I never said the bullet failed. I just expected it to hold together a little better than it did. The Ballistic tip is not suitable for Bigger Game. By that I mean anything bigger than whitetail deer. Whitetail are small thin skinned game. Caribou, Elk, Moose, and Bears are definitely too heavily muscled for a Ballistic Tip bullet. I wient to the ballistic tip due to what I read in the Nosler reloading manual, I was also looking for a bullet that the tips did not deform in plastic cases when hauled around for a couple of hunts. I'm sticking with Noslers, just not the Ballistic tips, they are a bit too explosive for my taste. I will use them on smaller stuff like wolves during the winter. Or if I go hunting in Tennessee for whitetail. For here in Alaska, you may take down a Caribou with a Ballistic Tip, but what are you going to do when you run into that resident Grizzly that wants to make you and your Caribou his next meal. Already went back to the partitions.
Thanks for the report. I saw in a later post on this thread where you said you are not bashing the Bal. Tip & you did not. I appreciate your objective and factual info. As you stated, "I never said the bullet failed. I just expected it to hold together a little better than it did." Well, that's reasonable.
I think one of the manuals talked a little about the Bal. Tip being "toughened up" a little from the past & they were, but I agree with you that it is better suited for Whitetail, Mule Deer & down & for that they work great. I have the new Nosler#6 & this is what they say about the bullet. "The
hunting Bal. Tip is an excellant choice for thin skinned game such as Antelope, Deer & Sheep." That they are.
To me, I would have never considered the Bal Tip if Grizzly Bear is part of the equation. I would have no qualms about double lunging a Car. or Elk with a Bal. Tip, but I would rather use a bullet that would work at any reasonable angle & I would trust an Accubond, Part or TSX for that. But with Griz involved, no way would I want to use a BT.
About the Accubonds, I notice that you mention friends using them for Brown Bear & you used them on a Moose. I also found out last winter on
Antelope, Deer & 1 Elk that they work & work
VERY well.
You will like the way the BT works on Whitetails, no doubt. I used the 180BT (mostly the old soft one) on Deer with my 30-06AI at about 2,950fps.
I took 25-26 Deer with that load, some young Deer & some Big Bucks at virtually every angle to get to the vitals at close to fairly log range & none traveled over 30 yards. I talked to my cousin after an earlier thread on this matter & asked him how many Bucks did he and his boys take with his 308, loaded with Varget & 165BT. He said about 45 with no problems. My family has used the 115BT alot in the 25-06 for Antelope & Deer, agin, no problems.
Again, thanks for the story, I always enjoy your posts & I have not as yet hunted Caribou. If I do will use the Accubond or the TTSX, whichever shoots the best with the Bal. I like.
