Nosler Ballistic Tips on Game

[UTGrad]

I have some 165 grain Federals with Nosler Ballistic Tips for my .30 06'. Has anybody had good luck with them? I've heard they really damage meat and are not great at short range. This is the only load I have found yet that shoots great groups at 100 yards.

 

[UTGrad]

100 yards group with 165 Grain Federals out of a .30 06 with Nosler Ballistic Tips...the one flyer was my fault lol!

 

[Kimberman]

Should work just fine. Worry more about where you hit them, just about any bullet out of an '06 will kill deer with ease.

 

[UTGrad]

Should work just fine. Worry more about where you hit them, just about any bullet out of an '06 will kill deer with ease.

I've heard to avoid the shoulder to avoid massive expansion.

 

[Rubberduck270]

I've heard to avoid the shoulder to avoid massive expansion.

I've seen a couple that a ballistic tip to the shoulder ruined quite a bit of meat but the deer didn't move an inch. That was with a 7mm Rem Mag though.

If you like the Federal's with the Nosler bullet, look into some of the Federal Premiums that are loaded with Nosler Partitions or Accubonds. They perform quite nicely on whitetails.

 

[Sako]

Do not worry about it and go shoot your deer... They will work great.

Over the last 15 years or so I have done the whole premium bullet thing reloading thing... TSX, Partions, Accubonds, Etc... Now for deer I have gone back to the Ballistic Tips... They generally are one of the best shooting bullets in my guns... they are cheap and really drop deer......

people want to talk about meat loss.... maybe, maybe not. depends on where you shoot the deer.... depends on if you are worried about losing a couple of pounds of meat... I for one am not... I just like the fact I have had more deer drop in their tracks and not take a step with BT's than any other bullet... Yes they open up quick and not necessarily exit... but they also dump all of their energy into the deer... thus the DRT..

 

[muddyboots]

Not my favorite.

 

[TiminTN]

Accubonds are my first choice, but I understand your quandry. My 30/06 loves Ballistic Tips too, the 150 grain version. I`m gonna continue loading 165 Accubonds, hoping to connect this year. I have not killed a deer for several years now, I think 4. I`m about back in the mood. If I were you, I`d not waste any more time at the range. Your equipment is really up to the task, I`d start scouting and working in a different direction.

 

[UTGrad]

Let me add that the .30 06 with Ballistic Tips will be reserved for spots where a long shot is possible. I will be carrying either my muzzleloader or my .30 30 if I am hunting in the woods or small open areas.

 

[W.Seay]

i love ballistic tips for my 270! They are very destructive!which is what i want!

 

[huntinman]

I ONLY shoot Nosler Ballistic Tips in my 243,270,30/06 and 25/06. I do not like tracking deer, so therefore I want the most destructive round I can accurately shoot. They are a mess on shoulders and will waste meat in certain areas, but I don't lose game.

 

[megalomaniac]

Put me in the 'love em' crowd.

Best bullet made for accuracy.

Best killing bullet made (if impact velocities are less than 2800 fps).

Best value out there, especially if you buy nosler seconds.

Are they the toughest bullet out there? Not even close. But it's not like you need 24" of penetration to reach the vitals of a whitetail.

You won't have any problems with the 165's out of the '06, especially if they are factory loads.

 

[280longshot]

Ballistic Tips are very accurate in my 06 also but in the 150's. Hunt with what works or whatever you feel more confident with. Who cares if it runins alot of meat in the rib area, I don't eat deer ribs anyway. Ha. No being serious all I shoot are ballistic tips and they do a great job. So many times I hear hunters say they missed, or not sure. If you practice and are confident with what you shoot is what matters. Looks like you are doing your homework at least. Spend some time at the range and shoot is the most important thing.

 

[fishboy1]

Depends on the range and velocity.

I shot the 150 federal premium ballistic tips out of my 7mag.

It would absolutely explode a deer at under 80 yds. Basket ball sized blood shot areas. If you shot a deer the second rib behind the shoulder about 1/3 way up, I would still loose 1/3 to 1/2 of the back strap and both shoulders to blood shot.

Blowing up 1/2 the edible portion of a deer got old fast so I started trying different bullets.

Settled on a 162gr hornady BTSP going about 2840fps.

Since the 30-06 has similar ballistics, you may want to keep that in mind before you stock up. Shoot a couple deer with it and see how it does. If it does too much damage, you may want to switch.

Oh,,, the ballistic tips did have penetration problems on large hogs. It killed them but I lost 2 that I couldn't find until the buzzards told me where they were.

 

[megalomaniac]

yes, the 7mm 150 BT with a 3150fps impact velocity creates a most impressive wound channel even if you don't hit bone. Hit bone and you're looking at an absolute crater that only goes 8-10" deep.

But the 165g 30 cal out of an '06 should only be going around 2800 fps at the muzzle. It'll hold up just fine even at point blank range.

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

Very accurate, but I don't like to deer hunt with them. They make a mess.

 

[megalomaniac]

I have some ballistic tips to use in my 30-40 Krag. They are very accurate. I will not push them above 2400-2500 fps. They are 165 grains. Does anyone here ever load a 30 caliber with these bullets at similar velocities?

I haven't used the 165's, but all the other ones I've tried have reliably mushroomed all the way down to 1700fps impact velocity. Below that and expansion will be more limited.

I'm headed to the range tomorrow to try out some 150's in a short barreled .308. Should be the cat's meow at around 2600-2700 fps

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

Settled on a 162gr hornady BTSP going about 2840fps.

Since the 30-06 has similar ballistics, you may want to keep that in mind before you stock up. Shoot a couple deer with it and see how it does. If it does too much damage, you may want to switch.

I shoot the same bullet out of my 7mm mags. My favorite bullet! I like the 165 and 180 grain Interlocks for 30 caliber rounds. The Accubonds do well out of my 270 WSM.

 

[EastTNHunter]

I've had mixed results with .270 140 grain loads. Sometimes the deer drop like they were hit by lightning (one buck actually cut a flip and his antlers stuck in the ground), but I have had a couple run off with supposed "splash wounds" as one was a perfect quartering-to shoulder shot on a small doe at 15yd from the ground, and it left very little blood and we never found the deer. ALL DEER had massive shock trauma around the entry wounds that left a lot of wasted meat, and very few had exit wounds, although some did.

 

[Kimberman]

It all depends on impact velocity. A magnum at close range with a ballistic tip, SST, or most cup-n-cores will explode at higher impact velocities. My personal rule is anything that is under 2800 FPS, I shoot a bullet like the ones above. Anything over that I go bonded or premium. It has worked well thus far.

 

[Tiny]

While I don't really care for the BT's they work just fine on deer.

 

[ImThere]

Anybody tried them out of a smaller cal like a 243 on deer?

 

[7-08 fan]

I shoot 168gr. NBT out of my .300WSM with good results.

 

[reloaderman]

ImThere, i have tried the 90 grain bt's in the 243's and they are very accurate with several different powders.My son has killed several deer from 40 yards out to 240 yards and most dropped in their tracks, the ones that ran only ran about 50 yards! All were broadside shots so i can't say about other shot placements.

 

[CPerkins]

Can't count the number of deer that I have put down with ballistic tips. At 30-06 velocities I have had no trouble with the 150 gr. so the 165 should not be any problem at close range. Most of mine did have alot of meat damage, but I never had to look for one. I would rather loose alittle meat than the whole deer any day.

 

[7MMAG]

BT's are all I use for all of my rifles. The do explode but like others have said, they virtually never run off. I love being able to fire and then walk to my deer and bring him home. I loaded some softpoints I think they were sierra gamekings (boattail soft points) same weight as BT's in my 7mm mag, and shot a doe in missouri a few years back and blew it plum through her, had to track her for 60 yards, so I went right back to noslers, and they all drop where they stand or maybe take a few steps.

 

[rrhoghead]

love em!!!!!!!