ballistic tips
 

From the beggining of my deer hunting careerI have been using lead tipped power point bullets with fairly good success. Last year a couple of hunting buddies suggested that I might want to try ballistic tips for more nockdown power. Since I switched it seems that my accuracy has gone down and the deer I do hit leave absolutely no blood trail. This often makes trailing A down deer in thick brush almost impossible. My question to the forum is. Is it me or has any of you had this problem

RE: ballistic tips
 

A few years ago when the ballistic tips came out several of the guys I hunt with and myself tried them out. There were a lot of deer shot and killed, but there were a lot of deer that were lost. All of these guys have killed over 100 deer in the past each. I dressed or helped dress a lot of the deer that were shot, I will never use another ballistic tip. I use nothing but Hornady BTSP.

RE: ballistic tips
 

I've used ballistic tips in weatherby ammo (.257 & .300mag) for the past two seasons with no problems, but I don't think there's any advantage in knock down power with the BT compared to a SP bullet.[/align]

RE: ballistic tips
 

tried them one season, shot a buck and their was a doe standing about 5 yds from him, the buck hit the ground and the doe started running and also fell, after checkingher outout, i guess the bullet broke up and a piece of it hither in the neck. haven't used them since

RE: ballistic tips
 

i've never used them due to these same problems. i've heard of some people having excellent luck with them but then again many people have had problems with them.

RE: ballistic tips
 

My partners and I switched to ballistic tips4 or 5 years ago on both black powder guns (50 cal)and our rifles (7mm & 270). Wehave had excellent success. Not one of the deer we've shot went over 30 yards from impact. Some folded on the spot like a cheap lawn chair. We have no intention of switching back to any previously used bullets after what we've experienced. Perhaps we've been lucky, perhaps we have good placement (heart/lungs). Either way the proof for us has been in the harvest and the condition of vital organs on dressing (mush). We've harvested around15 animals with these bullets and are pleased as can be. Good luck to all. Griz

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RE: ballistic tips
 

They leave no blood trail one so ever[:@]. Thats why I use Fusions in my 270 they work a whole lot better and leave tones of blood.

RE: ballistic tips
 

I don't like them. Yeah they look pretty and they are usually accurate but they are essentially just a hollow point with a plastic nipple snapped into the hole. They tend to overexpand and fragment badly especially out of high speed cartridges and on close range impacts. The poor blood trails are generally due to the fact that they often do not exit the animal. No exit hole means only a tiny caliber sized entrance hole for blood to ooze out of. If you hit heavy bone like a shoulder then penetration is often very poor. Most of the wounded and lost animals I have helped friends and family look for overthe past five years involved a ballistic tip. Saw enough grief that I swore them off permanently. Lord help you if you hit a deer anywhere near edible meat also as they are terrible meat manglers.

RE: ballistic tips
 

I've used the Win Supreme 140 gr BST's in my 270 WSM and have never had a problem.

RE: ballistic tips
 

I have used them in .270 and .45 muzzleloader and had good results. No need for blood trail. They dropped in their tracks or never got of sight.

RE: ballistic tips
 

I started using them about 4 years ago, and I thought they were the greatest. Then IT happened. I shot a buck, and yes I did my part, but the bullet fragmented apparently on contact. Very little blood trail, but I knew he was hurt bad. We found the deer, but it really made me second guess my bullet choice. I spent the time before the next season looking for other factory loadings witha bonded bullet ( that doesn't cost an arm and a leg ). I looked for Nossler, Remington, Sierra, whatever I could find. I finally wound up with some SST's. This year I am going to try the Fusion. I would love to find one brand of bullet, that I could stock for all of my guns. Right now I have a .243, 7mm-08, .270, .308, and a 30.06. I am getting ready to get a TC Encore pistolin the 15 " stainless.

But I can accept the idea of me finding one bullet that would shoot well out of all of those guns is a pipe dream. But I cant see ever going back to the ballistic tip. Too many horror stories.

Well good luck to everyone.

Be safe

God Bless

RE: ballistic tips
 

Hey Michael, try the Hornady brand.

RE: ballistic tips
 

Sounds more like FMJ than ballistic. Me I have always used Remi.180gr sp
No problem in knock down ifkill zoneis hit. Kill zone or neck shot is the way to go.

RE: ballistic tips
 

i shoot Weatherby Ballistic Tips and have had great success. entrance hole the size of my pinky and exit hole the size of both my fist put together. no blood trail issues either. sounds to me as if whoever doesn't like them needs to change ammo manufacturers.

RE: ballistic tips
 

I second everything Todd1700 said. His whole post happened to me in a cutover one evening and I swore I would never use them again. I like to use every scrap of meat off the shoulder for grinding but the Ballistic tip did it for me.

RE: ballistic tips
 

Great Thread!

I have in the past used and swear by Remington Core Lokt in my 30-06 Remington 760.

They flat out work at medium range, bang and the deer goes down!

My hunting buddies all use Winchester ballistic tips.
And of course they swear by them.

I have personally seen what one of the previous posters reports as an entry wound the size of your finger and an exit wound easily the size of your fist.

I have been leery of switching to them though as I have never had a problem with the core lokts.

However, with the purchase of a Browning BAR I have switched to the Winchester BTs.

After sighting the gun in with the Winchesters I can say that they are extremely accurate and repeatable in the BAR.

I hope like heck I have the same luck with the 168 Grain Winchester BTs that I had with the 180 Grain Remington Core Lokts (I know some of you will say it is too much bullet, but like I said bang and their down).

Let's hope for the best.

John

RE: ballistic tips
 

Ihave been usingHornady Interbond bullets (.300 Weatherby) for the past 2 years and they tear up jack. They shoot good but the exit holes are huge! They retain alot of their mass, I would guess 80% and do not break apart or splinter like some other bullistic tips do. They leave lots of blood because of the size of their exit holes. Anybody else shoot this brand of bullet?

RE: ballistic tips
 

One of my friends and i switched to winchester ballistic silvertips (.308 and .30-06 in 168 grain) about 5 years ago and we've never had a problem with them.. The longest track job was only about 50 yards max...

RE: ballistic tips
 

I have killed about 50-60 deer with the Nosler Ballistic tips. None ever went mote than 25 yards and most dropped in their tracks. I have used them in the 250 Savage, 257 Roberts, 270, 7MM and 30 calibers. About 85 percent of these have been pass throughs and most all the shots were between 150-200 yards.

RE: ballistic tips
 

ACCUBONDS!

RE: ballistic tips
 

I have a modified SKS with a scope mounted. I let a friend of mine hunt with it. I gave him some ballistic tipped bullets in 7.62 x 39 and He killed a doe with it. On inspection I could not find an exit wound. I eventually found one...the same diameter as the entrance. The penetration was unbeleivable, even for a not so powerful round such as 7.62x39. This doe(about 110lbs or so)was about 40yds away or so. She maybe got 50 more yards and dropped. I think ballistic tips are a preference thing. They maximize penetration, but lower knockdown power in my experience.