ABLR terminal performance?

JN270 · Tuesday at 1:52 PM

Hello,

I'm curious how many people have experience with the Accubonds Long Range on game?

I've used Ballistic tips, Partitions, and Accubonds before. Never any issues with the Partitions. Accubonds held together well but had a few break up. Ballistic tips I went away from due to meat damage. Most of these were from a 308 loaded at the top end.

I loaded up ABLR's in my 6.8 Western. They are very accurate but I have never used before. I know they are bonded but have thinner jacket. Does anyone know how they hold up on game? I've heard people say they fragment and to be careful inside 300 yards.

Do they perform close to an AccuBond or more like the Ballistic tip?

SJB358 · Tuesday at 1:58 PM

I think of them as an AccuBond that retains about 40% versus 60-70% of an AccuBond. They kill like crazy in my experience.

RL338 · Tuesday at 2:26 PM

JD338 has some LRAB experience on game recently. They do a number on WT.

DrMike · Tuesday at 2:26 PM

I've used ABLR on close range (50-70 yards) on mule deer and at ~125 yards on elk. The bullets (launched from a 7WSM) killed quite efficiently. I Can't say that the mulies or the elk were any deader than those shot with Partitions or with AccuBonds, but maybe they were a "little more dead."

JN270 · Tuesday at 2:55 PM

DrMike said:
I've used ABLR on close range (50-70 yards) on mule deer and at ~125 yards on elk. The bullets (launched from a 7WSM) killed quite efficiently. I Can't say that the mulies or the elk were any deader than those shot with Partitions or with AccuBonds, but maybe they were a "little more dead."

How did the bullet hold up? Notice a difference in meat damage compared to others?

JD338 · Tuesday at 4:33 PM

My experience with the ABLR is limited but it kills hard and fast. WT deer are DRT.
6.5 CM 129 ABLR
6.5 RPM 142 ABLR
280 AI 150 ABLR
308 Win 168 ABLR
30 Nosler 168 ABLR
33 Nosler 265 ABLR
338 RUM 265 & 300 ABLR
I shot a couple crop damage deer a couple evenings ago with the 142 gr ABLR out of a 6.5 Wby RPM. First one was 300 yds and the second one was 200 yds. Both were DRT and I recovered the bullet under the hide of the second doe.
Recovered weight was 54.3 grs and widest expansion was 0.594”.

JD338

DrMike · Tuesday at 4:51 PM

JN270 said:
How did the bullet hold up? Notice a difference in meat damage compared to others?

The ABLR worked as advertised. No more meat damage than witnessed with other premium bullets.

phil · Tuesday at 5:59 PM

It’s expansion and penetration, nice exits but nothing gory.
Lungs blown to stew.
I shot some deer and pigs last year at mild MV, around 2850. Farthest kill was a 200+ lb boar at 240yds, got an exit from a crease shot, he didn’t make it 25 yds. Same result double-lung shooting deer, maybe 50yds maximum distance they run. The rear of the cup stays intact and keeps going.

That was a 168gr .284

Plan to try .264 in 129 or 142’s

phil · Tuesday at 6:07 PM

For some reason I can’t post photos?

NYDAN · 2026-07-29T03:27:09-0700

I used the 150 gr. ABLR in my 7mm WSM in the 2024 deer season and shot two deer with it. It was deadly on whitetail deer. One was a big buck at about 100 yards, facing me. The bullet went in the front of the deer and then hit the spine, destroying probably about a foot of spine, maybe more. That deer just dropped. The other deer was a doe at 312 yards. The bullet went through the near side front leg, through the heart (totally shredding the heart), and through the offside leg, breaking the bone, and passing through. I really like the terminal performance of the ABLR on deer, in that it gives the expansion rate of the BT, with the penetration of the AB.

I have shot deer with the 150 BT in a 270 Win. and NOT gotten pass through, with a portion of the jacket under the hide on the far side. I believe the 150 ABLR would have gone on through, making a better blood trail (if a blood trail was needed).

jimbires · 2026-07-29T03:44:55-0700

I shot a Kansas buck at about 30 - 40 yards with a 175 gr , 7mm , ABLR . it passed through blowing junk out on the ground . the Deer crumbled . it didn't seem to do excessive meat damage . I did not recover the bullet . impact velocity about 3100 FPS . I would not worry about using the ABLR bullet in any scenario .

I have a pic in this thread

Brass used in Reloading Manuals?

FWIW, I have had similar results on WT deer using the ABLR's... 280AI 150 gr 308 Win 168 gr 30 Nosler 168 gr 338 RUM 265 gr and 300 gr Although most are DRT kills, the off side landscape is littered with biological matter. JD338

forum.nosler.com

Firebird24 · 2026-07-29T14:13:25-0700

Used my 7mm-08 150 gr in Africa and killed kudu and others varying in size down to duiker. At 200 ish yards it retained 108 grains and broke one shoulder on the kudu. Smaller animals were all pass through. I think I might actually prefer it over the AccuBond but it is more fickle to get accuracy from. Look in the hunting Africa forum on here for more stories and even an hour long video I posted on here from that hunt.
My 28 nosler loves the 175 gr ablr. Mule deer at 465 ish yards and antelope at inside 100 last autumn. Love them!

SJB358 · 2026-07-29T14:41:53-0700

Great reports fellas. I like them myself. Wished they'd make a heavy 6mm..

Hunter26 · 2026-07-29T23:19:32-0700

As others have mentioned, they're great bullets. I love and use the regular AccuBond and Partition still but have been impressed with the ABLR. You should look through the Bullet Test forum section and do a search to see many more stories and pics. I've killed a few deer with the 142gr ABLR in 6.5 PRC and 168gr ABLR in 7mm PRC, all 100 yards and in. Weight retention has been around 50% when they didn't exit but they've all put deer down hard, most where they stood.
Pics show the 168gr 7mm in my hand and the other pics are the 142gr 6.5.

PJGunner · 2026-07-30T19:44:08-0700

I see where someone said that the ABLR can be finicky to reload. I can't say anything on how they work on game. Seems here that most have had good results with them. ME? That's a whole nuther story.

I picked up a bunch of 150 gr. ABLRs in 7MM as I thought they just might be almost perfect in my 7x57. I tried working up a load for my Winchester M70 Featherweight, a Ruger #1A and a custom Mauser I had made up along the lines of a pre WW2 Mauser sporting rifle. The two bolt actions will print the shots well unde an inch when I do my part. The Ruger 1,25 to 1.50" most of the time. Switch to the ABLR and holes are all over the place. About the best I've gotten from any rifle was 4.5" and it was from the M70 FWT.

I've talked with a few guides about the ABLR and agreed that they didn't like them when shot from of the heavier caliber magnums. few had some very colorful comments about the bullet.
PJ

Firebird24 · 2026-07-30T19:48:17-0700

i sometimes wonder in certain rifles if barrel twist is the problem. But I know they like to seat deeply

JN270 · 2026-07-30T20:08:29-0700

I've been impressed by the accuracy in them so far. They shot well at multiple charge weights when I was trying loads.

I did not previously sort based on Ogive. I did yesterday based on someone's suggestion.

I'm glad to hear so many positive results with them. Gives me a little more confidence shooting them on game. I haven't decided which bullet I'll use this fall but this is a contender.

phil · 2026-07-30T21:10:57-0700

When sorted the POI will usually change between different length groups of bullets, but flyers within the same length bullets are eliminated. Completely..
My best groups are barely touching the lands. I haven’t tried more than about .010” jump, however.

Within a box, the variation in BTO length approaches .010” in my experience.
Excessive by any standard!
Deep seating recs are an offset for this…I assume.? With an increased distance to the lands, the effect of the variation is minimized, somewhat, possibly.?