I had such good results from BT's that I always discounted the blow up stories before it happened to me. The bullet could have been an old original model it was traveling about 3000 FPS at the muzzle so at 250 yards maybe 2700 or so as an impact velocity. Fragments in the lungs and a big hole for blood to spray out is what killed him.
I suppose if I shot every BT on hand loaded or boxed, and only bought from Cabelas you could count on them being new models - but I still wouldn't trust them for elk with the Barnes available that shoots just about as well in my rifle.
Those give me broken bones and exit holes, not usually available with BT's.
