168 Grain Winchester Ballistic Silver Tips ???

Tabacco Brook

Tabacco Brook

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I am wondering if any of you use the Winchester 168gr Ballistic Silver Tips in your 30-06 for deer,... and how do they perform. I have read mixed reviews about this ammo,... some say it is a great round,.. others say it is not. From what I have read about the Ballistic Tip bullets, it seems that they are quit fragile/explosive, so I was thinking 168gr instead of 150gr,... plus my X-bolt prefers 165gr ammo over 150gr,... anyway.. I would like to give this ammo a try, just for something different. I'm thinking it would perform very well, but I would like to hear some real world experience from someone who has actually takin some deer with them........ thanks
 
I used 180 grainers in a .300 win mag to shoot an elk quite a few years ago. The shot was a perfect broadside at just over 100 yards. Bullet entered between two ribs and disintegrated before reaching the far side. The kill was quick, but I am glad I didn't have to go through much elk to get to the vitals as I don't think the bullet would have been up to serious heavy lifting.
 
My son uses a Nosler 30 cal - 168 gr ballistic silver tip in his 300 Saum . It works fine , he just doesn't shoot for the shoulder.
 
I bought a Ruger M77 MKII in .308 about 15 years ago. I read somewhere that the 168 gr. boat tail was perfect for the .308. I used Winchester Supreme Ballistic Silver Tips for about ten years and probably killed 15 or 20 deer during that time. All clean kills. I started reloading seven years ago and use Nosler 168 gr. Ballistic tips with the same excellent results. I've shot behind, through and above the shoulder and from end to end. Same result: dead deer. I also use them in my Handi Rifle .30-40 Krag and as a chamber round in my .30-30 336 Marlin Texan.

Pete
 
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BST is all I use for my 270wsm. Only once in about 12 years have I had to give a deer a 2nd one and even then he wasn't going anywhere. Just got a 308 today and am hoping they work just as good in it. They are explosive but fine for deer, I would use something else for moose.
 
Thanks for your info guys,... I really don't worry about fragile / explosive bullets... I have shot quite a few deer with the cheap 150gr Federal blue box ammo from my -06 A-bolt and they seem to be quite explosive too, but extremely devastating on deer, I have never seen a deer move very far after being hit with them, 30 yard max, most just made a jump and went down, and of course when shot in the neck just dropped right where they stood. I think I will give the 168s a try,... I think they will do the job just fine,..... thanks
 
My favorite factory ammo. And something you can even find at Walmart or crappy tire on the way to hunt camp.

168gr in .308 has put both deer, moose and even grouse in the freezer. Have never needed a follow up shot.

I had also heard folks make claims about it expanding too quick and not penetrating, but every animal has been shot through. I even shot a 8 1/2 inch diameter maple tree with it. Clean through. Tried the same with a 180gr power point and it didn't make it through.
 
My go to round for a really fussy Sako 75 I own. It took me almost 20 different types of ammo to find something that approached MOA, my first 3 attempts gave me 3-4 MOA! (I almost had an Albertan Tactical Rifle Modern Hunter moment).

Great in every respect, accurate, consistent and mushroom's well. Like a hammer, down they go.

Candocad.
 
korky said:
Ballistic silvertips are just Ballistic tips with a black lubalux coating.
Click to expand...

"Silver tips" predate "ballistic tips" by decades. Used to shoot 200gr Winchester silver tips that had an aluminum tip. They later went to a boat tail design, changed the aluminum to poly, and called them ballistic silver tips. Nothing to do with the black oxide coating.
 
korky said:
Ballistic silvertips are just Ballistic tips with a black lubalux coating.
Click to expand...

You are correct.

The 30 calibre Ballistic Tips are fairly stout bullets with a thick jacket. Stories of their "explosiveness" are usually spouted by people who have never used them. I would have no hesitation of shooting a deer with them especially when launched at 30-06 velocities.
 
I used them a lot in my 06 and 308 in the NT. The toughest shot I made was at about 50 yards when a bul caribou Stu k its head out. It was a steep incline for the boo and I was on flat ground, I shot it between the eyes. Bullet exited the skull after going through the thick forehead, hit the spine then turned 30 degrees and followed the spine proceeding to destroy about 18" of vertebrae. That's the only time I ever spined and brained an animal with one shot! In slower caliber I would not hesitate to use the ballistic tip 168, I took at least 20 big game animals with that bullet. No failures
 
The first Comment / Reply hits the nail on the head perfectly.

GOOD for deer, Limited for Bigger animals.. Fast cartridges ..forget it. non magnums ok on deer n goat.
explosive tips..

WL
 
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