Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles .270 140gr Silvertip

I've settled on 140gr as the weight for bullets in my .270Win. I've hunted with Ballistic Tips in that weight and at 50 yards that bullet held together, although only for a trip through the ribcage without hitting a shoulder. No accuracy complaints but I did pick up some Sierra BTSP's to try out as I start testing at 300 yards. I also have older Winchester Silvertip BT's in 140 grains to try, but have not been able to find any references to their design/performance. I'm assuming these are about as soft/frangible as the Noslers and Sierras, but do any of you have experience with this particular bullet? Appreciate any help.
Kirk

Do you mean the old 1970's vintage Silvertips?

Could be. Silvertip boat tail, 140gr. Bullets are a typical copper color, have a cannelure and tin cap for a nose. I do not know of any generational identifiers, but will check if you point them out. Others have changed the construction of bullets over time (Speer Grand Slams), and I'm looking for the design of these. I figure they're a standard cup-n-core, probably fragment at close range resistance and expand/penetrate like typical mushrooming core-lokt at 200yd plus.

Yep, that sounds like them. I never shot them. Granddad shot them back in the day. Said they were on the explosive side for the time, but killed deer just fine. I'd put them infront of some H4831, and in the ribs behind the shoulder and make sure my knife was sharp.

AS, I wound up with H414 and R22 in my .270, although the road did travel through 4831 and 4350, especially with 130gr bullets.

I've yet to see a .270 that wouldn't shoot with H4831 and 130gr cup and core bullets.

Interesting. What brass and primes were you using?

Various, but then this covers 25 years. Who said my .270 wouldn't shoot with H4831?

Gotchya....

yea, 760 does meter a lot nicer then H4831.

I believe I was using the Short Cut version of H4831, and for certain H4350 was SC by the time I tried it. I usually throw slightly light charges then use a trickler to finalize anyhow. No problem when it's only 40-50 cases at a time. H414 was the powder that finally got the 140's into 1" for 5 shots for me, and R22 gave highest velocity (works great in 6mm, too). Almost hate to settle on just 1 or 2 powders when soooo many work.

Accurate powder in my 270 winchester was RL22, H4831SC,
Norma MRP, and Superformance. Also IMR 7828SC worked good
but not quite as accurate.

kgb41,

Those 140's you describe sound like the "Silvertip Supreme" Winchester sold for a while around 1990 or thereabouts. They had the reputation then of being VERY explosive, in fact there were many reports of them coming completely apart. They were only around a short while before Winchester dropped them completely and came out with the Fail Safe.

MD, on a rib shot into the lungs I would think that's an acceptable thing to have, up to a point. Maybe better at longer ranges? We'll see how they shoot, I've got 160 of them to figure something out along with Sierra BTSP, Hornady BTSP and the Ballistic Tips. I've only taken one shot at a deer that wasn't intentionally a chest shot, a deer that had just been wounded by a friend and presented only a back-half target when it stopped. That might be a bad time to have something so frangible.

Kirk

You might try shooting a couple into a stack of dry newspaper to see what happens. My experience is that if a bullet won't hold together for 8-10" in dry newspaper, it might have problems on tough angling shots.

Absolutely true, when my bro and I were younger we only had 1 rifle a piece, me a .264 wm and him a .270 win....we hunted everything with those rifles including woodchucks, my brother settled on those old silver tips for woodchucks because of their explosive effects.
On deer be prepared to lose a lot of meat.

Not 100% sure, but I believe that "tin tip", is in fact an aluminum alloy of some type. You will be picking fragments out of the meat( ask me how I know this). My experience has been with the .30 cal stuff in 180's, they are a good bullet--I sure wouldn't shy away from them. Some purists have elevated them to "collector" status, so they might be worth more on the market, rather than shooting them. Then you can take the money and invest in some partitions, and look no further. IMHO !
G

Thanks for the advice, I'll give them an impact trial being grateful the papers will be dry for the haul to 300yds! If they are that explosive maybe they'll serve as varminters and I'll forgo the 90-100 grainers. For clarity, here's the lineup of the 4 makes...

Those pictured in the bottom right hand corner are the ones I am familiar with. Like I said earlier--just the 180gr in .30cal, but they have been a good bullet.
G

Only one shot into the dry newspapers, but it did travel nearly a foot in length. I felt 100 yards might be too close and shot this at 300yds. Recovered bullet weighs 76gr. Felt intact but when I set the bullet down to snap a photo the lead core fell out. Hard to make a conclusion from one shot, I plan on gathering more paper and trying this with some Sierra bullets.

Settling with 140's is fine, but I'd opt for B.Tip, Accubond or a Partition - all in that weight. Bullet technology has made great strides and their is no reason not to utilize that development.
At 300, your photo shows a frangible bullet.
Good luck.

Is it me or do the cannelures on the top left bullets look WAY too far down the shank? I'm thinking if they were loaded and set to the cannelure most rifles would be hitting the rifling big time when chambering.