Accubond.....discuss

[300WSM]

As for supply of AccuBonds, I didn’t suffer through Covid or since, as I had laid in a sufficient supply to last me for a while as I continued to buy various rifles/calibers.
Yes, we have seen limited supply of Nosler bullets on the LGS shelves for past 5 years, but it us starting to get better. And yes, the prices have gone a lot higher.
For me, the cost of the bullet is still cheapest part of any hunt, and while I am not rich, or have pockets as deep as others, I will continue to buy and use AccuBonds, regardless of the price, as they are proven performers in my rifles, and continue to put meat in the freezer for me and my family. And that is worth the investment to me.
If all I want to do is plink, I’ll use a cheaper bullet…but I also will do this with my 22 or 204 which are less expensive to shoot than my hunting rifles.

I don't care the cost if it works well, it works well.
What I do care about is availability.

Answers I've gotten from Nosler themselves....
ME:
Approximately when will these be available...
Nosler:
Have no idea.

Nosler;
Which bullet are you looking for again?
Me:
I am looking for #51170
Nosler:
Well we just ran some of those last month. They go quick.
Me:
Me: ok sir, when might you run then again
Nosler:
As I said sir, we have no idea at this point.

Me:
.......................________....................

"Yes, we have seen limited supply of Nosler bullets on the LGS shelves for past 5 years, but it us starting to get better"

Where?
Moreover that's like taking a cup out of the Atlantic.
I've seen some odd ball pieces become available over the last five years but the real heavy hitters (sales) are scarce at best to just simply non existent.

Those pieces I've seen pop up are not surprising. It's usually bullets that aren't in huge demand for loaded ammo, etc.

30 cal 180's...good luck
30 cal 165 not far behind

I think Nosler makes a fine bullet but to be out of stock for a longer period of time than being in stock.. simply unacceptable.

Pardon my cynicism on this subject but does it really matter why they don't have product for sale?
Nobody wants to work?
Material unavailable?

A lot of excuses but what they don't have is results.

You'd think by now they'd be doing what's necessary to consistently get product on the shelf.

It's about a half year here until rifle hunting season prep starts.

I will watch the AccuBond inventory for a couple months and we'll see what happens......
If availability has improved from the last several years I'll give them a chance.

If the inventory is weak and severely inconsistent I'll have to go a different direction.

We shall see

 

[300WSM]

I learned a while ago, if there's a bullet I like and it shoots well, I buy a good supply. That way I don't have to worry about it and prices of things are only increasing. I'm like a lot on here, I constantly keep an eye for the Nosler blems/2nds. Much better deal and I can't tell a difference. You can get great prices on Partitions in particular. Within reason, I don't mind spending extra money on a bullet. In the grand scheme of things, it's a drop in the bucket on what we buy for other things in our chosen hobby and it's the only part that actually touches the game we're after.

I haven't complained about the cost.
Heck they can be a million five....but if we can't get them ...
$$$$ Become irrelevant.

P.s.
The "yeah, but..."
can be endless on this availability problem..
I always stock up on what works well when it is available.
Just like primers. ESPECIALLY primers.
Without ignition we can't even melt old nickels, dimes and quarters (oh my) to shoot.

Primers I always keep in good supply of. No primer, no go bang.

Bullets...if they work well of course I load up on them.
Problem #1
I am now down to 70 bullets of the 51170.
I've looked for the last 5 years minimum (before I was at a lowly 70 remaining) only to find....NONE. Sadly! For 5 years.

Problem #2
I have no idea how well the AB bullets will shoot for me.
I will watch availability over the next couple months and make a decision.
There's no point in getting a bullet dialed in only to learn you can't get more of that bullet...or at least in any predictable time frame.

Going forward perhaps the AB inventory will be fair enough and I'll give them a go.
We shall see.

 

[longrangehunter]

Consider yourself lucky if you didn't find Nosler difficult to obtain.
I suppose one can paint a prettier picture if you're looking fairly frequently for those seconds to pop up....
I can tell you I've got extensive resources and during those times for me Nosler in what I shoot was next to impossible to obtain.
Another example...
I haven't even seen 30 cal ballistic silvertip 180's in 4-5 years. Once in a blue moon an odd grain/cal might pop up as available but availability is a shadow of days ago.
Regular ballistic tip aren't a great deal better.

I shoot a lot. So I need usually more than most.

As I said I haven't paid attention to the AccuBond lineup and its availability so I'm definitely anxious to hear the feedback on that.

I’m surprised that if you shoot that bullet that much, why you just didn’t buy the quantity you needed for the life of the rifle or your shooting needs?

You could use the standard 30 cal. 180 BT in place and save yourself the trouble of trying to obtain the same bullet minus the black oxide Lubalox coating. Which IMO would be one less thing to remove from your barrel. I only say that because decades ago I started using that bullet to as well as the FailSafe bullets until I walked away from the marketing hype that you spoke about on here.

Unless funding is an issue for you why not buy in bulk instead? Plenty of people that shoot competitively for their hobby and love of the sport buy in bulk to avoid the agony and time consuming process of getting the product(s) they need? I shoot thousands of rounds every year and know of more than a few dozen that shoot 12K-15K rounds per year.

If I rely heavily on a specific bullet, I buy as many as I think I’ll need….. In some cases that’s 2,500! Or I’ll buy them whenever I see them on sale once or twice a year and hoard them for future use…. MidWayUSA typically has them on sale, or if you have an account will discount items for two weeks for a one time purchase around your birthday!! Last year for my birthday I bought a lot of Nosler bullets on sale that weren’t too far off in price from twenty years ago! Ballistic Tips for $26.72 , $33.78 for 160 7mm Partitions!
Yes, sometimes you might want to stock up on what you need and use often because in case you haven’t noticed since COVID a lot more people started buying guns and ammunition. Plus on top of that a lot more people have started to compete around the entire country in every shooting discipline available, which put more of a constraint on components for hand loaders.

It’s no different than the availability of primers over the last forty years. Buy them when they become available in quantities that you can afford. I just sold two bricks of Federal 215 GM’s that I bought in 2018 for $34.95 and sold them for $100….. And guess what, a week later they had them at my LGS for $110.00/1,000 ct. I don’t use or need them anymore so they went up for sale.

Berger Hybrid, LRHT, Elite Hunter’s, all at times are difficult to get because they are used in massive quantities in this day and age! There’s far more people shooting than ever before, and to save money got into hand loading in the last 8 years, especially since COVID.

Honestly there’s nothing fancy about that Combined Technology bullet that the standard Ballistic Tip won’t do shooting paper, steel, or hunting, so why dig your heels in….. That’s not sensible in this day and age, you have to find a solution for the issue, and make do with what’s either available, or find an alternative solution that is practical for your needs.

Yes I understand your frustration! I’ve watched people on other forums that scour the internet for hard to find items and post where there’re available…. And yes sometimes they’re gone faster than the email you get saying that the item is in stock, but act quickly do to a limited supply!

I get it, it’s a sign of the times, and has been for five years now. But in case you haven’t noticed, powders like H4350, VarGet, H1000, Retumbo, and alike are not being gobbled up anymore because of the hoarding that took place in the last five years.

I even saw Powder Valley putting on sale Winchester 41 Military primers for $49.99 because they aren’t flying off the shelves anymore!

High volume shooters learned long ago that they need to rely on their favorite products from a Company that they can count upon. Let’s not forget that Nosler was, and started out as a Hunting Bullet Company. They eventually brought out their RDF, and Competition Lines to fill that gap.

I decided long ago that if I had a hunting rifle that I felt shot lights out, that I wouldn’t ruin it by testing every bullet known to man so that when it came time to hunt with it… It had more than enough barrel life for a very long time. I stocked up on the bullets to feed it as well which as a hunting gun will allow me to source them for a period of time.

As for my experience with Accubonds, Ballistic Tips and Partitions…. I will use whichever is the most accurate. They have always been the easiest to make accurate, and the only bullet I will hunt with that’s a cup and core bullet! They will dispatch anything that is correctly placed in the vitals of any animal quickly and humanely. I am not ever going to use a blowup ELD-X, M, or otherwise , and not even the hunting line of Berger’s that I use competitively. Nope, waste of good meat!

That said, I have hunted with a few other Bonded bullets that I like to use if they’re accurate enough in my hunting rifles…. Norma’s AB, Woodleigh PP’s are very tough, the older Trophy Bonded Bear Claw's, even the Speer AGS have produced excellent results in my 458 Lott on game. Even the old North Fork bonded bullets at one time or another until they faded into obscurity.

Hopefully you’ll find what you’re looking for in due time, or maybe find a suitable replacement. I know things are not flying off the shelves like the past few years, so hopefully you’ll get some relief in only dead ends, and missed opportunities.

Best wishes to you though in any case.

 

[longrangehunter]

I haven't complained about the cost.
Heck they can be a million five....but if we can't get them ...
$$$$ Become irrelevant.

P.s.
The "yeah, but..."
can be endless on this availability problem..
I always stock up on what works well when it is available.
Just like primers. ESPECIALLY primers.
Without ignition we can't even melt old nickels, dimes and quarters (oh my) to shoot.

Primers I always keep in good supply of. No primer, no go bang.

Bullets...if they work well of course I load up on them.
Problem #1
I am now down to 70 bullets of the 51170.
I've looked for the last 5 years minimum (before I was at a lowly 70 remaining) only to find....NONE. Sadly! For 5 years.

Problem #2
I have no idea how well the AB bullets will shoot for me.
I will watch availability over the next couple months and make a decision.
There's no point in getting a bullet dialed in only to learn you can't get more of that bullet...or at least in any predictable time frame.

Going forward perhaps the AB inventory will be fair enough and I'll give them a go.
We shall see.

You can purchase the same bullet minus “The marketing hype” Lubalox right now at various online retailers for as low as $27.99 at MidSouth. Midway, PowderValley, and more than a few others that have it in stock.

Plus You’ll no longer be crippled by what is happening to you right now and the last five years!

Not only that, you’ll more than likely not see any change in accuracy with the same load, if anything only a POI shift from what I’ve read. And you’ll be on your merry way in no time!

Molybdenum coated bullets, gone long ago to the marketing hype.

David Tubbs “pixie dust” AKA TubbDust is no longer even on his Website.

There’s always going to be the allure and magic of the next greatest thing to come since black powder was invented that will fade away just as quickly.

Remington Accelerator 22 cal Sabot bullets in a 30’06 Springfield and 308 Winchester ammunition, junk. keyholes in paper even at close range! But the 4,000 fps, who cares if it flying sideways, that’s just so cool!

The Remington eTronx!! The biggest marketing milestone mistake in the history of firearms! That was a flash in the pan as they say!

Winchester is marketing their new Deer Season XP ammunition, made with an even Bigger B Tip…. Now isn’t that what every guy needs!?!

It wouldn’t surprise me if Nosler discontinues making those CT Ballistic Tips if Winchester isn’t manufacturing ammunition with them much more? Which was the purpose of the joint venture, Winchester has something different.

Pipe dreams come and go, and sooner or later they will disappear until the next better idea hits your fancy to get all excited about!

Which is why I like the acronym K.I.S.S. ! I’ll be better off in the long run, save myself the trouble, and the wasted money in the end!

 

[RL338]

David Tubbs “pixie dust” AKA TubbDust is no longer even on his Website.

Are sure you’re not confusing TubbDust with something else? I’ve used it a lot and it does cut down on copper fouling. Still available on his website.

TUBBDUST

www.davidtubb.com

 

[longrangehunter]

Are sure you’re not confusing TubbDust with something else? I’ve used it a lot and it does cut down on copper fouling. Still available on his website.

TUBBDUST

www.davidtubb.com

My bad, I was referring specifically to whatever he was selling for tumbling bullets with that was sold to reduce fouling

This.

Tubb Precision Blended Boron Nitride Bullet Coating Kit

Tubb Precision Blended Boron Nitride Bullet Coating Kit. Coat thousands of bullets.

www.davidtubb.com

 

[300WSM]

I’m surprised that if you shoot that bullet that much, why you just didn’t buy the quantity you needed for the life of the rifle or your shooting needs?

You could use the standard 30 cal. 180 BT in place and save yourself the trouble of trying to obtain the same bullet minus the black oxide Lubalox coating. Which IMO would be one less thing to remove from your barrel. I only say that because decades ago I started using that bullet to as well as the FailSafe bullets until I walked away from the marketing hype that you spoke about on here.

Unless funding is an issue for you why not buy in bulk instead? Plenty of people that shoot competitively for their hobby and love of the sport buy in bulk to avoid the agony and time consuming process of getting the product(s) they need? I shoot thousands of rounds every year and know of more than a few dozen that shoot 12K-15K rounds per year.

If I rely heavily on a specific bullet, I buy as many as I think I’ll need….. In some cases that’s 2,500! Or I’ll buy them whenever I see them on sale once or twice a year and hoard them for future use…. MidWayUSA typically has them on sale, or if you have an account will discount items for two weeks for a one time purchase around your birthday!! Last year for my birthday I bought a lot of Nosler bullets on sale that weren’t too far off in price from twenty years ago! Ballistic Tips for $26.72 , $33.78 for 160 7mm Partitions!
Yes, sometimes you might want to stock up on what you need and use often because in case you haven’t noticed since COVID a lot more people started buying guns and ammunition. Plus on top of that a lot more people have started to compete around the entire country in every shooting discipline available, which put more of a constraint on components for hand loaders.

It’s no different than the availability of primers over the last forty years. Buy them when they become available in quantities that you can afford. I just sold two bricks of Federal 215 GM’s that I bought in 2018 for $34.95 and sold them for $100….. And guess what, a week later they had them at my LGS for $110.00/1,000 ct. I don’t use or need them anymore so they went up for sale.

Berger Hybrid, LRHT, Elite Hunter’s, all at times are difficult to get because they are used in massive quantities in this day and age! There’s far more people shooting than ever before, and to save money got into hand loading in the last 8 years, especially since COVID.

Honestly there’s nothing fancy about that Combined Technology bullet that the standard Ballistic Tip won’t do shooting paper, steel, or hunting, so why dig your heels in….. That’s not sensible in this day and age, you have to find a solution for the issue, and make do with what’s either available, or find an alternative solution that is practical for your needs.

Yes I understand your frustration! I’ve watched people on other forums that scour the internet for hard to find items and post where there’re available…. And yes sometimes they’re gone faster than the email you get saying that the item is in stock, but act quickly do to a limited supply!

I get it, it’s a sign of the times, and has been for five years now. But in case you haven’t noticed, powders like H4350, VarGet, H1000, Retumbo, and alike are not being gobbled up anymore because of the hoarding that took place in the last five years.

I even saw Powder Valley putting on sale Winchester 41 Military primers for $49.99 because they aren’t flying off the shelves anymore!

High volume shooters learned long ago that they need to rely on their favorite products from a Company that they can count upon. Let’s not forget that Nosler was, and started out as a Hunting Bullet Company. They eventually brought out their RDF, and Competition Lines to fill that gap.

I decided long ago that if I had a hunting rifle that I felt shot lights out, that I wouldn’t ruin it by testing every bullet known to man so that when it came time to hunt with it… It had more than enough barrel life for a very long time. I stocked up on the bullets to feed it as well which as a hunting gun will allow me to source them for a period of time.

As for my experience with Accubonds, Ballistic Tips and Partitions…. I will use whichever is the most accurate. They have always been the easiest to make accurate, and the only bullet I will hunt with that’s a cup and core bullet! They will dispatch anything that is correctly placed in the vitals of any animal quickly and humanely. I am not ever going to use a blowup ELD-X, M, or otherwise , and not even the hunting line of Berger’s that I use competitively. Nope, waste of good meat!

You can purchase the same bullet minus “The marketing hype” Lubalox right now at various online retailers for as low as $27.99 at MidSouth. Midway, PowderValley, and more than a few others that have it in stock.

Plus You’ll no longer be crippled by what is happening to you right now and the last five years!

Not only that, you’ll more than likely not see any change in accuracy with the same load, if anything only a POI shift from what I’ve read. And you’ll be on your merry way in no time!

Molybdenum coated bullets, gone long ago to the marketing hype.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Nosler discontinues making those CT Ballistic Tips if Winchester isn’t manufacturing ammunition with them much more? Which was the purpose of the joint venture, Winchester has something different.

Pipe dreams come and go, and sooner or later they will disappear until the next better idea hits your fancy to get all excited about!

Which is why I like the acronym K.I.S.S. ! I’ll be better off in the long run, save myself the trouble, and the wasted money in the end!

If you are following along you can see I have pretty much given up on the Ballistic Silver tip bullet. At least the one I need..which I haven't seen for many years.
I doubt Nosler will just discontinue that bullet as it had a big following. Thus they made them available for the handloader. If it was strictly a combined venture "gimmick" as you say then Nosler would have supplied the bullet only to Winchester or sent them off to the company in Ohio to get coated then off to Olin they go.
They didn't do that though...
they offered them up for sale and people bought them. Bought them in enough demand to not only sell them but promote them.
The coating is not Moly so that is irrelevant.
I don't care what they claim the Lubalox does. FPS, this or that...that is not why I use them. I continued using them for one simple thing.
It helped to clean the fouling. That was my finding with it and I rather appreciated that. I clean regularly and the coating helped a great deal ridding any fouling getting that mirror finish.

Obviously you think it's a gimmick and marketing hype so shame on Nosler, right? Maybe shame on us. You think Nosler is running a gimmick and I think they have been doing a lousy job with production. Though I am not strictly speaking about the BST bullets but everything. I have pretty much written off the BST in the 180 grain 30 cal but I have started this discussion because of that. Is the supply any better with the AccuBond? I have followed along with the regular old BT bullet over the last few years and while production might be better than it's Ballistic Silvertip brethren, it's still not anything I would say as good. Perhaps the AccuBond production is more consistent. I will be following that bullet for a couple of months to see if supply is any better.

You say about not using a different brand of bullet with wasting too much meat...and then say a properly placed shot....
I agree with you about a properly placed shot. That is the goal or should be the goal of any hunter. A properly placed shot and a quick humane kill in lieu of any brand of bullet.
That said, the meat loss you speak of is negligible. There are so many intangibles afield that we have no control over. Deceptive angles, movement, entry vs. the exit, and so on and so on. A big exit hole versus a smaller one is literally losing a couple bites. We aren't talking about using an RPG hunting although I know a few people who might use one if they were allowed.
The big exit hole versus the small exit hole and meat loss IMO is insignificant. A couple of bites at most being lost I am fine with especially if the kill was nearly instantaneous. Let's not kid ourselves and act like Nosler never leaves a big exit wound. In unpredictable hunting situations Nosler has had their fair share of big exit wounds.

As I said earlier, responses can "yeah but" this subject to death. LIke why not buy in bulk.
I do buy in bulk or as much bulk as can be obtained smartly.
I have no idea how many bullets I may need. I wont't speak for you but my shooting habits change periodically. I may shoot 500 rounds at 1000 yards in one month. I might do that for a four month stretch. I might only do that two months of the year but shoot at least 500 rounds at 600 yards for most of the year.
When something is working and available I try to buy as much that makes the most sense but the key word is available.

Again I will be watching the inventory of the AB's over the next couple months.

The terminal feedback seems positive enough that I am interested. I will see how the inventory goes over the next couple of months.

 

[longrangehunter]

Let’s be brutally honest here, you wanted to bash Nosler for your sowers with your inability to acquire a single bullet type for five years. I’ve read this thread from beginning to end, and what I found ironic was that towards the end you wanted to bring your frustration out on this forum. It’s only now you are attempting to find an alternative solution.

Had you moved on long ago, this conversation, would be an old thread. I was only bringing up what you said when it comes to the boxes today vs years ago and that you claimed it was gimmicky!

Gimmicky or not, which IMO it is when the exact same bullet, minus the black oxide, has been available to you for a simple solution to your problem.

Whether or not it has saved you from any extra trouble having clean a barrel or not because of a particular coating on a bullet does little good if you don’t have any bullets left to shoot, or the 70 that you’re down too at this point and time.

From what you’ve just said I’m counting anywhere from 4,000 to 2,500 a years worth of bullets….. That’s high volume in anyone’s book! That’s a lot of hunting bullets for target shooting. With the proper cleaning products and techniques there’s plenty of options to shorten your cleaning time too that should bring you satisfactory results.

That said, the negativity you brought about towards Nosler and their shortcomings, and going on and on in detail was nauseating to be blunt. The building a full service components company that took years in the making is no small feat. Walt Berger didn’t start out that way either. That’s how companies evolve.

What’s happened over the last few years has been the case for multiple manufacturers, except maybe Hornady during and after COVID. But even they have had issues with lots of ammunition that wasn’t performing as well as the previous lots. In particular their 7mm PRC ammo. Or the few instances that I’ve seen bullets blowing up as they’re exiting the barrel at a few shooting matches.

Sure, I found that know matter what bullet I’m using there will be lags in the availability of them. I’m pretty sure I can throw IMR 7828ssc and the 7mm 175 PT into the same instance over the last five years. But in the last month they’ve been available! Not any different than the people that got RL23 and RL26 only to find that dry up!

That said, if I’m shooting high volume, which is what you just mentioned you’re doing. I’d just use another manufacturers bullet or something else in its place. It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened in the realm of things. There’s always something else that can be used to get the job done even for extreme accuracy! Wouldn’t matter if it was a Berger, Barnes, Lapua. Sierra or one of the Nosler RDF, or Competition bullets. Those are sold in either verity of 100ct, 250ct, 500ct or 1000ct. Easy enough.

You’re not alone with the same problems over the last five years, it happens all the time. Look at all the people who fell in love with BlackJack bullets, they were hung out to die a slow death. 115 DTAC’s another person relying on Sierra to manufacture their bullets. I was forced to source my bullets else where back in 2019 after shooting 2K of them.

Most people will say a Bonded bullet is harder to make shoot than a standard cup and core bullet. They are a better hunting bullet because they are Bonded. But why would you use a bullet like that for high volume shooting anyway?

The 30 cal. 180 BT, and the 180 AB are identical other than the Bonding process! Most of the time they are interchangeable, but may require a different bullet jump, or in some cases a different powder charge, and possibly a different powder.

Neither will solve your clean up issue if that’s what you experienced?

As for “All This” I think I’ve said enough in helping you find you a solution. Unlike most on here I can speak up when appropriate to the unwanted negativity that comes from an individual….. because I have nothing to lose!!

It’s almost become an addiction lately it seems. People complaining about whatever there is to complain about. It’s why I stopped giving advice, making a post to help those interested who might learn a new skill or something helpful on forums.

Good luck in your endeavors.

 

[300WSM]

Let’s be brutally honest here, you wanted to bash Nosler for your sowers with your inability to acquire a single bullet type for five years. I’ve read this thread from beginning to end, and what I found ironic was that towards the end you wanted to bring your frustration out on this forum. It’s only now you are attempting to find an alternative solution.
You don't know me but I can tell you if I wanted to bash Nosler I simply would have just done that. No other commentary. On the contrary I have reiterated many times that Nosler is a great bullet.

Had you moved on long ago, this conversation, would be an old thread. I was only bringing up what you said when it comes to the boxes today vs years ago and that you claimed it was gimmicky!
You said the word gimmick(Y). Not I . In a previous post I pointed out how Nosler changed it's direction with the packaging, art work and reducing the package content in half along with a lowered price. It worked and it was long term. That's marketing and strategy for the long term. Thus not a gimmick. Sorry
Had I moved on? The question, my question, was real world performance of the AB. I have a handful of bullets I am going to be trying and the Nosler AB was a candidate pending feedback and my inventory concern.

Gimmicky or not, which IMO it is when the exact same bullet, minus the black oxide, has been available to you for a simple solution to your problem.
It is the same bullet minus the coating. Correct. To you, however, it's a gimmick,( your word) but to me the coating serves a wonderful function.

Whether or not it has saved you from any extra trouble having clean a barrel or not because of a particular coating on a bullet does little good if you don’t have any bullets left to shoot, or the 70 that you’re down too at this point and time.
Ahh,,,the point of MY OP was to get some feedback on the AccuBond bullet. It is getting time to make a switch as I see no light at the end of tunnel with the bullet I have used for nearly 20 years.

From what you’ve just said I’m counting anywhere from 4,000 to 2,500 a years worth of bullets….. That’s high volume in anyone’s book! That’s a lot of hunting bullets for target shooting. With the proper cleaning products and techniques there’s plenty of options to shorten your cleaning time too that should bring you satisfactory results.
We all clean weapons in our own ways, no?

That said, the negativity you brought about towards Nosler and their shortcomings, and going on and on in detail was nauseating to be blunt. The building a full service components company that took years in the making is no small feat. Walt Berger didn’t start out that way either. That’s how companies evolve.
Not accurate. I replied to a poster who went on a rant about Nosler and greed, etc.
I simply opined in my reply to that person ( I quoted them),never once mentioning greed or anything derogatory for that matter on why I think supply has been an issue with Nosler. At one time you could get any Nosler bullet and anything that was out of stock wasn't for long. Present day they make ammo, brass, weapons, supressors, and still make bullets.
Walt Berger? May he rest in peace but doesn't apply

What’s happened over the last few years has been the case for multiple manufacturers, except maybe Hornady during and after COVID. But even they have had issues with lots of ammunition that wasn’t performing as well as the previous lots. In particular their 7mm PRC ammo. Or the few instances that I’ve seen bullets blowing up as they’re exiting the barrel at a few shooting matches.
I never said this was a Nosler only issue. Every mfg had some issues with some handling it better than others.

Sure, I found that know matter what bullet I’m using there will be lags in the availability of them. I’m pretty sure I can throw IMR 7828ssc and the 7mm 175 PT into the same instance over the last five years. But in the last month they’ve been available! Not any different than the people that got RL23 and RL26 only to find that dry up!
I have echoed this a couple times in this thread. I don't expect perfect availability 101 percent of the time. Is the 30 cal AB availability more consistent is simply my concern.
That said, if I’m shooting high volume, which is what you just mentioned you’re doing. I’d just use another manufacturers bullet or something else in its place. It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened in the realm of things. There’s always something else that can be used to get the job done even for extreme accuracy! Wouldn’t matter if it was a Berger, Barnes, Lapua. Sierra or one of the Nosler RDF, or Competition bullets. Those are sold in either verity of 100ct, 250ct, 500ct or 1000ct. Easy enough.
I use many different bullets for many applications.

You’re not alone with the same problems over the last five years, it happens all the time. Look at all the people who fell in love with BlackJack bullets, they were hung out to die a slow death. 115 DTAC’s another person relying on Sierra to manufacture their bullets. I was forced to source my bullets else where back in 2019 after shooting 2K of them.
Every shooter has suffered in one way or the other over the last five years. Without question

Most people will say a Bonded bullet is harder to make shoot than a standard cup and core bullet. They are a better hunting bullet because they are Bonded. But why would you use a bullet like that for high volume shooting anyway?
I can get just about anything to shoot at least satisfactory with enough time invested. That is the point. If I am going to move on from the BST 511770 and invest the time needed I'd like to see some consistent inventory.

The 30 cal. 180 BT, and the 180 AB are identical other than the Bonding process! Most of the time they are interchangeable, but may require a different bullet jump, or in some cases a different powder charge, and possibly a different powder. Right

Neither will solve your clean up issue if that’s what you experienced? Also true

As for “All This” I think I’ve said enough in helping you find you a solution. Unlike most on here I can speak up when appropriate to the unwanted negativity that comes from an individual….. because I have nothing to lose!!
I don't offend but I'm also a realist. I am fully capable of complementing a company for the good, which I do and have, but I'm also not afraid to mention concerns when they arise.
It’s almost become an addiction lately it seems. People complaining about whatever there is to complain about. It’s why I stopped giving advice, making a post to help those interested who might learn a new skill or something helpful on forums.
You can call it a complaint but it's simply inconsistent inventory being a concern of mine. I certainly hope that doesn't offend you.
Trust me when I tell you I wish all things Nosler were perfect. The last thing I want to do is ask about availability concerns and then monitor that for a time.
I would love nothing more then to see all Nosler bullets be available for sale for a much greater time than being out of stock. Who wouldn't want that if one is being honest. I do agree with you there are far too many negative people out there who simply love to complain about anything.

Good luck in your endeavors.
Much appreciated

 

[xphunter]

I appreciate the responses so far...

Does anyone have a picture of said AccuBond out of a whitetail type sized game so I could actually see the expansion.

Nosler recommends the BT for antelope but not the AccuBond.
Is it too hard that Nosler advises against using it on the smaller non thick skinned game.

I know many of you have had kills with it.
But.........
Shot placement of course supercedes all...

A fmj bullet can harvest game if the shot is perfect.

Does anyone have a picture of said AccuBond out of a whitetail or antelope type sized game so I could actually see the expansion.

Would an accurate statement be it's harder than a BT but not as hard as the original Barnes type of bullet

Appreciate the feedback so far

Thx

The majority of the time, the NBT and the AB are going to exit on antelope, unless the distance is really far.
I have used a couple of AB's for antelope. 140 grain and 162 grain 7mm AB out of a 17" XP-100 and in a rifle 24-26" rifle.
Both were chambered in 280AI. With the XP and 140's I was under 200 yards.
With the rifle (Darrell Holland's), he wanted me to use his rifle to kill a antelope. It was 500 something or 600 something...I don't remember.
They both died quickly. no bullets found

 

[El Guapo]

I shot a moose quartering to w 338 federal, 200gr AB. 70ish yards. Did just fine. Deer w 308 Win and AB at higher impact velocity, 70ish as well.

 

[JD338]

I shot a moose quartering to w 338 federal, 200gr AB. 70ish yards. Did just fine. Deer w 308 Win and AB at higher impact velocity, 70ish as well.

Congrats on a nice bull moose!

JD338

 

[gerry]

I shot a moose quartering to w 338 federal, 200gr AB. 70ish yards. Did just fine. Deer w 308 Win and AB at higher impact velocity, 70ish as well.

Welcome to the forum. Congratulations on your beautiful moose!

 

[Hunter26]

You can check the bullet test forums for plenty of pics of recovered AB's. My experience is they have been very consistent in their expansion across multiple calibers and generally 60-70% weight retention.

These pics are of a 160gr AccuBond from a 7 RM into a whitetail. Deer was quartering.

 

[300WSM]

I shot a moose quartering to w 338 federal, 200gr AB. 70ish yards. Did just fine. Deer w 308 Win and AB at higher impact velocity, 70ish as well.

Congrats on the moose

Gotta be close to maxing out that boat's rating

 

[300WSM]

You can check the bullet test forums for plenty of pics of recovered AB's. My experience is they have been very consistent in their expansion across multiple calibers and generally 60-70% weight retention.

These pics are of a 160gr AccuBond from a 7 RM into a whitetail. Deer was quartering.

Thx for sharing.

The replies have me convinced they'll perform fine.

I will monitor inventory availability over a couple months and we'll see