270 WSM 160 Grain Partition

[Engineering101]

So somebody died and I ended up with an almost full box of 270 cal 160 grain partitions. This is an old box. The price on the box (for 50 bullets) is faded but it says $12.29. I happen to have a 270 WSM so one day I loaded up 4 of them using the mid load in Noslers handbook of 58 grains H4831SC. I fire the 4 rounds and from 200 yards they landed in a 1.094" group. That I thought was a pretty good group for just throwing a load together. It jogged my memory of someone who bought a box of 7mm factory ammo just for the brass. He pulled the 140 grain partitions and gave them to me. I remember that they shot pretty good too. I looked up the target in my 7mm WSM file. Four of those landed in 0.750" from 100 yards. Again with H4831SC and with zero load development. As I recall I thought they were good enough to shoot a grid/box test to test out the scope I had on the rifle at the time. Turns out the box was basically perfect which means so were the bullets (and the scope). They all went exactly where they should have. So are you starting to get the picture? These partitions are some accurate bullets. Imagine what they could do with some load development? Of course the BCs suck so they don't get much love around here but I'm starting to have a hard time ignoring them. So I'm curious. Is anyone out there using partitions? What kind of accuracy are you seeing?

 

[crittrgittr]

I tried them in my 300WM when preparing to hunt out west. I basically took my load for my ballistic tips and swapped to partitions. That load was not so great. Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to try to work a load to that bullet before we left so I just stuck to my BT's. Probably not a lot of help for you, just my experience.

 

[cape cove]

I've been using 200gr Nosler patrs in my 30/378 for years and various others in different calibers and weights.. I get very good accuracy,(.75moa) in most . They have been around since the 50's I believe and would not be here if they didn't do the job. I've been hunting since the mid 60's and i've never seen or heard of a partation failing. Like other bullets some rifles like them some don't. As to their bc, it don't make much of a difference unless the ranges get real long., say beyond 500 yds. Too far for 95% of hunters.

 

[Engineering101]

cape cove

I've got a copy of Nosler Reloading Manual Number One sitting here from 1976 so you must have been loading Partitions without a lot of data if you were using them in the 60's. The book is full of partitions. I'm sure John Nosler would be proud to hear that you've been using them that long. I have never tried them until I was given some though I too have been making my own ammo since the late 1950s. As I recall Partitions were a "premium" bullet and out of my price range. If I had known they shot as good as they do I would have bought them anyway. Good to know that for you they have been 0.75 MOA bullets. Since my first 4 shots were just shy of 0.5 MOA I suppose it can only get worse from here. I've loaded some more of those 160s just to see if the first couple of tries were an accident. Interestingly Nosler Number One has 234 pages. Nosler Number 6 is right at 800 pages. Things have progressed a little bit since 1976! Thanks for the info.

 

[cape cove]

Excuse me for having not explained myself better. I've been hunting since the 60's but got into reloading in 81, and it is at that time that I started using the partations. As far as when they were introduced I believe I had read that it was in the late 50's. or even the 40's. I have had great suscess with them. Overall they haven't always been the most accurate bullet in all my rifles, but plenty accurate for hunting out to 500 yds. (.75 moa) And like I said never read or seen a failure when placed right.
As far as the 160's are concerned you would be pleased to see what they can do to a moose when well placed.

 

[Radhimself]

68.4 grns of retumbo over a fed 215 in fed brass, 2.865 OAL in an xbolt comp stalker 5rnds touching @ 100, just under 3000fps

Killed a b bear a whitey and a muley.

i originally loaded'm up for moose/bear

But im havin luck with other bullets as well

The 160's usually shoot well.

 

[Engineering101]

radhimself

Thanks for the load info. I don't know what velocity mine were running but they should have been around 2,900 fps. Battery died in the chrono and the backup was bad. I'll chrono this next batch when the snow gets gone in a day or two. Retumbo is not one of the powders listed in Nosler's latest data book for the 160 but I can see where it would be a good choice.