Custom competition for hunting?

Greg Nolan · Jul 11, 2015

Since the hunting popularity of Berger bullets is based on their high ballistic co-efficient and ability to violently come apart in a chest cavity at long range, I was wondering if anyone has tried that with the Nosler custom competition bullets. In fact has anyone done any penetration testing on them? I really like the AccuBond long range bullets but they are almost impossible to find in the caliber and weights I'm looking for so?

SJB358 · Jul 11, 2015

Greg, from what I've seen they don't open very well. I've shot some 140 CC (264 Win) at water jugs at 200 and 300 yards that I thought I'd missed. Upon inspection they were leaking but just zipped through. Those were started at 3200.

Bill Casey had just about the same results with the 168's from a 308. It wouldn't be worth the gamble to me.

Greg Nolan · Jul 11, 2015

Thanks Scott
I know Berger had thickened their jackets on the target bullets and the hunting bullets are the older, thinner jackets so I guess Nosler just did it right the first time.
I wonder what the minimum velocity the Ballistics tips open at. I believe the Accubonds will open down to 1800 FPS. And the ABLR down to 1400 FPS if I heard right.

SJB358 · Jul 11, 2015

Not sure Greg. The ABLRs are very soft from what I've seen of the 210's from the 300 Wby, 168's from the 7mm WSM and the 150's from the 270 WSM. I'd actually be a little leery of running them into elks big boned up close, but maybe I'm just a chicken.

The BTs seem to open up well from what I have seen but I haven't ever tried testing them much below 2200 or so.

DrMike · Jul 11, 2015

Greg Nolan":20o2hl5c said:
I wonder what the minimum velocity the Ballistics tips open at. I believe the Accubonds will open down to 1800 FPS. And the ABLR down to 1400 FPS if I heard right.

~1600 fps

wildgene · Jul 12, 2015

...based on target shooting w/ the 200gr. 8mm CC I wouldn't expect much expansion or energy transfer (hydrostatic shock). If you did get expansion, I'd expect a lot of spalling & bullet tumble, not the controlled expansion/ energy transfer most of us are looking for, a lot of tissue damage, not much hydrostatic shock. Good chance of a long, hard tracking job to a bloody mess...

BretN · Jul 12, 2015

I had 100 gr 243 core-locts act like FMJ one hunt. Shot a doe at about 40 yds and they just zipped through while she stood there. I shot her three times before I finally put her down with a head shot. Trust me, you don't want to go through that or put the animal through that. Use BTs or any other bullet designed for hunting.

Harv6 · Jul 13, 2015

I've hit a handful of big woodchucks with 69gr custom comps from my 223. Impact speeds between 2200 and 2500 fps. Sometimes they act like a varmint bullet and leave massive wounds. Sometimes they pencil through like fmj. I wouldn't use them for anything bigger than a coyote.