180 grain ballitic tip thoughts

[Rem700CDLSF3006]

i have thought about ballistic tips but hear stories if no pass throughs and blowing up on shoulders. My question if i load some 180.s at around 2700 fps will the slower velocity help,plus the added weight for deeper penetrating

 

[coyote315]

i dunno about that weight, but I shot the 150 version in a +p hand load out of a .308 at a missouri whitetail this year and the terminal ballistics were incredibly positive. The shot was 390 yards, bullet hit 2-3 inches above the heart and absolutely flipped the deer on it's side. It never moved again.
When I gutted and dressed the buck, i found the bullet still in one piece. Interestingly, it had pierced the opposite shoulder blade on the way through and came to rest just inside the hide.
Personally, I was very satisfied with it.

 

[Strongbad]

That speed should be right about perfect for light game like whitetail, etc. Where you start running into issues with the BT's is if you crank the speed way up on them. At moderate velocities they're killers.

 

[Rem700CDLSF3006]

thats what im thinking and maybe the added weight to help with penetration

 

[DC Plumber]

I used a 165g Ballistic Tip on my buck a couple of years ago. About a 75 yard shot through the lungs. I think he took one leap and was down. It was in snow. It was a quick kill. Lots of blood spray on the far side, obvious completely passed through the deer. Never recovered the bullet. I specially like the boattail for easy loading into the case. I don't think the real effects of a boattail do me any good at the range I use them. Great priced bullet too.

 

[MtnCreek]

What cartridge are you using?

In .308, I like 165gr Nosler BT's. Velocity with the 180 was too low for good expansion.

If you're shooting 30-06, you would probably get better expansion with the 180's than I did with my 20" .308, but I still like 165's better in 22" 700 and BAR / 7400 (~20" ???).

 

[X-Rap]

I use Ballistic Tips in a number of 6mm, 25, 30 & 338 loads for BG and have no complaints.

 

[blarby]

A 180 gr bullet going anywhere near 2700 FPS is going to drop even bambis' PCP addicted Elkish cousin.

I dont care what type of tip it has.

The SST has great results in soft tissue.

Solid bone hits can be messy, but you shouldn't be shooting the shoulder with 'em anyway

Even if you hit the shoulder ? ITs still gonna die, its just gonna be a mess cleaning around all that fragmented bone and blot'dshot meat.

 

[ironworkerwill]

I dont like them at high velocity! I was getting 2900+fps out of a .25 115 gr bt and was only going about 4'' deep and making a fist size hole at close range whitetails. On large game I'd rather shoot a projectile thats better constructed independent of speed. However, on paper the bt's always shot very good.

 

[blarby]

FWIW- 180gr is significantly different than 115.

Do the energy math on that one.

 

[GaryL]

I run a 180 BT out of an '06 a bit slower than 2700fps - more in the range of 2400-2500. I hope to Chrono it this summer to know for sure. Anyway, it does exactly what I want - very accurate, lots of internal damage, and a nice exit wound. Usually they topple on impact, but the deer up north can go quite a ways with no heart. Farthest I've had one run was about 40 yds, and left quite a trail. I guess it just took a while for it to fall down.

 

[PlaneJain]

What type of animal are you considering? Thick skinned, heavy bone, or thin skinned, etc?This info is useful for a more accurate answer.

 

[Rem700CDLSF3006]

would be for whitetail range from 20 yds to about 100 id just like a pass through

 

[blarby]

Oh, you'd get pass through at those ranges

Now, this is not the exact same bullet- but it will demonstrate 180 gr penetration at the speeds you are looking at- based on the ranges you are describing- very well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vyVgBJPBXs

If you want that result- heck, use TSX. But 180 gr bullets at those ranges are gonna give you pass through, alrighty.

 

[gamestalker]

150 gr., 165 gr., 180 gr., what ever, it doesn't really matter. A projectile that is moving 2500 fps +/- 200 fps, will drop just about any North American game animal. I think there is sometimes too much emphases placed on bullet integrity. I manage to get carried away at times with bullet integrity, when in reality, it boils down to shot placement more than anything else. An example of this is, someone I know well killed a mature mule deer 2 weeks ago using a regular every day 22LR, one shot to the head is all it took. This same fellow, who lives on the Indian reservation, kills deer all year long, or when ever he needs some meat, using only his 22LR.
GS

 

[Lloyd Smale]

on of my 300 mags gets a steady diet of 165bts at a bit over 3000fps and it RARELY fails to give complete penetration. Ive probably shot 30 deer with that gun and load and only remember one that didnt and that one i goofed up and shot right in the shoulder blade. If there were any other instances i dont remember them.

 

[GaryL]

150 gr., 165 gr., 180 gr., what ever, it doesn't really matter. A projectile that is moving 2500 fps +/- 200 fps, will drop just about any North American game animal. I think there is sometimes too much emphases placed on bullet integrity.

I don't know what its like to hunt in your area of the country, so I can't comment on it. But I can say that where I hunt up north, a blood trail is vital to quickly finding a downed deer.

I used to use Federal Premium 165s, which had devastating effect on the internals of every deer I shot, but almost caused the loss of a nice buck (180lbs dressed out). It took me over an hour to find it, about 30 yds from where I hit him. If I hadn't nearly stepped on him (next step would have), I would not have found him. He was dead on impact, but there was no exit wound, and only a couple drops of blood that could be found close to where he was hit.

It takes a decent chunk of metal with sufficient energy to pass all the way through, and it is the exit wound that provides the blood loss and the trail. That buck's heart and lungs were shredded, but a rib prevented the remains of the bullet from passing through. I have since switched to hand loading 180gr BTs, with no more lack of exit wound.

 

[45crittergitter]

I've had great results with .30/180 Ballistic Tips at about 2700 fps. I don't want the mess they would likely make at 3100 fps.

 

[ironworkerwill]

❤ blood trails, Regardless of who has sugarplum poly pointed dreams.

 

[flipajig]

I use the BT but in shorter tubes 14" and 15" tubes I would use a spire pointed bullet in them but I'm not able to push them hard enough. For the distance that you are discribing
A Seira pro hunter or a Rem coreloc will do everything that ypu want with good shot placement pushed at around 2700 fps I've been useing this combination for several years with great success with as stated good shot placement.
Flip

 

[4895]

I think the .30-06 was intended to shoot a 165 grain bullet. If bullets are disintegrating, they are probably going too fast and impacting the animal too close up. Cant go wrong with a Remi Core-lok 165 grain slug. JM2sents.