My harvest with a ballistic tip
11-12-2006 | 07:27 PM
#11
Thread Starter
Nontypical Buck
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,572
Likes: 0
From: MD
RE: My harvest with a ballistic tip
well, I doubt that deer was any road kill.......we were soooo far back I doubt if that deer ever saw a car before. We were hunting 15,000 acres of state game land and we were probably 2-2.5 miles off the nearest "minimum maintainence" dirt path. Thank God for 4 wheelers or wed still be dragging 
11-12-2006 | 07:47 PM
#13
Nontypical Buck
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,572
Likes: 0
From:
RE: My harvest with a ballistic tip
ORIGINAL: mossy33oak
well, I know the debate on here has been quite controversial with ballistic tips and hunting so I thought Id share my story. I hunted Minnesota's opening day of rifle season this past Sat and harvested an impressive (for me anyway) 235 lb whitetail. I did not have the perfect broadside standing still shot we all like to have but I still made a lethal shot that dropped him where he stood. I've heard all the stories about "Ballistic tips fragment too easy" yada yada yada. Well I found out first hand that you can shoot a 200+ lb deer in the shoulder quartering to you and still drive the bullet down through the vitals, and exit near the last rib on the other side. I understand that some people may have gotten a "bad" bullet but to say "ALL" ballistic tips will not perform on deer sized game IMHO has been disproved. I shot this deer with my 7mm Rem mag with 140 gr Nosler BT, and 66.5 gr of RL 22 at 161 yards
well, I know the debate on here has been quite controversial with ballistic tips and hunting so I thought Id share my story. I hunted Minnesota's opening day of rifle season this past Sat and harvested an impressive (for me anyway) 235 lb whitetail. I did not have the perfect broadside standing still shot we all like to have but I still made a lethal shot that dropped him where he stood. I've heard all the stories about "Ballistic tips fragment too easy" yada yada yada. Well I found out first hand that you can shoot a 200+ lb deer in the shoulder quartering to you and still drive the bullet down through the vitals, and exit near the last rib on the other side. I understand that some people may have gotten a "bad" bullet but to say "ALL" ballistic tips will not perform on deer sized game IMHO has been disproved. I shot this deer with my 7mm Rem mag with 140 gr Nosler BT, and 66.5 gr of RL 22 at 161 yards
I don't anyone can seriously say that they can't kill deer but they consistently don't perform as well under most conditions as other "big game" bullets like the partition etc.
In case you didn't know you don't want your bullet to exit at all. You want it to expand and transfer all of it's energy into the target while at the same time tearing as large a wound profile as possible. A perfect performance would have meant you would have found your bullet lodged against the opposite side somewhere.
BTs are ok for thin skinned game but by are no means the best choice nor should they be protrayed as such.
11-12-2006 | 09:51 PM
#14
Giant Nontypical
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,921
Likes: 0
From: Saskatchewan Canada
RE: My harvest with a ballistic tip
Congrats Mossy. You won't get any debating from me on BT vs deer. My experience of too many deer sized animals harvested dictates that they are fine bullets for this usage. I anchored 300 +lbs mulie last week with long range 1/4 shot and he dropped on the spot. My bullet 150gr NBT from 7mm rem magexited as most havewhich I'veneverviewed as a problem.
Like others the majority of my BT shot game have fallen in very short order - 50 yards being considered the long end of the after yards scamper!
It still is my deer load as shootsextremely accurate out of my rifle and never failed me on our large bodied deer.
Like others the majority of my BT shot game have fallen in very short order - 50 yards being considered the long end of the after yards scamper!
It still is my deer load as shootsextremely accurate out of my rifle and never failed me on our large bodied deer.
11-13-2006 | 01:50 PM
#16
Thread Starter
Nontypical Buck
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,572
Likes: 0
From: MD
RE: My harvest with a ballistic tip
ORIGINAL: BrutalAttack
I don't anyone can seriously say that they can't kill deer but they consistently don't perform as well under most conditions as other "big game" bullets like the partition etc.
I don't anyone can seriously say that they can't kill deer but they consistently don't perform as well under most conditions as other "big game" bullets like the partition etc.
11-13-2006 | 03:35 PM
#17
Nontypical Buck
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,032
Likes: 0
From: Olive Branch MS USA
RE: My harvest with a ballistic tip
ORIGINAL: BrutalAttack
In case you didn't know you don't want your bullet to exit at all. You want it to expand and transfer all of it's energy into the target while at the same time tearing as large a wound profile as possible. A perfect performance would have meant you would have found your bullet lodged against the opposite side somewhere.
In case you didn't know you don't want your bullet to exit at all. You want it to expand and transfer all of it's energy into the target while at the same time tearing as large a wound profile as possible. A perfect performance would have meant you would have found your bullet lodged against the opposite side somewhere.
11-13-2006 | 03:41 PM
#18
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 4,127
Likes: 0
From: Colorado
RE: My harvest with a ballistic tip
These new generation ballistic tips are some of the best deer bullets ever made. I killed alarge mule deer with a 130 gr. .270 ballistic tip the first year they came out (1984?). These bullets, in the red and green box,were very marginal on penetration.I joked that they should have a warning on the box "Danger - High Explosives". Newer ones have gone through several improvements, as I understand it - each subsequent version was a little tougher than the last. Congrats on a very nice buck.
11-14-2006 | 12:18 PM
#19
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
RE: My harvest with a ballistic tip
My experience is they are garbage I was standing next to a guy talking 3 years ago when a doe walked out 50 yards from us. He shot the thing 3 times in the chest with a .308 and it stood there like nothing hit it. I shot it once with my .270 with 140 gr Hornady's and it dropped like a stone.
When we gutted the deer none of the bullettspenetrated thru the animal and all 3 bullets shattered what a mess. Lots of meat lost.
Maybe the new ones are better but there are like the old winchester silver tips they used to do the same thing. It will take alot of convincing to get me to try them on game. They shoot good maybe at paper.
When we gutted the deer none of the bullettspenetrated thru the animal and all 3 bullets shattered what a mess. Lots of meat lost.
Maybe the new ones are better but there are like the old winchester silver tips they used to do the same thing. It will take alot of convincing to get me to try them on game. They shoot good maybe at paper.
11-14-2006 | 01:07 PM
#20
Nontypical Buck
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,283
Likes: 0
From: NC
RE: My harvest with a ballistic tip
Congrats!, thats a nice buck no matter what you shot him with.The deer is dead and you recovered it so i'd say the bullet performed just as it was suppose too.....it killed!
IMO the ballistic tip debate has been like the energizer bunny, it just keeps going and going. Those who've used the ballistic tipswith much success can't be swayed into believing they're not good bulletsjust as those who've used them with bad experiences can't be convinced they are.I say use whatever shoots the most accurate in your rifle and one that you're confident you can place in the vitals at the ranges you hunt.
Bottom line is as long as you do your part and put one in the engine room it doesn't matter what you're shooting...... it's gonna kill the amimal.
IMO the ballistic tip debate has been like the energizer bunny, it just keeps going and going. Those who've used the ballistic tipswith much success can't be swayed into believing they're not good bulletsjust as those who've used them with bad experiences can't be convinced they are.I say use whatever shoots the most accurate in your rifle and one that you're confident you can place in the vitals at the ranges you hunt.
Bottom line is as long as you do your part and put one in the engine room it doesn't matter what you're shooting...... it's gonna kill the amimal.