I handload for 300wsm, 7mm08 .This year I loaded Nosler Ballistic Tip 140gr in 7mm08 and 150gr in the 300wsm for deer. Deer were shot with both calibers, a doe with the 7mm, a doe and a buck with the 300wsm. All were close shots, one doe dropped in it's tracks shot with the 300,the shot entered behind the left shoulder but fragmented and punctured the diaphragm and stomach and did not exit.The other doe shot with the 7mm had the bullet also enter behind the left shoulder, it mushroomed to the base and hung up under the hide of the right chest wall. The buck shot with the 300 ran 75 yards to a very dense spruce forest leaving no blood trail and was lost. Where we hunt the shots will be close range and I'm thinking it would be better to load Nosler Accubonds which should still expand well but might also leave an exit wound and a blood trail. Perhaps Nosler Partitions would be an even more reliable choice for producing an exit wound???
I'd either download the 300wm, or go with a heavier, tougher bullet. It's plenty of kinetic energy either way, you're just pushing that bullet too hard. It's probably designed for 308/30-06 impact velocities. Or shoot them much further away.
I shot 2 bucks left season with 140 nbt's inside 40 yds the first a double lung shot, large exit hole it's of blood He went about 30 yds. The Second one hit high shoulder quartering forward, shattered the scapula no exit bullet fragmented he went about the same distance, relatively little blood, tracked him in fresh snow. Those were the older design that opened more rapidly. You definitely have a valid point. 300 win velocity is too fast for nbt's at close range, they act more like a varmint bullet, I'd go at least 165 gr in your 300 for deer. Partitions are constructed more for penetration, breaking through bone, and still hiding together, downside is that they don't shoot as accurately in my rifles
If you hit the right target, you do not need to worry about exit wounds needed for tracking. That said, Partitions are never a bad choice for a hunting bullet.
All of those bullets, (AB, BT, and PT) are designed to work well with impact speeds between 1800 fps up to about 2800 fps. The AB might well stay together at a bit faster impact speed. The 140 gr 7mm bullet is a mid weight bullet in that caliber that easily falls into that impact velocity range. The 150 gr in a 300 WSM is way too light and is impacting way faster than it was designed to work. A 150 gr Partition at the same speed would have likely done the same.
Having recovered 2 180 Partitions from a moose fired from no more than 50 yards from a .300 Win. Mag., and a 165 Partition from a .30-06 from a deer at @ 65 yards, I can assure you that even striking large bones, Partitions hold together quite well above 2800. (True, not much over 2800 in either loading there) All three of them looked like the ones in the ads for them, and I'm sure the other three that didn't hit moose ribs and passed through did, too. I will agree the 150 is on the light side for the caliber for close work, heckuva antelope or muley round, though. The rear bases on Partitions tend to hold together well, even if the front loses some weight to velocity or striking bone.
I've killed about 35 deer with Nosler BTs in .270, .260, 30-06 and 300WM, and haven't lost an animal yet. Shots ranged from 30yds to a long of just over 450yds. The original BTs weren't constructed as well as the newer and I did have a couple fragment drastically from close shots with my .270 (dead animal, lots of bloodshot meat). Due to that, I basically had 2 deer loads for that rifle; 130BTs for normal conditions and 130 partitions for woods or stands with limited range. The 130 Part POI was close enough for 100yds and under. I've since gone to 130ABs for everything and haven't had an issue even with a MV of 3170 from my 24" .270, but my closest shot to date with ABs was a little over 100yds. With the .260 I load 120 BTS exclusively as the MV is starting at 2900 out of my M7s 20" tube. I've yet to recover a bullet and the shots have been between 100 and 200yds. One of the guys I hunt with has taken about 6 or 7 bucks with the 165 "Combined Technology" (fancy BT) in his 300WSM without a problem, but his closest shot to date has been about 75yds and he loads his 300 WSM to be about a 30-06+P. I shot a 5x4 mulie a couple years ago with that same bullet from my .300WM at 300WM velocity and a little over 200yds and it passed completely through a quartering heart/lung. I like the ABs over the Partitions as they seem slightly more accurate in my rifles.
I have shot 165gr Accubonds in my 300 WSM for several years, no problems with shots ranging from 20 to 200+ yards. Last year I tried the 150gr AB. It made a mess of a bambi at 50 yards. I went back to my 165's. Had the same experience with BT's in my 243. The new 130gr 6.5 cal. Sierra TGK's tend to open up quickly and are pretty traumatic at close range. When these are gone I will go back to my AB or Partitions.
I have used Partitions for over 50 years. If I lost a deer, it was due to a bad shot not the functioning of the bullet .. all ranges from 450 yds down to 30 = no problem. The BTs I tried were very accurate and blew up consistently until I swore I'd never use one again. Then they came out with the "hunting" BTs, I bit. I loaded one in a .338-06 AI and shot a large buck that happened to show up ~50 yds away. He went 250 yds before collapsing and there were particles of the bullet almost everywhere. I was able to salvage less than half of the meat. Another oath of swearing off BTs followed. I have not wavered and never will again. I just recently picked up some 7mm Accubond blems and they look as if they are more accurate and maybe just as functional as the Partitions. If it comes down to choosing one for a big hunt, I will always opt for the Partitions.
Same here. I use the 180 gr in 300 mag. I also used them in 7mm Rum and 257. All between 100-400. They are fairly cheap and I've seen no reason to switch for white trail
It's not like they're hard to kill. Part of the issue might be the aim point. I'm a double lung kind of guy, so they seem to do well passing through ribs.