Ballistic Tips Work Better With Heavier Bullets

[147 Grain]

Ballistic Tips (BT's) were designed by Nosler for violent expansion / explosion and medium penetration on light skin type animals like deer.

For most calibers shooting BT's, you're better off using heavier projectiles with bigger Sectional Density's (SD's) than you would normally use for a regularly constructed  bullet.  

Why?

1. Heavier bullets for caliber are better in a BT because they tone down the violent expansion a bit and still have enough weight leftover for a complete pass-through.  

2. The shock-value with the heavier BT will still be more than lighter standard bullets and you get more energy on target.  

3. Short range shots also suit the larger round with a higher SD versus standard light weight bullets with less mass.

4. Raking quartering-away shots need a heavier round for adequate penetration.

5. A larger BT'd bullet is more forgiving if you shoot into the shoulder.

Example:

.270 BT's benefit from 150-gr. versus 130-gr.
30-06 BT's perform well with 180-gr. versus 150-gr.

[147 Grain]

Caution:

Standard bullets generally perform better on deer in lighter to mid-weight sizes.

Ballistic Tip rounds are the exception to the rule as outlined in the opening post.  Reported problems of a BT blowing up too quickly are generally associated with too light of a bullet.

[147 Grain]

I like a bullet to perform two things in my 30-06:

1.  Violent expansion.
2.  Plenty of penetration.

.... and the two best rounds I am aware are....

Light skinned / boned deer:  180-gr. Ballistic Tip from Nosler
Heavy skinned / boned elk:   180-gr. Partition from Nosler

[Lawdog]

Ballistic Tips (BT's) were designed by Nosler for violent expansion / explosion and medium penetration on light skin type animals like deer.

For most calibers shooting BT's, you're better off using heavier projectiles with bigger Sectional Density's (SD's) than you would normally use for a regularly constructed  bullet.  

Why?

1. Heavier bullets for caliber are better in a BT because they tone down the violent expansion a bit and still have enough weight leftover for a complete pass-through.  

2. The shock-value with the heavier BT will still be more than lighter standard bullets and you get more energy on target.  

3. Short range shots also suit the larger round with a higher SD versus standard light weight bullets with less mass.

4. Raking quartering-away shots need a heavier round for adequate penetration.

5. A larger BT'd bullet is more forgiving if you shoot into the shoulder.

Example:

.270 BT's benefit from 150-gr. versus 130-gr.
30-06 BT's perform well with 180-gr. versus 150-gr.

You forgot to add that Ballistic Tips were designed to work at velocities UNDER 2,900 fps. according to the technicians at Nosler.  If your rifle/cartridge generates more than 2,900 fps. then switch to a different bullet.  Lawdog
 

[James B]

I love the Ballistic tips. I load them to about 2700 fps in my 30 calibers. In the 25-06 however I can see no difference in the performance between the 100 grai and the 115 grain. Both loaded to about 3000 fps.

From what I read the lighter ballistic tips in the lighter per caliber bullets are made for Varmit and the heavier ones are constructed for Medium Game.

[longwinters]

Hey 147 grain,

I responded to your PM but you are not set up (from what my computer tells me) to accept private messages.  I think you will have to go in where you register and choose to accept them.

Long

[147 Grain]

FYI:

Nosler says that beginning with the 30 caliber 180-gr. Ballistic Tips (and larger), the jacket's profile is changed or upgraded to a much stronger contour similar to the AccuBond (shown below).



Lighter weight bullets like 165-gr. 30 caliber and lower (shown below) do not have the thicker contour which starts in the middle of the shell and goes down to the base.



In summary, one might suggest that the 180-gr. Ballistic Tip is simply a non-bonded AccuBond.

[Mac11700]

That's one of the reasons I like using the Combined Technologies bullet...

CT Ballistic Silvertip bullets are aerodynamically efficient, impact extruded, boattail designs made expressly to maximize long-range bullet stability and accuracy. In varmint weights they are constructed for instantaneous, violent expansion on varmints. In hunting weights, jackets have been thickened and cores hardened to blend generous expansion with judicious penetration-ideal for light and medium game at extended ranges.

http://www.nosler.com/ballsilvertip.html

Mac

[Little Magnum]

I wasn't a fan of B.tip's having 1st hand seen there failure with lack of penetration. Nosler Corrected this by offering hunting and varmint B.tips
bullets. Back in 1998 I tested B.tips shot into rubber sneaker soles, lined up 25 rubber soles on end and fired into them at point blank with a 7mm rem mag 150gr &300win mag 180gr and tested other std bullets. penetration with B.tips was 18 sneaker soles. The 7mm 150gr weigh 100gr
with no shank on the mushroom, shank all the way into the head. The 30cal 180gr weighed 150gr and had shank below the mushroom. I was impressed ! I am now a fan of those bullets (7mm 150gr B.tip and 30cal 180gr). I have shot 4 deer with 7mm 150gr load @ 80,180,200 and 300 yards all pass through, all one shot kill's all shot in kill zone. 300win mag 180gr had pass through at 310yards on my best buck. I have only used B.tips on deer....My range got a few dump truck loads of factory 2nd's sneaker soles for there back stop, so thats where the soles came from.