Soft Point or Ballistic Tip?

[Swampdog]

Howdy guy's, I have been shooting 140 Grain Nosler Ballistic Tips in my 7MM Rem.Mag. for quite a while now.I have had various results from these bullets over the years.From Violent explosions, ( on impact) to complete pass thru and anywhere in between ( which might come from the fact that I'm getting 3350 F.P.S. out of a 26" bbl).I recovered 1 bullet over the years and it weighed out at 89 Grains retained. That's the most I have ever found.I have always liked the B/T.But before they came out I almost exclusively shot the Hornady Boat Tail Spire Points out of bolt guns.I think I can still get the Hornady's in 139 Grain,But I have a couple of questions.


1.Does the BTSP stay together at 7MM velocitys?( It did alright in the 6MM size)


2.Does anybody else use this projectile,And how do you like them ?


3.What would you think of a Boat Tail Hollow Point by Hornady?


4. What other projectile would you recomend?


All these questions are for hunting rounds and depend on the accuracy of said loads......Thanks ......Alton

[Deleted User]

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[Swampdog]

JD Thanks, I will be using the rounds for Whitetail deer.Most of the really tore up bullets were the early series of Ballistic tips and were either close and or shoulder shots.I think they are a little better now.I had one take the entire shoulder off of a smaller whitetail he was running towards me at an off angle.It went in the front left and then angled to the right hindquarter.I have never seen one tore up so bad .The bullet made 4 wound channels. Now I usually just try to high rib them ( just behind the shoulder and a little high) .They might not drop in their tracks but they don't go far.I think I might just get some of the hornady's and check them out.Back when I first started reloading with the LEE HAND LOADER they did real good in the .243.BTW it just don't seem right to load bullets with a hammer does it...............

[RPL]

I've used the Ballistic Tip in my 30/06 for deer, antelope and caribou. The accuracy and terminal preformance of this bullet is very good. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again for any game up to caribou.
A ballistic Tip is a good bullet to use if hunt whitetail deer on public game land where there are a lot of hunters. It dumps so much of it's energy into it's target that a deer seldom runs any distance at all. That's a big plus if there are a lot of hunters in the woods.

[Deleted User]

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[Highpower]

swampdog, you're discovering what I did many years ago. You will drive that 140 gr BT bullet too fast in the 7MM Rem Mag. Shooting that bullet in the 7mm-08 or the 280 works fine at the speed they are shooting, but the Mag pushes them beyond they're best performance levels. Either stick with a little heavier bullet for deer or shoot a different designed bullet.

[stubblejumper]

I have taken about 20 head of big game including bighorn,pronghorn and our canadian bucks weighing in excess of 300lbs with the 140gr ballistic tips out of the 7mmstw's launched at 3500fps.Not one bullet failure and not one animal made 50 yards after being hit.

[Swampdog]

Stubblejumper,
I wouldn't exactly call this bullet failure.Everything I have shot with the Ballistic tip is graveyard dead............I am just looking for something with about the same acceracy and performance without as much meat damage.


JD338,
You gotta use the hammer(NYLON) on the primers also..........Sometimes you get quite a surprize if you don't have the round seated in the primer tool just right.Actually this is a good loading system since it only neck sizes I have always had great accuracy with the loads and you can load anywhere.good to take with you on a hunting trip if you are worried about not finding ammo.