Ballistic Tips vs. Deer

Bella · September 21, 2009, 07:12 PM

Has anyone here ever taken a deer using Nosler Ballistic Tip Bullets? How did they work, where they effective? I ask because I plan on going deer hunting soon. The rifle I am going to take really likes these bullets. I have never used them on big game. So some input would be helpful.

fisherman66 · September 21, 2009, 07:17 PM

New manufacture NBTs work great. I have a problem with some pretty old ammo ~ 10 years or more, that failed to open. I recovered the game, but it was a through and through. After a little research I learned I wasn't the only one to have that problem.

I have found them devastating for both broadside and neck shots on White Tail. I would hesitate to use NBT to hunt feral boars unless I planned to go exclusively with head and neck shots.

2rugers · September 21, 2009, 08:03 PM

I have used them on texas deer in 30-06 150gr. and 243 in 70gr.

The 06 worked great but the 243 faild to enter the chest on a broadside shoulder shot at around 250 yds.

GeauxTide · September 21, 2009, 08:06 PM

I have some original "Solid Base" that were like solids. As mentioned, the recent NBT's are accurate and deadly.

fisherman66 · September 21, 2009, 08:08 PM

What cartridge are you using? My experience is based on the 280.

gun44 · September 21, 2009, 08:34 PM

with my .243, using the 95 grain Ballistic Tip, and all of them fell in their tracks except one, and it ran about 35 yards before collapsing. KILLER bullets.

Waterengineer · September 21, 2009, 09:45 PM

2Rugers says:

"I have used them on texas deer in 30-06 150gr. and 243 in 70gr.

The 06 worked great but the 243 faild to enter the chest on a broadside shoulder shot at around 250 yds."

***************

That is why you don't use a 70 grain pill. I gotta ask, what were you thinkin'?

dsculley · September 21, 2009, 10:47 PM

My son and I have used Combined Technologies (Nosler & Winchester) Winchester Silver Ballistic Tip ammo for deer here in South Alabama for several years. Calibers are 30-06, 308 and 300 Win Mag. We have had no problems and none of the deer shot have traveled more than a few yards.

NWPilgrim · September 21, 2009, 10:55 PM

The smaller caliber, and especially the lighter BT bullets are thin jackets meant for varmints, such as the 70 gr. in .243. The heavier weight for caliber BT bullets and those for larger calibers are thicker jacketed for big game.

koolminx · September 22, 2009, 01:09 AM

...

jgcoastie · September 22, 2009, 01:13 AM

I used Winchester Ballistic Silvertips almost exclusively in my .30/06, 7mm-08, and 7mm Rem Mag for everything from deer to elk with great results.

HiBC · September 22, 2009, 03:31 AM

Deer and antelope,I use them in my .257 (115 gr)with very good results.I suppose if I wanted a little more penetration,I could try an Accu-bond.It is a whack them in the slats bullet(in small calibers).I would not try shots that require serious penetration,but ribs to heart lung it performs well.

I load the Accubonds in my 30-338 and my .375

DiscoRacing · September 22, 2009, 06:35 AM

ive used them in .270, .308, .30-06, and 7mm mag....seemed to work fine... not sure how much penetration or mushroom compared to other bullets.... only that they killed what I shot at with it.

roy reali · September 22, 2009, 07:29 AM

I have never used them for big game, yet. I have used the smaller ones for varmints with devastating rsults. In most of my rifles they are the most accurate hunting bullets. I wouldn't want to get by any bullet, but I imagine that a ballistic tip's wound would be ugly to say the least.

Wild Bill Bucks · September 22, 2009, 09:10 AM

I use Combined Technologies ballistic silvertips, in 150 grain through my .308 and they put a hole about the size of my little finger going in, and about the size of a tobasco bottle coming out. Pretty much everything in between is mulch. I Have also used them on hogs out to 100 yards. Deer or Hog, I have never had anything go over 30 yards from point of impact, with most of them dead where the stood.

PRONE2 · September 22, 2009, 09:44 AM

I have used this for years on deer and hogs with great outcomes. I have taken all head and neck shots though, untill last year. Shot a buck in the chest, came out the front shoulder whit a TON of damage to the meat. It's a great round from a 308, but it will cause a lot of trama to the meat. IMO

Doyle · September 22, 2009, 03:41 PM

I don't like them. Ballistic tipped bullets were designed for long-range shooting with hot calibers. The idea being that they would still open up at the terminal end of their trajectory. All of my hunting is going to be at less than 200 yds. That is too close for a BT bullet and you'll loose more meat than you need to by using one.

mikejonestkd · September 22, 2009, 03:48 PM

I have used ballistic tips ( win supreme combined technology, rem accutips, NBTs) in .243 win, .260, 7mm-08 and .308 win.

I have nothing but great things to say about the bullet performance when the shot is a standard broadside shot into the ribs. They turn the lungs into a gooey mess and drop deer as well as any other fast opening soft point.

The only time I would be hesitant about them is in the .243 if you are faced with a quartering shot and have to get through a shoulder to get to the lungs.

davlandrum · September 22, 2009, 05:01 PM

Quote:

That is too close for a BT bullet and you'll loose more meat than you need to by using one.

Not my experience at all. Most of mine (maybe all) right around 100 yds (30-06), no more meat lost than any other same weight bullet.

HiBC · September 23, 2009, 03:05 AM

In modest calibers,the Ballistic tip will expand and perform at modest velocities.For example,a 150 gr BT would probably perform very well in a 7x57 at all practical ranges.But,once again,I would not ask it to do the same job as a Nosler partition .Its not a deep driving ,bone smashing bullet..

I would expect an Accubond to likely shoot about the same as a BT,giving a choice.It will penetrate deeper.On a deer with,say a 7mm mag,I think I'd use an Accubond to save some meat but with a .257 or a 7x57 or 308 I use a ballistic tip ,probably on the heavier side,like 115,150,165 repstively.

Then just accept you want to hit ribs just behind the foreleg.

2rugers · September 23, 2009, 08:37 AM

Well Water,

I was thinking I would have a closer shot, (which would have made the .243 and 70 gr. BT a good choice).

As it were the second shot through the neck did the trick.

Certainly a learning experience.

hardluk1 · September 23, 2009, 10:20 AM

Bella It would help to know the cartrage your looking to use. I have shot a 308 with 125grain BT at around 3000fps and a 7rem mag 140gr at 3200fps. I can say with the larger slower bullets in a cartage they work very well. In the higher velocity liter bullets a baddly placed shot can destroy alot of meat. To light a bullet in a small round like the 243 is more of a critter bullet that deer, go to a 100gr. I now shoot the 139gr SST at 3300+ fps in the 7mm and still use the georga arms 125gr BT in the 308 . With good bullet placement i never have a deer run more than a few steps. Thats more than can be side for some bullets. I hate haveing to look for deer at dark.

Hog Hunter · September 23, 2009, 04:41 PM

I myself dont prefer the Nosler BT because i have shot them and have seen deer and hogs lost to them. Shot a good buck a few years ago in the sholder at about 200 or so with a .270. Knocked the deer down he got up and ran, i waited close to an hour, went and looked where he was and there was hair, meat and very lil blood. No more blood found, a lil hair bout 20 yards from where he was hit and that was it. looked for the deer for bout 3 hrs, finally found him on the neighbors property, prolly a half mile from where i shot him.

When we skined him out the left sholder was all messed up, and the right there wasnt a peice of meat cut. After that i started shootin accubonds out of my 270 and 7mm RM. Have'nt had many deer or hogs run from either bullet, 20 or 30 yards a couple times

Lawyer Daggit · September 23, 2009, 05:54 PM

I use 120 gn BT's in my 7x57 Mauser to good effect.
The 225 gn 35 cal ones I have used in my 35 Whelen flatly refuse to expand even when pushed at about 2,700 fps.

fisherman66 · September 23, 2009, 06:42 PM

Daggit, is it safe to assume you handload? The only factory 7x57 ballistic tip I have found is the Hornady Light Mags. Did I miss another ballistic tip?

September 21, 2009, 07:12 PM	#1
Bella Senior Member Join Date: July 6, 2009 Posts: 341	Ballistic Tips vs. Deer Has anyone here ever taken a deer using Nosler Ballistic Tip Bullets? How did they work, where they effective? I ask because I plan on going deer hunting soon. The rifle I am going to take really likes these bullets. I have never used them on big game. So some input would be helpful.

September 21, 2009, 07:17 PM	#2
fisherman66 Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2005 Location: The Woodlands TX Posts: 4,679	New manufacture NBTs work great. I have a problem with some pretty old ammo ~ 10 years or more, that failed to open. I recovered the game, but it was a through and through. After a little research I learned I wasn't the only one to have that problem. I have found them devastating for both broadside and neck shots on White Tail. I would hesitate to use NBT to hunt feral boars unless I planned to go exclusively with head and neck shots. __________________ la plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas!

September 21, 2009, 08:03 PM	#3
2rugers Senior Member Join Date: August 21, 2005 Location: texas Posts: 762	I have used them on texas deer in 30-06 150gr. and 243 in 70gr. The 06 worked great but the 243 faild to enter the chest on a broadside shoulder shot at around 250 yds. __________________ Pain Is The Quickest Teacher 2RUGERS AKA "HALFCOCKED"

September 21, 2009, 08:08 PM	#5
fisherman66 Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2005 Location: The Woodlands TX Posts: 4,679	What cartridge are you using? My experience is based on the 280. __________________ la plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas!

September 21, 2009, 08:34 PM	#6
gun44 Senior Member Join Date: August 17, 2007 Location: Georgia Posts: 125	I've taken about 15 or 16 deer....... with my .243, using the 95 grain Ballistic Tip, and all of them fell in their tracks except one, and it ran about 35 yards before collapsing. KILLER bullets.

September 21, 2009, 08:06 PM	#4
GeauxTide Senior Member Join Date: April 20, 2009 Location: Helena, AL Posts: 4,424	I have some original "Solid Base" that were like solids. As mentioned, the recent NBT's are accurate and deadly.

September 21, 2009, 09:45 PM	#7
Waterengineer Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2006 Location: Aurora, CO and Palm Beach, FL Posts: 863	2Rugers says: "I have used them on texas deer in 30-06 150gr. and 243 in 70gr. The 06 worked great but the 243 faild to enter the chest on a broadside shoulder shot at around 250 yds." *************** That is why you don't use a 70 grain pill. I gotta ask, what were you thinkin'?

September 21, 2009, 10:47 PM	#8
dsculley Junior Member Join Date: September 21, 2009 Posts: 1	Ballistic tips My son and I have used Combined Technologies (Nosler & Winchester) Winchester Silver Ballistic Tip ammo for deer here in South Alabama for several years. Calibers are 30-06, 308 and 300 Win Mag. We have had no problems and none of the deer shot have traveled more than a few yards.

September 21, 2009, 10:55 PM	#9
NWPilgrim Senior Member Join Date: September 29, 2008 Location: Oregon Posts: 2,346	The smaller caliber, and especially the lighter BT bullets are thin jackets meant for varmints, such as the 70 gr. in .243. The heavier weight for caliber BT bullets and those for larger calibers are thicker jacketed for big game. __________________ "The ultimate authority ... resides in the people alone. ... The advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation ... forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition." - James Madison

September 22, 2009, 01:09 AM	#10
koolminx Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2009 Posts: 520	...

September 22, 2009, 01:13 AM	#11
jgcoastie Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 2009 Location: Kodiak, Alaska Posts: 2,118	I used Winchester Ballistic Silvertips almost exclusively in my .30/06, 7mm-08, and 7mm Rem Mag for everything from deer to elk with great results. __________________ "To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them." -Richard Henry Lee, Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress, initiator of the Declaration of Independence, and member of the first Senate, which passed the Bill of Rights.

September 22, 2009, 03:31 AM	#12
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,286	Deer and antelope,I use them in my .257 (115 gr)with very good results.I suppose if I wanted a little more penetration,I could try an Accu-bond.It is a whack them in the slats bullet(in small calibers).I would not try shots that require serious penetration,but ribs to heart lung it performs well. I load the Accubonds in my 30-338 and my .375

September 22, 2009, 06:35 AM	#13
DiscoRacing Senior Member Join Date: December 19, 2008 Location: milton, wv Posts: 3,640	ive used them in .270, .308, .30-06, and 7mm mag....seemed to work fine... not sure how much penetration or mushroom compared to other bullets.... only that they killed what I shot at with it.

September 22, 2009, 07:29 AM	#14
roy reali Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2005 Posts: 3,248	re:Bella I have never used them for big game, yet. I have used the smaller ones for varmints with devastating rsults. In most of my rifles they are the most accurate hunting bullets. I wouldn't want to get by any bullet, but I imagine that a ballistic tip's wound would be ugly to say the least.

September 22, 2009, 09:10 AM	#15
Wild Bill Bucks Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2005 Location: Southeastern Oklahoma, Next door to Sasquatch Posts: 1,266	I use Combined Technologies ballistic silvertips, in 150 grain through my .308 and they put a hole about the size of my little finger going in, and about the size of a tobasco bottle coming out. Pretty much everything in between is mulch. I Have also used them on hogs out to 100 yards. Deer or Hog, I have never had anything go over 30 yards from point of impact, with most of them dead where the stood.

September 22, 2009, 09:44 AM	#16
PRONE2 Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2009 Location: St.Louis Mo. Posts: 113	150 winchester silver tip I have used this for years on deer and hogs with great outcomes. I have taken all head and neck shots though, untill last year. Shot a buck in the chest, came out the front shoulder whit a TON of damage to the meat. It's a great round from a 308, but it will cause a lot of trama to the meat. IMO

September 22, 2009, 03:41 PM	#17
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	I don't like them. Ballistic tipped bullets were designed for long-range shooting with hot calibers. The idea being that they would still open up at the terminal end of their trajectory. All of my hunting is going to be at less than 200 yds. That is too close for a BT bullet and you'll loose more meat than you need to by using one.

September 22, 2009, 03:48 PM	#18
mikejonestkd Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2006 Location: Brockport, NY Posts: 3,716	I have used ballistic tips ( win supreme combined technology, rem accutips, NBTs) in .243 win, .260, 7mm-08 and .308 win. I have nothing but great things to say about the bullet performance when the shot is a standard broadside shot into the ribs. They turn the lungs into a gooey mess and drop deer as well as any other fast opening soft point. The only time I would be hesitant about them is in the .243 if you are faced with a quartering shot and have to get through a shoulder to get to the lungs. __________________ You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

September 23, 2009, 03:05 AM	#20
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,286	In modest calibers,the Ballistic tip will expand and perform at modest velocities.For example,a 150 gr BT would probably perform very well in a 7x57 at all practical ranges.But,once again,I would not ask it to do the same job as a Nosler partition .Its not a deep driving ,bone smashing bullet.. I would expect an Accubond to likely shoot about the same as a BT,giving a choice.It will penetrate deeper.On a deer with,say a 7mm mag,I think I'd use an Accubond to save some meat but with a .257 or a 7x57 or 308 I use a ballistic tip ,probably on the heavier side,like 115,150,165 repstively. Then just accept you want to hit ribs just behind the foreleg.

September 23, 2009, 08:37 AM	#21
2rugers Senior Member Join Date: August 21, 2005 Location: texas Posts: 762	Well Water, I was thinking I would have a closer shot, (which would have made the .243 and 70 gr. BT a good choice). As it were the second shot through the neck did the trick. Certainly a learning experience. __________________ Pain Is The Quickest Teacher 2RUGERS AKA "HALFCOCKED"

September 23, 2009, 10:20 AM	#22
hardluk1 Junior member Join Date: March 27, 2009 Posts: 600	Bella It would help to know the cartrage your looking to use. I have shot a 308 with 125grain BT at around 3000fps and a 7rem mag 140gr at 3200fps. I can say with the larger slower bullets in a cartage they work very well. In the higher velocity liter bullets a baddly placed shot can destroy alot of meat. To light a bullet in a small round like the 243 is more of a critter bullet that deer, go to a 100gr. I now shoot the 139gr SST at 3300+ fps in the 7mm and still use the georga arms 125gr BT in the 308 . With good bullet placement i never have a deer run more than a few steps. Thats more than can be side for some bullets. I hate haveing to look for deer at dark.

September 23, 2009, 04:41 PM	#23
Hog Hunter Senior Member Join Date: August 14, 2009 Location: Georgia Posts: 386	I myself dont prefer the Nosler BT because i have shot them and have seen deer and hogs lost to them. Shot a good buck a few years ago in the sholder at about 200 or so with a .270. Knocked the deer down he got up and ran, i waited close to an hour, went and looked where he was and there was hair, meat and very lil blood. No more blood found, a lil hair bout 20 yards from where he was hit and that was it. looked for the deer for bout 3 hrs, finally found him on the neighbors property, prolly a half mile from where i shot him. When we skined him out the left sholder was all messed up, and the right there wasnt a peice of meat cut. After that i started shootin accubonds out of my 270 and 7mm RM. Have'nt had many deer or hogs run from either bullet, 20 or 30 yards a couple times

September 23, 2009, 05:54 PM	#24
Lawyer Daggit Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2004 Posts: 1,181	I use 120 gn BT's in my 7x57 Mauser to good effect. The 225 gn 35 cal ones I have used in my 35 Whelen flatly refuse to expand even when pushed at about 2,700 fps.

September 23, 2009, 06:42 PM	#25
fisherman66 Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2005 Location: The Woodlands TX Posts: 4,679	Daggit, is it safe to assume you handload? The only factory 7x57 ballistic tip I have found is the Hornady Light Mags. Did I miss another ballistic tip? __________________ la plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas!