I have been shooting Nosler partitions for forty years now, in a variety of calibers ranging from 223 through the 458 lott. I just returned from Safari where the 260 gr partition in my 375 collected 12 animals that ranges from 10 yards to 300. Jackal, through springbok, to eland. I only managed to recover two bullets as the others gave complete broadside penetration on game as large 1600 pound Eland. The ones I recovered were point on shoulder shots on a big black wildebeest @ 120 yds, and a 52 inch "snapshot" kudu we stumbled across at under 20 yds. Both recovered bullets look like the photos we have all seen, resting under the far hide. When I say it really thumped them, I mean it.
That load, 75/N150/CCI250, consistently prints under an inch at 100, as does any good maximum load I've ever tried in a rifle that was capable that type of accuracy. when loaded with partitions. Or ballistic tips for that matter.
I believe the first pet load I had with Nosler partitions was when I was in college back in the 70s at the University of Wyoming, I took a pronghorn at 400 yards using 55 grains of H 4831 with the 115 partition in my M70 .25/06. That would be the longest shot I've ever taken at big game. That rifle was a consistent sub-inch shooter so loaded and there have been dozens in between.
The Nosler partition, along with its sister ballistic tip, have been the standard by which I judge the suitability of hunting rifles from the day I first stuffed one into a case. If it won't shoot Noster partitions it's time for me to use different rifle. We are talking hunting rifles here and I believe the partition design offers the optimal qualities of quick expansion and weight retention, usually good for about 30" of penetration, yet holding together in the event big bone is struck. Conversely, ballistic tips and other bullets of conventional design tend to come apart immediately upon striking the heavy spine or shoulder bone found in elk and moose, and there they stop.
The only "mainstream" bullet that compares to the partition designs on the big stuff is the Barnes' homogenous designs and its competitors I imagine. I honestly can't swear to that because I never use them, rarely having been successful actually making them shoot in the maybe half dozens rifles Ive tried them in, but I am referring to the older 'X' and its various attempts at blue coatings. Perhaps the TTSX bands have overcome this, I have a 300 RUM I just built that shoots the most recent Barnes very well, averaging slightly under 3/4" @ 100. It, along with the aforementioned .375 and my .280 Ackley will be in attendance on an upcoming African with the TSX in the spout(s) so I will be able to speak to that design better after that.
The African professional hunters really like the Barnes, my feeling is they don't open a fast or wide enough on smaller game but do penetrate well, the PH claims as well as solids on buffalo and prefers them over solids on such critters. I plan on giving them another go on an upcoming trek to Zimbabwe for this reason.
Another nice tendency of the partitions is that you can use the same bullet seating die setting when loading the plastic pointed Noslers in most cases as the ogives are identical. This is really handy when going on a combo mule deer/elk hunt. You can load up a batch of partitions for the big stuff and ballistic tips for deer and antelope, since they typically shoot to the same point of impact at a hundred yards as well.
(The only exception I found to this is the 375 version, AB/BTs have a longer ogive than the partitions and must be seated further out. This is actually a positive for the 260 partitions in most cases because it reduces the jump to the lands and often improves accuracy, albeit at the expense of the b.c., but still will give one a 300 yd point blank range with the 3" @ 100 yd sighting in an H&H).
On occasions I have found rifles that wouldn't shoot Noslers well. Those rifles never shot anything real well and were soon sold or rebarreled. I usually make it a practice not to get in the middle of these debates, but it has been my experience. If you are loading them properly, seating near the lands with maximum loads, they simply perform among the best for most hunting situations with quick expansion to the partition, leaving the shank to drive on through.
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