I have been playing with 95gr Ballistic Tips and 85gr Partitions in my 243 A Bolt. I have managed to get the 95gr Ballistic Tips to shoot 3 shots touching each other i'm guessing about 3/8" maybe tighter these are seated .005" off lands, 43gr of IMR 4350. But I have yet to get the partitions under an inch. Just curious as to what some of you guys might be seating partitions off lands and what loads you are using. I was wanting to shoot the partitions but yet have found a load that is acceptable to me.

The partitions may not shoot a 3/8" group, but they shoot under an inch in my grandson's 244 Remington. It's an IMR-4350 load and I can't reach the lands of the 1950's era Apex barrel.

hammer I have used the 243 cal 95 gr ballistic tip and the 95 gr partition in a 6mm rem and a 240 Wby. In both calibres the BT produced the better groups (both rifles under 3/4 in groups @ 100 yds) . In both rifles the 95 gr partition would group into about 1 1/4 inch groups. Two years ago I came close to loosing a nice little buck after hitting him several times with the BT's. They just opened up too quick. The partition will penetrate on deer sized game. I will not be using the BT's on anything bigger than coyotes anymore. I would gladly accept the slightly larger groups for the penetration.

I agree the partition is a much better bullet and is good enough accuracy for any shot to 300yds or so, I guess I am to picky on my loads. I have killed several deer over the years with 100gr BT in 25-06 and never had a bad experience with them.
I just prefer the accuracy as I do like to shoot neck and head shots occasionly if presented under 100yds.

As is typical when you're asking a specific question... I'd use the TSX. Used it on antelope and it was deadly!

I have had very good luck on deer with the 70 and 95 grain 6mm B-Tips. The 85 grain Partitions are my favorite though. If you have it try IMR 4831 or RL22 and start at magazine length.

For me it just comes down to what distance are most of your shots. If the majority is 100yds or less, go with the partitions. Over 100 95bts. You have enough accuracy with both. Im pretty partial to the 95 myself. Never had it to fail yet, just put it. where it belongs.

like the 105 grn best. the ballistic tips are accurate but prefer something like the partitions for hunting pigs and deer. I have had too many ballistic tips not perform on larger animals. Great round for varmints though.

I have a 243AI and can't get partitions to shoot any better than you could.
My rifle shoots 90gr Accubonds very accurately and so I'm going to use those.
I haven't chronographed this load, but I'm sure it has more speed than a plain 243. Therefore the Accubond should perform well out of my rifle.

I'm not a BT fan either, too fragmentary. If your gun likes them, the best of both worlds would be the 85gr TSX. An all-copper bullet would be larger than a cup-n-core bullet of the same weight, increasing your BC for longer ranges. At 6mm speeds, the TSX should open up reliably.

The Ballistic tip is a "softer" bullet than the Partition. The partition bullet has more drag in the bore and will therefore respond to a slightly slower powder than the ballistic tip. Try working up a load for the Partition using a different powder and you may find that you can get the same accuracy with it as you do with the BT loads. I have always been able to get sub MOA accuracy with the partition bullets - I do use different powders and/or loads to do it but there is nothing in the bullet that keeps it from being accurate.

Hammer-
Are your charges the same for both the Partition and the BT?
Perhaps I misunderstood.
I found difficulties getting an appropriate jump into the lands in my .243 Savage. Ended up at 39gr 4350 and an OAL of 2.62". Finally got it sub-1" by backing off on the charge from 43 down, down, down to the 39.
Can't hurt to try.

quote:

Originally posted by PaulS:
The Ballistic tip is a "softer" bullet than the Partition. The partition bullet has more drag in the bore and will therefore respond to a slightly slower powder than the ballistic tip. Try working up a load for the Partition using a different powder and you may find that you can get the same accuracy with it as you do with the BT loads.

This is good advice.

If you're getting good results with the BT in 4350, I would try the Partition in H4831. My experience was nothing short of a night-and-day difference. The 85gr Partition finally performed like I knew it could. Dead Blacktail don't lie.

I would keep experimenting with the Partitions. Personally, I prefer the 100 grain bullets in 6mm. A Hornady Interlock at 3000 fps is a very good load. I have yet to try the Partitions in my 6mm, but I am a firm believer in their terminal results on game in other calibers.

I think you are maximizing the potential of the caliber better with 100-grain bullets.

The Ballistic tips are too soft, and the 6mm partitions don't open up to much cross section with fully expanded..I don't care for either int he 6mm, Nosler partitions come into their own in 30 caliber and over, then they are the best of the best IMO....

My 243 bullet of choice is the Hornady 100 gr. and the Speer 100 gr., they have a larger cross section expanded and kill better, or at least quicker and more likely to get a better blood trail if they run off..

In my 243 I use 95 NBT and Hornady 87 grains Vmax on varmint. I have great results with 100 grains SBT Sierra. and berger 95BT on roe-deer, chamois.

I've used 95 BTs on antelope in my 240 WBY, with great success.

The 85 gr. Partition for some reason shoots right at an inch in my 6MM Remington using IMR 4831. Recent testing shows that on feral hogs it makes a pretty impressive wound channel and kills very quickly. The 95 gr. BT shoots impressively with just about any load and seems to me to be the perfect deer bullet giving exits virtually every time on deer even when one shoulder is hit. I don't shoot deer in the arse though. Both bullets shed some lead but a quickly dead hog or deer is all I need to decide bullet performance.

Recently shot a couple more animals with the 85gr. Partition. The first, a doe was quartering toward me just a bit and I hit her just in front of the shoulder and the bullet angled back a bit and exited through the shoulder bone just under the scapula. 1/2 inch exit and the holes in the ribs were around 1 1/4 inches across. She dropped, jumped up and fell down again. Blood everywhere. The other was a feral hog weighing around 150 pounds. Hit in the neck he dropped. Bullet exited but since I didn't skin the head up that far to remove it I can't say much more than the bullet centered the spine. Going back to the lease tomorrow for more testing.

Shot another doe with the 85gr. Partition. This time out of my 243. She was running away to my left at 40 yards, the bullet hit 3 inches behind the ribs and exited 3 inches behind the shoulder leaving an exit hoe of a bit less than an inch. Damage in between was more than adequate. She went down but got back up and ran 20 yards or so and dropped again. Load was 43.0 grs of 4350 getting around 3100 out of the 19 inch barrel.

Palidun,

That is the exact same load I just got through loading this afternoon to go and do some trials with tomorrow. If it will stay around 3/4" 3 shot I am going to try the 85gr partitions out.

I understand accuracy and playing with loads, but regarding the OP.....let's just say you have a BT load that will shoot 3/8 MOA and a NP load that will shoot 1 MOA. That means that at 100 yards, the maximum average difference between the 2 loads for 2 shots, one of each will be 5/8 inch/2 or .3125 inches from your POA, and the theoretical maximum distance would be .625 inches......and this makes you worry about taking a head/neck shot?

We all want our rifles to be able to head shoot sparrows at 100 yards. Extremely important!

Paladin - We all want our rifles to be able to head shoot sparrows IN FLIGHT, at 100 yards. Extremely important!

gnats at 100 yds often time appear to be misses, but they wont reproduce.