BT vs. BST ... are they really the same bullet?

Sling · 12-19-2004, 11:19 AM

There have been a ton of posts from hunters on this site talking about the quick kills they have been getting from Nosler Ballistic Tips. I decided to give them a try, but I went with the Ballistic Silvertips rather than the standard Ballistic tips.

From what I had read, the only difference between the 2 is the moly coating and the fact that the 30-06 bullet is 168 grains rather than 165 grains (but no structural difference). However, there have been several posts that have said the 2 bullets types perform differently at the range.

I have taken 6 deer with Ballistic Silvertips now (3 with the 150's and 3 with the 168's). All of the deer were shot at less than 100 yards and all were shot with a 30-06. All of the deer were lung shots, but only 1 has dropped on the spot (168 grain - quartering away). The remaining deer have run about 50 yards (with the exception of 1 deer that was hit a couple of inches back).

Are these results pretty standard for these bullets, or are the Ballistic Silvertips performing differently than the regular Ballistic Tips?

bigbulls · 12-19-2004, 08:52 PM

They are exactly the same bullet with the exception of the lubalox coating. It's not MOLLY.

Quote:

All of the deer were lung shots, but only 1 has dropped on the spot....

You can not expect a bullet to drop an animal on the spot unless you break the spine or shoot it in the brain (not necessarily the head). All deer will react differently to being hit with a bullet. I have had only one animal drop where it stood and that was a mulie doe inside of 20 yards and I shot her through the front of her neck and blew it out the back with a 7mm Rem mag.

A 50 yard recovery is pretty dang good. Be very happy with your results.

stubblejumper · 12-19-2004, 09:51 PM

I have taken about 40 head of big game with ballistic tips(100gr-257wby)(140gr-7mmstw)(180gr-300ultramag) and a very high percentage have dropped on the spot or within a step or two.Not one animal has made 50 yards after being shot.Almost all shots were lung shots.The only real difference was that in my case the velocities were much higher than yours which I do find accounts for more tissue damage and quicker kills.

James B · 12-20-2004, 10:43 AM

I have had great results from the ballistic tips in all calibers. I do however seldom load them past 2800 fps. They perform best for me at about that speed. I have used them in 25 caliber 264 caliber 7mm caliber and 30 calibet. I have not tried the 95 grain 6MM bullets yet but hope to next season.

skeeter 7MM · 12-20-2004, 11:02 AM

I would say your experience is typical of most some fall quick and other muster a scamper but 50 yards for a deer is a pretty small distance to cover any way you look at it.

As to the difference's in my case I used the BST for several years in my .270 performance was identical to what I have experienced with the NBT. I switched to the NBT b/c my other rifle preferred them in terms of accuracy. Since then I have never bought BST as the NBT's have proven to be both accurate and reliable for my deer hunting needs.

Ridge Runner · 12-20-2004, 01:02 PM

When you drop a deer on the spot you are putting to use a force called Hydrostatic shock. You hit the deer in the spot of most resistance, mainly the scapula, or shoulder blade. This sends a massive shock wave up the deers central nervous system to the brainstem, at the same time this shockwave pushes the blood backwards through all major bloodvessels instantly putting the deer down and out. spineshot, head and neck shot deer also go down immediately but its not the same thing. The shoulder blade is the one place where if its possible for a bullet to expend all its energy before it exits. higher velocity means more energy there to be used and the middle cals have the best velocity to weight ratio for it. most "bang flop" kills on deer do not exit and the smaller the deer the harder it is to get a bullet that completely uses its energy before exit, this is why the 243 and 25 cals are hailed as the "hammer of Thor" deer cals. hope this info helps.
RR

Sling · 12-20-2004, 05:57 PM

Thanks all. That answers my questions.

And yes, I was shooting factory loads (about 2900 fps). For the 150's, I am getting entrance and exit holes about the size of a dime or nickel. The 168's give exit holes that are a little bit bigger. The deer seem to run for the first 30 yards or so, then slow down and run stiff legged, then fall over.