Yeah I guess if I couldn't manage a little finesse I'd shoot partitions, Barnes x or Northforks myself to cover my inability to perfectly place my shot or my lack of patience. If you are still in the phase where you have to hurry every shot, take any shot you get then by all means use something else.
Finesse, like getting closer, is not always an option. Sometimes you must take the shot that is offered or wait until next year.
Hurry every shot? Not hardly. In one case I waited 6 hours for the shot to develop. When it did it was at 350 yards and I used a full-speed 7mm Rem Mag load, not some sub-velocity load designed to make sure the bullet didn’t fail. The vast majority of my shots are broadside, or very nearly so, as were the two elk this year and, going back to the year 2000, the five before them. That said, things can go wrong as happened with my buck this year. An easy quartering away shot went south when the buck stepped forward as the trigger broke. Instead of hitting behind the ribs the bullet hit the right ham. The 140g North Fork was launched at 3200fps and hit at an estimated 2900fps, mushroomed perfectly, and retained 93.7% of its original weight while penetrating over 3 feet. (A picture is shown on page 1 of this thread.) Not surprisingly, the deer dropped in its tracks. I have zero confidence a BT would have performed as well, and based on your suggestion to keep BT muzzle velocities under 2700fps apparently you share that concern.
Take any shot you get? No, but on the other hand I don’t have to pass simply because the shot offered isn’t a perfect broadside. That’s the advantage bullets like the North Fork, Trophy Bonded, A-Frame or TSX offer – reliable but controlled expansion with deep penetration as the result. Unlike the BT, none of these will blow up on a shoulder, regardless of impact speed.
If you like BTs feel free to use them. Keep your velocities low if that’s what you need to do to feel confident that they won’t blow up. Nonya’s photo is graphic proof of why low velocities for the BT may be a very good idea.
For myself, I’ll continue to use better bullets, load my rifles to their potential, and take shots with confidence even if they are not perfect broadsides. Neck shots? No thanks, not with any bullet, but you’re welcome to take all you want.
By the way, trying to impune other people’s ability (“couldn't manage a little finesse”, “inability to perfectly place my shot”, “lack of patience”, “hurry every shot, take any shot”) doesn’t advance your argument in favor of the BT. As do personal attacks in general, it simply suggests that you have no logical arguments on which to base your case.
