Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Three Nosler Bullets

Ballistic Tip vs Accubond vs Partition. All 30 caliber. 180 grains. Game ranging from deer (mostly) to lets say elk size. Ranges from 30 to 350 yards. Muzzle velocity 2700ish. Understanding that the BTs in 180 grain are "tougher" than lighter weights, from what I have read. How much difference, performance wise on game, could I expect? Kind of looking for a do it all, one load for a 30-06. Considering that Ballistic Tips are close to half the price of the other two bullets, which means more and cheaper practice. Thanks, Tom.

Practice with Ballistic tips and hunt with Partitions... my. 270 130 trainers hit close to the same point of impact.

I'd go with the Ballistic Tips in a .30-06, but all would work.

NBT all the way baby, they'll even work on smart deer...grin

Dober

Guess I should add that I also hunt with the Ballistic tips in one rifle.

Ballistic tips. Then load a few 180 Accubonds. They very likely will hit at the same POI. If they do, great, use the Accubond. If they don't, great, use the BT.

BT's all the way.

Mark,

I forgot to show you the remains of a "failed" bullet today when you and Anita came by. I found the remains of a 100-grain .25 Ballistic Tip of the doe I killed with the .257 Bob (3000+ MV at less than 50 yards).

The doe was quartering toward me at less than 50 yards, and the bullet broke the left shoulder just above the big joint, then went through the chest, ending up at the rear of the rib cage under the hide. Theoretially, since it didn't exit the doe didn't die, but that's not what happened!

Good to see you both--and good luck on the "dumb deer" hunt....

Thanks for the advice. After reading about your experiences with the heavier Ballistic Tips, kind of decided to put together a 30-06 based on this bullet. Sort of building a rifle from the inside out. Thanks, Tom.

Mark, That bullet just might be the edge I need... So far have just been able to find the less educated deer. Tom

Great to c-u and E as well, and of course G-dog. (and thx for the groceries)

Working on some loads for the baby 6.5 as we speak and Babes (aka Anita) is rummaging thru the Cook book trying to sort out new recipes for the up n coming new residents of our deep freeze.

Dober

Whichever your rifle likes best.

Be surprised if it isn't the NBT though...

One comment. For the -06 I might run a 168BT instead of a 180. The 180 is a bit tough for my liking at -06 velocity.
I recently shot some 180gr BT's out of my 300 rum with a muzzle velocity of 3375fps into dry news print at 100 yards. The results were very favorable to the point that I am going to use the same load on elk this year.
Its also been my experience that getting BT's to shoot is pretty damn easy. I dont know if I have ever had a rifle that would shoot them good.

TTS,

In my .300 Win Mag, I push 180 gr. NBT's at 3,050 fps. They have the same B.C. and in my gun, the same POI as 180 gr. NAB's. I shoot NBT's on lighter stuff, NAB's on tougher stuff. At this speed, NBT's will blow up on a hog's head, the wound looking like something a Claymore Mine may inflict. I have denomstrated this many times. SST's will blow through a hog's head without a blowup.

I found the NBT's to be slightly more accurate than the NAB's, but only marginally. I've never been able to get NPT's to shoot as tight as the other two. NPT's are great hunting bullets, but this gun is set up with a turret, calibrated out to 550 yds., where accuracy and B.C. become an important factor.

Hope that helps,

DF

Dirtfarmer,

Judging a bullet's performance on smaller targets, like a hog's head, isn't always valid. I can provide several examples.

I also wonder when you did the "tests," as it's been fairly recently that the 180 BT was given a heavier jacket.

The 180gr AB and BT have the same jackets, at least to my eye when I have sectioned them.

BTW John, I have used the 100gr BT out of my 25-06 a far bit and it has flat out worked.

I've had these bullets several years. I heard about the newer jackets, saw photos of a sectioned bullet with the thicker base. Not sure when the change occured. Mine must be the older series, as every time I head shoot a hog, it's the same deal. The intake wound always shows a gaping hole with nearly half the head blown away and no exit wound.

My 6.5-284 shooting 140 SST's at 2,950 fps blows clean through a hog's head, leaving a nice exit wound.

How close to SST performance are the new NBT's?

DF

Besides cost, what advantage does the BT have over the AB?

The Ballistic Tips are waaaaay tougher than the SSTs.

Most of the prejudice against Ballistic Tips results from experiences that folks had many, many years ago. The BT jackets were quite soft back then and they were a decidedly marginal big game bullet back then.

Today, the Ballistic Tip is a considerably different bullet than it was back then. Regrettably, prejudices and old-time experiences die hard and many of today's hunters are missing out by not using the Ballistic Tip.

It's a shame, but there it is.

God Bless,

Steve

Thanks, Zapper.

My "prejudice" is out in the field observation, using the older series of NBT's. I plan to get some new ones and give'em a whirl.

Are the newer ones as accurate as the older ones? Mine have produced some pretty fine groups.

DF