More bullet questions

S

Smith and Wesson

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I know I've been asking alot of questions about bullets, but this is probably my last one (but I'm not making any promises). But anyway, I've been wondering how well Nosler Partitions perform on deer? I've heard that they expand very quickly sometimes and the front section seperates leaving only the back section which makes a small wound channel, so then people mistake it as penciling through. So how do NP's perform on thin-skinned game like deer and antelope? Do they have similar performance to Ballistic Tips?
 
In my experience they are the Gold Standard.
However you should still match your bullet to your game.

As an example, if you are using your moose rifle to kill deer (as many men do if they own a big rifle) a 250 grain 338 is not going to give you results as spectacular as a 308 with a 150 grain bullet.
Why?
Because the bigger N.P. was designed to be used more on elk, moose, big bears and so on, and therefore will not open up as fast as a 150 grain 30 cal will. The overall power of the 338 is a lot higher, but you will see less of it used on a smaller animal.

Both will kill very well, but I have seen it many times when hunting elk with larger rifle (myself and as a guide) when the smaller animal is shot with a larger rifle and bullet the kill is not as fast as it would be with a smaller rifle and smaller bullet.

This is really picking nits however. If you shoot a moose and a deer with your 338 or 375 both will be killed and neither will get away from a well placed Nosler Partition.
Where they come into their own is when you want to kill a moose with a 270 or an elk with a 25-06. Those are the times when the Nosler partition will be appreciated. (I'd say the same of Barnes X bullets too)

But in a nutshell I’d say you can’t really go wrong with a N. P. for deer. They may cost more than you need to spend. Other bullets kill deer just as well. But the Partitions are never a mistake.
 
in vermont, deer and bear seasons overlap and early season bear overlaps with the 5 day moose hunt.
i will generaly carry two loads with me,sierra pro hunter and swift A frame

once in the woods i will chamber the heavy round to be prepared for anything and things happen fast in the eastern woods.but if there is time i will chamber the lighter prohunter
 
The Partitions are probably the most trusted hunting bullet made. They reliably work giving a good compromise between penetration and rapid expansion. They are actually deigned to break. The front 1/2 of the bullet expands rapidly for some shock effect, the back 1/2 penetrates deep. The Partition is never a bad choice.

But for deer, you may not need them. The Ballistic Tips are much more aerodynamic. They shoot much flatter, and hit with more retained energy at longer ranges. They don't give the penetration of the partition, but will still shoot all the way through a deer.

You may consider the Accubond. While the Partition performs well, it is not a long range bullet. The Accubonds give you the exact same aerodynamics as the Ballistic Tip for flatter trajectory and they hold together just as well as the Partitions. Basically you get the best of both bullets.
 
I never shot partitions at deer but I did shoot some caribou with the Noslers our of a 7 Rem Mag.

I wasn't impressed. The bullets would zip right through, sometimes.

I did recover a couple, they were intact except for the little lead tip was missing.

Haven't used Nosler's since. Caribou aren't that tough an animal. More like a big deer.

A tad off topic, but I've shot a ton of deer in the last 50 plus years and I found that just about any bullet will work. Don't see the need for high priced trick bullets for deer.
 
Smith and Wesson, For many years here in Co if you had elk tag wanted to hunt deer had to do it same season. When I first moved here we only had two hunting season and unit I hunted 2nd season you could hunt deer first 5 days of that season. First elk season deer season started week before was only 5days long Sat thru Wed.

Now that deer are draw tag and you can hunt separate season lot still try for same season elk/deer tag.

My 7mag used same bullet deer/elk 160gr Partition when I used them never had a problem and never found a bullet complete pass thru. I also used 338mag 210gr Partition deer/elk tag one shot dead bull one shot dead 4x4 buck. I used 180gr Partition in 30-338mag and 30-06 bull/buck tag again never had a problem when I used them. I've also used 150gr Partition in 270.

I've shot one antelope here with 95gr Partition from 6RemAI.

I only have one rifle now that I'll use Partition in and I never recovered a bullet using them good wound channel. I've never used a BT for hunting.

I started later part of the 60's using partition and they made few changes over the years but lot of good bullets being made today. I wished we had same choices back then.
 
I shot Partitions on deer and elk for many years and with only one exception they performed as advertised. The one exception was when the bullet created a softball sized entry wound and the exit hole was only found when a drop of blood squeezed out of it, after skinning. That shot was in the meaty part of a deer's neck at about 40 yards using a 300 Win Mag and 180 grain Partitions. The deer dropped in it's tracks so I can't say the bullet did not do its job, it is one of the few "DRT" shots I've had.
 
My experience with the Nosler Partition bullet is about the same as kraigwy's...the .270 cal. 130 grain partition just poked a hole through the whitetail deer without much sign of expansion and it acted like it wasn't hit and then traveled about 40 to 50 more yards before expiring !
 
I've heard that everything's bigger in Texas, but I can't see a partition bullet as necessary, or even desirable on deer-sized game.

But then, neither can I see the need to hunt big game with two types of bullets & swapping for what you scare up.

I've had no failures with 140gr Rem corloks, moving well below mach 3, on any game.
 
I tried them when they first came out. The deer I took with the Nosler's at the ranges I shoot didn't die any quicker than any other manufactures premium lead tipped bullet would have preformed. {at least I didn't think so.} If someone were to give me a free box of Nosler Partitions I'd load em up no doubt about it..
But I (me) surely wouldn't go out and buy a box of Partitions just to hunt deer with in this State. For me there's no need too.

Do they have similar performance to Ballistic Tips?
Click to expand...
No where's even close too the meat destruction Ballistic Tips are known to cause.
 
I've had good luck with both Nosler bullets fired from my .243 rifle. The Ballistic Tips definitely create a wider wound channel and much damage but rarely exit the animal. Partitions do make smaller wound channels but always exit the animal.

I've also had good killing power with plain but effective Winchester Power Points. This is a non-premium bullet that hits hard.

Jack
 
.243

I use Partitons in .243 on whitetails, and have been much impressed. Being from the old, heavy bullet school of thought, I was skeptical about that tiny 100 gr 6mm slug meeting a whitetail, and so loaded up Partitions. And I have been much pleased with results.

Both bamaboy and myself have taken deer with the combo, and have not recovered a slug yet. Deer are very dead, some DRT. Expansion seems plenty adequate, and again, all pass throughs.

Have not shot partitions in any other caliber or weight on game.
 
I have used them in several calibers, and to be honest I personally haven't seen the pencil through mishap that has been reported here. That said, my good friend and hunting bud has one in 7mm that was recovered from a deer that is almost pristine except for the banana shape to it, and rifling marks. He and his uncle also had similar to the above mentioned non expansions in some .264 WM loads.

I load them in 95gr for my .243 as well as in 115gr for my 25-06 and 25-06 AI. I feel that with these two and driving them fast, it just seems logical to use a bullet that will preform well on an up close or longer within reason shot. With the 243 my longest shot has been just a touch over 300yds and with the 25-06 just over 400 on whitetail. In both cases they dropped on the spot, but I DO feel it had more to do with placement than the bullets used.

All that said I mostly use standard type cup and core bullets 95% of the time in all of my other rifles. I simply haven't seen the need to go to the extra cost, especially if the impact velocities are going to be under 3000fps.
 
I can not understand the mania about "Special" bullets. I suspect it is like when the "Big Two" used to start rumors to increase sales of their products. If you think you need special bullet just to kill a deer, maybe you need to move up to a bigger gun.
 
Originally posted by Wyosmith:


However you should still match your bullet to your game.
Click to expand...

This. Modern bullet design has moved from designing bullets meant for a wide variety of applications to specialized ones. While older basic cup and core bullets still are probably the most versatile, many of the newer bullets are purpose specific. That said, for the average deer, most any hunting bullet, intended for deer sized game, shot from a rifle and placed in the boiler room, is going to make a quick clean kill.
 
As far as I'm concerned, the Nosler Partition is the best "universal" game bullet made. I've seen the 160 grain .284(7mm Rem mag) work just as well on deer as it does on elk. Ditto the 180 grain .308(300 Win mag). I've used 150 NP(308 Win) on deer just because I bought a lot of them for the same cost as standard bullets but didn't see any advantage (or disadvantage).
The design also can be considered as a "force multiplier" for somewhat under powered rounds or rounds used above their normal capabilities. Losing that frontal portion and mushroom allows the rear portion to penetrate far more than a single piece bullet would while trying to push it's mushroomed nose through game.
Anytime a bullet design will consistently drive through heavy elk shoulders at close range with the same bullet that will expand on a deer's ribcage at 300 yards, I'll give it all the credit I can.
 
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