[/quote]I wouldn't be scared taking about any of the PT's down to 1800-2000 myself. Seem like the front end is always pretty soft on them. I think there are a few folks over the years I have heard who had great results from the 250's in a 338-06.[/quote]
Was told several years ago by Nosler that they the same relatively soft lead-alloy in ALL the front cores of Partition, but the harder rear core alloy can vary, depending on the specific bullet. But like some other bullet companies, they're often tweaking bullets.
That's also why the percentage of weight retained varies from the smallest to largest Partitions. The largest also have the partition moved forward to retain a higher percentage of weight. Don't know exactly which models that's done with right now, but highest percentage I've had any retain was 95% from a 400-grain .416 shot into a big Botswana Cape buffalo that was angling away. It entered the rear of the left ribs and was found in the right shoulder. Muzzle velocity was right around 2400, and the range maybe 60 yards. Also have a pair of 300-grain .375's from a buffalo, started at 2550 from a .375 H&H, that retained 88% and 87%, if I recall correctly.
Another statement directly from Nosler (also made a few years ago, so it could have changed) was all of the larger, heavier Partitions are designed to retain around 75% of their original weight, even if they lose the front core. The least I've seen retained by one of them was 74%, a 286-grain 9.3 that broke the shoulder-joint of a blue wildebeest that was quartering toward me at around 200 yards--which lost the front core and almost all front jacket as well. But another one (same velocity, from the same 9.3x62 load) retained a little over 90% of it weight, after going through the flesh behind the big joint on both shoulders of a very bid-bodied British Columbia bull moose.
The least percentage of weight I've seen from a recovered Partition was 54%. It was a 150-grain .270, which Eileen put into the left ribs of a quartering-away bull Shiras moose, which we found under the hide of the right shoulder--muzzle velocity 2850 fps, range around 125 yards. The bull took a step-and-a-half and folded up. (It was an average sort of meat bull, but was still as large as any bull elk I've seen on the ground.)
