Nosler Balistic Tip vs. Hornady SST

[covey ridge]

Has anyone tried both in the same caliber with similar bullet weights? Purpose? Both species of Alberta deer between 200 and 400 yards.

[Kurt505]

I can't speak for the sst's but the bst's are killers.

[wwbirds]

I have used the 150 grain BT in my 270 for deer and had several one shot kills. I believe they are fragile and come apart inside the animal. My deer were all between 75 and 200 yards
My son shot a doe with a Hornady 150 grain SST at nearly 200 yards and it did major damage to heart and lungs as it also fragmented to so many pieces in the chest.

From what I have seen from my deer and my sons I would speculate they are almost identical in performance but SST as I recall were cheaper so we use them more often for practice.

[dogslayer403]

I shot deer with nosler BT in 30-06, 25-06, and 300wm and 7mm08 all one shot kills almost all dropped in their tracks one made it ten yards I love those bullets for deer sized game.

[CheeseBurger]

I can't speak to the SST's but I like the 120gr .264 NBT's in my 6.5x55. Mainly shoot paper with them and they give me very good accuracy. Hoping I can send one at a yote this winter.

[bulletman]

The SST'S are awesome deer bullets!

[Dudes2010]

NBT out of my .270 win are lethal for deer. I won't use them on elk or moose just in case you hit some heavy bone but for deer they work great. Very accurate too!

[Thunder/FX]

Shot both out of my 06
Liked the SST better.
Nosler appeared a little more explosive than i cared for.
SST for me on deer in that caliber

[michaelmicallef]

I use both for target practice in my 308 and the noslers seem to have tighter groups than SST's. I would use SST's for hunting as I think they are Little tuffer. Both are cheap bullets and low velocity rounds like the 308 .I find cheap bullets do the trick. 3000fps rounds I go interbonds or accubonds.

[abenaki-warrior]

Just shot a deer saturday after sighting in new rifle for cold weather late hunts with superformance sst 150gr in 30-06. Nice liver shot @ around 25 to 30 yards. The deer turned around walked about 20 yards back and fell there. The liver literally exploded. I also liked the factory remington balistic tip 270 win. The rem 700 bdl i had shot verry good groups with'em. But cant find them no more.

[pikeslayer22]

Love the BT'S in Winchester Supremes they shoot well through my gun and killed several big game animals..."do not"hit big bone like shoulders as they break apart with little to no penetration

[covey ridge]

Thanks for the replies. I plan to use 140 bt or the 139 sst for a 7-08 that I just got. From previous experience with both of these bullets in different rifles, I agree that I should keep them off heavy bone. For larger stuff, like if I draw my moose next season I will use accubonds or partitions.

[dumoulin]

Has anyone tried both in the same caliber with similar bullet weights? Purpose? Both species of Alberta deer between 200 and 400 yards.

I've had very poor success with the bt in 165gr using a .300wmag. Great penetration but they cause lesser damage than they should.

[savage shooter]

I have not had good luck with the SSTs. I find they form rings when being seated into the cartridge just from the lead being so soft.

The BTs on the other hand are 60% gilding metal by weight. They are much tougher bullets.

[covey ridge]

I've had very poor success with the bt in 165gr using a .300wmag. Great penetration but they cause lesser damage than they should.

Well that is opposite that I would have expected with that combo?:)

[Okotokian]

I've never used either bullet because it's been my belief (perhaps an erroneous one) that they weren't particularly tough bullets for use on heavy game, and I always try to use one ammo choice for both deer and elk (150g Winchester XP3 in .270 and 165g Hornady Interbond Superformance in 30-06).

[Andrzej]

Used BT in 30-06 165 gr about 22-25 years ago. I've shot my best WT with it. Texas heart shot. Bullet disintegrated, fragmented.
When I moved to 7 STW I've shot 140 Nosler BT. WT Buck broadside at about 80 yards 2" entry and fist size exit.
This was last time I've used them for hunting.
BT bullets are different now as in some calibers their jacket was redesigned, now is thicker.
Those are BT after passing OSB at 100 y. Recovered from snow.

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r299/Andrzej77/IMG_0649.jpg (http://s147.photobucket.com/user/Andrzej77/media/IMG_0649.jpg.html)

I am shooting SST as practice round and in many cartridges they have same POI as GMX bullet or Barnes TTSX.
I like lead free venison.

[covey ridge]

I've never used either bullet because it's been my belief (perhaps an erroneous one) that they weren't particularly tough bullets for use on heavy game, and I always try to use one ammo choice for both deer and elk (150g Winchester XP3 in .270 and 165g Hornady Interbond Superformance in 30-06).

For the most part I had the same belief and my ammo choices have been for bullets suitable for larger game. I am going to take up loading again and my plan is to go a bit cheaper and instead of a deer elk load go to a plinker deer load so I can get some more trigger time cheaper. Quite a few years back I had 2 kills (deer + antelope) with a 139 SST from a .280 Rem. and about 7 deer with a 150 CT Balistic Silver Tip from a .270 WSM. One of the deer killed with the WSM had significant damage, but that was mostly my fault.

I was mostly interested in comparing the sst and bt in similar loads and calibres. Seems like the popularity is pretty well evenly spit with no clear winner or better bullet. I will just have to try them for myself, that is if I can find either in my part of the world.

Thanks for all who replied.

[xbolthunter7mm]

I'll be using bts in my 270 wby next year for bear to moose I'm getting less then 1 inch group at 200 yards yesterday with it that mark v can shoot!

[Andrzej]

"I'll be using bts in my 270 wby next year for bear to moose I'm getting less then 1 inch group at 200 yards yesterday with it that mark v can shoot! "

BT from Bear to Moose.

So you did not get the message that BT it is not tough bullet for magnum cartridges and not for tough game.:thinking-006:

[xbolthunter7mm]

I cannot see the ballistic tip doing any worse then the power shok or winchester super x and I've shot a. Pile of deer and elk with both

[gitrdun]

Personnaly, I don't like either. Sure, the BT is accurate, not so for the SST. Both are finicky in terms of terminal performance, much like a varmint grenade. I much prefer a Sierra Gameking or Pro-Hunter. But, hey that's just my opinion for what it's worth. As for your new M70 FW Covey, that is a beautiful gun that will serve you well. I eye balled that very same gun. Had I found a buyer for my Remmy, that puppy would have been mine. I loaded some Partitions for a friend with the same rifle. Accuracy was far beyond my expectations for that superb bullet. If you're getting back into reloading, I'll gladly share load data. :)

[Andrzej]

I cannot see the ballistic tip doing any worse then the power shok or winchester super x and I've shot a. Pile of deer and elk with both

Spears and arrows worked for those as well...for hundreds of years.

But seriously introducing plastic tip causes every bullet to be more explosive so power shock will perform better than BT in case of hitting bone or being pushed at higher velocities like from 270 Weatherby.

[elkhunter11]

Well that is opposite that I would have expected with that combo?


And that is the opposite of what I have witnessed, when a friend used the 165gr Ballistic Tip, in his 30-06. Expansion was dramatic, and penetration was fairly limited.

However, when I used the 180gr Ballistic Tip in my 300RUM, with a muzzle velocity of 3340fps, they penetrated both shoulders of one elk, and performed very well on seven other elk, and two moose. From what I have witnessed, the 180gr, Ballistic Tip, is much tougher than the 165gr Ballistic Tip.

I shot around two dozen deer, using the 140gr Ballistic Tip out of my 7mmstw, with a muzzle velocity of 3500fps, and kills were quick, with most animals dropping on the spot, or within a few steps. Not one deer made 50 yards after being hit with this combination. I use lung shots whenever possible, but if a shoulder was struck, damage was extensive.

[gitrdun]

@elkhunter11. My huge failure with a BT bullet was with .277 cal. I incorrectly assumed that as cal diameter increased, jacket thickness would increase incrementally. As I studied cross-sections, I found this not to be the case. Nosler hadn't increased jacket thickness as they had with other calibers. This had to do with consumer demands wanting a thicker jacket with other calibers, the .277 was left on the back burner.

[Andrzej]

[QUOTE=elkhunter11;2244926].

I shot around two dozen deer, using the 140gr Ballistic Tip out of my 7mmstw, with a muzzle velocity of 3500fps, and kills were quick, with most animals dropping on the spot, or within a few steps. QUOTE]

Did you have had 2" entry hole on perfect broadside boiler room shot and huge exit like fist size on big WT deer with this combo or I hit grass before impact.???

[HunterDave]

Have you done a google search of your thread title? There are numerous articles comparing the two bullets.

I use 180gr BTs for moose and 165gr BTs (168gr this year) for deer. I'm a boiler room shooter and they are very effective for me. No exit wound and lungs nothing but mush.

You mentioned shots out to 400yds. One of the things that I would compare is the velocity required for the bullet to open properly. Not an issue with the BTs but I don't know much about the SSTs. It was something that I looked at with TSX and GMX, that's why I mentioned it.

[Lefty-Canuck]

For years my Dad shot many moose, elk and deer using the 165gr BT in a .30-06....always got his game and never had a failure.

Then my brother with the same gun and load shot an elk and hit the big bone of the shoulder at 120yards and the track job was on....finally got the elk when we kicked him out of a bed and dropped him with a shot to the neck.

The BT did not enter the chest cavity....but he was hurtin and we managed to get him.

Placement is the key...stay away from the big bone. My Dad is a much better shot than my brother :)

LC

[covey ridge]

gitrdun,
Thanks for the offer. As I mention in a previous post, my intention was to develop a cheaper plinker practice type load that would also work for deer if the velocity was stepped up a bit. For an all round load, I will probably not have to look further than partitions or accubonds if I get reasonable accuracy out of either. Should we ever get ammunition to this part of the world, I will probably find one or both of those in a factory offering.

[gitrdun]

True enough HunterDave, but in the real world of hunting, you never know as you head out at day break what opportunity or range you will be presented with. It may be 50 or 400 yards. You simply cannot prepare for that. In my experience, a WT doe presented itself a 100 yards. My 120 BT'S failed horribly. I nearly quit hunting after that experience. Thankfully, my wife talked me out of it, she loves venison. :)

[HunterDave]

If this is any use to you Andrezj,

30.06 - 165gr Bt @ 100 to 300yds (numerous) - no exit wound

300 win mag - 180gr BT @ 200yds - Toonie sized exit wound

All broadside, boiler room shots.

My experience with 165gr BTs on deer with my rifle is that the closer they are the more explosive the bullet is. I've found the plastic tip on the entry wound of a couple of deer. There's a very audible "Smack" when the bullet hits as well.

[evil72]

The three bullets in your picture performed like all the boatail bullets I have recovered. They
tend to shed their jackets with upset. Due to the BT not giving enough purchase on the lead. I find that Flat Base bullets tend to hold together better. That is why the trend is toward bonded core BT bullets. As well to negate magnum velocities.
Just food for thought Lead is a naturally occurring compound.
I have used 7mm SST 162gr , 6.5 SST 140gr at 3000fsp avg. M.V., on Deer, Elk and Yotes. They all die in very short order. That being said they are not bone crushers! Plus they are fairly cheap to shoot.
Each to their own!
Shoot lots & Shoot well! evil72

[Andrzej]

Thanks Dave
When did you start using Nosler BT.
20 y, 10 y ago?

[covey ridge]

Have you done a google search of your thread title? There are numerous articles comparing the two bullets.


HunterDave,
Just got finished doing exactly what you suggested:) If I would have googled it first, I may not have need to start this thread but it is always good to get local opinion. I know first hand that the bt opens up well at longer distance and I would suspect the sst would as well because of my experience with it at closer range and my antelope kill. From sifting through all that google stuff, it seems that both bt and sst have an equal amount of followers.

I may just decide not to go with either. In the days before bt and sst my go to cheap load that I used for the odd deer was just the plain jane hornady interlock sp. Not too glamorous but I bet they work as well as they used to:)

[HunterDave]

gitrdun,
Thanks for the offer. As I mention in a previous post, my intention was to develop a cheaper plinker practice type load that would also work for deer if the velocity was stepped up a bit. For an all round load, I will probably not have to look further than partitions or accubonds if I get reasonable accuracy out of either. Should we ever get ammunition to this part of the world, I will probably find one or both of those in a factory offering.

I looked at swapping BTs with Accubonds and I found that they are pretty much interchangeable as far as accuracy goes. Don't ask me what I came up with cuz I can't remember (lol) but I do know that there are no big adjustments required if you're plinking with a BT and hunting with an Accubond. Otherwise, you can just use the BTs for both plinking and hunting, like you said.

When I was going through my research I found a youtube video with BTs vs various other bullet types with penetration on ballistic gelatin. The penetration for the BTs was excellent and the wound channel was significantly larger than the other bullets compared with it. Have a look for it, it's very educational and probably the main reason that I wouldn't hesitate taking a moose with a 180gr BT.

Awww dang, now I'm probably going to have to look for the video....lol!

[elkhunter11]

Did you have had 2" entry hole on perfect broadside boiler room shot and huge exit like fist size on big WT deer with this combo or I hit grass before impact.???

Small entry, but exits were fairly large, usually leaving a large pattern of blood spray in the snow, behind the deer.

My huge failure with a BT bullet was with .277 cal. I incorrectly assumed that as cal diameter increased, jacket thickness would increase incrementally. As I studied cross-sections, I found this not to be the case. Nosler hadn't increased jacket thickness as they had with other calibers. This had to do with consumer demands wanting a thicker jacket with other calibers, the .277 was left on the back burner.

That pretty much matches what I have seen, many issues with the Ballistic Tip coming apart, have been with .277" bullets.

[catnthehat]

Small entry, but exits were fairly large, usually leaving a large pattern of blood spray in the snow, behind the deer.



That pretty much matches what I have seen, many issues with the Ballistic Tip coming apart, have been with .277" bullets.

And the 25's!!
the ones I have seen out of the 25/06, anyway....
Cat

[Andrzej]

The three bullets in your picture performed like all the boatail bullets I have recovered. They
tend to shed their jackets with upset. Due to the BT not giving enough purchase on the lead. I find that Flat Base bullets tend to hold together better. That is why the trend is toward bonded core BT bullets. As well to negate magnum velocities.
Just food for thought Lead is a naturally occurring compound.
I have used 7mm SST 162gr , 6.5 SST 140gr at 3000fsp avg. M.V., on Deer, Elk and Yotes. They all die in very short order. That being said they are not bone crushers! Plus they are fairly cheap to shoot.
Each to their own!
Shoot lots & Shoot well! evil72

I am using SST as my practice bullet.
I think BT and SST are in the same category.

As to lead being naturally occurring metal I would say so is Mercury but I don't think that there are any dentists using it for fillings those days and I have had all off my replaced as potentially causing health problems.

So I try not to use lead as potentially causing problems.
C'mon partitions can cost more than Barnes or GMX.

[covey ridge]

I think at closer ranges one may experience failure because the bullet caused too much damage or did not get into the vitals because of jacket separation. The answer may be a stouter bullet or one that resists the explosive effect. This bullet that resist the explosive effect may not work well at distance because its stoutness may cause it to not expand very little or not at all. The bullet that was a disaster at close range my be just the ticket by still having the ability to easily expand.

We can never say it enough, that shot placement is very important but also important is knowing the specific characteristics of your bullet choice at long or short range or how it preforms when hitting muscle and bone or not hitting muscle and bone.

[gitrdun]

You may be in luck with your 7mm BT Covey, and you can thank the silhouette shooting community for that. As I understand it, Nosler catered to this shooting community as they had issues knocking down the 500 yard rams. Ad a result, Nosler increased jacket thickness.

[HunterDave]

Thanks Dave
When did you start using Nosler BT.
20 y, 10 y ago?

Not that long really, only about 5 years as my bullet of choice. I used them before that but it was the accuracy that attracted me to them more than the performance of the bullet back then. Once I truly discovered how they worked and started reloading I just stuck with them. I've taken a moose, my one and only mulie and I don't know how many WT deer with them. They suit my style of hunting but they wouldn't be my first choice if I was a shoulder shooter.

[covey ridge]

I

Awww dang, now I'm probably going to have to look for the video....lol!

Please post it when you find it:)

Except for one deer that I caused a lot of damage, I was pleased with the ballistic tip. With my 270 WSM I chose the Winchester premium load of 150 grain balistic silvertips. I chose the 150 over the 130 because I heard the bt had the reputation of rapid expansion. I shot one very large MD Buck with this combo at 200 paces. Tiny hole in and tiny hole out. Lower lobes pure mush. Blood under the skin from withers to butt. It wiped off easily and meat was not blood shot. This deer typical of most I shoot went for a short run before piling up. When I walked over to my dead deer the only blood in evidence was a dribble out of his nose. There was a skiff of snow on the ground but I could not find any blood from place shot to where he fell. In addition the entrance hole and exit hole were not found till I opened him up for field dressing. The point of all of this was this was very typical of what I came to expect from this combo. No big hole in or out but lots of mush between.
The other deer the damaged one was a gross example of what happens when that same 150 grain BT connected with muscle and bone at close range:(

[Andrzej]

If this is any use to you Andrezj,

30.06 - 165gr Bt @ 100 to 300yds (numerous) - no exit wound

300 win mag - 180gr BT @ 200yds - Toonie sized exit wound

All broadside, boiler room shots.

My experience with 165gr BTs on deer with my rifle is that the closer they are the more explosive the bullet is. I've found the plastic tip on the entry wound of a couple of deer. There's a very audible "Smack" when the bullet hits as well.

I think BT in .308 and 180 gr are tougher then they used to be and 165 in .308 are still explosive = not exiting = fast kill shot out of 30-06 but shot out of 300 Win Mag they would do more damage and they would exit with massive damage or disintegrate on bone.

Again instead speculating on performance I choose to use TTSX and pay less attention to the shot placement.
I still object to use them for Elk or moose.

[HunterDave]

Again instead speculating on performance I choose to use TTSX and pay less attention to the shot placement.

But what about the meat that you waste, or do you hunt horns?

[whitetail Junkie]

For all you Non- Believers.....ask my 10 Biggest whitetail how the Nosler ballistic tips perform...

From 40 to 450 yards, they all fell from the Nosler ballistic tips,that were fired out of various rifles,chambered in various cartridges.