Thanks for all the replies.

After talking with the wife last night and reading your experiences I think I'll keep shooting the partitions, at least for the wife's .270. For my 7mm....well, I went to the range last night and the balistic tips shoot much better than the partitions (.75" vs 1 3/8" groups). However, the idea of shooting an elk in the shoulder with a partition might be the best medicine like JJT mentioned. I guess I should have included that in this message about shot placement. I'm still trying to decide what's the best place for that too.

Sounds like I'll get enough expansion with the partition to just use those for deer and elk. Don't want to mess around shooting 2 different loads so I think I'll work toward just shooting partitions. As far as shot placement I'll just have to play that by ear and take each shot as it's presented. Wife and I argued a little last night about her shooting (or lack thereof) but we settled with her stating that she usually won't shoot over 200 yards anyway and as long as she only takes shots she is certain about then I think that is where we'll have to stand on that one.

Power
http://www.powerandfury.net/hunt.html

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My experience with the Ballistic Tips have been good until last year. I had been shooting a .300 Win Mag all my hunting life and had excellent results with them. I used to reload them about 10 years ago (or maybe longer) before they were available in premium commercial loads. Last year I bought a .260 Remington because the .300 was way too much gun for these small whitetails we have here. If you don't know anything about the ballistics of a .260 it is just slightly less velocity and energy than a .270, so it is plenty of gun for whitetail. Anyway, I shot 3 deer with it last year.....I only recovered 2. I was not getting an exit would at all. the bullet was fragmenting inside the deer. justrecently I read an article by Craig Boddington on the BT's, and it confirmed my findings. Basically it said that the smaller caliber (less than .30 caliber) BT's are great for varmints since they have a thin jacket designed for rapid, violent expansion. .30 cal and above has a thicker jacket to aid in penetration, but by no means is to be put into the same class as the Partition as a penetrating round.

For the Elk, I think I'd have to go Partition minimum and seriously consider the Fail Safe, especially in the .270. You are correct though, on the range the BT's will shoot consistently better groups than the other 2. But since you really have to make the 1st shot count, I wouldn't let that be a huge concern.

Thanks guys. I see what you're saying. I think I have some reloading to do and some bench time coming up. I guess I better start developing a load that is accurate with either a Partition or Failsafe.

I have taken several deer and elk with both ballistic tips and partitions.On deer I have used the 100gr ballistic tip and 100gr partition in my 257wby and the 140 gr ballistic tip and 140 gr partition in my 7mmstw; and on deer,bighorn and pronghorn the ballistic tip is by far the quickest killer.Not one animal has made it fifty yards after being shot with a ballistic tip and most drop on the spot.They often run 50 to 100 yards or more when a partition is used.On elk and moose I have used the 100gr partition out of the 257wby the 140 gr partition out of the 7mmstw,the 200gr partition out of the 8mm rem mag and the 180gr ballistic tip out of my 300 ultramag.All have worked well but only the ballistic tip has repeatedly dropped elk and moose on the spot.I have not however used ballistic tips out of the 257wby or stw on elk or moose as ballistic tips are not as tough in the smaller calibers and I am not sure they would deliver adequate penetration on the larger animals.

Edited by - stubblejumper on 09/26/2002 19:11:40

Edited by - stubblejumper on 09/26/2002 19:12:16

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Cool. Good information you two. Greg, sounds like you and I are about the same, I bought my 7mm in '95 too but I've only harvested 3 animals with it, all deer in totally different conditions (actually first was with wife's .270) so I am glad to get your experiences. I think you're right in I've heard and read that the sub-30 cal. balistic tips are thinner skinned and blow up more. I did harvest one of my deer with one and the heart was totally destroyed and the deer fell so fast I lost it behind a small pine it was standing by. I had to run to the spot expecting the deer to bolt but it was already dead by the time I got to it.

Do you lose much meat shooting through the shoulder? I've always though that would be the best place to anchor an animal but would hesitate unless it was necessary.

Power -there is no need to shoot a deer through the shoulders.I use only lung shots and the deer I kill drop quicker than those shot by most other people because of the bullets I use and the velocities they are travelling.I would not worry about the 7mm ballistic tips blowing up on deer at close range as I have taken several 300lb plus deer with this bullet with a muzzle velocity of 3500 fps.If they do not blow up on deer this large at this velocity it is very unlikely they will fail on any deer at 7mm mag velocities.

Thanks Stubblejumper. You think a partition would work just as well with a double-lung shot?

power-My own experiences is that deer often run up to 50 or 100 yards or more when lung shot with partitions.The seldom run at all when lung shot with ballistic tips especially when bullet velocities are very high.