Thread: Shot placement on deer with ballistic tips??

Hi, where is the sweet spot on the shoulder of a deer to aim at when using ballistic tips (Hornady sst’s)??

Usually when using lead soft points I aim for 1/3 up in line with the front leg to hit the bone and send bits through the heart. Have had good results with this but I believe ballistic tips may be different due there explosive nature? Do you try to avoid hitting bone?

Cheers

Hilar zone, neck or head using 139gn SST's thru my .280. Have shot dozens of deer using them, including some big bodied stags and yet to have a problem, unless I stuff up

Just keep doing what you are doing.

SSTs and nosler BTs, are just traditional cup and core bullets with a bit of plastic up front. They are not varmint bullets. They'll pretty much do the same thing as a normal lead tip bullet when you hit. Some people will argue that they open up a bit quicker but I've never really noticed. They'll go through a leg/shoulder bone fine.

Like JoshC said, Hilar zone, neck, head...all good.

Iv shot a good few with them as well now just treated them like any other round Iv had , current fav is nozzler 165 bt or eld x , what cal are you using?

People worry to much. They are still just a lump of copper and lead. Ive never had a problem with them. Every bullet will fail under some circumstances. Every bullet has a story.

Yep agree with Tahr , the early days of the Noslar Ballistic tips were different they were a bit explosive on bigger animals. Today they have made Varmint Ballistic Tips for Varmint like calibers and they have the Ballistic Tip Hunting for bigger game hunting which have a heavier jacket so work like other hunting bullets. The Ballistic Tips ( Hunting)and ELD -X bullets are good game bullets.

have a mate who has shot his last 2 red stags in the jaw with ballistic tips........... both dropped like a stone........only thing i can think of is either the impact is snapping their necks or shrapnel up into the brain?..... i dunno im not an expert....(he wasnt aiming for their mouths)

Neck,head and boiler room shots work best with sst's imo never liked them bush hunting, too much destruction and at times not enough penetration, At range shoulder shots would blow up on the first shoulder turning it into jelly. https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase.html what ever cal you have read up on what bullet weights/projectiles do for different applications.

Originally Posted by scotty

have a mate who has shot his last 2 red stags in the jaw with ballistic tips........... both dropped like a stone........only thing i can think of is either the impact is snapping their necks or shrapnel up into the brain?..... i dunno im not an expert....(he wasnt aiming for their mouths)

Your mate needs to stop doing it.

I’ve found ballistic tip 30cal and 7mm perform much the same as non tipped bullets, maybe slightly more explosive but nothing like a varmint projectile. I’ve had a Berger 180 explode on the skin and it’s supposed to be a very solid bullet so I wouldn’t get to hung up on it, providing shot placement is on, then all good.

Originally Posted by MSL

I’ve found ballistic tip 30cal and 7mm perform much the same as non tipped bullets, maybe slightly more explosive but nothing like a varmint projectile. I’ve had a Berger 180 explode on the skin and it’s supposed to be a very solid bullet so I wouldn’t get to hung up on it, providing shot placement is on, then all good.

Take you a while to find that deer?
It looks like it is ready to pop

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Yeah took ages, walked 270yards through the tussock in a straight line crossing an easy creek on the way so about 1-2 hours for an old fella like you

Originally Posted by scotty

have a mate who has shot his last 2 red stags in the jaw with ballistic tips........... both dropped like a stone........only thing i can think of is either the impact is snapping their necks or shrapnel up into the brain?..... i dunno im not an expert....(he wasnt aiming for their mouths)

himm head shooting deer should really be discouraged, very lucky there.

Originally Posted by MSL

Yeah took ages, walked 270yards through the tussock in a straight line crossing an easy creek on the way so about 1-2 hours for an old fella like you

I've got a limp.

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Originally Posted by R93

I've got a limp.

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they make little blue pills to fix that......