Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters More Partition Questions

Yes, we've discussed my lack of 125 grain Partition success both on and off this site. You even offered to run a batch of them through your Juenke machine for me several years ago.

I've had good luck with the only three Partitions I've used, 6.5-125, 6.5-140 and .224-60.

I've found they're just like other jacketed bullets; very accurate in some rifles, not so good in others.

I have found that the 0.224" 60 grain Partitions can shoot good groups, but often take extra effort/testing to find the best combinations of components to get the best outcomes.

338 Win shooting 250 Partitions. Leupold 6x42 Post Duplex

Rifle CZ550 American.

That's gotta make anybody smile!

What load, barrel length and velo is that 338?

WOW! (SU35). Obviously Nosler partition s and Leupolds 6 x 42 s are inferior and should both be shunned. Well done. Thanks 4 the post. Mighty fine group that!

Last week new rifle Win super Grade .270 3 shot group out the gate 130gr NP 59.5 gr H4831sc

NICE!

Everything; rifle, scope, target & ammo... Gotta love that. May I borrow it, with a case of that ammo, for about 5 years?

Good stuff right there.

Guy

iNot a writer. Many years ago, way before the monolithics, I shot large bodied buck in the shoulder (at the angle he was standing, I hit where needed to get into the heart/lungs) and upon butchering the deer, I found that my bullet had literally blown up. Luck was on my side as the kill was because a sliver diverted up and severed the spinal cord.

This was with a 99 F Savage . 243. I switched to Partitions and it was kind of like putting the caliber on steroids. Some use 95, but I have always gone with 100s loaded to book loads of about 3000. Likely closer to 2950 with my now rifle with a 22" barrel. Accuracy is plenty good for hunting at 1" (+/-), depending on me.

The other cartridge that I have lots of experience with using Partitions with is .338-06. I hunted everything with one of those for several years. 210 NP and Speer 200 proved to be most useful and accurate in my rifles, a rebored BAR and a custom 1903 Springfield. I found that even on large hogs, the 250 NP and Woodleigh were more bullet than was needed.

I have NP in stock for .270 and .30, but have never used them much. I seem to get along pretty good with cup and core, especially in the .308 and .30-06, using mostly factory loads.

Jack

jorge,

I know Terry Wieland pretty well, and sometimes he writes stuff just to stir the pot--not unlike some Campfire members. Not saying he didn't get a 3" group from 130 Partitions in one .270, but....

My experience with Partitions in the .270 Winchester might be somewhat more extensive. Have handloaded for at least a dozen .270's, and like Terry (and millions of other .270 users) found that around 60 grains of H4831 normally shoots pretty well with 130-grain bullets, including Partitions.

But have run into a couple of .270's that shot 130 Partitions better with a couple of other powders. One was a NULA Model 24 my wife used as her main rifle for a number of years, with one load for everything, the 130 Partition and 55 grains of IMR4350. In that rifle it got around 3100 fps and shot 2" groups--at 300 yards. Another was a J.C. Higgins FN Mauser that I used until burning the barrel out (it's now a 6.5x55) which shot best with 130 Partitions and 58.5 grains of Reloder 19.

But another trend I've noticed with .270's over the decades is many shoot 150-grain Partitions even better than 130's, and all I can recall did it with H4831. That J.C. Higgins, for instance, would average around 3/4" with 150's--and that's for 5-shot groups, not 3-shot.

Sample of one here, but bear with me:
270 Win.
130gr Partition.
60 grains H4831
Case: W-W.
Primer: Fed 210M
COAL: SAAMI max.
3 shot group 0.75 inches@ 100yds. Several 3 shot groups at 300 yards at 1.0 inches though I couldn't regularly reproduce such groups(300 yards).
MV: 3040fps
Rifle: Push Feed M70 FWT.
Rifle also shot very well with the Barnes 130gr TTSX.

Thanks, John. My experience with the 270 is limited to ONE rifle and I have not shot anything out of it so far but 130 BTs and Interlocks with that load and it's great. I can say that in a lot of other calibers I've used Partitions have shot well, but not to the same accuracy consistency the TTSXs have, but the difference isn't worth worrying about. Most of the animals I've taken with my 300 Weatherby, have been with the 180 Partition.

Did not read the entire thread so if this has been covered already, sorry.

My reloading experience with Partitions has been extensive. It is always the first bullet that I try(simply because they hit hard, penetrate well, and put game down fast!). And, because they are accurate!
I would never settle for "1.5 MOA" as acceptable accuracy for a Partition. I've shot them in .243, 25.06, 270 Win, 270 WSM, 7x57 Mauser, 7mm Rem Mag, 30.06, 300 Win Mag. Every one of those rifles would shoot sub MOA with Partitions. Some were more finicky than others to get to shoot well but in all rifles sub MOA 3 shot groups at 100yds were achieveable.

My experience has been that if a finicky rifle is encountered that won't shoot the Partition well, many times going up or down in bullet weight will produce the sought after accuracy. For example: I had a particular 7mm Rem Mag that just wouldn't shoot my favorite 7mm bullet accurately(160gr Nos. Partition) no matter what powder I tried and changes in seating depth didn't seem to help either.

Finally, a friend of mine suggested trying the 150gr Partition instead to see if that made any difference. Sure enough, 3 shot groups shrank from about 1.5" at 100yds to 0.6" groups.
Realizing that a 10gr difference in bullet weight wasn't going to make a bit of difference in "on game" performance in the field, I did a little victory dance in celebration, loaded up a box of ammo and went hunting. This little trick has helped me several times in getting finicky rifles to shoot Partitions accurately.

Leftybolt

Partitions will shoot better (when they aren't) when loaded with a faster powder that causes the base of the bullet to quickly and fully obdurate to bore size.

If they are being finicky for you, always try a faster powder before giving up.

Went out this morning to try out Wieland's observation with my tried and true load of 56r H-4350 F 210 primers and WW cases:
180gr Hornady Spire Points (MV ~2700 fps:


Same load with cannelured 180 Partitions.MV 2750


And lastly some 220GR Hornady RNs@ 2475 fps:


Rifle used was my 1964 vintage Browning Safari Grade w a 22" barrel. Also noteworthy this rifle shoots factory 290 Power Points to POI and just as accurately as the 180r Hornadys. I'm sure I can get the Noslers to shoot by experimenting with different powders, loads etc, but to Terry's point, every rifle is an entity onto itself.

Jorge,

Been using NPt's for 30+ years now. And yes, in my experience NPt's generally don't group quite as well as other bullets.

For a long time I've said if my NPt's will shoot a 1" three shot group I can get NBT's to shoot 3/4".

Of course their have been exceptions to that.

Casey

130-270 Nosler Partition. Field prone 300 yards. 30 years.....same/same