338 Rum 225 accubond recovered bullets.

[khh]

I posted this at the campfire and didn't get much responce thought I'd post it here too. In May I shot a 335lb Bear with a 338 RUM using a 225 gr AccuBond . 1st shot (broadside) passed through after that shot he was stumbling along running straight away and I shot him length wise from about 60 yards. I was able to recover that bullet. It weighted 133 grs. that's about 59% retention. I just returned from a Whitetail hunt where I shot a buck that weighted 250lb live with the same gun and bullet combo at a range of bout 65 yards. I shot him slightly quartering toward me . The bullet hit just in front of the shoulder took off the arteries on top of the heart but surprisingly didn't exit. I found it wadded up on the off side just behind the shoulder. It weights 112 grs. that's about 50% retention. I was surprised it didn't exit, I know the 338 RUM does stress a bullet and clearly this one shed a lot of weight. I was thinking this would be a good Moose/elk combo but I'm not so sure now. I would like to hear some thoughts. Thanks

 

[DrMike]

I wouldn't hesitate to use that bullet on a moose or an elk with that particular rifle. The weight retention appears slightly less than I would have anticipated, but still within acceptable weight limits. What was the damage to bone structure in either animal? On the bear, you would have had essentially immediate expansion of the bullet, so the penetration was excellent. On the whitetail, you again had very good penetration considering the stress on the bullet. Remember, the hide has a fair amount of elasticity, which would serve to capture the bullet. Obviously, I didn't perform necropsy on these animals, but I'd be surprised if there wasn't extensive internal damage and disruption of vital organs due to hydrostatic shock. In all, I'd say you were well served in your RUM with this bullet. Consequently, those are a couple of fine head of game. Either appears representative of what we look for in deer and in bear.

 

[JD338]

khh

Congratulations on your success with your M700 LSS 338 RUM. I have the same rifle. :mrgreen:
You are dumping a lot of energy into your game and the bullets are sheding some weight. The recovered bullet from the WT deet has expanded to a large diameter and acted like a parachute to slow it down and keep it from punching through the hide on the off side.

The 225 gr AB is a robust bullet and it will cleanly take both elk and moose both near and far.

JD338

 

[mcseal2]

Your velocity at 65 yds would have been pretty high also to open the bullet a little further than on a longer shot. I'd be happy with the performance from both bullets. I've shot accubonds for several years and the one's I've recovered have all retained around 60% from 264WM, 270WSM, and 7mm RM. I've not taken a shot under 150yds at big game since I switched to them, but they have worked well for me. I agree also with the elasticity of the hide keeping bullets in game at times. The few accubonds I have recovered from deer have all been tough angles that encountered lots of bone and they have all been right under the hide. They are my favorite bullet, very quick opening for shock but bonded for penetration and deadly on game.

Congratulations on the buck and bear also, I love heavy racked bucks like that.

 

[SJB358]

I will play the Devil here! I think a 338 should exit a deer from just about any angle imaginable. Granted your shooting a RUM with alot of speed, but I do think the extra powder room should be used for 250's.

Saying that, I agree with Mike and JD, the bullet performed really well, and it's not likely anything in North America would ever step away from one of them. I just like exits. I know sometimes you won't get them, but a RUM should be a good bet. If it were me, I would try the 250 AB or PT. I doubt you would hold one in a moose on all but the steepest angles. Scotty

 

[Richracer1]

I will play the Devil here! I think a 338 should exit a deer from just about any angle imaginable. Granted your shooting a RUM with alot of speed, but I do think the extra powder room should be used for 250's.

Saying that, I agree with Mike and JD, the bullet performed really well, and it's not likely anything in North America would ever step away from one of them. I just like exits. I know sometimes you won't get them, but a RUM should be a good bet. If it were me, I would try the 250 AB or PT. I doubt you would hold one in a moose on all but the steepest angles. Scotty

Not necessarily Scotty. Point, I shot my bull moose from about 175 - 200yds broadside to an ever-so slightly quartering away using my 338RUM and 250ABs at 2970fps. I did not get an exit, but he only went about 15 - 20ft then fell over, heart blown up.

FWIW, I have a 260AB from my 375RUM (at 2990fps) I pulled out of my bull elk last year. The shot was about 40yds just in front of the right rear quarter and logdged in the skin just behind the offside ribcage.

 

[SJB358]

Point taken Rich. Yours were two great examples. I do think the big 338's really work well with 250's though. Heck, if Nosler made a 275gr PT that would be just about unstoppable I think. I do think you get a bigger mushroom from the AB. In the really heavy game, I believe PTs still have an edge in the penetration department. Nothing that would sway me too much though. Scotty

 

[6mm Remington]

It looks like the bullets performed as they should and did a fine job for you. I really like what the 180 gr. AccuBond out of my son's 300 WSM did on his cow this year. Congratulations on the fine animals.

 

[Greg Nolan]

Theories of what's best as far as penetration usually result from experiences. I've shot a few elk from 30 yards out to 250 yards with the accubonds in .338 and .375 cal. both at about 3100 fps. 60% weight retention is about normal. With the .338 RUM you're dumping about 5000 ft/lbs (muzzle) of energy into the animal. The penetration is important and it did penetrate but in my opinion the hydrostatic shock to the organs is more important. The animals I've gutted had massive hemmorage to the organs in the chest and not much wasted meat going in or comming out considering the energy involved. That much internal damage will not let the animal get very far. Two holes for massive blood loss is for calibers that depend too much on penetration and not enough on pure damage. Heavy bullets are OK and popular but we're not talking rhinos and cape buffalo which that rifle will take handily with the heavy deep penetrating bullets. The whole idea of that much power is to not have to track by blood trail.
That's my opinion based on 6 elk and it's worth about as much as you paid for it. :roll:
Greg

 

[mcseal2]

I don't have near the experience with the Partition as some on here, but I think that they do penetrate better in some cases than the AccuBond. I think that this occurs when they shed most of the front half of the bullet and the back part behind the Partition continues to penetrate. When this happens the wound channel is smaller but deeper as the back part continues with a smaller frontal diameter. With the AccuBond being bonded it still releases some weight as shrapnel but the mushroom seems to hold together and the frontal area stays relatively large reducing penetration but creating a larger wound channel.

In my opinion the fact that these two bullets penetrate pretty well while still shedding some weight as they travel through an animal is what makes them so great. I don't really like a bullet that retains 80-100% and punches out the other side with a smaller wound channel. These bullets penetrate well, but create a wicked wound channel while doing so to put game down quickly. They also open as fast as anything I've ever seen on impact. I've used them on everything from coyotes to elk and they open fast enough to deliver shock to smaller game instead of burning through, while still penetrating for tough angles on the big stuff.

 

[str8meat]

i shot my elk at 606 yards in the neck and had a pass through. 3 weeks later a wt buck at 172 and the same bullet almost tore him in half. load is 92gr. 7828 225 ab's with 215 match primers. i didnt think anything would slow this down. muzzle velocity is 2982 10 shot avg. i am suprised at you findings.

 

[khh]

I wasn't disappointed in the performance just surprised that it didn't exit and think it should have . Of course there was tremendous damage and both shoulders were lost , the deer dropped like a stone . I was actually concerned it might be to much bullet and had even considered both 180 and 200 Accubonds and the 185 TSX . Most of the time I hunt with a 300 mag or 338 mag of some kind and I always say it doesn't matter which way a deer is standing I have a good shot angle . Most of the time I hunt with Partions and they always work. I wanted to try Accubonds because there has been at least 3 times when the nose of my Partions have been damaged in travel . This despite the fact I put paper towel between them and the plastic shell box to buffer them and duct tape them so they can't bounce. I thought the Accubonds would perform more like a partion then they did. Most likely I'll move back to the 210 partion when I get the accubonds shot up. I'm pretty sure my 338 win would have popped it right through at the lower velocity. good hunting KH

 

[JD338]

khh,

The 250 gr AB at 3000 fps from the 338 RUM works well on WT deer.
This spike dropped in his tracks. You can see the exit.

JD338

 

[Greg Nolan]

The point of the 338RUM being too much for deer may be valid but I sure can't argue with JD338's whitetail success. The 300RUM with 180 gr A/Bs are my favorite for big deer and the 7MM RUM works great for smaller deer and antelope for me. I like overkill, I don't have to drag it so far.
Greg

 

[big rifle man]

During the 2009 hunting season I shot an Elk at 55 yards quartering towards me from right to left with my .338RUM and a 225 grain Sierra Pro hunter moving at 2980FPS. The Elk dropped on the spot and I found the bullet had travelled from just behind the left front shoulder to the front of the right rear quarter. The insides of the Elk were totally destroyed and the retained weight of the bullet was 184 grains. Total distance for travel on the bullet was a bit over 2.5 feet. I don't think you can ask for anymore than what this bullet provided. One rib was broken at bullet entry but no other bones were struck.

 

[SJB358]

I would never argue with the power of either that Sierra or the 225gr AB. Both seem to be very robust bullets, up to the task. I just seem to be stuck on thinking a bullet should give an exit from a 338 Win Mag or bigger from just about all angles. My 270WSM punched through my biggest bull elks shoulders with a 140 AB... Granted, I know it is a small sampling size, but I really like the PT's for the big stuff. It is my hang up of wanting an exit most of the time. I know in all the cases presented, it didn't matter much of anything, but for me, in my planning, I plan to get a bullet all the way through, if possible. I just enjoy seeing blood on the ground. I do like the AB's, but I tend to run a little heavier with them. Not for any real reason, just my own small brained thoughts. Scotty

 

[big rifle man]

Scotty, the angle of the shot has a lot to do with whether the bullet is going to exit. I took my bull this year at 326 yards with the same load combination but the shot was at 90 degrees directly behind the right front shoulder. The bullet exited, leaving a substantial wound and the Elk again dropped at the shot. The variables involved can get you scratching your head.

 

[SJB358]

I am with you BRM. I get that. I just expect alot out of the 338's and 35's. Again, it is a head game I play. I can't see a darned thing wrong with any of your results. They all worked. Either way, it keeps me busy in the off season! Scotty

 

[khh]

JDD338 That pic of yours is one of my favorite pics I actually tried to get my buck in a similar shot but I couldn't remember what angle it was. I had it every way but right. I like a bullet to exit from any angle , I think the 338 RUM is just a bit much for the 225 AccuBond up close. If that shot would have been from 200 yards I'm sure it would have popped right through . I've seen the same thing with a few bullets in other calibers over the years which is why I shot Partions for so many years. I had 180 Serria game kings fail to pass through broad side shots on 2 whitetails with a 300 win mag . One a 200lb dressed buck and the other a really small doe both shots where around 25 yards. The bullet denigrated on the buck I found just bits of metal , I didn't look for it in the doe. Yet in my 30-06 pump carbine with the same bullets from the same box I have shot through several whitetails busting shoulders and all. I had a 180 Hornady in 300 Win Mag do the same thing as the AccuBond ,about a 70 yard shot, recovered the bullet all balled up on the off side it weighted 53 grains. 180 Partions from then on , 30 cal. in 50 cent size exits all angles . Same with the 210 Partions in my 338's 338 in 50 cent out. One weird one was a 200 gr ballistic tip in my 338 Win Mag I shot one buck , 200 or so dressed, 3 times all three shots inside 50 yards 2 didn't pass through they were angling back front to back into the gut. I found some bits of metal but no bullet. The 3rd shot pin holed and I didn't even know I had hit it with that shot until I skinned it. A week later same bullet and gun I shot a small 8 pt at about 100 yards perfect heart shot the bullet pin holed I found I drop of blood at the shot sight and nothing else. Luckily I found it right away thanks to the white belly. good hunting KH

 

[Oldtrader3]

I have only recovered one Partition bullet in the past 48 years. That was a 130 Partition, .270 Winchester which went through 3-1/2 feet of Pronghorn at about 200 yards from center of sternum through to tail. The bullet went through the right hip finally and was under the skin. All of the other Partitions that I have killed (70-75?) deer, (2) pronghorn and (6) elk with went through side to side and exited. None of them hit a joint or anything harder than a rib or shoulder blade though. All of them expanded and caused massive bleeding. This includes Partitions from an 85 grain .243 to 250 grain .338 WM.

A lot of Accubonds seem to quit right under the farside hide.