nosler partition long range bullet?

[couesmagnet]

Here's the deal. I shoot a 180 grain nosler partition out of a weatherby mark 5 ultra light rifle. We have been hunting with this head exclusively for 10 years or so. We have shot several animals over 500 yards over the years, and knock on wood haven't lost one yet. I want to take the next step so to speak , and start shooting shots longer than 600 yards for coues deer. My friends tell me i need to switch to just about anything other than the nosler 180 because of the ballistic coeficient of the nosler head itself. Last year i had the opportunity to take a shot at 765, and with the turrets on the vari x 3 long range scope i decided to take the shot. Dialed in the clicks, and rolled him on the spot. Is there a reason to switch from a nosler head to a better ballistic coeficient head. Is the better ballistic coeficient head more accurate than the nosler, or does the higher ballistic coeficient just mean it shoots flatter? I would eventually like to shoot out to 850 yards or so , as it will allow me to hunt deer i haven't previously been able to hunt because of terrain issues. Should i switch from a nosler head to something else, and if so what head does the most damage and is the most accurate? Fyi, the nosler head does a tremendous amount of damage , so at least i'm happy with that aspect of it's performance. Kind of new to the stuff so take it easy on me fellas.

[azgutpile]

Higher BC bullets retain their velocity better and are not effected by the wind as much. If you really like the Nosler Accubond, I would recommend waiting for the new Accubond LR get back in stock and try them. Most of the other higher BC bullets will expand faster than what you are use to, which you might not like.

[Couzer]

If your rifle shoots good now with your current setup, don't change a thing. Look at how much kinetic energy it has at the distance you want to shoot. A better BC will shoot flatter, but if your rifle is shooting those 180's good you'll be just fine.

[firstcoueswas80]

Gutpile, unless I missed something, he is talking about the partition not the Accubond.

 

OP, IMO, the Partition is not a long rang bullet. I, personally would switch to something more suited for the task to shoot that far. Accubond, Ballistic tip, or the new Long Range Accubond is what I would look into. I didn't see a mention of cartridge, but being a 180 grain Partition, I would assume something .308 cal.

[couesmagnet]

Gutpile, unless I missed something, he is talking about the partition not the Accubond.

 

OP, IMO, the Partition is not a long rang bullet. I, personally would switch to something more suited for the task to shoot that far. Accubond, Ballistic tip, or the new Long Range Accubond is what I would look into. I didn't see a mention of cartridge, but being a 180 grain Partition, I would assume something .308 cal.

Good point dude, it's a 300 weatherby mark 5 ultra light. I'm currently shooting the nosler oartition head, 180 grain.

[roninflag]

COUES MAGNET- the partition is a great hunting bullet. my wife shot an elk with a 95 grain partition in .243. i have several rifle that shoot real good, none shoot the parttion into little groups at 100 or further. since i shoot in competition i shoot both match bullets and hunting bullets. the 167 scenar is a good one. many use for hunting. also the berger 168 would be the first one i would try. the others metioned some good ones too. the higher bc will give you less drop and wind drift. as much as i like the partition . in my guns it won;t shoot a good enough groups at long ranges that i can rely on it for that. my last bull elk was killed with a 180 partition. 26 yards.

[cbryant11]

I would look into the berger 210s or 190 vld for high bc and devastating performance at long range

[yotebuster]

If you plug your variables into a ballistics calculator it takes a lot of what people "think" and changes it into what it really is. I quickly put in results for a 180 partition and a 180 accubond and they have a difference of 114 ft pounds of energy and 4.3" if drift at 800 yards. Pretty negligible if you ask me. Now we can all sit around and argue whether that 4.3" is substantial or not, but fact of the matter is if you are taking a 800 yd shot you better know your wind and how your bullet responds to it. I would stick with what shoots good and you have confidence in.

[WHT_MTNMAN]

I don't think it is the energy that is the issue. It is the ability to maintain consistent groups st those distances.

[firstcoueswas80]

As Well as Reliable Bullet Performance At Those Low Speeds.

[azsugarbear]

Welcome to the search for the Holy Grail - the ultimate long range bullet which has a high BC, very forgiving tolerance with seating depth and has great terminal performance at lower velocities. This bullet doesn't exist - at least not right now. So LR hunters are faced with a trade off. Bergers tend to have high BC's with great terminal performance. However, the terminal performance is not always consistent and they can be finicky when reloading. Nosler Partitions and the Barnes TSX (and TTSX) have great consistency in terminal performance, but their BC's leave something to be desired. And not all rifles like the all copper Barnes bullets.

 

On one hand, great terminal performance is meaningless if you miss the target. On the other hand, it can be disaster if your bullet hits the target, but then fails to perform. The Nosler Accubond seems to be a good compromise of both terminal performance and BC. The jury is still out on the LR Accubond. Berger hunting VLD's are highly favored, but sometimes fail to open up - even at higher velocities. Pick the best premium bullet that shoots/groups well in your rifle and learn to live with the trade-offs that come with it.

[lionhunter]

I agree that the nosler accubond is the way to go! I have tried most of them and now shoot the accubonds in a 300 win, 300 wsm, and 270 wsm. They fly great and work fantastic on impact! Good luck

Whitey

[STOMP442]

As long as you practice with the 180 partition it will be fine. When shooting long range wind is the key factor to worry about. If you practice and know your wind holds with the partition it will be fine. There are definitely bullets out there that do much better in the wind than the partition and provide a lot less wind drift. Personally I like the bergers and you will be hard pressed to find a bullet with a higher b.c. that will deliver more energy less drop and less wind and above all more terminal performance on game.

[Xforcebaby]

Nosler partition are awesome!

[AxisWorks LLC]

I don't think it is the energy that is the issue. It is the ability to maintain consistent groups st those distances.

I couldn't agree with this more! Your shooting a 30 caliber magnum rifle. You will have enough KE out to 800 I promise. Everyone gets caught up on calculating ballistics. That is fine and I enjoy it as much as the next guy but you need to shoot, document, and shoot some more. What size groups are you holding at various ranges? How consistent are these groups? How much wind do you need to hold at the different distances? Will a different bullet make an improvement? In my opinion it comes down to accuracy and repeatability. A higher BC bullet is a great place to start but not always the best choice.