Nosler BT vs Ballistic Silvertip

I had always assumed that these were the exact same bullet, except for the plastic tip color and bullet color. But, I was in the ‘reading room’ this morning (where I keep a couple of reloading books), and looking at the diffs in Accubond and BT construction, and also looked at the Combined Technology Silvertips. Darned if the bullet construction of the Silvertip looks exactly like the Accubond, with thicker metal in the lower third of the bullet, and thicker than the BT metal.

So, tell me, is the Silvertip actually an Accubond, bonded or not? Or is the Silvertip a renamed BT? Could be that Nosler just put the wrong picture in the front of the book, in the section on bullet options.

These would be the hunting bullets and not the varmint bullets.

A lot of the BT bullets got more like the accubond jackets after they started with the accubonds just without the bonding process. Was told that by a Nosler rep. Thicker copper in the shank section of the bulet and of course the base is solid like on the old solid based lead tipped bullets

I’ll have another look next time I’m in the reading room, but from the pics I looked at, the BT and the Silvertip had different construction, with the Silvertip looking just like the Accubond, whereas the BT did not. Again, maybe Nosler just used the wrong picture for the Silvertip.

To my knowledge its just the coating and the tip. SilverTips are Ballistic Tips. Nosler has been beefing them up for years where now the jackets and solid base are 50-60% of the weight.

What caliber and weight are you looking at?

Is all the data current? Seems as though the construction of some of the bullets has been changed over the years.

My ‘reading room’ Nosler reloading book is the latest version. If Nosler did put in the correct cutaway pictures of the various bullets, the construction of the standard hunting BT isn’t the same as the construction of the Combined Technology Ballistic Silvertip. The latter has the construction of the Accubond, with the thicker jacket near the base, though it does not say that the core is bonded to the jacket, whereas the Accubond does mention bonding.

I might call Nosler one of these days to ask about this. Either the cutaway pics are wrong or the BT and Silvertip bullets are not the same construction. Got to be one or the other.

May also vary by caliber as many claim the 120 grain 7mm has a thicker jacket than some of the others etc.

One way is to section a few bullets yourself, if you do post some pics

More research suggests that they are structurally the same bullet. The cutaway pics in the Nosler book don’t reflect this. I used the gen 1 BT’s from when they were available. Then, at some point they went to gen 2, and I don’t remember being aware of the change, and I probably used a mix of the two for a while. I wonder if they have gone to a gen 3, with more of an Accubond jacket design, and didn’t advertise it.

Not that it really matters, though tougher is better.

I understand the BST has a much thicker bullet jacket. It is also a coated bullet (which I personally do not like). The BT has a less thick jacket and non-coated. I prefer the BT myself.

Chad - could you give us the run down on the Hornady Ballistic Tip? I feel they are a superior product to the Nosler version

Them Hornady Ballistic Tips are target bullets, don't use them or they will blowed up.

603 Country I hope you never have to tear any pages out of your reloading papers due to an emergency paper shortage.

Yes, sometimes around here you just need a good laugh! (More of that needed here lately).

I hoped that would make you at least smile

Well, it would force me choose between my Nosler book and my Hornady book. That’s a tough call, but I am a Nosler guy.