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Heavy bullets in 270 - 160gn Nosler vs 156gn Sako vs 150gn "Other"
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Please feedback and comments on experiences of these bullets only on wild boar and elk.

I'm using a standard Parker Hale 24" barrel 270 Winchester. Not a 270 WSM or a 270 Weatherby.

Is there any advantage of Nosler Partition 160gn vs 156gn Sako Hammerhead vs 150gn "Other" (such as Sierra, Hornady, Speer)?

And is the Sako Hammerhead really "bonded" and how does it perform if anyone has any feedback. I'm also heard that for European hunting on boar, deer, elk that the Nosler Partition "blows up" and loses the front end on boar...so is actually not very good?

Any feedback on these bullets only please greatly appreciated! I'm trying to rationalise my bullets and thinking about going from Hornady 140gn Interlock to the Sako 156gn Hammerhead or the 160gn Nosler Partition as a "one size fits all".

Good for heavy game but also with no excessive velocity no excessive meat damage on light muntjac or roe shot at say twenty or thirty yards in woodland.
 
Posts: 6823 | Location: United Kingdom | Registered: 18 November 2007Reply With Quote
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Originally posted by enfieldspares:
I'm also heard that ... the Nosler Partition "blows up" and loses the front end on boar...so is actually not very good?


The Nosler Partition is pretty much designed to loose its front core, and will do so at any "reasonable" impact velocity. Not only will this create a "shock" effect typically associated with soft nose bullets, without its front core, the PT will expand to comparatively low frontal diameter, which in combination with the remaining rear core will assure deep penetration. A lot of people associate high residual weight with deep penetration, probably correctly so, but frontal bullet diameter is as much a factor.

I can't comment on the other bullets you metioned, but a Nosler Partition is not a bad choice for pig hunting. The small ones are easy to kill, and it matters little what you hit them with. If a large piggie should come your way, though, shock combined with deep penetration are desirable attributes.

Are there other bullets that do as well as or better than the PT?? Choice of bullets is such a personal thing that I'm sure you'll get a trillion different opinions on this. Some other bullets may fail you (e.g. with a jacket-core separation), the PT will stay intact. In the end it also depends on what shoots in your rifle.

Good luck with your choice - whatever it will be in the end.

- mike


*********************
The rifle is a noble weapon... It entices its bearer into primeval forests, into mountains and deserts untenanted by man. - Horace Kephart
 
Posts: 6653 | Location: Switzerland | Registered: 11 March 2002Reply With Quote
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For the game you are considering, I don't think you will see any real advantage of a 160gr bullet over the "normal" heavy-for-caliber 150gr bullet. The additional sectional density of the 160 is not really needed for boar or elk, and you will give up a little bit in terms of velocity and flatter trajectory.

As was stated above, the partition is pretty much designed to shed its front core, while the base keeps on plowing through. This behavior is not a failure.

I am not at all familiar with the 156gr Sako bullet you describe.
 
Posts: 257 | Location: North Carolina | Registered: 18 July 2008Reply With Quote
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Depending on the twist rate the 160 grain bullets might not stabilize in your rifle.
 
Posts: 129 | Registered: 13 July 2008Reply With Quote
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your looking for a hammer do drive a tack and a 6 inch nail.
there is no bullet that will work as well on muntys and boar .
granted a 150gr RWS H mantel will kill each .what do you want a magic wand.
 
Posts: 60 | Location: south east of ireland | Registered: 17 August 2008Reply With Quote
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I can only speak from experience's I've had with the Sako 156gn hammerheads in my 6.5 x 55 and that is that I'll never ever use them again on anything small. They are far too tough. Yes they shot fantastically accuratelly in my 75, but I shot 3 deer with them, 2 Chinese water deer and 1 roe doe. The roe doe was the worst - 180 yards entered on the shoulder seemed to turn half way through the body and then go straight through everything, exited on the rear flank and then went back in again through the haunch. Was a complete waste of an animal - although the dogs still loved it so it wasn't totally wasted. Just my opinion.
 
Posts: 101 | Location: Home Counties | Registered: 06 March 2007Reply With Quote
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ES,

The Sako Hammerhead and super hammerheads, I have used to shoot about 20 or so Fallow bucks including the two biggest body weights that I have taken in the last few years. The upside of them was that they killed everything that I shot with them.

The downside was that they blew up and rarely exited. Recovered bullets would often be in bits on the offside or split and travellingin different directions. This was to the point where the two big fellas I shot on the same mng I was concious not to hit a nearside shoulder, and at 20yds and 60yds they didn't exit on either deer, (some may say both were dead so job done, which is a fair comment). The meat damage was a deciding factor and throwing away half a fallow everytime I shot one through the shoulders became a waste of good venison.

For the game you speak of I would say that your best choice would be the Partition, although in preference to that I would take a Triple Shock all day long, especially for the pigs.

All my experience is in .308 so I can't comment on the 270 calibre bullets

FB
 
Posts: 4096 | Location: London | Registered: 03 April 2003Reply With Quote
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I really welcome all the input on this especially that of Fallowbuck and Millwall Paul. Actual UK experience.

It seems as if my thought/hope that being bonded they would expand progressively with less meat damage seems false.
 
Posts: 6823 | Location: United Kingdom | Registered: 18 November 2007Reply With Quote
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Boggy has used a 270 with 150 grain partitions against fallow for the last two seasons.

He sighted the rifle in with them for driven boar originally but has kept on using them.

He has not significantly complained about meat damage to me at least.

I say this as I'm sure he would chime in were he not fast asleep in a B&B in deepest Wiltshire stalking for a week!

He tells me he got a good buck earlier on this evening when I spoke to him, I think he used the 270 in fact so I'll ask him to get a photo of the carcass damage if at possible.
 
Posts: 11731 | Location: London, UK | Registered: 02 September 2007Reply With Quote
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I've shot 150 grain bullets out of my 270 for 20 years. I suspect more than 100 animals have been shot and killed including whitetail deer, elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, fallow deer, red deer, tahr, chamois, rams, goats. You name it, a 270 shooting 150 grains works just fine.


Will J. Parks, III
 
Posts: 2989 | Location: Alabama USA | Registered: 09 July 2009Reply With Quote
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Originally posted by enfieldspares:

Good for heavy game but also with no excessive velocity no excessive meat damage on light muntjac or roe shot at say twenty or thirty yards in woodland.



Your compromise will increase recoil (and hence potentially accuracy) and give massive over penetration such that quartering and front on shots become problematic on small deer.

No UK deer is better served by such bullets (heavy premiums) IMHO unless you are shooting moving or heavily quartering away deer. I would have though that what you have is about perfect for the UK and that a heavy premium can be kept in reserve for special trips (necessitating a rezero) without too much difficulty.
 
Posts: 2032 | Registered: 05 January 2005Reply With Quote
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