Accubond: Troubling performance

[JD338]

Guy,

That is just about how it happened. :grin: I shot that buck from a tree stand about 40 yds away and the big white pine I was in was really rocking from the high winds. I didn't hit that buck where I like to hit them which is a high lung shot or high shoulder shot. Just to be clear for everyone, the 7mm 160 gr AB did NOT fail me. It killed that little buck fast and there was a nice exit wound.

You fellas are right, bullets sometimes do strange things and not what we would predict.
This is the very reason I have used PT's for over 25 years, even on deer. :wink:

JD338

 

[Guest]

I like an earlier post where Dr. Mike explained we all seem to expect one bullet to be a do all bullet even at elevated velocities. I shot a buck a year ago with my 30-06 using a 150 AccuBond at 55 yds.This load is clocked @ 3000 fps. I too was in a tree stand about 16ft. high. The entry struck him in the shoulder and exited the ribs on the far side. The buck ran 75 yds and died. The bullet did not fail, I did notice the exit hole looked identical to the one JD338 just posted. When I field dressed the deer and examined the damage, it was impressive. The shoulder was broken with most of the bullet shedding itself hitting all that mass but exiting rather small. I can live with that. I believe a Partition would have performed somewhat better given the situation. But I believe there isn't a perfect bullet that matches every situation either. With this particular buck I saw a lot of similarities with the AccuBond I experienced with the Ballistic Tip the year before in the same situation. Great Bullets, not unhappy at all. Two Nosler Bullets shot, two dead Deer.

Don

 

[Elkman]

I would guess that 55 yards is way close for most bullets. I shot two does standing looking at me one time at about 1/2 that distance. Hit em in the chest where the neck joins the body. There was peices of bullet and bones 1/2 way through the deer. I was using 180 GS, sent the whole box back to Speer and got an nice letter explaining that they are not made for impacts at that high of velocity. I would guess that Nosler may say the same,. I would first try a the Partition, or A frame then try a 180 if you kill many deer at that distance.

 

[bobbyrum]

Hi everyone, I don't get an opportunity to visit the forum too often & I apologise for that, but this topic is close to my heart. I currently use a 7mm RUM & 160 AB. I started using this bullet as soon as it came out. Up to that point it was the 160 NP in my 7mm Rem. Mag. with great success for over 30 years. My load pushes my 160 AB to 3345 ft./sec. I had anticipated that some of my hunting shots for deer would be between 200 & 400 yards, but the last 2 years that has not been the case. In 2009 I shot a nice buck, not a giant, at 25 yards, just back of the front leg. I really don't like shooting through the shoulders because I ruin too much meat, especially with this calibre. Deer ran 20 yards & piled up. The entrance hole was the size of a dime. The bullet centred a rib & the ones either side were blown out. The hole just inside the skin was a good 4" wide. Half of both lungs were gone. The bullet exited & left a nickel size hole. This year, the same spot, I was hunting in -27C temperatures, same gun & load, buck was 100 yards, quartering to me coming up a small hill. For the first time in my 45 year deer hunting career and trying to finish as quick as I could & get somewhere warm, I puposely aimed at his neck. He was dead before the gun finished recoiling. When I skinned him, the only thing holding the head on was meat & skin. The bullet made a 7mm hole going in, left a hole you could put your fist through, the spine had exploded and believe it or not a dime size exit hole going out. To me, considering the ranges and velocities of these 2 shots, the performance of this 160 AB was something unbelieveable. Three years ago I took a small spike buck for my brother-in-law at 328 yards broadside; exactly the same bullet perormance & the deer never took a step.When I first switched from the NP to the AB I was a little concerned about the performance of the AB over the NP which had been so good; not anymore.

All the best in the upcoming holiday season to everyone & have a great New Year. :grin: