Nosler Partitions

[Val]

I reload and get excellent accuracy out of my .243 with Nosler partition 100 grain pellets. You may want to give the commercial Nosler Partitions a try and see if they group tighter.

[longwinters]

Partitions have generally shot well for me also.  Never tried the 100 gn out of my 243 but have had excellent results out of my 280 and 308.

Long

[Lawdog]

Nosler Partitions are excellent bullets in the 100 gr. .243 version but if Barnes had kept the 95 gr. TSX(I managed to get two boxes of them before they were replaced) instead of opting for the 85 gr., I would be using the TSX instead of Partitions.  Better accuracy, penetration and performance.  Lawdog
 

[Redhawk1]

Nosler Partitions are excellent bullets in the 100 gr. .243 version but if Barnes had kept the 95 gr. TSX(I managed to get two boxes of them before they were replaced) instead of opting for the 85 gr., I would be using the TSX instead of Partitions.  Better accuracy, penetration and performance.  Lawdog
 

Again I have to agree with you on the Barnes.  

[jro45]

Partitions have always shot well for me in all my rifles. They are a good bullet. Very accurate!

[mt3030]

Partitions have been top performers in my 6mm Rem, 30-06 and 300 Win.
Wally

[cal sibley]

I use the Nosler Bal. Tips in my .224s and .243s (up to 100grs.) but find the partitions are a better choice above that level.  The Partitions are simply terrific hunting bullets.  Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

[TNrifleman]

I use Nosler Partitions in my 270 Winchester, 7 MM Mauser, and 6.5.55 bolt action rifles. I am sold on the Partitions performance on game. For my money, give me Partitions. Accuracy is quite good also!

[NONYA]

I have used partitions for years,great hunting bullet,the ballistic tips are good for varmits but not that good for big game,the new accubonds perform just like a partition but fly with the boatail accuracy of the balistics.

[beemanbeme]

Lawdog, you shoot a deer with a NP and he falls down dead.  Please explain how the barnes thing gives better performance?  Is the deer deader when you shoot it with a barnes bullet.

[Lawdog]

Lawdog, you shoot a deer with a NP and he falls down dead.  Please explain how the barnes thing gives better performance?  Is the deer deader when you shoot it with a barnes bullet.

Better penetration with lighter weight bullets which means a flatter shooting load and better accuracy.  Nosler Partitions have never given me the best accuracy but they performed(held together and penetrated better) than any other bullet I used for over 40 years.  Now the Barnes TSX has come along and it performs even better.  Lawdog
 

[poncaguy]

Is there any factory ammo loaded with the Barnes bullet?

[Lawdog]

Is there any factory ammo loaded with the Barnes bullet?

Yes, Federal does for one.  Weatherby is another.  The following is a list of the Federal loading’s using Barnes TSX bullets with more to come in the near future.  Lawdog
 :toast:

PREMIUM VITAL*SHOK®

Load No. Caliber Grains/ Grams Bullet Style Use

P2506H 25-06 Rem. 100 / 6.48 Barnes Triple Shock X-Bullet 2
P270L 270 Win. 130 / 8.42 Barnes Triple Shock X-Bullet 2
P270WSMD 270 Win. Short Magnum 130 / 8.42 Barnes Triple Shock X-Bullet 2
P300WP 300 Win. Magnum 180 / 11.66 Barnes Triple Shock X-Bullet 3
P300WSMF 300 Win. Short Magnum 180 / 11.66 Barnes Triple Shock X-Bullet 3
P3006AE 30-06 Spring. (7.62x63mm) 180 / 11.66 Barnes Triple Shock X-Bullet 3
P308V 308 Win. (7.62x51mm) 150 / 9.72 Barnes Triple Shock X-Bullet 3
P338K 338 Win. Magnum 225 / 14.58 Barnes Triple Shock X-Bullet 3
P7RN 7mm Rem. Magnum 160 / 10.37 Barnes Triple Shock X-Bullet 3
P7WSMD 7mm Win. Short Magnum 160 / 10.37 Barnes Triple Shock X-Bullet 3

[nomosendero]

As always, see which bullet your gun likes. Some of my guns shoot TSX
bullets very well & I like these bullets for all of the reasons previously
mentioned. But I have a 30-06AI that prefer Nosler Part. & guess what,
it has the penetration & performance I need for the animals I hunt with
that gun. In another rifle, I use Horn. SST because of the BC & expansion
that I need for it's use. As much as I like Barnes TSX & in spite of the
fact that I use it more than any other bullet, my uses are too varied to
only use one design & therefore will not broad brush one preference.
I think this is one of the things that make shooting fun. We have so
many great bullets & so many applications!

Good shooting  

[mmsb27]

I use Nosler Partitions in my 270 Winchester, 7 MM Mauser, and 6.5.55 bolt action rifles. I am sold on the Partitions performance on game. For my money, give me Partitions. Accuracy is quite good also!

Which Nosler are you using in the 6.5x55?  Are you using IMR 4350?
Regards
Mark

[TNrifleman]

In the 6.5X55, I have used both the 125 and 140 grain Partitions. My son's rifle, a Swedish Model 96 Kimber conversion, likes the 140s. My Winchester Model 70 Featherweight prefers the 125s. A few weeks ago I bought a Remington Model 700 Classic in this cartridge. I haven't put glass on it yet, but am anxious to see what she will do. I have used 4350, but normally use Reloder 19, which works very well in the Swede. This is one great little deer cartridge.

[mmsb27]

Thanks.  I've been using Sellior and Bellot 139 grain factory, shoots great.........  but not always easy to find.  I want to load for it, so I bought the 140 Noslers, and was thinking of 4350, but based on your expierence, I think I'll try the Reloader 19.....  I really like this round, and think its under rated......

regards
Mark

[Squeeze]

In the two rifles(.25-06, and 300 WSM) I tried Partitions for, the
accuracy sucked.  I was working loads up with both Partitions, and
Barnes XBTs, at the time, and nothing I tried for the Partitions,
got under 1.75 MOA.  At the same time, some of the XBT loads
were going sub MOA.  I gave up on the Partitions, and worked
the XBT loads down to .6 MOA for the 300 WSM, and got .5 MOA
out of the .25-06.  I have since started re-working the Barnes
loads, for these two rifles, with TSX bullets, and the groups
are tightening up about .1" or better in each of these two rifles.

I was a big fan of Nosler bullets, but I have slowly drifted away
with Hornady V-Max replacing some of  the Nosler Ballistic tip
loads, and Barnes XBT/TSX replacing all of the Nosler Partition
loads..  My AR-15 loves the 55 gr. Nosler Ballistic tips, and the
.25-06 loves the  85 gr. NBT, so Nosler still gets some of my money,
but not for Partitions.  I know a number of shooters that like them
and more power to them.  I just expect better accuracy out of
a Premium bullet, and I didn't see that with my Partition load
work.

Squeeze

[mmsb27]

Squeeze:

Over the last 30 years I think bullet quality has increase, with uniformity getting better all the time.  Were the Noslers you tried older stock?  I still have bullets I "stocked" up on 25 years ago............  and they shoot ok, but newer stocks (of all brands) seem to be better than those I bought in the good ole days.  One exception is the now discontinued Spire point Nosler in 25 caliber, that shot so well in my 257 Roberts!!!!!

regards
Mark

[oso45-70]

I use Nosler Partition Bullets in all my hunting rifles. Good penaration and bullet weight retention, Good accuracy, Good Insurance, Less meat damage...............Joe............

[mmsb27]

Oso 45-70

My expierence as well.  Lots of good bullets out there, and they seem to be getting better.  The Hot Cor from Speer have served me well, so have Hornadys and Sierra flat base bullets.  Shot the last of some really old Norma factory rounds.  Although not Noslers - they held up like them.  Little meat damage, expansion was always good, regardless of range....

regards
Mark

[oso45-70]

Mark

The reason i shoot a lot of Noslers is when i sold my shop i had a good inventory of noslers so kept them and sold all the rest of the bullets to my customers along with powders and other componets, I know there are a lot of newer bullets that are great but the Partitions work good for me, Thanks for the come back. Regards........Joe........

[Squeeze]

mmsb27,

Sorry for the delay on this response.  Things got a little crazy the
last few days, and I lost track of this thread.

Anyway, my Nosler versus Barnes load work was about a year and
a half ago, so unless they made some changes more recently
than that, these should have been the latest revision of Partition.
I did buy them from Cabelas, so the stock should have been
fresh.  

I was a little surprised how poorly they shot in my Tikka M695,
since that gun likes just about any load combination.  I think
those NP loads were the only greater than 1 MOA group I have
ever shot with that rifle, for a whole range of  load variations
with several choice powders.  My Howa 300 WSM liked them
even less.  Some of the worst performing test loads were like
3 MOA.   My shotgun shoots sabot slugs better than that!
The final Barnes XBT XLC load that I settled on was putting
.6 MOA groups on paper, for the 300 WSM.  Now that I can
have confidence in.  

So far all of my comparisons have gone this way, so now
I rarely include Nosler Partitons in my load work up.  I
usually load one light load, and one heavy load, for each
of my rifles, and for the heavy loads, and even some of the
the light loads(in particular a 130 gr.  .308 Win), I use
Barnes TSX, or XBT, bullets.   The accuracy is good, and
the on game performance has been exceptional.  According
to some casual observers, watching me process whitetails,
taken with Barnes bullets, "That is too much bullet for whitetails".
Since they are usually "Bang Flop", I think Barnes bullets are
just about right for whitetails :-D

Squeeze

[mmsb27]

Thanks Squeeze!  Pretty good information.  My 6.5x55 seems to shoot just about anything well.  Hate to admit it, but that cartridge seems to just be accurate.  I've been shooting Sellior and Bellot 139 grain SP, and they normally shoot about an inch.  Have shot some half inch groups with them as well too. But normally an inch.  Have shot some deer with them, and they work well.  I ordered some Noslers (140 grain partitions) to load and try..............  need more time ..

regards
Mark

[Buckfever]

I had a buddy work up my Tikka T-3 and it has been just great.  MOA and better when he shoots it, showoff!!   He used RL-22 started low, bullet just off the lans, and the gun liked 45.5 grs. at a solid 2665.   Remember this is a new gun and I wouldn't use this load in anything but a very current rifle!!!!!  The gun really takes the whitetails down.  The only difference I have noticed is the Re-loads with the RL-22 have a little more kick than the 140 Hornady ammunition I used when I first broke in the gun.  

The Norma ammunition really packs the powder and gets some great numbers, however at $40.00 a box my homeloads are just excellant.
I really like this gun for slow walking and sit hunting.  It is nice and light and comes up so nice.  Once you press the trigger on a whitetail it turns into a slammer!!!   Great caliber and carry gun.  Buckfever

[cal sibley]

I use Nosler Ballistic Tips in my .224 and .243 calibers.  I've been leery of them in anything larger, but was quite surprised recently when some Ballistic Tips I bought to use in my .25-06 turned out to be flat based bullets.  I didn't even know they were being made.  I understand it was to beef up the Ballistic Tips.  Supposedly the jackets are also a bit thicker,
bringing their performance more in line with the Partitions in terms of holding together in larger animals.  If true it would eliminate the major gripe against the Ballistic Tips.  Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal