Here is my opinion, ballistic tips were designed as varmit bullets, that is still what they are best used for. hunters liked the name and wanted to use them on deer, (amazing what a catchy name will do for marketing) Hornady made some changes to the basic design and produced them in larger calibers for bigger game. ballistic tips do exactly what they were designed to do, they fragment. (they dont explode on impact, and the poly tip doesnt burn off). Its a judgement call that every rifleman has to make, what he wants in a bullet. Personally I dont like ballistic tips, I will almost gaurantee that you will get much better terminal performance from a Sierra Game King bullet than you will from a Ballistic Tip. But if you like them and are confident in them, you should use them. Its great to have a country where you can have all these choices, isnt it? Anyway, happy hunting and good luck!