Nosler Ballistic tip bullets -

[okie]

Ive only used them once - I shot one deer 20+ years ago with a 165, at 25 yards broadside , it ran away limping -left a pile of hair like a barber shop - no blood , tracked for 2 days before I found it and put it down -the front shoulder was shaved .bruised and blue -I feel like the bullet blew up on impact , havent hunted with them since - just trying to see what experience others have had with them - they look to be very similar design to a Horn vldx or amax- I lost 2 days of hunting season and 2 nights sleep - but I hear others rave about them- maybe the new ones are better like kcjim says

I have never had that problem with bts.
could have just been your time for bad luck.

 

[JB10]

I use the 50gr ones with real good results on coyotes with no damage as long as its not a back end shot. They have been impossible to find for last 3 years so i started using 50gr vmax. So far have taken a few coyotes with them and they have caused more damage. I dont keep pelts but its something to consider. I like the nosler better so far.

 

[troper]

who uses or have used Nosler Ballistic tip bullets , and what are your opinions on them - I had a elderly friend mentor I respected his opinions on a lot of things - he used them exclusively- and had good success with them - I tried them and had less luck than he , and haven't tried them again for some time now - If you have hunted with them what was your experience with them ?

Myself and hunting associates have had tremendous success on deer with bal tips since 2003
have used 115's in 3- 257 wby mag at ranges from 50 to 600 yards as well as a 250ackley imp
140 bal ,tips in 2 diff 280 and 280 imp from 50-500 yrd
120btip in 6.5x47L 14 multiple one shot kills all under 100 yards
I had one bullet failure with 115 in257 wby at 10 yards blew up on neck but still was terminal 2010
I had one bullet failure with 6.5 120 at 20 yards blew up on shoulder size of soccer ball no penetration but terminal 2003
I would estimate 95% of shots have been through lungs "behind"shoulder
all small deer 150 # or less most 125# or less
I do think the jackets were modified to be less explosive after 2003?

 

[diyj98]

I'm a fan. I use them in my 223 for varmints and and my 308 for deer. I haven't had any negative experiences.

 

[Bocephus]

who uses or have used Nosler Ballistic tip bullets , and what are your opinions on them - I had a elderly friend mentor I respected his opinions on a lot of things - he used them exclusively- and had good success with them - I tried them and had less luck than he , and haven't tried them again for some time now - If you have hunted with them what was your experience with them ?

From 40gr and 50gr in 221FB, 223, 22-250, the accuracy has always been plenty good enough for me. The 50gr in the TC 221FB shot great but expansion on chucks(before the coyotes made them extinct) beyond +/-200yd seemed a bit iffy. A velocity issue I think. Used 100gr in 2506 for chucks and whitetail. Since it was designed for large game expansion on chucks was spotty beyond +/-500yds unless bone mass was encountered. Can’t ever recall losing a whitetail, but I’m kinda choosey about shot placement and generally avoid Texas heart shots.

 

[Bill Norris]

When I first started hand loading back in the mid-90s a friend of mine was already hand loading the B Ts in several calibers. Since he was my mentor I listened to him and decided to follow his advice. I tried them in all calibers from 22 to 30 down thru the years and found them to be the best bullet I could find for performance on game and accuracy as well. I still load them for hunting and some recreational shooting as well in all my rifles. However, I have used the Accu bonds recently and find them to be a great bullet as well. Have developed a couple of loads that shoot stellar in my 260AI and 308 hunting rigs.

 

[NZ_Fclass]

They are too expensive. There's others out there.

 

[Ol Thumper]

I’ve killed hundreds of deer and pigs with them and never had a single issue other than user error.

 

[OMW57]

100 GRAINERS IN 6.5 CREED, USE EM ON YOTES! LIGHTS OUT!!!

 

[5spd]

I use nosler 6mm 90g and 95g hunting BT bullets in my 6x45, 6x6.8, 243, super accurate and I've never had to take a 2nd shot, deer, antelope, coyote drop on the spot.
I use the 55g for coyote in my ar15s, same thing plop n drop, they are great bullets imo.

 

[sw282]

40gr NBT will cut a prairie dog in half. 40gr VMAX will ''V A P O R I Z E'' it!

 

[std7mag]

Ballistic Tips are my go to hunting bullet since the mid 80's.

Man i'm getting old!

Killed 2 deer this last season with the 100gr out of my 250 Savage.
The 115gr work well in the 257 Roberts.
And 140 -150gr out of my 7mm's.

 

[goodbadugly]

I wouldnt use anything else. My deer load for my '06 165 gr BT @ 3050 fps. At 300 yds its DRT. Badass load. IMHO 2100 ft lbs enery @ 300yds. Knocks em flat. thru/thru

 

[Capt. Oblivious]

I loaded the 125gr BT's in my 30.06 around 3300fps for my son to hunt with when he was younger, killed every warthog and Impala he pointed the rifle at

 

[arlaunch]

The 55 grain variety out of my 223 shoots better than any bullet i have ever fired. I still marvel at the groups.

 

[L.Sherm]

Ive only used them once - I shot one deer 20+ years ago with a 165, at 25 yards broadside , it ran away limping -left a pile of hair like a barber shop - no blood , tracked for 2 days before I found it and put it down -the front shoulder was shaved .bruised and blue -I feel like the bullet blew up on impact , havent hunted with them since - just trying to see what experience others have had with them - they look to be very similar design to a Horn vldx or amax- I lost 2 days of hunting season and 2 nights sleep - but I hear others rave about them- maybe the new ones are better like kcjim says

Same experience as you did about 25 years ago on a WT about 75 yards away.
The 140 BT blowing up 7mm-08 and when Barnes first come penciled through in a 280 Rem. by far the worst bullet performance I've experienced in 40 years.

 

[john 800]

I have had good luck with them. Deer hunting with a 270w and 7rem mag. I shot alot of deer with 130 gr 270 ballistic tips and They worked pretty good, normally they exit on broadside shots on deer for me unless it is really close. I have mostly switched over to slightly heavier bullets in the 270 because of the area we are hunting in changing a bit and presenting more close shots. They are soft enough you can go a little heavier and still have enough damage to drop the deer.
I shoot them in my 308 and 7mag as well but have not taken many deer with them. On ething I will say is that they do seem to be accurate in every rifle I have tried them in

 

[freebird22/250]

Nosler ballistic tips are great bullets, shoot tight groups but i also love the Hornady V-Max bullets in .224 & 6mm, I've shot some tiny groups with those as well and they are explosive on the varmints!!

 

[nakneker]

I’ve used them on varmints in 22 cal and 6mm in a variety of cartridges. I’ve used them on big game in 6.5, 270, and 338 calibers. Great bullets imo, accurate and deadly. as others have stated I try and stay off the shoulder bone.

We loaded some up in 338 win mag years ago and for whatever reason I took it coyote calling one day. Coyote came into 15 yards and stopped on a snow bank looking at me straight on. Bullet hit him at the base of the neck and traveled down the spine. I can not describe the result, never seen anything like it.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Living just down the road from the Nosler plant, knowing most of the crew there, and my wife working there for many years, I've spent much time talking about this very subject. The one thing I don't see mentioned, is that there are TWO varieties of BT's: VARMINT & HUNTING.

The jackets are much different in both thickness and taper. The varmint bullets are designed for explosive performance on PD's and the like, and the hunting bullets are (now) better designed for deer sized game. The old jacket failures of the early hunting BT's has been long put to sleep. And every ground squirrel, PD or chuck I've shot since the early 90's when they first came out has not lived after the "flight".

Most guys I know here that hunt game with BT's have no complaints. I'll freely admit though, for elk we all use either Partitions or Barnes TSXX's. My .338-06 Ackley thrives on the 210gr Partition, no elk has ever survived one. Like complete end-to-end penetration on a nice 5pt bull. But that's a different story.

Use the right bullet for what is being hunted, right?