Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Nosler E-tips

Anyone using these? If so what is your take on how they work as opposed to the Barnes TTSX, and any advise on loading them would be appriciated. Thanks

ct, bought some years ago in Bend, but just found them the other day..forgot I had 'em...

There are probably several people on this forum with far more E-Tip experience than I have, but my results have been mixed with the few I've tried. These include the 130 .277" in a couple of .270 Winchester rifles, the 150 .308" in a .308 Winchester, & the 165 grain .308" in a .30-06. I did not do a great deal of load experimentation but found seating depth with the E-Tips made a bigger difference than with most other bullets. I did get very good accuracy with one .270 and the E-Tip. With the others, accuracy has not been consistent.

I just started load development work with a new Cooper in 6mm Remington. Among the bullets I'm trying is the 90 E-Tip. Hope it will shoot.

I've fired multiple hundreds of etips through several rifles with several powders, several primers, several cases, and several seating depths. I've yet to find a single acceptable load with any combination. I love Nosler bullets and still own and shoot them by the thousands, but I'm done with E-Tips when I shoot monos.

All I hunt big game with now are Barnes.

No wonder they were on sale. I was hoping that they would shoot at least as good as a partition. Thansks for the replies.

Loaded a bunch for my cousin, 180gr in 300WSM. Basic 1 hole groups w/ his rifle, not in mine. Nogame shot with them. Have used a lot of TSX in 7 and 300. They work.

Little tiny groups for me with 90gr E-tips in my 243.

I use the 150gr 7mm e tip in my 7mm SAUM and have found it superb. I get 2850 fps over RL19 and it delivers 3/4" groups.

I've just started experimenting with the etip 150 in my 7mm RMag. Initial testing with h4831sc delivered 2850 fps and three shots touching at 200 yards. I should probably call that load "good enough" but something keeps pushing me to find more velocity...

Anyway, accuracy has been superb in the two rifles I've used them in. Performance on the two Sitka Blacktails I shot was superb. They were both 1 shot kills - the first at 40 yards and the second at 280 yards. Full penetration on a quartering away shot, exiting the chest each time with about a 1.25" exit hole. The second Sitka at 280 yards literally flipped onto his back, legs up and kicking once upon impact. I was impressed at the shock.

What I've discovered is that they seem to work best accuracy-wise at medium velocities in the 2850 fps range in my rifles.

What I also know is that the bullet does indeed produce more friction (and pressure) vs. Barnes bullets and their Banding. I see about a 50-65 fps velocity loss with similar load data. Noslers suggestion on considering mid-pack loads as a relative maximum load is a good one. That extra inch of drop at 300 yards isn't worth the pressure, IMO.

Anyway, I liked the bullet enough that I bought 1000 of them off the ProShop.

I've used them in 3-4 rifles. My opinion of them is that they can be more difficult to get accuracy out of than TSX/TTSXs, but if you have an accurate load the perform on deer pretty much the same as the Barnes.

They are certainly no less touch about seatng depth than the Barnes

I've had good luck in some guns...not in others.
Much better luck than hornady gmxs...not quite as good of luck as ttsx's.

The original X and now the TSX have worked so well for me that I see no need to change. I have never had an issue getting the TSX to shoot very well, usually well well enough first time out.