A question about bullets?
 

I have long believed that bullet performance is a vital key to success. I have always had very good luck loading and using Hornady Spire Point Interlock bullets. They perform perfectly everytime. I have taken game as close as 15yds, out to almost 200yds with great results. Thus...I have never really felt the need to try other bullets. All my loads use those.

Now the real reason for my post....my dad got a new .270 ADL in the spring, and finally got his Leupold on it and the trigger adjusted. I told him to work up some loads for it using some premium bullets (suggested Hornady' s) and see how it shot. Anyhow, he worked up some loads for it....and shot it over the weekend. Using 130 and 140 Nosler Ballistic tip bullets, his 5 shot groups averaged sub moa(around .85" ), and 3 shots averaged about .50" which is super IMO. My question is...how will these bullets do on whitetails? I was always under the impression that they were designed more for varmint type hunting. ??? I know how the partitions do...my buddy uses those, but I don' t know anyone that uses the Ballistic tips for deer personally.

It shot so good....I want to tell him that would be great to use on deer(see the pic below). Any advice (pros/cons/etc) from those of you that use Ballistic Tips would be appreciated:D Thanks!

RE: A question about bullets?
 

I have used balitic tips in a 25-06 and .270 for deer they worked good.I' am going to use Winchesters 115 gr. Silver Tips this year for antelope and deer.I have always used Federal Nosler BT but they are getting spendy around 23.00/box were Winchesters are 18.00/box

RE: A question about bullets?
 

I have used 150 grain Ballistic Tips in my Rem 30-06. They did o.k. I never recovered any bullets so they must penetrate well. I think they should have caused more internal damage than they did. But they did kill every deer and hog I shot. Hogs fell on the spot, the deer however ran a little ways but I never had any problems following blood trails. In my opinion they seem to be better suited for heavier game than whitetails. But I subscribe to the notion that you can' t beat a well placed shot, no matter the make or the model of the bullet.
Shoot what groups.
Hope this helps!!:)

RE: A question about bullets?
 

WV Hunter... I used ballistic tips for a couple years in my 270. They were 130gr Winchesters. I lioved the accuracy, and the deer I shot with it went down. I didn' t care much for the penetration, though. I think I shot 4 deer with them, and each was shot behind the shoulder. I just wasn' t sure what would happen if I hit one directly in the shoulder.

The possibility of the bullet shattering before penetrating concerned me. Maybe somebody else can shed some light on that.

RE: A question about bullets?
 

For whitetail deer, I' d stay with Hornady' s interlocks. Accuracy of 1/2" is equal to accuracy of 1.125" under hunting conditions. Within reason, don' t get carried away with accuracy unless you' re varmint hunting.

Nosler' s ballistic tip is a most controversial bullet. It sure works most of the time. I, however, want an exit wound.

RE: A question about bullets?
 

The Noslers will probably work fine for deer. However, I recently had a bad experience with them (or should I say their CT/Winchester counterparts) on hogs using my .308. Using a medium load at short ranges, I found that hogs hit in the shoulder or head caused the bullets to explode (shed their jackets) on contact. They left huge entry wounds & sub-caliber exit holes, which was the lead cores exiting, I assume. The animals went right down, but there is just something not right about seeing liver hanging out of a shoulder entrance wound !

Personally - I think the combination of high speeds, close ranges, & thick hides are bad for the BTs. For thin-skinned deer out past 50yds or so, they will probably be fine. But like others here, I really don' t trust them right now and are opting to use soft points for hunting

RE: A question about bullets?
 

Looks like your father found his deer hunting load.[:-] If I had a 270 that shot 130 grain Nosler BT' s that well, I would not even consider loading anything else for whitetails.
good luck,

RE: A question about bullets?
 

The nosler Ballistic tip has been redesighned several times. For a while they were to fragil to use at very high velocities. According to Nosler they are now desighned for big game in the big game calibers and more fragil in the varmit calibers. I would use them any time I expected shots of average range where I hunt which is 150-250 yards. For close range or If I had any thought of close range shooting I would stay with the Hornady or Partition bullets. Of course you can,t go wrong with the Barnes X bullets for all type of hunting.

RE: A question about bullets?
 

Vapodog...I agree. Real small groups weren' t really the goal...just got lucky I guess. This gun (I believe) is just a shooter. Most of it' s groups were sub moa, and it even shot factory Rem core locks at sub moa. IMO, it' s nice knowing the gun shoots great...gives confidence to the shooter...but it takes away the excuses;)

Thanks for the replies. I agree, shot placement is the key...no doubt. However, as we all know...things can and do happen. Lack of penetration is what I am concerned with as well. I personally am a little shy of using a bullet that has a rep for exploding upon impact. I have heard some folks give these bullets alot of praise, but I think I' m more apt to lean towards something that drives right on through...no matter where the hit. Most of the shots will be under 100yds, probably more like 50-75yds avg. Hmmmm...I guess we' ll see. I haven' t asked him if he is going to try some different loads. Heck the way the first loads he tried work, it' s liable to shoot everything good. :)

RE: A question about bullets?
 

Vapodog,
Just curious.
How did you reach your conclusion that range accurace of 1/2" equals hunting accuracy of 1.125"
I have never seen that statement before.
Not trying to start anything, I am just curious.

RE: A question about bullets?
 

If you want a bullet that will hold together & blow through the other side I would load the Partition. I personally do not load the partition just for deer. I have always liked the Hornady interlock bullet for deer. The interlock bullet has a interlocking band that will hold the back part of the bullet together while the front part fragments & mushrooms. IMHO the interlock is like the Partition only softer.
I guess you already knew that.:)
Load up some 130 grain interlocks & see how they shoot? My guess is they will shoot just as good as the Nosler BT' s.

Good luck

RE: A question about bullets?
 

Let me rephrase it.....If you are lucky enough to have a hunting gun that shoots 1/2" groups from a bench and another gun that shoots 1.125" groups from a bench, they are equivalent deer hunting rifles in my mind. I say this because you won' t have a bench shooting at deer.....you can' t really take advantage of the better accuracy.

The gun that shoots 1.125" at 100 yards is totally adequate for the task as far away as most modern guns can shoot. If the target is so far away that you actually need the better grouping gun, it' s probably out of practical range anyway.

Don' t misunderstand, I' d rather have the 1/2" grouping gun anyday. However my comfort level with a gun that consistantly shoots 1 1/8" is just as fine.

A gun that shoots 3" groups is a totally different story.

My .300 H&H shoots very accurately...an inch and less. However on my recent African Safari I couldn' t use the accuracy.....I couldn' t find a rest anywhere to shoot well. All the shooting was over sticks and in many cases I had to turn to my PH and say...we got to get closer. That gun should have been able to make a clean kill on an animal the size of a Kudu at 400 yards.....however I couldn' t hold it still over those damn sticks.

That' s why I say that we can overdo groups sometimes. I' d rather take a trophy bonded bear claw that grouped 1.125 in my gun after elk than a Nosler BT that grouped 3/8" ....

RE: A question about bullets?
 

Vapodog,
Thanks for the clarification now I understand better what you meant.
I had never seen that statement before and wondered.

I tend to agree with your statements. There are people who can shoot 1/2 groups at the range that can' t hit a deer with a whole box of bullets at 300 yards in the field.

On the long shots with a dead solid rest and with favorable conditions is where the 1/2" rifle and all the practice pay for themselves.
Without the 1/2" rifle and appropriate skill/practice, shots over 300 yards are questionable.
With a 1 1/2" rifle, shots at 400+ have little margin for error.
Only a skilled shooter with a dead solid rest would be able to take advantage of the better accuracy of the 1/2" shooter.

RE: A question about bullets?
 

:DThat Nosler ballistic tip is a very popular bullet in this area. The latest variation should be certain death on Whitetails. I' ve used them in in .280 rem and 300 win mag without any problems. Actually I found that the 180s I was using in the 300 weren' t quite as expansive as I like them to be. Nosler has a new ballistic tip with a bonded core called " Accubond" . It shoud be awesome, although I haven' t loaded any yet. I think a 140 grain Ballistic tip would be the best choice for a 270 win., but most folks I know who shoot BT' s in their gun go with the 130 grain. My brother and his son shoot them in their 270s and they have been very pleased.:D

Another bullet you might want to consider is the Hornady SST. I' ve been shooting them in my 300 mag for 2 seasons. I shoot the 165 grain bullet. It shoots sub-MOA
and tends to make deer very sick[X(]. I' ve shot 4 deer with them and they all dropped in their tracks. Hornady also has a bonded model named " Interbond" .

;)I think it' s a great problem to have all these quality bullets to choose from...

>>>---DAVIDP---SILERCITY,NC--->

RE: A question about bullets?
 

I have been using Nosler Ballastic Tips for about 7 years now.
I have killed 14 deer with a rem .243 using 95 grain ballastic tips (hand loaded)
I have killed 7 deer with a savage .270 using 150 grain ballastic tips (hand loaded)
all have been one shot kills from 20 to 175 yards. most fell where they stood the others never traveled over twenty yards from where they stood. They cost for factory ammo is about $18.00 a box . Buy a box and form your own opinion.I do not think you will be disappointed.

RE: A question about bullets?
 

they should do just fine...my dad shoots fedrals 165 gr nosle balistic tips....most of the shots are about 30 yds...he shot 3 deer in the last 2 years not one took a single step...im switching to them this year myself since hes shooting a 8mm mauser this year...they perform pretty good...they arent as devistating as some make them out to be.....i heard them and hollow points rip them apart to much....i shoot hollowpoints and got the same results as my dad....wounds are identicle....but i dont get wehre people can say they are to devistating....then again maybe they are compared to a normal soft point....ive never shot one....

RE: A question about bullets?
 

Thanks for the replies guys...I guess we' ll see:)

RE: A question about bullets?
 

I have used 150 gr. Ballistic Tip bullets in .270 Win. for several years now. I like the 150 gr. bullets for the high ballistic coefficient which they have. The whitetails I have taken have ranged from 15 yds. out to 300 yds. or so. I have never had a complaint about the performance of these bullets. I have had deer drop in their tracks and some ran a short way before going down but I' ve never lost a deer after shooting one with a Ballistic Tip. All shots taken are chest cavity broadside or quartering shots. Best group my A-Bolt Stainless Stalker has achieved with these is a 3/4" 5 shot group @ 100 yds. which isn' t too shabby for a factory rifle with no accurizing work done to it. If your Dad' s gun shot that good with them, then I would look no further for a deer load. I think he will be satisfied with them, I know I am. Good luck!!:)

RE: A question about bullets?
 

The Accubond is the same as the Ballistic Tip except it has a bonded core. It should shoot exactly the same, but hold together for maximum penetration. If you are worried about penetration, use this one! I' m looking for some Accubond 260 grain .375' s for use in elk hunting with the .375 H&H!!

RE: A question about bullets?
 

IMO Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet is a little " soft" compared to some other bullets, (about like Sierra game bullets). But I have also found them to be completely adequate for Whitetail deer. Whitetails are neither big, nor toughly built. Rather they have rather light frames when compared to many other big game animals. I have used, with good results, the 120 grain Ballistic Tips in my .260 Rem on whitetail deer and have always had adequate penetration. The bullet that performs with the best terminal performance on game is a bullet that both, penetrates sufficiently to vital organs, and expands violently thus transmitting shock to tissue as it penetrates. That is why it is important to match the bullet to its intended use. I lived, and hunted, for over five years in Alaska, (and we are moving back this upcoming spring), and I have a healthy respect for a bullet that penetrates. I found myself usually carrying Nosler Partitions, (though I have also used Swift A-frames, Barnes both original and X, Speer Grand Slams, Trophy Bonded, and some hard cast lead revolver bullets), and the Partitions never failed to give me through and through penetration. With signs of acceptable expansion. But whitetails are not Moose, big bears, or even as heavy as Caribou. I think you will probably find that you get more than acceptable penetration in either 130 or 140 grains in the .270 on Whitetail. Though if you put a bullet in a hind quarter you will probably not be eating that hind quarter. Keep the bullets in the chest and you will be more than pleased with its performance. Though I will add this. When hunting either big game, and or potentially dangerous game, I will always trade a little intrinsic accuracy for a bullet that delivers penetration and terminal performance for the game in mind.

One other thing to consider. Even if you cannot field shoot to bench grade accuracy when hunting....it is not entirely true that you cannot use some of the accuracy potential. A rifle/bullet combination that starts off more accurately on the bench will still have that potential in the field. For example...if you can hold to a 4" circle at 100 yds. under field conditions and start with a rifle that shoots 3/4 MOA at the bench you end up with a 4 3/4" dispersionat 100 yards. If you start with a rifle that exhibits 2 MOA at the bench that same rifle delivers a 6" dispersion at 100 yards under field conditions. So accuracy is still relative.