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Ballistic tip Vs Soft point


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Hi guys sorry its probably been done before,just wondering what people think of the above bullet heads,im starting reloading for .243 .30-06 & .223 & was wanting a good bullet head for a)fox & b)deer.Thanks

 

Andy

 

I'm about to start reloading my .223 i'm going for balistic tips for the reason that i wont be taking deer with it so im not worried about meat damage. I think balistic tiped rounds fragment where as soft point just expand causing less meat damage (that may be totaly wrong of course but it was my understanding of it).

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Hi guys sorry its probably been done before,just wondering what people think of the above bullet heads,im starting reloading for .243 .30-06 & .223 & was wanting a good bullet head for a)fox & b)deer.Thanks

 

Andy

 

 

Little experience of 30-06 but the appropriate Ballistic tips are very effective at stopping fox and deer in .223 and .243!

 

Most commonly SP will be used on deer due to meat damage! Took a Roe at about 100 yards yesterday at about 30degree angle, bullet went clean through ribs and heart and came out at the bottom of the neck with about a 2inch exit hole, 90g .243SP. Ballistic tips will tend to stay in more often and do more internal damage!

 

Whatever, you will need to try/experiment with a few to see what your barrels like anyway!

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Ballistic tip varmint fragments, the hunting stuff less so, at least so they tell me - just about to load my first batch of BT deer bullets.

 

For fox, BTs are about as good as you'll get, though V-max and Blitzkings are both excellent bullets.

 

SPs work well on deer but aren't the most accurate - Nosler do the accubond and partition, which have less expansion than the BT - they will likely be more accurate.

 

Of course, all this depends on your rifle - Deker's rifles love cheap crap ammo, and mine hate it. THis is a very broad and annoying trend, and it carries across about 12 rifles between us - very annoying for me, though I don't hear him complaining!!

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30-06, I would have said a 180gr Nosler Accubond would work nicely - they are designed for use on larger game than deer so expansion should be that bit slower - that's what the blurb says so if it was me I'd try them, since accuracy is likely to be first rate.

 

WHat are you shooting with your 243? Deer or fox?

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Ballistic tip varmint fragments, the hunting stuff less so, at least so they tell me - just about to load my first batch of BT deer bullets.

 

For fox, BTs are about as good as you'll get, though V-max and Blitzkings are both excellent bullets.

 

SPs work well on deer but aren't the most accurate - Nosler do the accubond and partition, which have less expansion than the BT - they will likely be more accurate.

 

Of course, all this depends on your rifle - Deker's rifles love cheap crap ammo, and mine hate it. THis is a very broad and annoying trend, and it carries across about 12 rifles between us - very annoying for me, though I don't hear him complaining!!

 

That is very true, Wolf and Barnaul have their moments but PRVI seems pretty consistent in all my centrefires and commonly deliver 1" groups, where as it seems the EXACT same ammo goes out to 2, 3 or even 4 inch groups in other peoples rifles, and not just Mr L's either! And when you feed mine quality ammo they virtually turn into match rifles!!

 

Even my .22lr puts Magtech in the hole, whereas many others have less than favorable experiences with the stuff!

 

....and he is right, I'm not complaining!! :whistling::thumbs::thumbs:

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Hi Wint,

 

Balistic tips vary in construction as much as soft points so it's allways worth a look at the manufacturers website to see what the recomended velocity ranges are and often you can get an idea of the intended quarry.

I have shot hundreds of foxes with .223/55gn Vmax/26.5gns Varget and i've shot quite a few Roe with the same load but using a Sako softpoint bullet.

I've never shot a deer with a 243 but i have shot a fair few foxes with one using ballistic tips and soft points in the 70gn range, the BTs mush things up a lot and often the soft points passed through (fox was nearly allways dead within 200m)

 

Remember the perfect bullet doesn't exist (although Nosler come close) a round suitable for a light frammed fox won't be the most suitable for a big Sika stag, in my opinion the 243 is one of the most problematic of all calibres for this (but still a great calibre) as there is such a wide range of bullets available (some intended for fox some for deer)

 

In the 06 i'd be inclined to pick a soft point mid weight range and not be tempted to push it to fast

for the 243 i'd decide what i was most likely to use it for and pick a bullet for that species.

223 i'd deffo use Ballistic tips.

Try to look at the whole picture, a soft point 6mm bullet going flat out will often do more damage than a slower ballistic tip. a bullet at 400m will be travelling slower than it was when it was at 50m.

 

Have fun experimenting.

 

Regards,Ezzy

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It's pretty normal for deer to run a distance, whatever the bullet, so if you're putting them in the right place I wouldn't worry.

 

If you're shooting deer with the 243, then a 90BT or above is about right - below is designed for fox & varmint.

 

Without really going there, they do work well on the smaller deer, but you will have meat damage unless you neck or head shoot.

 

Therefore, if the rifle is just shooting deer, use a deer bullet. I've found the Hornady 95 SST is accurate with sufficient but not excessive expansion. Certainly the 3 does I shot the other week were not overly damaged and went down PDQ.

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I have opinions on what is and what is not acceptable to me, so here goes... *puts on flak vest and helmet*

I have in the past commented on a thread of fox shooting pics where chaps have used a .243 and ballsitic tips, they make a godawful mess, but the do put the animal down almost instantly.

i have an issue with the mess it makes, I would choose soft point bullets for most things, or if ballistic tips then ones of stronger build like hornadys tipped SST interlock, accubond, interbond, or nosler ballistic tip in the sizes intended for deer, not like the varmint bullets like the speer TNT or hornady A-MAX, or barnes varmint grenade, sure I shoot ballistic tips in my HMR, but I don't have an awful lot of options, I think that what will work on deer up to fallow will work on fox, just with everything, get the shot placement right! also if you load one load for each (deer suitable), then you'll not have to think about the different zero for each load!

 

Cheers

DB

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I like a bloody great mess !

 

[note: no intentionally aimed directly at Mr_logic]

 

It's a funny old world, not so long ago people took pride in killing humanely and cleanly. These days it seems in vogue to blow the animals to kingdom come, take photos of the blood bath and promote your skills as an expert animal demolition specialist all over tinernet. As a group we wonder why the government, police and animal rights groups have twitchy fingers. I and most other shooting folk can understand that the animals were killed quickly but to the casual on looker, it must look horrific and to any law enforcement personnel their worst nightmare. Times do move on, but for me a dead fox with a clean bullet hole, that dropped on the spot, full body intact is my preference.

 

John

Edited by HUnter_zero
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I like a bloody great mess !

 

[note: no intentionally aimed directly at Mr_logic]

 

It's a funny old world, not so long ago people took pride in killing humanely and cleanly. These days it seems in vogue to blow the animals to kingdom come, take photos of the blood bath and promote your skills as an expert animal demolition specialist all over tinernet. As a group we wonder why the government, police and animal rights groups have twitchy fingers. I and most other shooting folk can understand that the animals were killed quickly but to the casual on looker, it must look horrific and to any law enforcement personnel their worst nightmare. Times do move on, but for me a dead fox with a clean bullet hole, that dropped on the spot, full body intact is my preference.

 

John

 

 

John,

 

You have a point and a view which is perfectly valid!

 

Another way to look at things.....

 

Times and the world moves on..there are far more horific scenes in kiddies computer "GAMES" than you will ever see in the field. Not for a minute suggesting it is "right", and cameras are in everyones pocket these days, and so is the internet. It's just the way it is!

 

"Clean" kill is open to interpretation but is commonly accepted to mean an Instant death. Over the last few years the development and improvement in a range of ballistic tips and indeed other ammo, has brought instant death to another dimension, unfortunately these can at times be very destructive.

 

Ammo development has largely been to promote humane and clean killing, it does that very effectively and reduces injuries/runners and therefore undue suffering, which, in it's own right must be a bonus!

 

ATB!!

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OK:

I have trialled both ballistics and soft points, in .223, 22.250, .243 and .270

Generally all of the ballistics explode on the surface of the target and all of the soft points push straight through with varying meat damage.

With the .22's 55gr Hornady Vmax are the worst for creating massive surface craters, even on a small Rabbit they rip a gaping hole, Noslers (my opinion) penetrate better before they expand, but still make a mess.

I had a problem with my .270 as 130gr (Sierra) soft points were passing right through Roe and then richocheting all over the place, but Hornady Vmax 110gr ballistics made football sized craters but were 'safer' in the overtravel department.

So now I use (reloaded) 55gr fmj .22's in my 22.250 for rabbits, and Nosler 55gr Ballistics for foxes.

My .270 usually now has 110gr Nosler Accubonds, these are a 'halfway house' and work very well (59 gr of R22).

So what do you think/find?

I would be very interested to hear your opinions?

AndyF

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