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

If you are recovering bullets, you need to get a better one IMO.

Got nothing against Partitions, except .338 210's, but there are better Premiums out there. For that matter, I like Corlokts better, based on field work.

I once shot a 45" bull moose at about 100 yards in the shoulder blade with a .338 Mag 210P. No brush between us. Down he went. At 10 feet, up he came again, 3-legged! The second 210 up the nose, one handed, did the trick. Then I sat down and quivered for 5 minutes or so. That, by the way, was the second and last time I ever approached any downed animal from the front, as well as not giving it an insurance shot from some yards out. The first time on a similar bull (.30-06, plain jane 180 gr bullets,) a few years before had remarkably similar results. I learn slow, but I do learn.

The first 210 round had shattered his near shoulder blade, peppering the near lung with bb sized bits of bone and lead. The opposite lung was untouched. Never did find the base _ I think it richocheted back out the entry wound.

First and last time I used the 210 on game.

Here are some pics of Partitions I have recovered thru the years. They are boringly similar to Partition pics others have posted here and also to the many others friends that use them have recovered. The Partitions flat out work just like they are supposed to!! 163bc

The retained weights of the Partitions in the previous pics I posted are as follows:

7mm 140 = 88.9 grains
7mm 140 = 89.2 grains
7mm 150 = 95.7 grains
30 cal 180 = 120.0 grains
30 cal 180 = 110.2 grains

163bc

I have a box full of recovered bullets, including many Nosler Partitions in various calibers from .227 to .338. On average, I've had a 15% recovery rate with Paritions, and most of those were found under the hide on the off-side of the animal. This recovery rate doesn't mean that 85% of them exited, since a number were lost back of the diaphram (from frontal chest shots), somewhere in the plumbing system, and either I couldn't find them or some African skinner couldn't find them. Retained-weight has averaged 65%, regardless of caliber.

Overall, I've been very, very happy with Nosler Partitions over the last 27 + years. They've been extremely accurate in most rifles, good killers on everyhting from 100 lb. animals to 2,000 lb. animals; they've been totally reliable in terms of terminal performance, and I can't point to an episode where a Partition has failed me in any way. I've not experienced a detached rear core, but then I suppose there's a first time for everything. On average, Partitions have penetrated deeper for me than have some bullets that typically retain more weight.

Even so, if I had an episode like that one on a moose with a 210 Partition out of a 338 Win. Mag., I'd likely be looking to another bullet as well - either a heavier Partition, or better yet, a Barnes TSX..........

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The instant it failed to perform as expected or desired. And the animal graciously died anyway. IMO.

Kind of like "Not guilty by reason of insanity". In my book it should be "Guilty but insane."

IMHO, if you are finding bullets, you ain't using enough caliber/bullet.

But then, I'm a "blow a hole to daylight" kind of guy.