Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Core separation from a Nosler Partition

That's an excellent demonstration Klikitarik.


Casey

One of our priests owns a big-frame Marlin .45-90. It is a family heirloom, but he has shot it. Believe me, he would be all over the expanded Nosler Partitions.

Usually the Partitions sail right on through and you seldom recover them. I have about twenty and I've probably killed something over 200-225 critters with Nosler Partitions. That is about ten percent.

By the way, very often the Partitions exit the big game animal backwards. At the Nosler plant, they have several photos of Partitions with just the base sticking through the hide and the lips of the front acting like grappling hooks.

The coolest photo is of a large caliber Partition base sticking out of a Burchell's zebra hide. The photo is an extreme closeup and you can even see the long-grain extruded powder marks on the lead core.

Most folks don't know that the Partitions often exit backwards, like a freakin' parachute, so don't tell anyone.

Steve

Being that I"ve seen same with Partitions, and thats what drove me away from them, failure to penetrate 2 fairly simple shots where I thought the partition should shine, that was the point in life I swayed to mono bullets. Some have visible proof they also fail. I"ve shot plenty of them, and have loaded the quantity "plenty" many times over for friends. We have yet to see a failure with that projectile.

Now there is the question about failure vs death, but in my instances both shots required follow up shots. ANd neither were tricky so I went on to a better bullet.

Jeff

I initially saw a couple of deals with the Partition that put me off. One was a 150 from a 308 which failed to make it through a whitetail on, basically, a broadside shot. When the X came around that seemed like a good answer to that and many other problems. Of course, it has issues of its own. A couple of failures to expand -at what I consider long range- have made me re-think the what I want in a close-to-far multi-purpose bullet. I won't re-post those pics here right now. However, I do think there is good evidence that the X does indeed tumble. In fact I think that may be part of the reason we're seeing the TSX resemble the BT in it destructive properties. (And that, IMO, is not a good reason to choose them, but that's me.)

Check out this shot of an X exit, a 300 XFB from a 45-70: (that 500 Interbond is only shown for scale purposes.)



That was neither a high speed impact nor exit. I rather think that bullet was sideways during exit. So many pictured TSX bullet holes show trauma far greater than most I have even seen in my experience with original Xs. Does that mean the TSXs are coming apart explosively (I think not) or are they tumbling (likely IMO) or is it something else?

ALL expanding bullets tumble now and then. They are designed to be stable in the air before expanding, but after opening up inside an animals made of everything from water to bone, anything can happen.

The longer the remaining shank, the less this is likely, but it still happens. We just don't usually see any evidence of it, because the hole inside the animal is a mess, and when the bullet is recovered its usually under the hide. We don't really know which way it is "pointing" before we skin the animal out, or just stick a knife through the skin to retrieve our fascinating "secondary trophy."

Hell, even solids tumble more than now and then. If you want a bullet that doesn't tumble (or at least never acts like it does) use a round ball.

Dogzapper,

Neat collection of spent Noslers.

My 250gr from the .338 looks just like the "squeezed" bullet on the lower right of your photo. It broke a rib on the off side and then slammed into the shoulder blade, where it stopped. BT

No way I'd turn loose of my recovered bullets to put them in the offering plate. I'd put my money in first !!!

The petals seem to be much more resistant to breaking off with the tsx than with the original x.The result is a larger expanded diameter,which naturally results in more trauma.

Damn stright!!!!

Steve

dogzapper: Yes, I think you're right;the bullet was deflected before it struck him,because the entrance hole was "long",hit sideways. I have a bunch of recovered partitions that look like yours,some with the squeezed bases.The partition is very good, predictable,and reliable but may be trumped by other stuff out there today IMO.

But they do appear to be getting awfully close close to, the "Weekly Offering."



An interesting "photo shoot" even if there is no "freudian" extra meanings to it. Love to look at what they do, how they work, and what's left, too though, so I understand not wanting to part with them.

Back when folks complained of Xs losing petals, they were nit-picking the bullet in general, largely because the were more difficult to shoot well consistently. As is often the case if there's one nit to pick, people look for other nits. And if many people are finding nits, well, then it becomes a popular past time. I was one of the minority who seemd to like and have success with the original X design - the flat based versions anyway. Sure a petal would break off now and then - like when you'd punch a solid bone end on a critter weighing half a ton, or pulverize 8" of spinal bone on a lesser critter. I guess that never really surprised my nor did it bother me. Most of the time Those bullets would leave through a small hole that left little corners in the hole in the hide, or they could be found in the animal in the picture perfect bundle often seen in the ads. The bullet I pictured above was not a TSX - it was an ordinary flat-based spitzer shaped bullet. Unlike most X bullet wounds, it left evidence of much more trauma. The first bullet fired into the same animal, a "bonded" lead core bullet of the same weight, was much less messy. Both lethally punched holes through the lungs.

I just love expanded bullets and have kept every one I've ever found.

My last safari to the the Northern Transvaal (RSA) yielded many beautifully expanded .308" 180-grain Interlocked SPBTs. I keep this entire safari's bullets in a series of carefully-marked ziplok bags.

Of course, the fact that I found them meant that they FAILED. Which is why every animal was a one-shot instant kill.

Sometimes armcahir shooters and their opinions give me intense belly laughs.

Steve

Naw, no id-slip (I have a BS in social psychology). My computer desk is just a total mess of papers, cameras and Leica binoculars. I grabbed the first clean paper that was near an open area where I could photograph.

For those who are interested, the envelope now has a check in it (no bullets) and will be dropped into the collection basket tomorrow during Vigil Mass.

This doesn't mean I'm out of photography background envelopes. For some reason CTKCC keeps sending me LOTS envelopes; prolly because I keep stuffing them with healthy checks.

Steve

Good Nosler example's guys.Love to see them.Better than a newspaper in the a.m.

Have used Nosler Partitions almost exclusivly for over 50 years and still continue to do so. Have NEVER had one fail. Almost all lose the front core when recovered but also do the job and I find them to be uniformly accurate in anything I load them in. I shot an Eland at about 75yds left rear quartering shot. My intention was to put it behind the ribs into the heart/lung area. Hit a mopane about the size of your little finger about 6 ft from Eland. Hit left rear quarter and it penetrated all the way to hip bone and broke it. Bullet was completely buried in the bone up to the base. It was a 260gr 375H&H. Finally got the Eland after VERY long track over 2 days. Also have a 220gr from a 30-06 that penetrated completely thru a Wildebeest shoulder shot and was under skin on off side. The front core had seperated from the rear but was in same location as rear and recovered. I have lost no game to the Nosler Partition only to poor shooting.

If we can be so open and personal, I'll brag as well. I got BS about all kinds of stuff, not to mention on it. I think I may just about be full up!

Steve, great pics and a great post. Anyone who has shot a fair # of Partitions knows those pics are spot on and Partitions flat out work. I have many Partitions that I have dug out of game that look exactly like the ones in the photos you posted. Those that think they are failures just don't understand what real bullet failure is. I'll just keep on shooting the Partitions and some Accumonds. I'll try to dig out the few that I can find and the ones that go on thru I guess I'll never know if they failed or not??? 163bc

Wow. I've never recovered a Nosler Partition from any animal I've put one into, nor have I had any complaint as to the level of damage they inflict. They kill them and then spread a little extra KE on the landscape. One followup shot to poorly hit elk went from the right ham, through the femur, traversed the entire body, and left the center of the briskit. That killed him pretty well. That was a 200 grain version over a bit too much powder (98.5 grains of AA 8700) at a range of 100 yards or so. Penetration distance was right at 5 feet or whatever the length of an elk that weighs 300 lb. field dressed is. Exit wound was a perfect ragged hole about double the caliber of the entrance.

If ya think thats impressive, and it is, my guide friend in AK, shoots 338 Win mag, 225X at the time. His boss found a big blackie, BC skull, in some alders, borrowed Spencers rifle, and bad timing on a shot, thats on video some years ago, hit a 4-5 inch alder dead center, that was appx 10 feet from the bear also, totally penetrated the bears front shoulder, exited and went through another smaller alder and was lost in the tundra....
Ever since my 180 partition, 30 cal, 300 wtby appx 3127 IIRC, hit a 225 pound whitetail in the neck at under 150 yards, and stopped on THIS side of the neck, I"ve avowed those bullets as possible problems. That took another shot. So did a stem to stern one same load in a Nilgai, shattered hip joint and stopped....

Jeff

Jeff