180gr Accubond Recovered From Red Stag

[TXbaldhunter]

I killed this Red Stag with a 308 Norma Magnum using a 180gr AccuBond.I guess you could say this was a good test for the AccuBond and shows the importance of using a stout bullet when shooting larger elk type game animals.Hitting heavy bones can happen and really do a number on a bullet.I shot the stag at 185yds.Mv was around 3050fps and at 185yds,the impact velocity would have been a little over 2800fps.The bullet hit the onside shoulder right in the big joint below the scapula,traveled through the heart and tried to exit behind the offside shoulder but the thick hide held it back.He went about a 100yds before going down and not one drop of blood was found.If the bullet would have exited,I'm sure there would have been blood everywhere.The recovered bullet weighed 89.4grs,so the retained weight was 49.6%.The meat loss was a little less than what I expected at 2lbs.Mostly due to the bone shrapnel around the wound channel in the onside shoulder.A mono bullet probably would have held up better on the bone,but a lighter jacketed bullet may have blown up right there in the shoulder and may have failed to enter the chest cavity.Bob Hagel once wrote a few words that should be engraved in the mind of every big-game hunter. He stated, “You should not use a cartridge that does the job when everything goes right; you need one that works when everything goes wrong.”

 

[DrMike]

Excellent report that can only build confidence in a well-constructed bullet. Thanks for posting.

 

[AFG270]

Congratulations! Nice shooting with an excellent bullet. That's my go-to bullet for my 300wsm.

 

[JD338]

I killed this Red Stag with a 308 Norma Magnum using a 180gr AccuBond.I guess you could say this was a good test for the AccuBond and shows the importance of using a stout bullet when shooting larger elk type game animals.Hitting heavy bones can happen and really do a number on a bullet.I shot the stag at 185yds.Mv was around 3050fps and at 185yds,the impact velocity would have been a little over 2800fps.The bullet hit the onside shoulder right in the big joint below the scapula,traveled through the heart and tried to exit behind the offside shoulder but the thick hide held it back.He went about a 100yds before going down and not one drop of blood was found.If the bullet would have exited,I'm sure there would have been blood everywhere.The recovered bullet weighed 89.4grs,so the retained weight was 49.6%.The meat loss was a little less than what I expected at 2lbs.Mostly due to the bone shrapnel around the wound channel in the onside shoulder.A mono bullet probably would have held up better on the bone,but a lighter jacketed bullet may have blown up right there in the shoulder and may have failed to enter the chest cavity.Bob Hagel once wrote a few words that should be engraved in the mind of every big-game hunter. He stated, “You should not use a cartridge that does the job when everything goes right; you need one that works when everything goes wrong.”View attachment 22116View attachment 22117View attachment 22118View attachment 22119View attachment 22120

Congratulations on your red stag, he's a dandy.
The AB is a fantastic bullet. It does the job consistently and with excellent accuracy.
Well done sir.

JD338

 

[NYDAN]

Congratulations on your red stag. Great report on bullet performance. It confirms my beliefs.

 

[Guy Miner]

Congrats on your stag! Nice shooting and a good report of the AccuBond's performance.

I've seen really good accuracy from most of the AccuBond bullets I've used.

Guy

 

[lefty315]

I really like the AccuBond and it’s become my go to bullet for several cartridges. If memory serves me correct, I’ve only recovered one from all the animals I’ve shot. It was a 160 grain out of my 7x57 on the Gemsbok shown in my little picture with my username. They’re a great bullet and yours held up to a lot of stress with all that bone. Nicely done!!

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Nice all the way around. Dan.

 

[salmonchaser]

Great report, also a big fan of the AccuBond. I use them in my 275 Rigby; 30/06; 338 Jarrett and 375 HH. I use the Partition in the 300 HH just because.
I really want to hunt Red deer, where was your hunt?

 

[gerry]

Congratulations on your Red deer they do look a fair bit different from an elk. Ihad a 308 Norma Mag for quite a while and think it is the best of the belted 300's. Still stacks up well today against the newer 300's. The 180 gr AB is such a good all around bullet too.

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

Pretty good performance I'd say.

I personally opt for the 200g AB on elk size game with 300 Mags. They've exited for us on elk 90% of the time from 50-900 yards.

 

[xphunter]

Congrats, and great after action report on the bullet.
I have only hunted Stag one time.
@Guy Miner I used a RIFLE...I know this must put a smile on your face
Mine was a heart shot, so it easily exited. I used a LRAB

 

[Charlie-NY]

Congratulations on taking a fine red stag.

I took my stag with 160AB from a 7WSM. The stag dropped at the shot and never moved again. My guide said that it was the fastest kill that he'd ever seen.

 

[TXbaldhunter]

Great report, also a big fan of the AccuBond. I use them in my 275 Rigby; 30/06; 338 Jarrett and 375 HH. I use the Partition in the 300 HH just because.
I really want to hunt Red deer, where was your hunt?

Texas has a lot of exotic game,mostly in the central part of the state.I'm lucky to have a private ranch about 20 miles from my home in Corpus Christi that lets me hunt their cull stags.I really like the meat and they are a good freezer filler too.

 

[salmonchaser]

Do they have hunts for good stags? If yours was a cull I'd like to see a good one!

 

[TXbaldhunter]

Do they have hunts for good stags? If yours was a cull I'd like to see a good one!

They do have some good stags but they don't advertise hunts anymore.I got in through a friend of the ranch owner.I've hunted there for the last five years.They are considered culls if they don't have the typical three point crown at the tip of the antlers.I don't mind shooting culls,they way bigger and better eating than the whitetails I hunted throughout my hunting lifeThey are European elk and can cross with American elk.The stags generally weigh between 400 and 500lbs.The females weigh around 300lbs.Here is one with the crown on each side.He would be an average stag.

 

[Blkram]

Congrats on the stag!
I have had great performance on elk and moose with the 180 gr AB out of my 300 WSM, and bullets recovered have expanded at least twice their original diameter and have retained 90-95% of their original weight. Not to mention that they consistently produce 1/2" groups at 100 yards at 2978 fps. While similar in size to a cow elk, or caribou, it is still a good sized animal. I am not surprised that it worked well on your stag; the SD of .271 definitely stood up to its shoulder!

Yes, red stag is very good eating! We had several meals from my New Zealand stag while we was there last year. The roar was a great experience! While different than the elk bugle, it is still a exciting to see and hear first hand!
I used the 130 gr Terminal Ascent ammunition in the 6.5 Creedmoor on my stag. One and done at 296 yards, high double lung (full penetration) and he fell within 5 yards of where he was shot before I could take a follow up shot. Luckily I didn't have to find out if it would have killed quickly and cleanly if the shot had gone wrong.

 

[noslerpartition]

Congrats!
They are native where I hunt, but lack of habitat is taking its toll.
Populations are spread with highways between them. Not good for keeping the gene-pool healthy.

 

[SJB358]

Pretty good performance I'd say.

I personally opt for the 200g AB on elk size game with 300 Mags. They've exited for us on elk 90% of the time from 50-900 yards.

Jorey beat me to it. The 200 AB is a GIANT killer in the 300 magnums or heck, even a 30-06.

That 180 AB ain't too bad though, seems to work about the same as the 180 PT mostly. Same idea there, going to the mighty 200 PT's usually will get them to come out the far side.

Congrats on the stag, that's a neat animal.

 

[TXbaldhunter]

Jorey beat me to it. The 200 AB is a GIANT killer in the 300 magnums or heck, even a 30-06.

That 180 AB ain't too bad though, seems to work about the same as the 180 PT mostly. Same idea there, going to the mighty 200 PT's usually will get them to come out the far side.

Congrats on the stag, that's a neat animal.

I agree with both of you and I have some of the 200gr Accubonds. and may use them next time. Choosing a good stout bullet gives you a little more insurance in getting the job done.I shot a red stag with my 300 Win Mag using a 180gr Ballistic Tip.This one was at 125yds,MV 3140fps,hit onside shoulder a little higher than the one in this post,bullet went through the scapula and exited behind the offside shoulder and dropped on the spot.Another one I shot at 200yds with a 30-06 using a 180gr Ballistic Tip,mv 3000fps out of the 28" barrel.Bullet went through the ribs and under the spine and exited,dropped on the spot. The biggest difference was the 180gr AccuBond struck a larger,heavier bone,causing it to quickly shed more weight.Just shows you,what the bullet hits on an animal has a big impact on how it performs.In a hunting situation,you don't always have the perfect angle and have to take the best shot that will give you lethal results.