165gr vs 180gr Partition

[Hunter26]

Used the .308 180’s in my 30-06 at 2650 fps load data. Don’t know what the time if that was for a 24 or 26 inch barrel but I was shooting it out of a 22 inch. I also did a max load in my 375 rum with the 260 grain versions. I still have some of the 260’s left. I assume I have some of the 180s as well. I bought them the first year of production. Maybe they use softer alloy now since shooters are getting DRT results. I posted a few times in the last month of how they just went right through deer like full metal jackets, and they still stood there looking at me. Happened several times. All Deer were recovered and when I feel dressed them, it looked like someone just poked a sharp stick through them or an arrow with a field point.

I've never seen a deer NOT react to a shot that connected and that's included lead flat points, that don't expand whatsoever, all the way to Berger bullets that expand violently. Obviously I didn't walk in your shoes or see what you saw, but I've never personally had an AccuBond fail to do exactly what it was designed to do. I've killed dozens with 25 to 30 calibers and have been impressed with their performance. I've never seen one not expand and you keep saying they're hard bullets, but they're on the softer side of premium bullets. They're designed to shed roughly 30% of their weight.

The only animal I've ever seen not have much of a reaction from a shot was from a big boar hog I shot with a 30-06 Encore pistol using factory 165gr Core-Lokts. The shot was about 100 yards and from the 15" barrel, they couldn't have been doing more than 2500 fps. First shot was in the shoulder. He hunched and took two steps forward and just looked around. I reloaded and put the next one in his neck and he dropped. When I skinned out the hog, that first bullet exploded on his shoulder and was in a million tiny pieces. Mind you, it was a boar over 200 lbs and his shield was over an inch thick. The second bullet cut through his neck and I found it in his skin on the off side. It expanded widely and IIRC retained 40ish %. I know a Partition or AccuBond would've broke through that shoulder, expanded and more than likely exited, even at that low velocity. Only reason I used the Core-Lokts is because they shot close to 3/4 MOA in that barrel and I needed some more brass. As with all things, your mileage may vary.

 

[badaxeriverman]

I borrowed my 30-06 to a buddy at a game farm about 25 years ago and he shot a huge Russian boar. No idea on the weight but it was huge. I would say it was way over a couple hundred pounds. He 180 grain AccuBond I had loaded up. That pig literally lifted off the ground and slammed to the ground with a shoulder plate shot. It never moved. The guy at the game Farm said he never seen a hog get lifted up and slammed to the ground like that ever from any ammo or gun….lol. I watched and was super impressed myself. I’m sure it expanded quite well on that pig. That bullet blew right through both shoulders and kept going.

 

[nosler06]

I guess I did forget to mention that I hunt mostly whitetail and mule deer. I do also hunt elk and moose. Almost all of the areas that I hunt have a relatively high odds of a grizzly bear encounter. This was what has kept me using the 180gr Parts on all of my excursions. I am thinking that the 165gr Part is not all that much lighter of a bullet than the 180gr Part. But reducing the recoil and also reducing the extra meat damage.

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

I am thinking that the 165gr Part is not all that much lighter of a bullet than the 180gr Part.

15 grains of weight really is negligible. I remember discussing a similar topic with a younger upstart who had decided to buy a .300 PRC because it could handle 225 grain bullets whereas a .300 Win Mag could ONLY shoot 220 grain bullets

The old 180 grain bullets in a .30-06 thought process is a throwback to when premium bullets like the Partition didn’t exist. In those days, extra bullet weight was the only insurance against bad performance, ie poor expansion or penetration.

Bullets like the AccuBond, Partition or Monometals are force multipliers in that they allow one to drop down to 165 grain from 180 and lose nothing in performance. In fact, bonded core bullets exceed the performance of traditional cup and core projectiles even of heavier weight. I for one would much rather have a 165 grain AccuBond in my .30-06 when encountering a grizzly than a 180 grain Cup n Core of any make.

 

[badaxeriverman]

That explains why the 180s blow through everything even when I use cup and core and also ballistic tips in my 300 RUM at almost point blank directly below my tree stand. I remember shooting a nice big 10 pointer directly below my stand running by with a ballistic tip out of my 300 rum. I got rid of a 4 1/2 x 14 optic on it after that season and put it 2 1/2 x 10 back on it. I saw was fur. I didn’t even know where I aimed.

 

[6mm Remington]

I've shot nothing but Nosler bullets since my father started me out at the age of 12 loading 100 gr. Partitions for deer, antelope, and elk if I got a shot at one. Those were in my Remington Model 600 in 6mm Remington. Never got an elk with that 6mm but did later with my Ruger 1B in the same chambering. My son Jeff glombed onto the Model 600 and continued using it with the same bullet and load when he started hunting.
That was my start with Nosler and I've had great success using their bullets.

The Nosler solid boattails were great bullets and I used them in my 30-06 I got a few years later. They always worked well and I was sad when the ballistic tips replaced them. MY first use with the Ballistic tips did not impress. I then used the 165 gr. Partition in my 30-06 from then on using it on coyotes, antelope, deer, elk, and black bear. Always had great luck with the Partitions and they performed superbly on game. When the AccuBond came out I switched to them in my 30-06 using the 165 gr. AccuBond. It too has worked just as it should on game and shoots very well also. I've never used anything lighter or heavier in my 30-06. Both the AccuBond and the Partition shoot very well in everything I have tried them in and both have worked very well. Can't ask for anything more. I do not know if the 180 gr bullet would do anything that the 165 hasn't been doing for all of these years.

Me personally I just think the 165 gr. in the 30-06 is a good fit.

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

…I do not know if the 180 gr bullet would do anything that the 165 hasn't been doing for all of these years.

Me personally I just think the 165 gr. in the 30-06 is a good fit.

My feelings exactly. And my experience has also been completely satisfactory with Nosler bullets but most especially the AccuBond.

 

[preacher]

I had good results with the 165 SBT GK on SE Texas deer and hogs. A bit tougher than the 150 Clkts. I like the 165 early barnes X and TSX, but the 168 TTSX is a dream come true, ha. I like to use the old heavy round nose c&c, just for grins. A friend used the 180 round nose in his 30-06 and it did very well on deer. Another used the 220 RN!