Ballistic Tips in .308 for Deer?

Our family has 3 300WinMags for long range deer and elk and have used the 180g NBT exclusively with good experiences in both accuracy and performance on game.

Granted those velocities could be higher than those generated by a 308 but at the longer distances that we use them for the velocity has dropped down considerably.

I've used 40g NBT in an AR on deer here in Idaho that are moving out very fast. Of the deer taken to date the greatest distance traveled after impact has been about 35 yards. The NBT has a very thick base and penetrates very well as velocities slow down.
 
what do you think a ballistic tip is???

A conventional bullet thats a hollow point with a plastic tip...

a core lokt, interlock, gameking, yadda yadda aint any better then a ballistic tip of the same diameter and weight...

Keep a ballistic tips IMPACT velocity under 3000fps and your golden...same with any of the conventional jacketed soft points. There no good above 3000fps either, yet everybody and there dog seems to think there 10x better then a ballistic tip...

Use a medium-heavyweight NBT in the given caliber of your choice and you'll be just fine for broadside shots, good lord...

Keep in mind, even a 7 Rem mag shooting a 140 NBT at 3200fps is down to 3000fps at 100 yards...So unless you plan on shooting deer up there butt in the trees, ballistic tips work awesome from 100 on out...Inside that, ya you might not wanna hit bone, but I doubt any conventional lead pointed bullet is gonna make any difference inside 100 yards, really??

Of all the game me, my family and friends have taken with NBTs over the years from 50-900 yards, from antelope to elk, We've only recovered a couple 180 NBTs on the far side of an elk that was still very very dead...The rest went all the way through, and mind you, we shoot for the shoulders, so I think they work just great for there intended purpose, which again isn't busting deer inside 100 yards...

Out of a 308, they dont even start out fast enough to worry about coming apart on a deer shoulder, even at the muzzle, come on...

Then again, I know enough to know I dont know Jack
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2 more elk this year died with the 180 nbt from 300 win mags, one was 500, other was 850. Brings count up to around 20 now just on elk, between all the guys I loaded em for over the years, not to mention all there deer, antelope and black bears lol. They start at 3000fps, so there good from muzzle to 1000 really...since we rarely see shots inside 200 yards on anything because of where and how we hunt, ballistic tips are tough to beat when you use the heaviest one for the given caliber...

$hitty bullets I tell ya...Dont shoot em, you wont kill anything, just blow legs off and watch them run away...
 
I shoot 180 NBT's from my 30/06 and I have never recovered one from deer, behind the shoulders, thru the shoulders, ain't got one back.


From your 16" barrel I would look at the 150 or the 165gr.
 
Originally Posted By: 2muchgunI think BTs SUCK for deer on shots under 200 yds. They make a mess I simply don't want/need. Have seen it all too many times.

A simple jacketed soft point like an Interlock, Core-Lokt, Hot-Cor, or PowerPoint, SGK, etc. kills deer just as reliably without all the mess........

The Remington Core-Lokts can be pretty messy as well in 150 Grain, atleast in a 300 Winchester Magnum factory load. Not sure how that bullets behaves at 308 velocities. I've also experienced similar results with the 150 grain 7mm Remington Magnum factory loaded Core-Lokts.
 
Shoot those core lokts from a magnum round in milk jugs filled with water lined up at 25 yards and then do same with a NBT...

NBT will penetrate every bit as much as the core lokt will...

You'll see how "GREAT" them core lokts really are up close...
 
http://www.noslerreloading.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=16812

Bullets dont always act the same, I realize that, but you can get a pretty good indication of how there gonna act with this type of test. Sometimes bullet companies like to do a bit of false advertising as I'd like to call it...

I did this test a while back to see how the Nosler Accubond and the Hornady 162 SST would perform at 20-25 yards from a 7 Rem Mag, and a 7 RUM...

7 mag, 162 sst, 2950fps, bullet stopped 5th jug and retained 88g...Pretty [beeep] good I thought for a conventional bullet at 25 yards...More then adequate for busting anything through the shoulders at any range I'll ever need to.

7 RUM, 160 accubond, 3275fps, bullet also stopped in 5th jug and retained 89g...Not bad, I was expecting a bit better however. Also take into account the extra 300fps which will hinder the overall penetration capabilities to an extent. If the AB started at 2950fps like the SST, it might have went to 6th jug but I'm not positive about that.

Needless to say, I was very and am still impressed with the 162 SST...It will do, and does everything the 160g AB will do at half the price, and gives up absolutely nothing to the accubond. Only thing is that accubonds are typically easier to get to shoot then the SSTs in my experience.

Just 1 of many unscientific tests over the years, all in good fun
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I'll agree many conventional soft points suck for deer also when shot at close range at magnum velocities.

Magnums are simply not needed/wanted unless shooting at "magnum distances". If that is your thing, I would choose a tougher bullet.

That said, IME, premium bullets and magnums are simply not needed for the vast majority of deer hunting. Unless one is specifically into the LR hunting thing.......
 
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