#2285252 - 06/30/08 07:27 PM
Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
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RAS
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Registered: 12/29/05
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All:
I have a 270 Win that shoots 140gr nosler ballistic tips rather well. How are these bullets rated on elk sized game?
Thanks..
RAS
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#2285265 - 06/30/08 07:35 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: RAS]
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Mark R Dobrenski
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Registered: 04/19/01
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Loc: Bozeman, Montana
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Direct them in the proper manner and you'll have no issues. I've taken more than a few elk with 130 NBT's out of a 270 and 150 NBT's out of my 7 Mashburn Super.
I'd not worry one bit, but then again I've done it....grins
Dober
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"It's the hunt that counts....not the killing"
(stolen from Bob in NH)
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#2285272 - 06/30/08 07:38 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: RAS]
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tikkanut
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Registered: 01/30/01
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I don't shoot a 270...but if you're gonna spend the time/money/effort on an elk hunt....I'd be using Partitions or Accubonds...either of these I'm sure would shoot one minute of elk...elk are tough/hardy critters...don't skimp on the bullet..
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#2285298 - 06/30/08 07:48 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: tikkanut]
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RAS
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Registered: 12/29/05
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TN,
I didnt know they were considered cheap..
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#2285320 - 06/30/08 07:55 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: tikkanut]
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Mauserkid
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Registered: 06/03/04
Posts: 230
Loc: Stevensville, Montana
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I hit an Elk with a 140 grain SXT, to far back, at close range (50yards). Exploded a couple inches under the skin, could see no sign of hit. If it had been a better shot, I dont know if it would have been fatal or not.
You never know how the hunt is going to pan out.. Close shot or not....
I now use larger calibers to shoot larger game. (personal reasons)
If you are going to use smaller calibers, you should use premium bullets. Barnes would be a good one...
Or better yet, I would call Nosler see if it is a heavy jacketed bullet. To my knowledge it isnt. Think the heavy jackets did not start till over 30cal...
Later...
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#2285372 - 06/30/08 08:25 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: Mauserkid]
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sweetsue
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Registered: 11/20/02
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Loc: Zavalla,Tx
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A good friend switched to ballistic tips on whitetail because others were simply passing through without much expansion and he would have to track them. Not good in warm Texas fall seasons.
Ballistic tips exploded always and the small deer dropped.
Others seem to have had good results with them. Personally, I would not consider a ballistic tip on large mulies. And certainally not on an elk. I think Nosler rates them for up to medium game. Elk is big game. Most hunters that has hunted and taken elk would probably recommend a tougher bullet.
I have started reloading for this Octobers' Colorado elk and mule deer already. There are so many tougher bullets available than when I started reloading 50 years ago, that it is easy to pick two or three to see which one groups the best in my guns.
So far the new Remington Cor-loct Ultra Bonded 140 264 has shot the best. It looks like the older Trophy Bonded Bear Claw. I orderded another Hundred yesterday. 60 Grains H4831 264 Win Mag.
Nosler partitions were the highest recommendation when I asked this question here a while back. Save the ballistic tips for deer. Elk demand more!!!!!!!!!!!!
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#2285471 - 06/30/08 09:13 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: RAS]
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1minute
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Registered: 01/28/01
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Loc: Burns/Hines, Oregon, USA
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My wife uses 130's in her 270 and has never had one move more that 10 yards after a shot. I use 140's in a 7 mm Rem Mag and did have an elk go about 300 yards. He fell off the side of a flat spot and slide down slope into the Snake River Canyon. He could have gone another 400 yards down, but fortunately an antler dug in on the head first slide.
They should work just fine. 1Minute
Edited by 1minute (06/30/08 09:14 PM)
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1minute
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#2285474 - 06/30/08 09:14 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: RAS]
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GuyM
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Registered: 07/29/07
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In my experience, they are an admirable deer bullet.
Big bull elk are mighty big deer, and personally I prefer a heavier bullet - but a well placed 140 NBT would do the trick. It just seems to me that elk are why Nosler makes Partitions for the .270 Win. 
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#2285486 - 06/30/08 09:20 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: RAS]
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tikkanut
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Registered: 01/30/01
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Loc: Utah
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TN,
I didnt know they were considered cheap..
Didn't say they were cheap...there are better 270 bullet choices..Myself...if I'm gonna drive an hour from the house to hunt elk..I'm taking my 358 Win w/250s or my 444 w/300s...elk are tough animals..they deserve a heavy tough bullet.
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#2286432 - 07/01/08 01:09 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: tikkanut]
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Reloader7RM
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Registered: 09/20/05
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Loc: NW La.
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Have a friend that shot a 5x5 bull with a .277 150 NBT last year while we were hunting the second season in CO. Mostly a deer hunter and thought those bullets would work fine. I didn't even know that's what he had until he pulled them out at camp. He and the guide both said the impact was just right behind the shoulder(close range, broad side, standing still, sure of his hold, and guide watching in binos). They waited a while then trailed blood for around 400 yards where the bull was laying in the brush. He jumped and ran, so we waited until the next morning to track. Found a nice puddle of blood where he laid, then the blood became sparse. we tracked him for a good 1.5 miles and never found him. Lost his track in a rocky area where the blood completely stopped. We circled and grid searched with several people and never found him. The guide was so sure he had to be dead from watching it all he kept going back and hiking around the area, but never found the bull.
He was sure wishing he would have had a better bullet and asked me what to use next trip. I told him to try NABs, NPTs, or TSX.
A million things could have happened on that bull, but we believe the bullet exploded and caused a shallow wound. No telling what happened.
Good bullets are cheap insurance on large game.
Have a Good One,
Reloader7RM
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#2286451 - 07/01/08 01:26 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: Reloader7RM]
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hunter5325
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As pretty much everyone has said, there are many better choices even it they'll work "most" the time.
I bet 130 or 140 Accubonds will shoot just as good for ya.
Brett
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#2286452 - 07/01/08 01:27 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: Reloader7RM]
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Mark R Dobrenski
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Registered: 04/19/01
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So the bottom line on the bull is that it wasn't recovered so they really don't know where it was hit.
I've been around plenty enough elk taken with NBT's to know it wasn't the bullets fault!
Theres more here than we know about and thats that. The same thing could of happened with any other bullet going.
Dober
Edited by Mark R Dobrenski (07/01/08 03:47 PM)
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"It's the hunt that counts....not the killing"
(stolen from Bob in NH)
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#2286453 - 07/01/08 01:27 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: sweetsue]
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Mark R Dobrenski
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tikkanut and sweetsue and any others who don't feel that people should be using NBT's on elk I am wondering what experience it is you've had with NBT's on elk that made you come to this conclusion?
I am assuming being that you're saying that they shouldn't be used that you've a reason or a bad experience on elk with them would that be true?
And being as you don't like the NBT for elk then which of the bullets out there have you found better success with?
Thx
Dober
(reworded so as to not sound condesending)
Edited by Mark R Dobrenski (07/01/08 03:51 PM)
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"It's the hunt that counts....not the killing"
(stolen from Bob in NH)
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#2286488 - 07/01/08 01:58 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: Mark R Dobrenski]
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BroncoLope
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Would not recommend the ballistic tips on elk, I lost my first chance at a big bull becuase I had just started reloading for my 270 and had picked up ballistic tips and as mentioned by someone else they exploded on the shoulder with no penetration and I lost the animal. Elk - definitely get a controlled expansion bullet.
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#2286492 - 07/01/08 02:01 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: Mark R Dobrenski]
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Mark R Dobrenski
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Registered: 04/19/01
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Loc: Bozeman, Montana
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By the way guys I apologize in advance if I sound rather terse or direct about this.
I've taken and have seen an enormous amount of game taken with NBT's and I've yet to ever have an issue with them. I know of a few others that have done the same and haven't any issues with them either. I know that Royce from here has used the bullets a lot for big game and no issues as well.
It always drives me nuts when someone brings up the story about how Uncle Bill shot and elk with the bullet and the bullet must of exploded as they never found the bull.....yeah right
And it always drives me nuts when someone who has no experience in taking game with a certain bullet piles on the bullet and says how it is no good when in all actuallity they've never used the darn thing!
Just venting a bit here, when I was in the gun biz I heard the same old bs time and again and yet when I questioned them about their personal use with it and or how the game looked when they found it they had another story.
Better run and duck for cover now....grins
Ciao
Dober
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"It's the hunt that counts....not the killing"
(stolen from Bob in NH)
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#2286494 - 07/01/08 02:02 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: BroncoLope]
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Mark R Dobrenski
Campfire 'Bwana
Registered: 04/19/01
Posts: 12411
Loc: Bozeman, Montana
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Would not recommend the ballistic tips on elk, I lost my first chance at a big bull becuase I had just started reloading for my 270 and had picked up ballistic tips and as mentioned by someone else they exploded on the shoulder with no penetration and I lost the animal. Elk - definitely get a controlled expansion bullet.
how in the heck do you know you didn't get any penetration when you lost the animal, how do you know this to be true?
Dober
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"It's the hunt that counts....not the killing"
(stolen from Bob in NH)
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#2286499 - 07/01/08 02:04 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: Mark R Dobrenski]
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HUNTS
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Registered: 05/26/04
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Just bought my son a .270 for his first rifle. Last year I let him use my 7mm-08. I'm leaning towards the Barnes TSX and Swift A Frames for premiums and Win power points for non premiums. This will be his elk(and everything else) gun.
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#2286508 - 07/01/08 02:08 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: HUNTS]
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Mark R Dobrenski
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Registered: 04/19/01
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Hunts a good choice and those bullets will work as well as the NBT when directed in an intelligent manner.
Good for you and your son, we should meet out at the range some night and do some shooting.
Dober
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"It's the hunt that counts....not the killing"
(stolen from Bob in NH)
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#2286544 - 07/01/08 02:33 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: Mark R Dobrenski]
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Gmoney
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Mark...
The answer to all your questions regarding these posts you answered yourself in your initial post on this topic...
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Take a kid hunting, it's good for us all.
Personal field testing trumps everything no matter what Field and Stream says, what your degree of perceived manhood is, or what your buddies think.
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#2286589 - 07/01/08 02:55 PM
Re: Are 140 gr NBTs an acceptable elk round?
[Re: HUNTS]
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BuzzH
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Hey Mark,
Got a question...why is that you're the only guy with any hunting experience and everyone else is pretty much full of crap according to you?
Your condescending attitude regarding everything and anything to do with hunting gets a bit old...darn right annoying actually. You question anyone that has different opinions and has had different results.
I've seen FIRST hand a NBT explode on the on-shoulder of an antelope and only a couple small fragments get through the body cavity. A second follow up shot was required to kill the antelope. The bullet in question was a 150 grain NBT fired from a 30/06 in Remington 700 BDL. The second shot was to the neck, so there was no mistaking the results of the first shot.
I've had a mixed bag of results with NBT in a variety of calibers from .22 through .338. The results vary enough in reliability that I also wouldnt recommend them on large animals. There are better bullets out there for hunting larger animals, and thats a fact.
I'm not doubting your results as I've seen them work. The difference between you and I is that I also wont be questioning in a condescending way, others that have had bad results with NBT. I've had them perform far from ideally and I dont doubt some of the stories on this thread one bit.
Oh, and before you question me on how many elk, deer, antelope, sheep, moose, bears, etc. that I've killed (which seems pretty common for you to ask)...lets just say enough to know when a bullet performs and when it doesnt.
Sorry if that sounds terse...
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