Ok, first off,I would never use a Ballistic Tip or a SST in a 270 WSM. Sorry, you need a tougher bullet. Wounding game because we are too lazy to do penetratuion tests is simply bad form. The very best way to figure out if the bullet you intend to use on game is going to work for you is to try it on a re-producable medium. Not on an elk. Walking out to hunt game with an untested bullet is fool's play. Trusting the word of a bullet manufacturer is simply silly. Personally, I like to use gallon milk jugs filled with water. Very easy to reproduce, cheap, and effective. Granted, when using factory ammunition we are at the mercy of the manufacturer, but when reloading we can and should be more responsible.

Most 270 bullets are designed for the 270 Winchester. This means they are designed to open up a lower velocities than the 270 WSM. Therefore, if you wish to ensure proper bullet performance you will have to use a premium bullet. Nosler Partitions, Nosler Accubond, Hornady Interbond, and so on. OR....Slow down how fast you are shooting the bullet.

Oughtsix I don't need water filled milk jugs to tell me 150 NBT fired from my 7mm rem mag will get it done on any deer sized animal b/c experience has done that already. I have shot them as close as 30 yards without losing an animal with the majority producing 2 holes with nothing inbetween but jello. For me that is exactly whatI want my deer bullet to do when hitting behind the shoulder and will continue to fire the NBT at our large bodied deer. I understand not everyone will agree or share my feelings on this, that's why we have options.

As to the original posters question since you said elk I'd go with the Barnes TSX. Ifwilling togive on lead point the nosler partition would be another high on the list to try. If your only looking for polymer bullets take a look at the Hornady Interbond or Nosler Accubond. Of course if money is no object and want the polymertip on the barnes could always spark up some MRX's.[8D] Good Luck

not trying to pick a fight but.............um...............no. You are not correct.

I dont think you could be more wrong. For deer you dont need a superdooper bonded bullet. I have no experience with the SST's but can tell you the 130 grain Nos BTs work excellent in the 270WSM.

And the 140 Nosler BT's work great in the 7mm mag on deer too.

Wow. . .So much to reply to.

First, like many hunters my father is a max PBR shooter. One zero for 0 - max range. That is a choice he has made and we might all be wise to look into these simple ideas. One zero requires that a bullet have a reasonably high BC(~.500 or higher), good killing performance and ahigh velocity. The 270 WSM puts them out there fast. Slowing down is contradictory to my Father's end goal. He has killed a lot of deer. . .I trust he knows something about all of this.

Also, we use SST's, ballistic tips, HP's, or flat point tips because in the magazine of a standard weight 270 WSM the bullet tips deform. While this doesn't cause them to go sideways, it does cause inaccuracy. The other tips do not have this problem.

Thank you for the resonses about the various bonded bullets you have had good or not so good luck with. It looks like the Barnes TSX and Nosler Accubond are kind of in a dead heat as far as responses are going. Any idea on the BC for either? Also, Woodleigh makes a 150gr hunting bullet which I think is a bonded core. Any experience with these?

Last, my father and I are not lazy by not doing penetration tests. . .We do not have a test deer we can shoot over and over which comes back to life everytime. That is why we are asking you. If you shoot geletain or wet phone books or something, great. Tell me your results. BTW. . .How many wet phone books does it take to simulate an Elk or Antelope? I say this in jest. My point is that no penetration test is much more than a slightly usable comparison guide. We choose to use performance on game, why, because it WORKS. Since we are not talking about performance on people, I see no reason to guess with some other medium than game animals. And no, there are not any game animals running around with a bullet in them that we guessed wrong on. We shoot them twice if needed.

Hec I'm not sure what Nosler designed the ballistic tip for. I've tried them on deer and hogs and have never had a one shot drop, except head shots. I have some very accurate loads with ballistic tips, but won't use them hunting anymore. When the CT ballistic tip came out, Nosler said it was different internally and would not break up. I shoulda known better. I loaded up 150 gr CT's for my 280 and normal velocity, went hog hunting, shot 8 hogs in one day. I recovered 2. One shot in the head, the other I tracked for about 300 yards to find him still alive andstandingwith an entry wound right behind the right shoulder. back toBarnes and Sierra.

Wow-there are several of us that shoot Ballistic Tips here in WV. I guess our deer are standard sized deer? We probably take 40 or 50 deer a year. We do not have the problems all you guys are talking about. I do all the handloading for the group, and the BT's really shoot well. I have many times seen the same bullet hit in the same place on a deer with different results on deer. Some times they drop, some times they run a little. Sometimes alot of damage, sometimes not. But they never go far with a good hit.

You say the bullets are exploding? Does that mean you are just finding a jacket? Or nothing at all? Pictures? I like the Polymer tips just like you do. I just go over and pick up the deer, just like you said you did. Where is the problem? Tom.

Yes, as BIG says. the Nosler Partition will NEVER blow up - I've shot elk in the neck vertebrae with a 175-gr 7mm Partition at 30 yards, and the bullet went back into the chest cavity and out behind the off shoulder after blowing the neck bones to pieces. However, you CAN dent the nose which is soft lead. Of course, the Barnes X types won't dent, or blow up either. I think the new Nosler Accubonds might do what you want also-at least, they have hard noses and bonded cores.....