.300 win mag 180 AB and BT jugs

[Firebird]

These are from my remington 700 bdl, has been glass bedded but otherwise factory. Hand loads with 69.5 imr4350, average chronographed speeds were nearly identical at 2945-this was most accurate powder and speed for both bullets shooting under one inch at 100 yards, chrono is ten feet from muzzle. Jugs set 100 yards from muzzle. The AccuBond went five jugs leaving the expected divet in the back of the last one. It measures .684 and retained 120 grains.
The BT cup went into four then shed and the core continued into the fifth and exited a back corner of the jug and was not recovered. I included a pic of the jugs in the order they were hit as the damage more gosh awful than most bullets provide.
The AccuBond is what converted me to noslers and keeps me shooting them. A buddy of mine swears by the bt from his .338 for elk. I won't use them for elk but have them worked up other rifles for whitetails and antelope.
The .300 win mag shooting 180 AccuBond is my favorite and has taken a lot of deer and elk, and even a doe antelope one year. If I can find it, ill include the big cornfed one antlered whitetail I killed at three hundred yards with the .300 AccuBond combo. Hit his heart and blew it in half as it passed completely through.

 

[DrMike]

Yes, the 180 AB from a 300 WM will deliver a fearsome blow to any game animal. It looks as if it blew quite a hole in that goat.

 

[JD338]

Both bullets are proven performers and work well in a 300 Win Mag.
The AB is basically a bonded version of the BT.

JD338

 

[SJB358]

Very awesome Firebird. That 300 Win Mag and 180 AB sure is an awesome combo! Way to go with the bullet test and man, awesome animals as well. That old BDL looks real nice too.

The 180 BT is a tough bullet too. Just like Jim said, the AB is bonded an a little tougher, but that BT looks very capable.

 

[gerry]

Nice

Tell us more about your goat, not too many of them get posted on here, they are one of my favorite animals. That billy looks to have some good mass to his horns.

 

[Firebird]

High Uintah mtn s in Utah but we rode horses and mules with our gear into camp from wyoming side. I passed several goats with better horns but lacking long or pretty hair. Passed one enormous old billy, he would have fallen a long ways and his hair was red dirt stained and ugly. Lots of great fishing and beautiful scenery. I shot my billy the second day, shot was sharply uphill, Leopold 1000 xbr rangefinder said 300. Shot hit behind shoulder and caught spine as it went up. My father in law who was with me is a great taxidermist and he and I completely skinned the goat then boned it for the pack to camp. In camp we used our toothbrushes to clean the blood from the hair and to his credit my father in law brought it back to pure white. We woke up the next morning to a nice bull moose tutting one of the mules in camp. My brother caught hundreds of small late September brook trout and cut throats and rainbows and gorgeous tiger trout.
Really a fun trip, took our time and had plenty of equipment. There is a real element of danger in the shale slides and cliffs but all told, one of my favorite trips.

I shot the bt and ab together because of the similar make up but bonded difference. The ablr has been good for me as well. If I can draw an antelope tag this year I will be terribly torn between the bt and ablr from my stw!

 

[gerry]

Thanks for your story sounds like a wonderful time you guys had. Goat hunting is a tough and fun experience. I shot a billy once as well with a 180 gr AccuBond from a 30-06, worked great

 

[Firebird]

Worked up a load with H1000 just for curiousity sake-not surprisingly the bt loved it right at 2950 fps, shooting just a hair more accurate than my previous load with imr. Jug test showed cup and core separated and both found in the fourth jug--the fifth jug had a cut or tear in it, bullet maybe cut it and bounced or never completely left the fourth.

 

[SJB358]

Beautiful. Chances are that BT would've clung together is flesh a little better. Always fun to try new loads. H1000 is supposed to be about as good as it gets in the 300 Win Mag.

 

[andrewctillman]

It is interesting how the AB's do not adhere lead to the outside edges of the expanded mushroom. Same kind of performance as the 125 grain I tested at similar impact velocity.

It must be a really high tin content and brittle as hell or else they dont even bond the forward portion of the bullet?

Even a Woodleigh and TBBC by Speer do better for bonding and weight retention. Not even close to a Bitterroot, North Fork, original TBBC, Kodiak, or Swift A frame.

As Guy has suggested, it must be intentional?

I am impressed with the way the copper jacket maintains its FA.

Just cant explain why you would not want to adhere some lead to that jacket???

Not for me, for big game at least. Probably good for Impala, deer, or even a big hog or red deer but I would not go much beyond 400 pounds.

Its almost like it is "half-bonded," or a split core.

Alot better choices for the bigger game.

(I will probably get flamed for that but if you hunted with any of the above you would see what I mean).

 

[SJB358]

I tend to go with Guy Miner and I realize you have extensive time testing the big 375, 400, 416 and 458 stuff but the frontal area piece seems like a give and take sorta thing. A larger frontal area does maybe leave a bigger wounding area behind, but the PT's leave a good sized frontal area, usually in the .50 to .60 caliber size depending on the actual bullet but man, they continue to penetrate really well and will usually exit.

I guess I'd have to see a head to head AT in order to really say which one is "better" than the other.

Don't get me wrong, I am not disputing the effectiveness of the other bullets you mentioned at all, but in the water testing I and a few others have done with a couple other bullets, it would take a whole lot of animal and number of animals to really say they are better.

Seems like it is pretty seldom you can keep a PT in an animal which is probably about the same for the NF's as well, but they both seem to leave a wake of dead in between the two holes.

I have some 250 Woodleighs for my 348 I am going to run in the jugs when I get enough saved up, so that'll be the first time I have ever done anything with one of them. Supposed to be great bullets. I'd like to see what the 230 NF does as well in the future.

 

[Firebird]

This is not my buck-it was harvested by my brother while I was with him. It was also harvested with my .300 win mag and 180 gr AccuBond I originally started this string of posts with. The shot was just over 300 yards and hit the buck in the spine so solid that the spine was completely separated forming a significant "step off" and almost instant death. The bullet left a penny sized exit hole leading me to believe it was still fully intact and retained enough weight to leave a BIG deer after doing a mountain of damage. I know it was a big deer because I carried the hind quarters to the truck!
Couple other thoughts-the wind was really blowing as it does regularly in Wyoming. Wind drift was not a consideration as simply holding the rifle steady in the wind was a significant issue.
Also-Wyoming game and fish do a great job managing numbers of both deer and hunters and especially the habitat they live in. I am impressed every time I hunt there. I did not have a tag this year, just helping my brother and his boy and they both score. My nephew used a .30-06 and 165 AccuBond to harvest his buck.

 

[DrMike]

Congratulations to your brother. That is assuredly a fine-looking buck. Interesting headgear he is sporting.

 

[longrangehunter]

Great looking trophy....... Thanks for posting!

 

[EOD Diver]

Gotta say that whatever alchemy Nosler is working on the ABs, count me in as a card carrying follower. It seems like no matter the angle, distance, or velocity you can count on a great mushroom, about 70% weight retention, and one very dead critter if you placed your shot well. It seems just about like a Partition, only with a better BC and from what I understand, that’s what the folks from Nosler were going for when the made ‘em. Wish I was shooting them this year, but the local hardware store in our small town couldn’t do much better than the 150 grain corelokts I found in the junk drawer. Sigh, what can you do. I’m just glad to be outside again!
V/R,
Joe

 

[JD338]

Awesome buck, congratulations to you and your brother.

JD338