Well, I didn't say I BELIEVED the advertising hype about the ballistic tip. I use the bullet in my .308 because it's very accurate in that gun and works on game. I use it in my .30-30 because it's very accurate and it readily expands at the pistol's velocities. I'm not too sure about expansion in a Sierra 150 (Sierra game kings are one of my faves) at sub 2000 fps velocities. But, the Ballistic tip works for my applications. In my .257, the 100 grain Sierra Game King is the accuracy king. I get 3150 fps out of it and 3/4MOA. I simply can't beat it with any other bullet. I've found the Hornady 117 grain Interlock 1MOA accurate and I can drive it to 3050 fps, but if it doesn't hit bone, I've found it won't expand and the Game King WILL every time and has adequate penetration. I use a 150 Sierra game king in my 7 mag on deer for one reason, accuracy. That bullet is one of the few the Savage likes. It's 1 MOA accurate with it or with a 160 Nosler Partition, my "big game" bullet of choice if I ever get to go after elk and decide not to use my .308. And, boy, that 7mm 150 game king does expand! You talk about meat damage!
But, I'd rather stop the deer than blood trail it. You hit the thorax with that cannon shooting that bullet, you won't have to worry about any kind of thickets. He's going to drop where he stands. I've not had a problem stopping deer with my .308, though, and its Noslers. It kills 'em just as dead even if it leaves the off side shoulder in place and ruins much less meat. I love that thing on medium game, about perfect. I'm pushing it just under 2800 fps.
Anyway, the advertising hype or actual tip damage, whatever, that was the reason for the "ballistic tip". I like it for the above reasons in two of my guns, both .30 caliber guns. That 150 grainer expands readily, yet penetrates medium game really well. As I said, I also load a 140 grain Barnes X and had thought I'd use it, and have used it on hogs. A really big hog, I might be glad I'm using it, but the little meat hogs I shoot, a Ballistic Tip is plenty of bullet. I've let big 350 lb bruisers walk by before without shooting. I can't get one out without butchering it on the spot and they don't tend to be the best eating anyway, so I normally don't shoot a hog over 200 lbs and about any normal bullet will penetrate a smaller hog.
Yeah. Lots of myths and advertising hype. One of my favorite bits of BS is bullets that are "brush busting". You know, round-nosed bullets that "won't" deflect. The NRA tech guys wiped that one out, some forty or more years back.
I remember reading that test, guess in American Rifleman. They even got deflection from shotgun slugs and .45-70 IIRC enough to totally miss a deer just 20 or so yards beyond the obsticle, something real short anyway. From the time I read that, I quit listening to the "brush gun" hype. The best brush gun, it turns out, is the one that is accurate enough that you can thread past the brush and hit the deer and nothing in between.
.243 is a FINE brush gun!
