I just loaded accubonds last year because my 150gr .308 BT's were coming apart (In stone dead deer I might add) Just wanted a little less jacket and lead in my hamburger. Shot 4 deer with them last year. Killed like BT's and no jacket strewn everywhere. I love them so far. My 2 cents
ACCUBOND PROBLEMS
- Thread starter 300rem7
- Start date
My experience has been nothing but awesome with AB's. We were tasked to cull brumbies (wild horses) in northern Australia last year. 300win loaded with 200gn AB's - could not keep a projectile in an animal to recover and that's shooting from ALL angles. The killing power was incredible, like someone turned the switch off each time.
I recently took a large bull moose with the 225 AccuBond in 338-06. One shot behind the shoulder passed completely through the animal. The second was recovered after passing through both shoulders and lodging just beneath the skin. I have not weighed the bullet, but it was deformed by the bones it broke. The distance, according to the laser range finder, was 381 meters.
Earlier this summer I took a nice bull caribou with the 180 AccuBond loaded by Federal in the 30-06. Distance was 260 meters, and the animal was quartering away. The shot broke the 3rd rib from the rear on entry, and passed out through the chest just ahead of the opposite shoulder.
Two years ago I used the same round to take a young bull moose at 190 meters with a single shot in the neck. The bullet shattered two verts before exiting.
In other words, I have had no penetration issues with the accubonds, though I have not taken any close up shots with them. Their accuracy is excellent, and I am quite pleased with their on-game performance.
Earlier this summer I took a nice bull caribou with the 180 AccuBond loaded by Federal in the 30-06. Distance was 260 meters, and the animal was quartering away. The shot broke the 3rd rib from the rear on entry, and passed out through the chest just ahead of the opposite shoulder.
Two years ago I used the same round to take a young bull moose at 190 meters with a single shot in the neck. The bullet shattered two verts before exiting.
In other words, I have had no penetration issues with the accubonds, though I have not taken any close up shots with them. Their accuracy is excellent, and I am quite pleased with their on-game performance.
Mighty Peace
Handloader
- Jul 5, 2006
- 328
- 2
I took a non-typical mulie in 2004 on the last day at 44 metres with my 300WM with 180gr Accubonds. The buck was quartering away, shot behind the LF shoulder (right in the boiler maker). The bullet travelled all the way thru and was found in the RF shoulder hide when skinning. The buck flipped over as soon as he was hit. I weighed the bullet at work- 150gr (83.3% retained) good expansion.
An hour later I took a 8x7 whitetail at 554 metres with a complete pass thru - double lung. Small entrance wound-huge exit. The buck dropped in his tracks also.
That same year my buddy took a bull moose with the same results as my whitetail with his 300WM 180gr Accubonds at 100metres. My wife took her mule at 400metres with her 270WSM with 140gr Accubonds, then her cow elk at 150metres- double lung complete pass thru. MAJOR damage to the lungs- just pulverized them.
Last season I took my cow elk with the 270WSM at 200 metres. Found the bullet and it weighed 110grains (78.6% retained)
Accubonds in my mind right now are the way to go. I sure cant wait to try the new XP3 in the wife's 270WSM. Sure wish you could buy the bullets for reloading.
An hour later I took a 8x7 whitetail at 554 metres with a complete pass thru - double lung. Small entrance wound-huge exit. The buck dropped in his tracks also.
That same year my buddy took a bull moose with the same results as my whitetail with his 300WM 180gr Accubonds at 100metres. My wife took her mule at 400metres with her 270WSM with 140gr Accubonds, then her cow elk at 150metres- double lung complete pass thru. MAJOR damage to the lungs- just pulverized them.
Last season I took my cow elk with the 270WSM at 200 metres. Found the bullet and it weighed 110grains (78.6% retained)
Accubonds in my mind right now are the way to go. I sure cant wait to try the new XP3 in the wife's 270WSM. Sure wish you could buy the bullets for reloading.
Just an update:
Over on the 24 Hour Campfire, here's Allen Day's report after meeting with Nosler:
Our meeting with Nosler..........
Interesting reading.
-Bob F.
Over on the 24 Hour Campfire, here's Allen Day's report after meeting with Nosler:
Our meeting with Nosler..........
Interesting reading.
-Bob F.
I certainly like the Partition and will continue to use it but I also like the results I have gotten to date with the AccuBond. For Mule and Whitetail Deer I will continue to rely on the 160gr AccuBond in my 7mm Ultra Mag unless I personally experience a clear bullet failure. For Elk I think the 225 Partition will be the way I will go as my particular rifle doesn't like the 210. Good hunting to everyone.
I have been using Nosler Partition bullets since about 1960 (and later) in .270, 7m/m, 30, .338 and .375 calibers and have had excellent results. Personally, I find no reason to change now.
jbdre,
the 210 gr. Partition will shoot into 1.5" at 200 from the .340 Weatherby when loaded with 7828 and a 215 primer. Elk taken with this bullet include a 350 class 6x6 (complete penetration at 350 yds),and several other bulls over the years. Of course, the 250 gr. is always a good choice.
Good luck huntin',
Jim
jbdre,
the 210 gr. Partition will shoot into 1.5" at 200 from the .340 Weatherby when loaded with 7828 and a 215 primer. Elk taken with this bullet include a 350 class 6x6 (complete penetration at 350 yds),and several other bulls over the years. Of course, the 250 gr. is always a good choice.
Good luck huntin',
Jim
roysclockgun
Handloader
- Dec 17, 2005
- 736
- 0
My most important concern is first, to hit the game in a clean kill zone and secondly to be able to trust in the performance of the bullet. Certainly most of the shots that I have made on deer, pronghorn and elk, could have been successful using most any old bullet designed to be fired from that cartridge. That said, nothing has performed as well in my 7mmRemMag B78, as has the 140gr AB. The bullet has been the most accurate on the range and has taken four head of game over the last two hunting seasons. The longest shot being on a large muley at 408 yds in 2006. My buck on Oct. 3, 2006 was walking at 175 yds. when he put his head down just as I fired and the bullet had to penetrate the antler to enter his lung area. The bullet made a large (1 1/2") entry wound because the antler upset the bullet's stabiity and it tumbled into the lungs. However it still had enough energy to expend in the animal and it spun through the lungs, liver and clipped the stomach I did not recover the bullet, but I believe that it would've been close to the factory's claim of 60% retained weight. The two pronghorns were at 175 yds and 260 yds, both one shot kills.
I am hoppy with the 7mm AB!
I am hoppy with the 7mm AB!
Kodiak, I know the 210 Partition is a good bullet but for some reason my particular rifle doesn't like it very well. It does shoot 200gr Ballistic Tip and Accubonds very well and shoots the 225 and 250 Partition well also. I am shooting a second generation Model 70 Classic Super Grade. As long as it will handle 225 and 250 Partitions I am in business. Incidently, the .338 Win Mag is my favorite catridge. Good shooting.
- Oct 30, 2004
- 24,073
- 2,592
I can certainly vouch for 160 7mm and 30 200 gr accubonds on elk deer and antelope. My personal experiences were on antelope but they worked great.
I must admit that I'm frankly shocked at the apparent varried performance of the AB.I personally have only used it for 3 yrs. now,harvesting 2 muleys,1 whitetail,& a 6X7 bull elk.ALL my shots were complete passthroughs.Even the 2 I put into my elk @ 500yds.One of which was quartering toward me.I hit him @ the base of the neck where it meets the shoulder,& it came out the paunch just infront of the off side ham.Thats about 30"+ of penetration.Granted it didn't hit any bones squarely,but I was impressed.The exit hole was big enough for me to put 4 fingers in.The deer were all close range,but none wen't more than 3 steps.I've also tested them in wet newspapers,etc.& allways they expanded perfectly,& penetrated farther than I expected.I too have to wonder if it's a series of bad lots that have created this controversy,because I have never had anything but excelent performance from them.
G
Guest
Guest
I think the majority of this entire controversy, if it can be called that, comes from some people who have nothing better to do than complain about dead deer and elk they shot at. I went to campfire and read all the crap about accubonds, and the only documented accounts of "failures" involved bullets recovered from dead game, which sounds like a success to me. These instances all included a shot placement of more than questionable ethics and technique, as the main one I remember complaining was talking about taking a "Texas heart shot" on an ELK of all things! Now, this elk died, like a good elk would, and the hunter recovered the bullet from it, and then got pissed because he didn't have a picture perfect performance from the AB. There is someone I don't want to hunt with for a variety of reasons. This same guy goes out to visit Nosler and gets treated like a reasonably intelligent scientist, and when he cannot in any capacity duplicate any kind of failure with the AB, leaves saying he still believes the bullets failed him. I wonder how that failure tastes on the grill? Reminds me of a doctor I called on (as a pharmaceutical salesman) once who literally told me, "Don't show me data, I know what I believe."
So as far as any of this is concerned, I think Nosler has done it's job to quiet a malcontent unethical boob of a hunter who is more interested in killing something than taking a clean shot, and the guy still wants to complain. My daddy used to have a little saying about that. "Never get in a pissing match with a skunk, son. Even if you win, you still smell like crap when it's over." He also said, "If you ever get drug into a pissing match, just be sure you're the skunk."
Kudos to Nosler for being a clean skunk. And for the record, I have not yet loaded or shot the AB, I just hate to hear people make arguably unfounded and ridiculous, irrepeatable claims about something just to get attention and special treatment.
So as far as any of this is concerned, I think Nosler has done it's job to quiet a malcontent unethical boob of a hunter who is more interested in killing something than taking a clean shot, and the guy still wants to complain. My daddy used to have a little saying about that. "Never get in a pissing match with a skunk, son. Even if you win, you still smell like crap when it's over." He also said, "If you ever get drug into a pissing match, just be sure you're the skunk."
Kudos to Nosler for being a clean skunk. And for the record, I have not yet loaded or shot the AB, I just hate to hear people make arguably unfounded and ridiculous, irrepeatable claims about something just to get attention and special treatment.
roysclockgun
Handloader
- Dec 17, 2005
- 736
- 0
"Kudos to Nosler for being a clean skunk."
I have to agree. The only bullets that will not lose some weight during penetration are those that do not open up and therefore wll not create the desired damage to the tissue! So, if it is a dilemma, it is in the fact that when we get those nice flower pedals on the bullet during penetration, it will lose weight in accomplishing the large wound channel, creating much trauma. Ugly but true. Massive trauma is what we want the bullet to accomplish. No?
My experience is anecdotal. Four animals taken under fire using AB, equals four animals in the pot! QED
I have to agree. The only bullets that will not lose some weight during penetration are those that do not open up and therefore wll not create the desired damage to the tissue! So, if it is a dilemma, it is in the fact that when we get those nice flower pedals on the bullet during penetration, it will lose weight in accomplishing the large wound channel, creating much trauma. Ugly but true. Massive trauma is what we want the bullet to accomplish. No?
My experience is anecdotal. Four animals taken under fire using AB, equals four animals in the pot! QED
I've read Mr. Day's hunting and shooting comments on a number of forums for some time and he seems to be an experienced and knowledgeable hunter. I think he honestly reported what he experienced. What to make of it is something else. I am personally convinced the AccuBond is a good bullet and will use them until I experience a clear bullet failure. Even then I doubt ANY bullet is totally failure proof. There are just so many variables to consider. My experience with the AccuBond is that it is as accurate as the Ballistic Tip and penetrates almost as well on game as the Partition - just as advertised. When I shoot Nosler bullets (or most others for that matter) I tend to worry more about shooter failure than bullet failure. Stick enough bullets into enough animals and I guarantee something will eventually go wrong.
I have followed that topic on the AB's performance on game in Africa by Allen Day.
First of all I would stand up for Allen. While I have never met him I would not call him an unethical hunter at all.
If I posted all of the bizzare things that happen when a bullet hits game there would be quite a bit of confusion as the variables are almost infinate.
Just one such variable is the state of the game that gets hit. Some just don't want to drop and others just fall over.
First of all I would stand up for Allen. While I have never met him I would not call him an unethical hunter at all.
If I posted all of the bizzare things that happen when a bullet hits game there would be quite a bit of confusion as the variables are almost infinate.
Just one such variable is the state of the game that gets hit. Some just don't want to drop and others just fall over.
Jeff Olsen
Handloader
- Nov 10, 2006
- 294
- 2
longwinters":378l4so0 said:
I killed a blacktail with my 30-06 and a 180-gn AccuBond last year. He was a large-bodied blacktail (still, that's not a huge deer by any stretch!) and was quartering towards me. The bullet broke the near shoulder and traversed over 26" of deer before exiting the opposite flank.
Granted, that's my elk load for that rifle but that should give you an idea of how the AB works...
-jeff
Just got back from my weekend hunting trip for elk. I shoot a 180 grn. AccuBond at 3146 out of a 300 Win. mag. Shot a huge cow at 356 yds. and broke both shoulders and the bullet passed completely through. Cow dropped on the spot. Won't be changing bullets anytime soon. Also shoot the 140's out of my 270 WSM at 3350. Killed a large bodied mule deer buck at 283 yds. Broke one shoulder and passed through, buck dropped right there. Perfect bullet for me. Good expansion and penetration. Also both guns will shoot 1/2" or better with these loads.
