30 caliber BT's
 

I have used the 150 grain ballistic tip in the 308 and 30-06 for several years. I am sure some of you have used the 165 and 180 grain bullets as well. How do the hevier bullets in the Ballistic tip line perform on Large deer and or Elk?

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

I have taken 8 elk and 2 moose with the 180gr ballistic tip out of my 300ultramag.So far only one bullet has been recovered and after passing through both shoulders of an elk it was found lodged in the hide.The remaining bullet weighed over 111gr.

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

The minimal, at hunting ranges, improvement you get from boattails isn't worth the increased chance of the bullet shedding it core. Flat based bullets are more than sufficient for trajectory, and better designs for remaining in one piece.

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

I've used 165 grain ballistic tips to take two deer. One doe and one decent sized buck. They worked very well. The 165s don't damage as much meat as the 150s do, which I used prior to that. Both were one shot kills and both shots passed completely through the animals.

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

Thanks. I think I will give the hevier bullets a try next season. I have not had a failure with the 150's but they do quite a bit of damage. I try other bullets but seem to come back to the Ballistic tips again and again. I do use the partitions a lot as well.

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

I have used Nosler CT 168 gr ( a BT with Lubalox coating ) for several years on deer .
I have had no problems .
I recovered a bullet from just under the skin of the ham of a deer that had entered thru the brisket ,it was perfictly mushromed. It is the first 1 i have recovered.

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

That should be listed at snopes under "urban legend"

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

But the boat tail is a lot easer to start in a case.
With less chance of bullet heel damage.
And the boat tail "LOOKS" faster :D:D

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

yeah, I agree, Im tired of hearing on here how "unstable" the ballistic tips are. I am slowly switching all of my hunting rifles over to them (as I use up all of my old stuff) I dont think these guys who slam them, actually use them, they just read stuff or hear from friends quotes like this.

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

I load the bullet that I can achieve the best accuracy with. I use Sierra, Hornady, Remington and Speer. The only real reason I don't load Nosler's are the price. As far as hunting at realistic ranges I noticed no difference in trajectory between bt's and fb bullets. However when shooting at ranges past 3-400yds the heavier bt's definitely have the edge.

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

Sexy appearance is ok in dear hunting, but deer require different criteria. [:'(] A lyman "m" die will solve your flatbase bullet seating troubles.

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

Agreed- I love the M-die, I have one for each rifle caliber I reload.:D

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

The Ballistic tips are usually the most accurate bullets in my rifles.

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

I have been loading the 165-grain BT in my .30-06 cases the year after they were introduced to handloaders. I have two -06's: a Winchester Model 70 and a Savage Model 110E. This bullet has produced sterling accuracy in both rifles, and of the 10+ deer I have killed with them, only one has made it past five yards from the site of the shot.

I have always acheived full penetration, from ranges of 35 to 150 yards, except for one instance. In 2000 I shot a buck straight down between the shoulders from 25' up in my treestand. The bullet centered the spine, completely pulverizing three vertabrae into white bone powder, and snapped off another three. When I field-dressed the buck, I noticed the lack of exit and no damage to the heart (I was aiming to drive the bullet through the bottom of the chest and through the heart). I also noticed the right lung was intact, but the left lung, well, there was no left lung. After the bullet smashed the spine it entered the left lung and detonated, turning it into raspberry puree.

Ballistic Tips get a lot of good/bad press. Most praise them for the their accuracy, some praise them for their expansion, and some damn them for a lack of penetration, especially through heavy bone. I will admit, they would not be my first choice for game as large and heavy as elk or moose (unless I loaded the 200-grain BT in my .338, since that BT is made with a heavier jacket, but I know I would simply stick with the 250-grain Hawk spitzers I load now). But for whitetails/muleys, antelope, caribou, black bear and similiar game, I think they are great bullets and I will cotinue to load them with confidence (I wish they made muzzleloader bullets!)

Brian

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

Dont ya just love that......:D

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

I told you they'd shed their cores. [X(]

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

Slamfire, the shot was taken at less than 25 yards. Muzzle velocity from my Savage Model 110E is a chronographed 2840-2850 fps, so let's say the bullet struck the spine at 2800 fps. Other than a Fail-Safe or an X-bullet, I wouldn't bet any simoleons that a bullet would stay together completely at that close a range and impacting heavy bone.

Mossy, yeah, I like it! They do not run far with that kinda damage!

Brian

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

BDHUNTR ,I agree with you . At that range and striking the spine ,I bet even his favorit flat base bullet would have had the same break up.

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

Huh uh, Nosler partitions don't breakup until impact velocities exceed 3100 fps.

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

I am a big proponent of BT's. I have been creating my own handloads around 165's and on one season 125's. I never lost deer to a BT. So far, I have killed 38 whitetails and 4 feral Pigs (the biggest was over 300 lbs!) between hunting Eastern NC (Hyde, Washington, Wayne, Duplin, and Beafort counties), to Macon county Alabama, and then finally to my current place in Bexar and Atascosa counties, Texas. I had two loads that my old post 64 M70 30-06 (24" bbl") like really well, and they are both on the hot side. H1000 compressed load produced an average of 2990 fps behind a 165 and the other staple load was 58 grains of Hogden 4350 behind the same bullet. It averaged around 2900 fps. I have killed deer as close as ten feet away with these loads where you might think bullet failure would occur. Only on two occasions did I not get an exit would, once on a little buck at 15 feet broadside into his shoulder (he dropped dead there anyway) and the other was the previously mentioned 300+ lb sow. She had fat under the hide on her back 3 inches thick. Thoughs that know, know how tough that stuff is!

I am a Nosler Ballistic Tip beleiver. I was making loads for these bullets long before Fededal was.

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

Crimson, me too! In a way I felt cheated when Federal started loading BT's in factory fodder. I always felt, well....kinda special! Now anyone can shoot these darn fine bullets! LMAO!

They are accurate bullets, though. I shoot them in both my -06's (the 165-grainers) and the 150-grain BT in my 7mm Rem Mag. One of these days I may try a box of the 200-grain BT's in my .338 just to see how well they shoot out of that. I'm betting they are superbly accurate, too.

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

I have no experience with BTs on game, but I was enchanted by my first experience with partitions and have never gone back. I can only note that Nosler doesn't recommend the BT for game under 400lbs. I don't know why - I do note that a number of Elk hunting books recommend them. The BT has a .507 BC, the partition has .474 in the 180grain, not a big difference.

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

Of course that is OVER 400#.

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

I read your original post and knew what you meant regardless! LMAO

You know, 400 pounds is bigger than almost any deer, all pronghorns or sheep and most black bears. In other words, pretty much everything other than the big bears, moose or elk is fair game for a BT. Like I said, I would be interested to see how the .338 BT's perform, but at this stage I'm not willing to try them over either the Hawks spitzers or Nosler Partitions I have loaded now.

Brian

RE: 30 caliber BT's
 

James if you want "BT" accuracy and loading benefits with penetration equal too or exceeding the likes of partitions, Scirrocos, Trophy Bondeds etc then try the AccuBonds. I am hear to tell you, I LOVE em. If I wasn't addicted too Triple Shocks I would be ALLOVER the AccuBonds.

Good luck,
RA