Nosler partition

[maxtheflyinghorse]

Just bought this. Let’s see how this performs.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I think you'll do just fine with 300Gr Nosler Partitions. I always do.

 

[PARA45]

I bought some Nosler ammo with 300 grs Partitions to shoot out of my CZ-550. Well, my rifle didn't like them one bit. Best group I got was something like 3", switched to Barnes TSX 300 grs, and my group went to a solid 1". I ended taking the TSX to Africa this past May/Jun.

 

[Tgood1]

That and solids are all I have ever shot out of my .375, never left me wanting

 

[glblanchard]

Should be great for anything you want to shoot, except for elephant.

 

[Sarg]

Don't shoot any Thick Skinned Dangerous Game with them, unless you pick your shot, I have seen them fail too many times !

Please use some thing else (SAF, TBBC, TSX) on Elephant, Hippo, Rhino, Buffalo, fine on Cats & smaller plans game.

 

[Nevada Mike]

Don't shoot any Thick Skinned Dangerous Game with them, unless you pick your shot, I have seen them fail too many times ...

How did they fail, specifically?

 

[Sarg]

They are too lightly constructed, they fail to make it into the vitals if trying to angle a shot in, not sure if more power would help drive the ass end in farther or make it worse ?

I have seen it many times, as I'm working I don't normally have time to take notes or photos but one time I went back to retrieve the body of a Bull (we were using as bait) I had stopped with the .458Win & checked to see where the hunter had hit it.

The Bull was hit in the neck with 300gr NP .375 H&H factory load, again I don't have the luxury of time to dive into bodies looking for projectiles but I did this day & it was easy to find in the neck, having only traveled 8-9 in causing only a flesh wound that would have healed up, not the first time I have found bullets & even arrow heads in buffalo from some earlier hunter, by accident while getting meat for the local tribes or processing the trophy .

I think I have posted the photos of this before on here ?

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/partitions-for-dangerous-game.67359/reply?quote=874898

 

[BeeMaa]

The NP is a fine bullet, in the same way my wife tells me "I'm fine". Right...so it's NOT fine, at least IMO. There are too many other excellent choices to use on any game animal. Premium bonded or mono-metal expanding bullets like the Barnes TSX/TTSX, Swift A-Frame, Federal TBBC and Norma Oryx.

I'm not getting into the debate of the NP failing or not failing, but these are facts. They do separate the lead from the jacket because it's not bonded. They do explode the front section on impact. Using them on thick skinned game is not what most would consider advisable. I'm not saying they don't work, I'm saying other choices work better and at a similar price point.

Ask your PH what they recommend when it comes to bullets. I'll bet they come up with at least two from my list before they mention the NP. Especially if dangerous game is on the menu.

 

[Waterbuck2008]

I agree with BeeMaa's well-spoken advice above. That said, my experiences as a hunter and professional show Partitions performing effectively on non-thick-skinned game. If you're not after big, heavy and dangerous, NP's old-school cup-and-core (with a hole card) performance is a fine option, IMO.

 

[BeeMaa]

I agree with BeeMaa's well-spoken advice above. That said, my experiences as a hunter and professional show Partitions performing effectively on non-thick-skinned game. If you're not after big, heavy and dangerous, NP's old-school cup-and-core (with a hole card) performance is a fine option, IMO.

I'll concede the point if you will acknowledge that having to readjust a scope for different ammo because you plan on hunting Africa is a PITA.

IMO - If starting from scratch AND planning to go to Africa, it's best to start out with something better than a NP. Using any of the above I suggested in North America (or anywhere for that matter) will not be a handicap in any way.

 

[Labman]

I agree there are certainly better bullets for dangerous game like Buffalo and Elephant. NP's do however work great for plains game. I've shot them from my .270 Win. and .338 Win. for everything from Jackels to Eland. I've shot six Eland with the 225 Gr. NP along with several Zebra and Blue Wildebeest. They worked great for that application. If I ever go on a Leopard hunt, I'll be shooting NP's.

 

[Waterbuck2008]

I'll concede the point if you will acknowledge that having to readjust a scope for different ammo because you plan on hunting Africa is a PITA.

Point-of-impact point acknowledged, and agreed.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

I used to use Partitions on Plains Game and Elk. Switched to Barnes TSX and TTSX for everything up to DG with 350 Grain .375 H&H.

 

[colorado]

The Partitions are great bullets for what they're made for, North American game including the big bears. They are built to expand reliably out to 500 yards and for the front half to disintegrate and the rear half to pass through at close range. I think the A-Frames are an advance, though I wish the rear was a solid boattail, and the front was a little more aerodynamic. The TSX's are great in my 500 Jeffery where the hollow point hole is pretty wide, I'd be concerned about expansion at long range with them on elk and mule deer though in a 270.

 

[mdwest]

I used 260 gr partitions in my .375 H&H on my first PG hunt in Africa.. they were awesome for everything taken (biggest animal was a large bodied waterbuck)..

Every trip over since then I have either used barnes 300gr TSX in the .375 or on one single occasion when using a camp rifle I shot 300gr a-frames from a .375...

If I knew I was going back over tomorrow for PG and all I had access to was NP's.. I'd board the plane gleefully.. they are a great bullet for that purpose..

but if there is any chance that DG is a potential on the trip.. I'd be taking along my beloved TSX.. or some A-Frames if the TSX wasn't available..

 

[BourbonTrail]

I used 400 grain partitions in Africa and had all pass throughs; however, I would NOT used them for buffalo unless I was stuck with them. They work great on lion and PG…at least when using a 416.

 

[One Day...]

Ah! the age-old (since A Frame and mono metals slug appeared) NP question...

To make it short:

1--- On one end of the spectrum: elephant, hippo (body shots), rhino: solids only. No NP. Not even AFrames nor TSX. Period. (Although on a perfect behind the shoulder, double lung shot, I would personally prefer a TSX to a solid, but this reduces tremendously what shot can be taken).​

​

2--- On the other end of the spectrum: lion and leopard chest cavity side shots: the NP is likely one of the best bullets available for this very specific job, precisely because it was designed to have the front core expand explosively in the lungs and not punch through. For this very specialized job, I believe that the NP outclasses the AFrame and TSX.​

​

3--- In the middle of the spectrum: typically buffalo, a NP will do more damage to the lungs with a classic behind the shoulder double-lung shot (which WILL kill a buff very dead, thank you very much!), but an AFrame or TSX will penetrate deeper on about any other shot, whether big bones (e.g. shoulder) are encountered ... or not, due to higher weight, hence momentum, retention.​

This is really simple, there is no free lunch: more explosive expansion and fragmentation causes more lung damages, while more weight retention penetrates deeper. Simple!

I would add that the modern "expanding solids" (e.g. TSX and, to a point, AFrames that do retain their mass) likely provide enough expansion while also providing enough penetration, but they do not provide the "grenade effect" of a NP front core pulverizing lung tissue.

Sure, one do-it-all load is great for the one-rifle general bag safari, and my own do-it-all .375 load if the 300 gr TSX, but, call me an outlier, I personally think that nowadays DG hunts are so specialized, that it does not bother me overly to re-sight with a NP for a specific cat hunt. Anyway, the PH is likely to ask you to do it, just to make sure that you are dead-on for distance anyway.

So, my personal choice of bullet for lion or leopard is the NP .375, but this being said, my PH insisted for me to shoot a .458 TSX and it certainly killed this lion very dead. Goes to show that there is more than one way to skin a cat (pun fully intended)

As to PG only, my first question would be: why use a .375 ?

Anyway, before the AFrame and TSX arrived (1984 and 1986 if memory serves?), since 1948 hunters around the world were worshipping at the NP altar and killed anything under the sun (and moon) with entire satisfaction. It sure beat the Kynoch soft and other Core-Lokt, Power-Point, etc.

One could even make the rational argument that unless you need to punch through 3 feet of meat (which includes the buff... and even the eland from any angle other than behind the shoulder side shot) it is better to expand energy within the animal rather than against the hillside after pass through.

But I will still add that even on a Kudu, the day you need that quartering-in chest shot or quartering away shot, or straight up the poop chute backup shot, you WANT penetration, which is why I now shoot TTSX rather than NP, and Lord knows, I shot ONLY NPs for 40 years...

Pick your poison in the expansion vs. penetration endless debate...

 

[Nevada Mike]

They are too lightly constructed, they fail to make it into the vitals if trying to angle a shot in, not sure if more power would help drive the ass end in farther or make it worse ?

I think that more velocity may be detrimental in some cases... velocity has the effect of increasing resistance by rapidly initiating expansion of the bullet. Factory 300 grain .375 H&H ammo is usually loaded to around 2500 fps. Kevin Robertson, in his book, The Perfect Shot, reported that he got better penetration on buffalo with the .375 H&H and softs when he loaded down to 2400 fps.

That said, I have never shot a buff with my .375 H&H - I preferred to use my 404 with 400 grain Swift A Frames at about 2250 fps and got outstanding results on the few buff I have shot. No need for more speed. I will use this rifle on future buffalo hunts.

 

[Doug3006]

I wholeheartedly agree that there are better bullets for the big, tough and nasty guys. However, there is another factor to consider, and that’s availability. Loaded ammunition and components are, of course, getting super scarce for all but the most common calibers. Supplies of the ammo and components we use for Buffalo and other large stuff are critically short. So, sometimes you have to compromise. I found myself in this situation before my Buffalo hunt in 2021. I wanted to use my Kimber 458 Lott. I had some Federal cartridges loaded with Swift A-Frames, but not enough to practice with before the hunt. Same goes for components. At the time, no one had anything else on the shelves. I learned of a sale Nosler was having thanks to a post here on AH.com. I bought a mixed case of Nosler Partitions and Solids with the thought of practicing with them, and transitioning to something else before I left for Zimbabwe. Turns out, supplies got even shorter. When I met my PH at the DSC, I asked him what he thought about using Partitions on Buffalo. He said “sure, why not?” He gave me a look like he was really confused why I’d ask. Anyway, I killed my Buffalo with one Partition. Dropped to the shot. The bullet was resting under the off side skin and had mushroomed like Partitions do. My results are not necessarily your results, but I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again.