Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 25-06 and 100 gr. Ballistic Tips for Deer

I am currentlyt looking for a new 25-06 to set up and hunt with this year. I am leaning towards a Marlin XL7. I have never shot ballistic tips out of any of my rifles but I found a store with some 100 grain federal nosler ballistic tips for a good price and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on them for deer sized game as well as groundhogs and coyotes. I currently do not handload so factory ammo is all I have access to at this time. How do these bullets hold up on a deer or would I be better off with a better constructed bullet?

I would use something else.....
You might give Federal Fusions a try if they are made in that caliber, also the Federal blue box or Remington Corelokts.

Winchester sells 120 hollow point ammo that I have used and was very accurate in the 25-06 I had.

The 100 grain Ballistic Tip is a great bullet for deer. Myself and several friends have been loading them in our 25-06s for years. Buy some and go kill stuff!

I agree.

A good bullet I am sure for a ribcage shot, but for best overall performance I have been using a Barnes TSX and TTSX in my 257WBY. In my experience, ideal. Should be some around in factory loads if you do not yet roll your own.

the 100 grn bt is a real good choice for deer, I roll my own and thats all I shoot thru my encore. hit em right and they go nowhere.
Deano

Deano,

WELCOME to 24hrcf!

Glad you chimed in, even tough you are wrong

Just kidding, as I said on a normal shot at normal speeds the bullet is OK.

Ol' Dogzapper and his lovely wife have laid a pile of deer and antelope low with the 100gr NBT from the .250AI and the .25/06. Maybe a few other critters as well.

personally i would cheap out and go with hundred grain hornady flat bases. They will hold up at at 3550 from a weatherby. They also expand to like .7 inches.

The 100gr BT will punch through deer shoulders and keep on going. Then again, sometimes only fragments will keep on going, but in any case, they work fine on broadside to quartering shots.

They must have toughened these bullets up lately,I used 130gr. BT's in my 270 when they first came out and they were like a bomb on deer.

I've used nothing but 100gr Btips in my 25-06s, since these bullets hit the market. Zero complaints. Over two dozen dead deer between my bud and I, lots of dead woodchucks, too.

Don't really see much difference from the originals, as to what they're making now, performance-wise, as the originals worked very well. Very accurate, mucho deadly regardless of lung or shoulder whacks. Have killed deer from about 75 yards and out beyond 450 yards wiffem.

RP cases, 54grs of IMR 4831 and CCI 200 primers, here.

This bullet is almost legendary now with the .25/06 for deer.

JW

i am going to try this bullet in my 257 wby wonder how it will work grin

FWIW .... probably zilch ... I've used 115gr BST outta a 25-06 on deer with good success ... turned those lungs to jelly.

Wouldn't a 100gr Btip launched from a 257 Weatherby, likely vaporize any deer under 350lbs, on contact?

Purty sure I've seen that somewheres on the internet?

+1...the Hornady 100fb is a close second in both my .25's...

The only Balistic tips I have used was at 200 yards, 150 gr. Nosler Bal. Tip, rib cage shot behind the shoulder on a Mule Deer, the bullet vaporized on impact, blew out a section of skin about 6 inches x 6 inches..The lungs appeared to be peppered like one would expect with No. 7.5 shot..instant kill, damn poor bullet performance...

I went back to partitions needless to say..I also pulled about 100 bullets and reloaded them with partitions and accubonds..

A game bullet should have the capability of shooting through an animal lengthwise IMO...

I have not used the 25 caliber balistic tips however,so perhaps they are a better bullet in 25 cal. but I doubt it., I believe the design is faulted in that it has no locking element other than jacket thickness, just like any old time cup and core bullet..

I suspect too much is based on only a few deer killed and unsubstaniated claims with this bullet..Most all bullets work most of the time and the worst bullets will fail only on ocassion, A lot of factors come into play such as muzzle velocity upon impact, range, angle, etc. etc. I, personally, would be suspecious of the 25 cal. balistic tip. If a bullet fails on me once or twice, chances of me forgiving it are slim to none, right or wrong, but that choice is mine and your choice is yours...

So, to each his own and its a personal choice, but IMO there are just too many proven good bullets out there in "premium persuasion" such as partition types, bonded core bullets, interlock bullets, Interbond bullets, to even bother taking a chance with any cup and core.

Guess I'm suspecious of claims for the most part, and I'm
old enough to remember the days when bullet failure was common..Fortunately, todays premium bullets are the best in history and are there for the taking. The key words to successfull hunting is "premium bullets" IMO, its the best hunt insurance you can buy...Let the non believers figure this out the hard way.

I have used the 100 gr bt for several years now in my 257stw and have yet to lose a deer. So far they all have dropped within 10 yards. It also performs quite well in my 25-06 but not quite as instantainious as far as how fast they fall, but the end results are real similar. I am toying with the Barnes right now just for fun in the 06.......cheese

Tried some 130gn BT's out with a 270 when they 1st came out and was very impressed with the velocity and accuracy. That year a nice mulie presented broadside at 70 yards, the bullet hit right behind the front shoulder. The deer dropped instantly but the bullet fragmented perpendicularly causing extensive damage.
No doubt in certain calibers and distances they are an effective bullet but given my exposure to them I'll stick with the Hornady's and the Partitions for hunting.