What type of bullet do you prefer?

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mistahmojoryan

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I think regular soft point/cup and core bullets make great deer bullets but when it comes to polymer tipped bullets what do you think is better: An SST/Ballistic Tip style bullet or a tougher, bonded core bullet like an Interbond/SciroccoII?

I've used both with excellent results. My concern when using SST's is that they could blow up if bone is hit (which one did...still killed the deer but left a mess). My only concern with an Interbond is that it may be overly tough for deer sized game and won't open up fast enough to do max damage. I've seen this once as well, when an Interbond left a pencil hole most of the way through. (The polymer tip is supposed to initiate expansion but I guess that doesn't happen too fast when the bullet doesn't hit much resistance (like slipping b/t ribs)).

I guess the question is based on controlled expansion versus explosiveness. Both kill deer but I'd like to know what you prefer?

Thanks! :)
 
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I hit my WT buck at about 50 yards with Nosler Ballistic Tips last year and it was like a lazer going though him. Long story short by 8:00pm with the aid of the Coleman lanterns we finally had he out of the bush. Dad got his buck at about 115 yards with the same ammo and anchored him. No bones hit on either shots. Me thinks the Ballistic Tips are not a great “close range” bullet.

Either way, I’m loaded up with Partitions this season cause I’ll be shooting moose too. I’ve got bunch of SST’s as well and am looking forward to seeing the damage they will do to my mule doe.
 
I dont' have any experience with Interbonds, so I cannot comment abouthem.

But, when the question is : What type of bullet do you prefer?

My answer is simple. The one that is very accurate, and can also do any job I ask of it.

"Any job" is subjective. To the guy that ony hunts deer/yotes this is alot different than the guy (like me) that may encounter hunt deer, moose, bear etc....And of course keep in mind that ever present danger of GRIZZ charge:dancingbanana:

So I pick the bulet that will do it all, and recently, that bulet has been the TSX. In the past I have used alot of Nosler Partitions, whicha re never a poor choice.

If I only hunted deer, I would probaby go for an Accubond or INterbond, so I could take any shot I wished, but it woudl still be cheap to practice shoot.:)
 
I like reg Horn Interlocks or Rem Core Locks for deer & moose. With standard velocity cartidges I have always had good results :) And accurate too :)

Cann't comment on Interbonds or polimer tip, kinda old fashioned :rolleyes:
but then why change what works :D
 
I have had great luck with the SSTs. Lots of mess but they dropped in there tracks. I have them going about 2650 out if my 308 with 165s. I am going to try 150 this season.
 
I've been please with the SST's, the Accubonds and the Grand Slams. I am now trying out some 120 gr. TSX out of my 7-08 for deer.
 
Gatehouse said:
If I only hunted deer, I would probaby go for an Accubond or INterbond, so I could take any shot I wished, but it woudl still be cheap to practice shoot.:)
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This reflects my thinking as well. I've used various cup/core bullets, SST's, bonded bullets and partitions on deer and I have the most confidence in bonded bullets right now. Partitions are great all-purpose bullets but the few deer I've shot with them went for a run after perfect broadside hits. Of course, with all that I've read about Partitions, I was expecting deer to drop like the hammer of Thor hit them. ;)
 
"Now I don't suppose you are going to tell us that at close range the ballistic tip was going "too fast to expand"?"

I honestly can’t say why it didn’t expand as I just don’t know. I only base my assumption on my personal experience. There are plenty of “fish in the sea” so that experience was enough for me to try something different.
 
As far as only polymer tipped goes,
Nugget had huge damage with SST's on his whitetail, 270 Winchester.
I shot my wolf two weeks ago with an Interbond in my 7x57, 7mm hole going in, 7mm going out, shot was quartering away and the only bone it hit was ribs on entry.
Ballistic tips can sit with the SST as a varmint bullet IMO, the are devastating.
Sierra game kings will remove softball sized gobs of meat too, without hitting bone.

We have had great luck with the Partitions, Grand Slams and even the Hornady round noses. All three really dig deep.

We played with the Failsafes and Barnes X for awhile but for the calibers we shoot, they just aren't needed nor did I find them to work well.

Noel
 
Ballistic tips can sit with the SST as a varmint bullet IMO, the are devastating.
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Having taken 8 elk,2 moose.and over two dozen deer,bighorn and pronghorn with ballistic tips,it is quote obvious that they can be effective on game much larger than varmints.The problem is that most people consider all ballistic tips as being the same,which could not be farther from the truth.The truth is that some particular ballistic tips have been modified several times by nosler.The .308" 180gr ballistic tip for example has had the jacket thickened more than once.The latest version of this bullet has a jacket about twice as thick as the original version.I have driven the latest version through both shoulders of an elk and it still retained over 60% of it's weight.The problem is that Nosler has never widely publicized this so it is hard to know what to expect from a given ballistic tip.
 
stubblejumper said:
Having taken 8 elk,2 moose.and over two dozen deer,bighorn and pronghorn with ballistic tips,it is quote obvious that they can be effective on game much larger than varmints.The problem is that most people consider all ballistic tips as being the same,which could not be farther from the truth.The truth is that some particular ballistic tips have been modified several times by nosler.The .308" 180gr ballistic tip for example has had the jacket thickened more than once.The latest version of this bullet has a jacket about twice as thick as the original version.I have driven the latest version through both shoulders of an elk and it still retained over 60% of it's weight.The problem is that Nosler has never widely publicized this so it is hard to know what to expect from a given ballistic tip.
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Fair enough, Three falls ago I knocked down my Antelope, at over 400 yards, with the 150gr Ballistic Tip in my 06, muzzle speed 3k. The bullet went pretty much the length of him, in several pieces and it looked like I had him swallow a grenade.
They are accurate as all get out and I hope they did thicken up the jacket some because they are alot more cost effective than some of the other bullets out there.
You have hit alot more game than I have with the BL's so that is good news, When did they beef them up?
I still have the bullet, the core was separate, sitting just ahead of the jacket, and together they weigh 102gr/68%. Without the core, 70gr/47%

I am just not used to seeing so much damage and would not expect to have seen it with an animal shot at such long range. My manual says it would have been going 2100fps when it hit (422 yards).

Noel
 
The 180gr-.308" ballistic tip was last modified about 4 or 5 years ago.According to Nosler they made the change because people were using them in the high capacity magnums and the previous versions were not holding together at high velocity.Take note that not all ballistic tips were changed,so some particular bullets are still quite soft.Even the 165gr-.308" ballistic tip still has a much thinner jacket.Other than talking to Nosler,the only way to know for sure if a particular bullet has had the jacket thickened,is to section a bullet and see.Since the accubond came out,Nosler hasn't bothered much with the ballistic tips.
 
To me the best deer bullets have been the ones that loose about 100g of lead, and still go all the way through or to the far hide.

About the SST, If you use a high Sectional Density SST at a fairly good velocity say 2900-2600FPS impact you will get one of the most devistaing wounds possible out of a deer bullet. Looong wide wound channel and full pass through even on quartering shots. I took a whitetail doe this year with a 162g SST from a 7 mag at 150 yards, quartering away. Impressive.
 
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