs, but that experience has taught me that in larger bores the TSX bullets tend to be too tough for smaller big game, and may not expand at all unless heavy bone is hit. I've shot black bears with a variety of cartridges and bullets, but none have literally flattenrd bears on the spot (DRT)without a CNS hit like 400gr to 465gr flat-point softs or hard cast at an impact of less than 2000 fps.

One smallish bear was shot using my CZ550 in .458 Win. Range was 100 yds. It was a frontal, under the chin hit using a 350gr TSX at an MV of 2750 fps. I expected the bear to blow up! Instead it ran off the farthest any dead bear has gone in my experience - 75 yards! Thankfully, it ran in circle ending up just behind the bait! There was a bullet-diameter hole in the right flank just in front of the hip - that bullet never expanded and needed much tougher resistance to give any expansion. On the other hand, Partitions and Nosler's ABs have always expanded well, done their job without complaint.

So, the lesson for me is: use the right bullet for the job. Sometimes that's a heavy, slower moving Flat Point (soft OR solid), an expanding soft point that retains enough weight for adequate penetration (I've had a 250gr/.338 from my .340 Wby completely pass through the chest of a good size bull moose, and another shot from the rear that was found in the forward part of the chest by the butcher. It lost it's front core but retained 71% of initial weight). And Partitions always retain their initial velocity better than TSX's and even TTSX's at impact down range because of better BCs. So that means higher impact velocities and energy (assuming equal MVs, caliber and bullet weight).

So, I think all that has been covered by Ray's comments - as well as by some others, except what I've pointed out about a bullet's BC and profile.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

Well one point Ive failed to state is all these claimed failures and show and tell failed expanded or non expanded, simply HAD TO COME FROM DEAD BUFFALO, IS STRANGE AS HELL!!!