Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 168 ballistic tip

I’ve been shooting the 168 grain ballistic tip in my 308. I’m planning on hunting bears this weekend. Do you guys think that the ballistic tip would be enough to crush the shoulder and fat of a big bear say 500 pounds? I also have 130 TrSXloaded up but I would rather shoot the ballistic tips that I have loaded to 2600 fps

Yes.

If it will dump a large bull elk at 300+, it'll damn sure handle a black bear at any sane distance.

Dave

Would you stand flat footed at 20 paces and have a mama in front and a cub behind with a 168 BT?

I would use it, there are sturdier bullets but last I knew nosler thickened the jacket on them and they do good tissue damage. One of the guys a while back shot cow femurs I think with them and they performed very well.

The 168 Ballistic Tip of today is definitely not the ballistic bomb of the past.

Here's the epic internet pic.Still mean to use that bullet for something. Looks pretty good.


Left to Right
7mm 120gr BT, 7mm 150gr BT, 7mm 140gr Accubond, .308 168gr BT, .308 180gr BT

The 168NBT stomps big hogs at 308 speeds, I know that much.

I love the 168 Ballistic Tip, and would gladly hunt with only that bullet for the rest of my life, especially at 308 speeds. I run them around 2,720. I've used other ballistic tips to take elk, so would have no qualms using the 168/30 cal on black bear. Elk are a lot tougher and bigger boned than black bear.

For your edification, here's one of the better threads ever created on this forum...

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...let-test-cow-femurs-and-newspaper-part-1

My brother used the 168 BT in my handloads to kill a 330-class bull, .30-06. Much bigger than your bear.





P

A hunting friend uses a .308 Sako Forester on black bear. Over many years hunting Quebec and PA, he's taken 28 bears with 150 gr factory core-lokts. He's never lost one. So, I expect today's 168 BT's are fine.

I've taken one deer with a .308 using 168 BT and it went about 15 yd and dropped.

Slight difference, I was using the 165 Ballistic Tip from my 30-06 last fall when I used it to take:

Black bear at 325 yards
Mule deer at 140 yards
Antelope at 245 yards
Cow elk at 338 yards

The Ballistic Tip worked really well on all of them. Fast kills. Accurate.

Regards, Guy

Hmmm, that cross sectional picture of the 168 NBT is impressive. I know that a 150 NBT out of a .308 will not pass thru a blacktail with a 50 yd broadside shot. I have two recovered bullets in my possession.

Current issue bullets?

In 2012 I shot a 190+ pound whitetail buck quartering away with a 150 BT from a 308 and it exited the offside shoulder. Range was about 125 yards.