I am curious if anyone has seen a difference in performance on game between the 7mm 140 grain Nosler ballistic tip solid base and the 140 grain ballistic tip hunting bullets. Planning to use these in 7mm-08 Remington and possibly 280 Remington. Any info would be very helpful. Thanks, Mark

Ballistic Tip Solid Base?
What year are those from?
Nosler hasn't called them that for 30 years.
Those are probably first or second generation Ballistic Tips.
Current Ballistic Tips are at least Generation 4, with, on average heavier jackets and better construction.

Don't know the year. Product number #39587

The very first edition of Nosler ballistic tips were not for close range...I can testify to that (my experience limited to .308 dia) in the '06. I was developing a load at my home range, things were going well, found my load, pulled down my target from the big Ponderosa pine (soft) backstop, lo and behold...about half the holes in the pine backstop had the copper fragments and jackets stuck in the pine at the entry point. End of ballistic tips for me. I lost my notes but at the 100 yd mark I think the impact velocity was down around 2550 since it was a very mild load of 4320..I couldn't see a good outcome if I hit a shoulder bone.

There was a time here on the 'fire when one could not mention the old Nosler Solid Base (pre-tip) bullets without invoking genuflection and a moment of silence.

HaHa, my first foray into ballistic tips back in the late 80’s early 90’s didn’t pan out too well. They were accurate enough, but I shot a buck at about 150 or so, first shot went right where it was supposed to. He just stumbled a little then tried to run. 2nd shot was a rib shot and put him down. When I cleaned him noticed the exit wound on the rib shot was about 3”, couldn’t find the first shot. Meat cutter came down and he found it. Perfect 25 caliber holes through both shoulder blades, that sucker punched right on through and kept going. That was the end of my foray into BT’s for about 15 years.

Maybe I have my bullets mixed up...Swifty's acted like solids, mine the opposite. I DO remember they came in a kinda Christmas'y looking red and green box.

Nope, back then they were really inconsistent, had reports from others that mirrored yours and some mirrored mine others said they worked perfect. After that I switched to the new Hornady 120 that was supposed to be designed for the 25.06. Again accurate enough but first year I hit a buck @175 knocked him down but not for the count. 2nd shot as he was jumping a fence caught him in the spine. Upon cutting him up we found the first shot in his right shoulder just inside the skin next to the chest. Bullet blew up on impact, found hair and meat in what was left of the jacket. Still got that bullet around here. That was also my last foray into Hornady bullets. Never have bought anymore of any caliber. Switched to Sierra 117 and never looked back.

All generations in the 7mm and 30cal have worked fine for us. Mostly antelope, deer and black bear. I bought the very first 7mm and 30 cal BTs back in 84. Not pictured are 1st Gen NBT 30 cal 180s, my friend killed a nice buck at close range using them in his 300Wtby. No blowups at all.

I can tell you about the BT's performance but not the solid base.

The BT's were based on the solid base but with a tip. I am sure (100%) the the jacket thickness has chanced a few times.

When I get some time I'll section the 7mm and 30s I have and post. I still have some 1st Gen NBTs 30 cal 180s too.

The 1st Gen 130gr .277's performed like a varmit bullet. They would blow up on the rib cage on an antelope and not make it into the chest cavity.

I have a box of the first generation Or at least previous generation 130 gr. Ballistic Tips and they made it to the fourth gallon milk jug full of water started at 3100 fps and impacting at 100 yards. Seems that would do for broadside chest hits on antelope. These came in 100 count boxes which are black and gold labeled Trophy grade Bullets.

Right here confirms that the first gen BT’s were inconsistent in performance seems they had issues in getting them right.

Those early ballistic tip bullets opened up way to fast. I'd save them for varmints only.

Good older red box bullets.

The first of the new Ballistic tips i tried on game made a mess of a deer around 125 yards with a 270 win.

Found out in a few years that they fixed the new and improved bullets so they stayed together.

Maybe they have changed, as I know lots swear by 6mm 95gr on deer. I loaded them, possibly had them a while, in my 6x47L and a sample of two made me swear off them. They were similar to Antelope Snipers experience with the 277’s. Been scared to try a new box after this.

Great info. I guess I am too unsure to go through load development and find out they won't perform as I want. Thanks again everyone.

So can I—it was kinda’ like shooting the poor critters with plastic tipped potato chips.........it was gruesome.

The newer ballistic tips will work just fine. I shoot them out of my 280 rem pushing them pretty fast and have shot deer from 50 yards on out without issues.

You can load up both versions of NBTs and shoot them into a box of new phone books, catalogs or filled milk jugs and compare penetration. It will give you some idea if one version "blows" up sooner than the other.

I've done it before........

120grNBT vs 140grNBT Penetration Test




I shot at least 6-7 mule deer and several black bears with the first versions of 30cal 165gr NBT out of my first Browning ABolt in 30/06. Some of these deer were less than 50yds and one bear was very close about 10yds. These 165 NBTs were from several different batches bought in 1990 - 1992 labeled as the solid base. I know this well because I was shooting 150gr Sierra Game Kings in 1989 and switched to 165s after reading up on "The Perfect 165" by Dave Petzal. I remember one bear I had to shoot quickly over hounds at close range in thick brush. That 165NBT broke the bear's neck cleanly and it died instantly. Another bear treed up a lodge pole and quickly started coming down as we approached, about 50yds. I placed a 165 NBT right in his shoulder and he plummeted instantly, hit the frozen ground hard and layed to rest in a dry creek bed . No blow ups at all.

I loaded up the very first 180 NBTs (of which I still have a few) for a friend's 300Wtby in 1984. Later on a hunt I positioned him at the base of a granite rock slide at about 10,000ft elevation on the deer opener. I told him and another friend in the dark to wait and be ready when it got light. Well some cloud cover blew in and they got cold so they built a fire by a dead fall. After it got light several good bucks trotted right by them and headed up the rockslide less than 50yds, one of em said to shoot on three but the Weatherby shooter fired early killing his buck instantly, it reared up and fell backwards. No bullet blowup. The other 2 bucks turned and ran at them and the other guy missed, he was using a 30/40 Krag with a peep sight. I still have photos of that hunt in 1984. You can see how close the rock slide was from the shooter in the background:

Same buck (middle) after the pack out with stock


Not saying the early NBTs didnt blow up but I was a very early user of them and never any issues. Also have killed a few animals with the early version 7mm 150gr NBT at both very close and long range with no issues at all in the 7RM.

I doubt his were of early 1984 production.
By early 1985 Nosler had fixed them.

Dad received one of the first boxes of their first revision directly from Nosler after his letter to them describing our experiences with the '84 gen of NBT's.

Since then we've never had a problem with them, and the 4 to 5 milk jugs is consistent with my tests of later gens.

Killed this little meat buck with a 1st Gen 7mm 150gr NBT from a 7RM at less than 10yds. Exit side pictured.
Buck walked about 10yds and fell over. Again no bullet blow up using a magnum at less than 10yds using the potato chip bullet.

I have no qualms using current NBT’s on deer, pronghorns and black bears. They are NOT my first choice for elk—there are better bullets out there.......

👍👍👍

.30 cal 180's and 200gr .338's are great elk slayers.

I have killed a lot of deer and two bull elk in a 7 Mag with the Red/Green box 140g ballistic tips, never a problem. I am NOT a shoulder shooter. Those elk died before they hit the ground, one never kicked, the other kicked twice.65.5g IMR 4350, Rem 9 1/2, bullet .003 off the lands at 3200 fps MV.

In Alabama, I shot a 260 lb buck at 10 yards, broke his right front shoulder the bullet exited the Rear hip, with a 270 Winchester with 130g Red/Green box ballistic tip with 58g of R#22.

Have used Ballistic Tips in 6 mm, 25, 270, and 7mm. Deer, hogs, and coyotes have never complained. They are tougher than you think and I have no hesitation when animals step out. My favorite lately has been the the 115 Ballistic Silvertip as they are so accurate in my 25-284 and are so easy to put in a hog’s ear. If needed I will slam it into a hogs shoulder and the “plated shoulder “ doesn’t stop them.
GreggH

Can't tell when these were made but a box of 100 for $22.95 seemed like a good deal. The part number is not on the box of 130's but on the same style box the part number does not match current production 150 gr. Ballistic Tips. 39588 is no where to be found on the Nosler web site currently.

I have had a good run with the old Nosler Solid Base Bullets with the lead tips. I buy them up second hand when I see them which is pretty rare now. The 6mm 85gn and .25 100gn have worked well on pigs from a .243 and .257 Roberts. I have some 7mm 120gn and 6.5mm 120gn Solid Bases yet to try.

I do like the Ballistic Tips as well. The .257 100 and 115gn have been outstanding from my Roberts' and in fact the 100gn was a bit too hard in my 20 inch barrel .250 Savage. I went back to the 100gn Hornady. The 7mm 150gn and 8mm 180 grain have been great in my 7x64 and 8x57. I have not stopped one yet in a pig or deer. Good penetration from any angle and a nice exit hole.

The Solid Bases were a very good bullet. I still have some, but for me, the NBT's group better.

I can tell you that I have seen elk struck in the shoulder under 100 yards with the 180 gr BT from a 300 Win mag. We never recovered a bullet.
Same can be said with the 165 BT from a 30-06.
The newer BT's are awesome.