Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Ballistic Tips in 250 99

I tried working up loads with 100 grain ballistic tips. Wow talk about key holing. They would not shoot worth anything. I since did a little research. Has anybody had a similar problem. Boat tails will not work?

Never mind I got my answer. 99's in 250 won't shoot 100 grain ballistic tips. Lesson learned.

Yeah, there's no factory Noslers that will shoot out of a pre-1960 250-3000.

...75g Nosler ballistic tips are sub 1" in my 250EG

I just ordered some Barnes 80 gr ttsx to try.

Didn't know they made them.

PLUS 1 On That-Should be 85 Grn Jeff
AND ALSO SHOOT VERY WELL on a PREWAR R

Nosler catalogs an 85 grain .257" Varmint BT, not a 75 grain.

Nosler states in their reloading manual they make no bullet that will stabilize in a 1 in 14" twist. Interesting that some folks are getting stabilized 85gr BT's...

Fireball, I think you're going to be toast on the Barnes. I think folks here have emailed Barnes and been told that they don't make anything that will stablize. Let us know though.


Now, ekp, if you have some 100gr BT's remaining and you want to try something - trying remove the tip or cutting it off and trying it as a hollow/flat point. I think you'll find a huge improvement in grouping, and it shouldn't change the BC too much. I can get the 100gr Partitions to group better by cutting off the lead tips and using it as a flatpoint.

They'll work in something.

Any post-1960 99 or most other vendor's rifles chambered in 250 Savage and you're golden.

Fireball,

We machined the tips off the 80 gr. TTSX bullets and then tested the bullets on varmints. The projectiles were accurate, but made a serious mess of an exit hole.

...funny the stories we well ourselves for so long we start to believe them.. correct bullet for me is a 75g V-max...sorry for the fake.

For some reason my 99F serial number 776XXX in 250 Savage shoots good groups with 100 grain Nosler ballistic tips. Unfortunately I don't have my load data here. I killed an antelope with that rifle last fall.

I would guess 1 in 10 twist

All Savage rifles chambered in 250-3000 prior to 1960 were cataloged as being cut 1-14" ROT, while all Savage rifles chambered in 250-3000 since 1960 were cataloged as being cut 1-10" ROT.

I have had good luck with the 75 grain Barnes Original X and believe that it may be the best deer bullet for 1-14" ROT .257" bore rifles yet to be sold in terms of velocity, penetration, and accuracy potential.

Jeff.

I still have several boxes of Barnes 75 X bullets but I never got them to print well. What powders and primer combinations worked for you?

ekp asked about 100 gr ballistic tips. My 1950 R shoots 100 gr Core Locts very well. I've shot at least 50 dear with it and 2 pigs. One pig in the eye and the other behind the ear. Off my 50 yard bench it shoots jagged holes. At the range, on the 100 yd bench 1 1/2 groups are easy. I'll take all of the 100 gr core locts I can find, Joe.

So my bullet choice is limited to 85-87 grain bullets? What does geometry have to do it?

I found bullet weight played a role in my 1-9 223.

What choices are viable for 250 for eastern white tail?

It's not weight, it's length.

Example, an 85gr Barnes will be longer than some of your 100grain bullets and have more bearing surface.

You choices are limited to shorter bullets. Sometimes some of the 100's will work, like Speer, but I've not had one that has shot 100's worth a damn yet.