Ballistic Tips
 

Several years ago I bought a box of ballistic tips for deer hunting. After shooting a few deer it was obvious to me they were not designed for deer size animals. The bullets tended to explode on bone, change direction within the deer and not consistently pass through providing a good blood trail. Well a few of the fellows I hunt with thought they were too pretty not to preform. Now that the season is over they swear they will never use them again. Way too many wounded deer got away, and these are hunters that have killed hundreds of deer. They use .270 Magnums and 7mm magnums. Have any of you had similar poor results with the ballistic tips on deer?

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RE: Ballistic Tips
 

I have used 140 gr ballistic tips in my 7mmstw and 100gr ballistic tips in my 257 wbymag both launched at over 3500fps to kill about 30 canadian whitetails and mules,a few antelope and sheep.I have also used 180 gr ballistic tips out of my 300ultramag at just under 3400 fps to take two moose and two elk.I have experienced no bullet failures to date with most bullets exiting.If shoulders are struck they do more meat damage than some other bullets but have yet to fail to cleanly kill my game.

RE: Ballistic Tips
 

I have been reloading 165 gr. Nosler ballastic tips for my '06 for about 12 yrs. now. I have yet to hit a deer and not find it shortly. I can honestly say that the very few deer that I have had to track from point of impact were pass throughs. It was like rolling out the red carpet.

One thing you may want to consider is those magnum loads are traveling so fast that the shattering and deflection effect is multiplied. I have a buddy that had similar problems with a 270 mag with 130 gr. ballastic tips.

RE: Ballistic Tips
 

I used balistic tip reloads in my 30/06 for years with awsome results. Have heard some bad stories of bullet exploding from western states.

I'm just guessing, but maybe the balistic tip problems come from using balistic tip varmit rather than balistic tip hunting bullets. Or may be its just the smaller calibers (<7mm) being pushed beyond 3000fps. Don't know, just guessing,... but I did like very much, the Balistic tips in my 30.06.

I sold my .06 when I won a Browning 7mmMag in a raffle. I just finished reloading 100 balistic tips for my 7mmMag. I will be watching the performance closely on deer. I want to see for myself.

RE: Ballistic Tips
 

I've shot my share of deer with ballistic tips through my .30-06. I've always been pleased with the results. Dropped more deer with one shot=straight down with them than hevier powerpoints. I will admitt that they open like crazy, and damage a lot, but I've never had one shatter on contact or bone, and never changed direction. I took out both shoulders, the heart and both lungs in a 185# doe last season, the bullet came out huge, 8 inch diameter exit wound.

RE: Ballistic Tips
 

While these deer aren't the biggest up here, not one of them liked Ballistic Tips. They're the only bullet my dad and I reload! Accurate and the deer rarely move when hit with them!

Edited by - Canaduck on 02/01/2002 14:15:23

RE: Ballistic Tips
 

a good friend of mine uses them on his .270 we went hunting up in south carolina and he shot a 2 great deer and they dropped right where they were standing, one of the shots was about 175 yards.

Edited by - buckinthewoodz on 02/01/2002 14:27:37

RE: Ballistic Tips
 

Greets,
I am wondering if maybe the ballistic tip my freind used are different from the ones your guys said didnt work well. I have related this story here a couple times so I will be breif, He took a 200lb 5x5 buck at 400+ yards using a .270 winchester and Win ballistic silvertips in 130gr. Blew right thru both haunches ( lousy hit, embarrased the hell out of him ) but that dear didnt make it but 70 yards. In retrospect, the doe he took this year was extremely close.. less than 20 yards, shot her right in the locker, but when we followed the wound channel it was baffling, the exit holes ( yes thats plural ) were huge and not in line with the entrance wound. in fact one was on the same side as he shot it, the biggest hole, blown out ribs in a 4" circle.
We figured it was cause he was so close the bullet hit while still going at peak speed and just exploded his ribs from the shock of the hit.

Just my uneducated opinion!
Terry

Edited by - Adui13 on 02/01/2002 19:51:37

Edited by - Adui13 on 02/01/2002 19:53:15

RE: Ballistic Tips
 

I have killed 300lb+ deer at close range and the 140 gr ballistic tips out of my 7mm stw held together in spite of being launched at 3500 fps.Exit holes were fairly large but there was only one per animal.