Nosler Partitions?

[sageadvice]

First off, i'm not out to rankle anyone's feathers here so let's try and keep it nice!

My question is about old Vs New in bullets built to Penetrate! In the old corner, we have probably the most favorite "premium" hunting bullet ever designed, with my admiration and respect i give you, the Nosler Partition!

In the newer corner, we have cutting edge technology in design and functionality, the Nosler Accubond, the Barns TTSK, and maybe a couple others.

Lots and lots of great successful hunters swear by the Partitions. I myself hunted only one outa state hunt with them and came home empty that season so have no practical experience to judge them by but there are those who have taken many animals with them and to those i direct this question...

Can the Partition bullets pass thru without causing a big wound channel and devastating the organs along the way in their path? Can they?

From my experience, i can say that the Accubond does always cause a big wound channel and does absolutely destruct everything in it's path, just curious of the Partition??

Joey


"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"

 

[EVILNR]

I've used the Nosler Partition on Aoudad,Feral Hog,Whitetail and Oryx with perfect performance on all in all calibers used. I have limited use with the accubond but it seems to be slightly brittle and will come apart on bone, at least it has out of my .25-06. That being said I really like the Accubonds B.C.& I would consider it a great bullet for Deer/ Antelope. If I had to pick one bullet, no doubt the partition would be it.
No experience with monolithic barnes bullets.
My .02, for what its worth.

 

[RELH]

I have used the Nosler Partition for over 25 years and it has never failed me on over 25 animals in that time. Antelope, deer to elk.
The front part of the partition has a light enough jacket that allows it to expand very well. Even on 300 yard shots on deer & antelope, there is excellant expansion on broadside chest shots. Exit hole is much larger then the intrance. I have never recovered a bullet as all were complete pass though.
If hard bone is incountered, the back half, due to the partition jacket, will stay intact and drill right though hard bone.
Since they have never failed me on shots from 30 yards to several over 500 yards, I have never felt it was necessary to change and try other premium bullets.

RELH

 

[sageadvice]

^Thank Guys, both great reports/thoughts on the subject!

Keep em coming guys, maybe some thoughts from those that don't post that often but have enough experience with the Partition to give a objective report. Thanks!!

Joey

"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"

 

[BeanMan]

I've used the 180gr partition out of two different and "underpowered" 30-06 rifles for the last 30 years. I've almost never had a pass through on elk but it makes a heck of a wound channel. The remains of the bullet seem to end up just under the hide after producing what I call the 'trampoline effect' on the offside hide. I'm not changing bullets. On deer and antelope they always pass through.

On coyotes at 30 feet the 180gr partition will exit with a softball sized exit hole and lungs spread out on the sagebrush behind them

 

[dang302]

I think the partition may be the best of both worlds because its nose is soft and creates a lot of damage by mushrooming...but worst case scenerio that front half comes apart and the back continues to penetration retaining about 60% weight as a minimum.

I think the accubond is initially tougher, but has no difinitive stopping point to its mushroom, so theoretically it could come apart, but realistically it doesn't.

I consider them about equal...both seem to retain about 60% of their weight on a bad day (think high velocity impact on an elk shoulder).

I think the accubond is a tough bullet. I shot a 250-300 pound white tail at 100 yards broadside with 140 grain accubond going 2900 fps out of my .284 win. It was a behind the shoulder bouble lung hit. It definately "penciled through". The buck ran 100 yards and then stopped and looked back, I shot him again and hit spine and dropped him. I am sure he was about to fall over, but I wasn't going to sit there and wait to find out. I went to where I first hit him and followed his path to where he fell. There was not a drop of blood for the first 75 yards and then there was a good blood trail the last 25 yards. I don't really remember entrance and exit wound sizes, but they were not big. I definately consider it tough enough for elk and would disagree with anyone who thinks it should be relegated to deer and antelpe. I think your better off with ballistic tips on deer and antelope (unless your using a 22-250)

 

[songdog]

My Browning A-Bolt .30-06 seems to shoot the 165 gr. Nosler Partitions really well. It's the only bullet I'll shoot out of that gun from now on. Several years ago I shot a cow elk @ 150 yards while she was broadside to me. She acted as if she was never hit and ran about 75-100 yards before stopping to look around. My first reaction was "damn, I missed!" I had the crosshairs settled on her again and was ready to take a second shot when she started to sway and wobble and finally went down. When field dressing this giant "herd cow" I discovered that the Partition completely blew up both lungs and clipped the top of the heart but she still made a mad dash across the hill. I found the bullet lodged in the off-shoulder hide and it was a perfect mushroom with very little of the lead missing.

I left the hill that evening with a lot of meat and two things that I chalk up to experience. 1) A Nosler Partition is a damn good bullet, 2) an elk is a damn tough critter to absorb that amount of lead at a close distance and still make a run for it...

 

[HuntinFool]

My cousin shoots barnes ttsx out of his 300 short mag and I shoot partitions out of my .270. I get quite a few more pass throughs than he does.

 

[arroyobuck]

Sage,

My rifles seem to like the flat based bullets better than boat tails, thus my preference to the Partition for Elk. It may be my reloading technique, but I have a harder time getting consistency with the boat tails. I limit my shooting out to 400, and on a good day maybe 500 yards. Flat based bullets work fine at these ranges.

I had a heck of a time on a muzzy hunt one year using Barnes bullets (I can't remember exactly which bullet). 100 yard, broadside, caught portions of both lungs, very small exit hole, and the 4x4 ran a long, long, ways off. I know this is apples to oranges different than centerfire bullets, but it left me with a sour taste in my mouth on solid copper of any kind.

 

[completesportsman]

I have shot one elk at 450yds with a 160gr Accubond out of a 7mm, complete pass through and the elk only staggered around 15-20 yds before he fell over.

I have shot lots of whitetails with 130gr Accubonds out of a 270 win, they always do plenty of damage and pass through.

I have never shot partitions but I've never heard anything bad about them.

 

[vaquero]

My only experience with partitions was with a 130g out of a 270 win. I shot a whitetail buck at about 150 yards right behind the shoulder complete pass through which resulted in a 1/4 mile blood trail. The exit hole was the same size as the entry. I'm guessing it needed to hit something a little more solid than hide and lungs to open up?

 

[marley]

I use the partitions in my .280 and the accubonds in my .300 RUM. Love them both. Never had a problem with either one on any animal.

I think they need to combine the two bullets into one. Make an accubond bullet with the higher BC with the rear chamber like the partition.

 

[sageadvice]

Bunch of nice feedback there guys, i appreciate it. Though i have been tempted to ask a few question along the line, i have held back in the hopes of not having my opinions interfere with your thoughts and comments.

One thing is fairly certain, the difference in Ballistic Coefficient, BC, between a Partition and a Accubond, though notable when reading the numbers, is not really important until or unless you get out there a ways, 400-500 yards, maybe some farther than that depending.

Thanks, would like even more experiences if you guys have a mind to give them.

Joey


"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"

 

[Pre64]

At magnum velocities I've had the top shear off too soon on elk. Which basically means you shooting a solid. At 270/06 velocities I've had great luck. I have 150s loaded in the 270 now - waiting for elk season.

 

[CHWine]

I think its always in peoples nature to seek out the next great product. Its fun too. I've been reloading for over 25 years and have tried a bunch of different projectiles (mostly in 7mm-08, 7 mag and 375 H&H). I just switched from 7mm partitions to 140 TTSX's for no other reason than I wanted to. When you use that term "if you could only have one bullet" I might just say nosler partition.

Venison and Zinfandel are GOOD!

 

[Calif_Mike]

I'll limit my discussion to elk as deer are just not that hard to kill and pretty much any bullet will do the job.

For elk we have used Nosler Partitions in a 300 Win Mag, a 300 WSM and a 7mm Rem Mag. All of them have broke large bones, done lots of internal damage and resulted in dead elk. Bullets often recovered in offside hide.

We have also shot an elk with Winchester Fail Safes from a 7mm Rem Mag that had less than optimal results, had to finish it with a 300 Win and Partitions. Upon exam the bull had been hit 3 times with the Fail Safes and they had penciled right through. He would have died but he would have traveld before doing so.

One elk with a 300 WSM shooting Accuabonds. Resulted in a dead elk with two broken shoulders. Bullet was recovered under the hide.

One elk with a 338 Win Mag shooting 225 Hornady Interlocks. Elk fell over where he stood but it was a spine shot. Bullet exited.

In short, the Partitions do what I ask of them every time so I'll keep using them. They just aren't sexy. Only reason I'm not shooting them in my 338 is the rifle doesn't like them for some reason.

 

[Zeke]

Bob hagel wrote a great book titled "practical loads and ballistics for the biggame hunter". He calls the Partition "boringly reliable"!

While they're certainly not as sexy as some of the newer bullets they just seem to work.

I've been lucky and killed a large number of elk and started with the Partition and have successfully used them in a 270, 280, 7mm mag, 300 win mag and a 338 win mag. (I've used them on a ton of deer too but the acid test is the bullet's performance on elk)

Quite a number of years ago I switched to the first generation Barnes X.... then to the TSX and now most of my guns are loaded with the newer TTSX (I love the POP that the TTSX bullets make on game). I think Bob's assessment of the Partition could apply to the Barnes bullets of today! "Boringly reliable"!

Zeke

 

[brorblixen]

Thought I would chime in with my experience. I did not have any particular bullet preference growing up hunting the West. Then I went to Africa and watched the trackers/skinners dig out my bullet on each animal I harvested.
I had not paid that much attention up to that point but when they showed me where the bullet ended up and what it looked like after doing its job I was sold for life.
From Tommy gazelles and bushbuck, to oryx, kudu and eland those Nosler Partitions were remarkably consistent-both in terms of weight retention and mushrooming to stopping just under the far side hide after expending all their energy in the animal.
True, we didn't have an exit wound blood trail but we never needed one either.
Blixen

 

[ELKOHOLIC]

What I want to know, is the Partition that much better than the Accubond. Never killed anything with the Partition. I have killed a lot with the Accubond. The Accubond always shot better than the Partition when shooting so I stuck with it. It's has a better bc also. I have been tempted to try the 60 grain Partition in my 22-250 for my daughters first deer hunt.

 

[sageadvice]

ELKOHOLIC, Fair Question! I know i didn't have enough imfo from my own hunt kills to answer a question like that and i sure don't have enough Partition Experience either. That's kinda why i asked the Question.

I think some guys have a awful small sample size to make from it, a very strong opinion. Not naming names here but, IMO, it takes a lot of kills from different shot angles, bone mass encountered, varied distances and velocities, to really be able to critique a particular bullet. Most all will kill, it's dependability time after time under all those variables that we seek.

From my experience and varied kills on deer sized game, the Accubond is studly, one heck of a hunting bullet that i'd not hesitate to take elk with. I know a lot of people that swear by it for Elk having much success with it's performance yet this whole thread is strong testimony of the Partitions deserved popularity as well.

Is one better than the other? What do you guys think?

Joey




"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"

 

[Pre64]

>ELKOHOLIC, Fair Question! I know i
>didn't have enough imfo from
>my own hunt kills to
>answer a question like that
>and i sure don't have
>enough Partition Experience either. That's
>kinda why i asked the
>Question.
>
>I think some guys have a
>awful small sample size to
>make from it, a very
>strong opinion. Not naming names
>here but, IMO, it takes
>a lot of kills from
>different shot angles, bone mass
>encountered, varied distances and velocities,
>to really be able to
>critique a particular bullet. Most
>all will kill, it's dependability
>time after time under all
>those variables that we seek.
>
>
>From my experience and varied kills
>on deer sized game, the
>Accubond is studly, one heck
>of a hunting bullet that
>i'd not hesitate to take
>elk with. I know a
>lot of people that swear
>by it for Elk having
>much success with it's performance
>yet this whole thread is
>strong testimony of the Partitions
>deserved popularity as well.
>
>Is one better than the other?
>What do you guys think?
>
>
>Joey
>

Depends on what shoots better out of your rifle and what you have confidence in. Or, in the case of ballistic tips, what you don't have confidence in.

 

[Silentstalker]

Don't know that I have tons of experience but my Nolser 150 gr. partitions have killed 1 shiras bull moose, 2 mature bull elk and several cows. All were dead on there feet or dropped instantly. Shot from a 7mm Rem mag. I am more of a bow guy but love my partitions. I have been reloading some Accubonds 160 gr. They shoot better than my partitions but not by a ton. I think they are both great bullets!

 

[tapehoser]

My son and I did a test a while back with various types of bullets. We shot hunting rounds (Nosler Partition, Sierra Pro Hunter, Hornady Interlock, and Barnes Originals) into 2-liter water bottles. All bullets were around the 300 grain mark.

The Hornady and Nosler went straight, straight, straight through all ten bottles we set up and were last seen near North Dakota.

The Barnes and Sierra went crooked around the third bottle and were never heard from again.

Take from it what you want, but I trust Nosler Partition bullets in any gun of mine, any day. I use Hornday exclusively in loading for personal defense. You know, against 2-legged bad guys.