I am not sure what the 160s are better for that they are not worse for?? A 140 Partition is going to penetrate as deeply as the 160s in my experience and shoot a lot flatter. I think that in their day, they had real merit, now, I am not so sure they are best for anything.
I would agree. The only bullets I load for my 6.5x55 is the 155 Mega and the 140 Partition. Most of my hunting is close so I like the traditional look of the 155 Mega. Certainly, they won't kill any better than the 140 Partition. The Mega is a very solid design, opens fast at low velocity and holds it's core with a cavernous mechanical lock.
Well I basically agree with dennisnaz. But like many things in shooting, it's not about how well they perform. It's about how cool they are. The 160 grain size was used in the 6.5x54mm at a velocity of about 2200 fps. With its sectional density, it penetrated pretty deeply and at this velocity did not blow up. It acquired a reputation for killing game all out of proportion to that usually shot with 30-30 type ballistics, like moose and elk and, in Africa, dangerous game. Its sectional density is the same as a 500 grain bullet from a .458 and better than a 300 grain bullet from a .375.
Someday I would like to return to Africa and shoot plains game in the 500 to 600 pound class with mine, or even take an eland with it. If it were legal, I would try to shoot a cape buffalo with one. In my opinion, there are very few things cooler than the Mannlicher Schoenaur Model of 1903 in this caliber.