I've never had that problem with the AB's. I've used the 180's a lot in my 300 WM and really like their performance. I had a bad experience with this same gun using 180 Gamekings. Shot a large Mulie at around 300 yds right behind the shoulder. Got about 1-1/2 - 2" of penetration and ended up chasing him for a couple of hours. I was lucky to find him. I still have the same box of Gamekings sitting on the shelf, haven't touched them since. I have been having a hard time deciding what bullet to use in my 300 RUM but will probably stay with the 200 AB's. All in all, I really like them and the BC's are decent. Wish I could shed some light on the tips, not too sure why that is happening. Were they all from the same lot, you could get a bad lot I guess.