Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 30 Cal Bullet Test by Richard Mann

Very true, but it would tell us something about how accurate the gelatin test is overall at that 800 yard distance.

If the Partition fails like Nosler says it should at below 1,800 fps, then the gel test is a pretty accurate test overall, for all bullets tested.

On the other hand...if the NP acts like a normal NP shot at a closer distance then I have to wonder............

Also, in my own testing of bullets I like to shoot a minimum of two bullets to get a read.

Actually properly calibrated 10% Ballistic gel has proven to be a relatively reliable indicator of soft tissue performance.

That may well be true, but it still doesn't take into account things like say, a rib gets punched on the way in; wet, heavy coats; heavy fat layers; caked mud (pigs); etc. Lots of variables exist in the real world that are difficult or impossible to simulate. I figure if a bullet expands, penetrates, and doesn't go to pieces in gelatin, wax, or wet paper pulp, it's worth trying on a real, bony, critter.

Do you know this through actual testing and correlation of calibrated ballistic gelatin and live tissue performance, or are you guessing?


Not trying to be snarky.

FWIW the Nosler ETIP from my limited expiereance appears to be a tougher than a Barnes TTSX as it pertains to expansion at low velocities.

I know this because I've shot stuff and witnessed stuff being shot by others and seen what can happen when bullets hit in various places, most notably when they hit even relatively small or thin bones. Your calibrated jello has a uniform density from one end to the other that's generally unavailable on living creatures, in this part of the country anyway, so can't be anything more than a convenient medium for comparison. Attempting to translate results from shooting holes in jello into an accurate prediction of killing power is really guessing.

I've seen Partitions expand just fine on their front end to below 1500, so yes I think a Partition would have compared favorably to the rest in the test.

It would if you were elk hunting in the Rockies at 9k'-11k'.

If at 9k' it would be doing 2102 at 800. 2169 at 10k. These are based on JBM and factory BCs. Litz BCs for Nosler bullets are sometimes a little lower and sometimes a little better so I won't automatically assume they would be worse. An E-Tip would not be my choice of a LR bullet, but the point is where you hunt can have a meaningful impact on what may be suitable. I'd rather see tests where the bullet is tested at an impact velocity(s) and then the reader can equate that to a range based on cartridge and conditions.

DakotaDeer,

What animals? And where did the Partitions hit them?

Expansion can depend considerably on both factors. The highest weight retention I've seen from a .30-caliber-and-under Partition was a 160 7mm that impacted a BIG Alberta mule deer at around 2150 fps. Don't know exactly what the entire deer weighed, but the boned meat weighed 130 pounds.

The buck was angling slightly toward me, and the bullet hit the muscle of the shoulder, just behind the bone. The bullet was found under the hide toward the rear of the ribcage on the far side, retaining slightly over 90% of its weight, and basically had just barely started to expand. But the bullet slipped between two ribs after going through the shoulder muscles, so hadn't hit ANY bone, just a little muscle and both lungs.

M.D. Sounds like that Nosler NP came close to failing to expand. Wounder why? At 2150fps I think it should have shown more expansion even if it didn't hit bone. Or, maybe this just proves no bullet is perfect. Not even my favorite.