When is a bonded bullet really needed???

[dakotaelkslayer]

Looking for opinions on when one really NEEDS to be shooting bonded core bullets.... I can understand it for those who like to shoot the ultra-velocity rounds, or for those who like to shoot the shoulder, instead of behind the shoulder. Take my humble 6.5x55 or 9.3x62, rounds with modest velocities. If you are going to go for the behind the shoulder double-lunger, does one really have to worry about jacket separation from a standard "cup and core" bullet? I am not knocking the AccuBond, which sounds like the greatest bullet made, just questioning when it needs to be used. ...on my shelf sets 5 boxes of 130gr. 6.5mm Accubonds and 3 boxes of 250gr. 9.3mm Accubonds :wink:

Jim

 

[Guest]

I think it depends on the bonded bullet. The AccuBond is rated to expand down to 1600fps, I believe. Other bondeds are sturdier construction, and you can denote this with what the "% weight retained" rating is in their advertisements. The Hornady Interbond is reputed to be a pretty tough bullet, and I would imagine they are over-strong for white-tails out of slower calibers. For your two guns (I want a 9.3, by the way) I would be perfectly satisfied with the AB, as long as it would ring the bell at up to 250-300yds.

 

[steve4102]

Well, I look at it like this. The Nosler Partition is the best hunting bullet ever made. I know it's not bonded, but It will expand and it will penetrate both behind and into the shoulder. If I can't get a particular rifle to shoot the Partitions, I will break out the Accubonds. If I can't get the Accubonds to shoot I will give Sierra's a try. So, for me the only time I "Really NEED" a cup and core is when my Noslers will not shoot. Besides, why would I load up plain old "cup & core" bullets when I can have the best for the same price or less.

 

[C.Smith]

I like the bonded core bullets in a rifle when I will be using one bullet for all the game that I hunt. May be too much for deer and just right for bigger animals. That's the way I look at it.

Corey

 

[JD338]

I like the bonded core bullets in a rifle when I will be using one bullet for all the game that I hunt. May be too much for deer and just right for bigger animals. That's the way I look at it.

Corey

I have to agree. I have used Nosler PT's for deer hunting for over 25 years. I didn't need them but they worked perfectly every time and in several different calibers.
As for Bonded bullets, that is what I now use. May not really need them but I would hate to have the moment of truth going down and hope my cup and core bullet bust through an off shoulder on a hard quarting shot.
I know without doubt that an AB will get the job done.

I like to say, "Plan for the worst and hope for the best".

JD338

 

[longwinters]

Hunters have taken an awful lot of game animals with cup n core bullets over the years. I used Remington Coreloks out of my 30-06 for probably 10 years and even though I never lost a deer with them, I had several that never exited, generally at close distances. Did they fail . . . I don't know but the venison tasted mighty good :lol: . I have also had BT's make muy grande holes in antelope but they exited both times.

So now I load Accubonds, Partitions, relatively heavy for caliber BT's and one glorified cup and core (that shall not be named but it is in a heavier than normal bullet weight compared to what I typically would use).

I really think the bottom line is, what do you have confidence in. Lately most people seem to think that you have to shoot the big calibers to hunt deer etc.... and shoot premium bullets. I am not so swayed, but it sure does not hurt. To me cost should not be a factor, and at the same time costing more does not necessarily kill better.

Long

 

[smitty81]

I would just use them for heavier game, like elk, moose, bear....ect

Although, I have had non-bonded bullets fail. One might have been from to much velocity though. If its a white tail or a mule deer, Even if it does fail, it will still wound them pretty good if not kill them. Here's some good examples, although they did not preform as well as expected, it still got the job done.

Nosler Partition, 150-grain .270 Muzzle velocity 2800 fps, bull Shiras moose quartering away at 125 yards. The bullet entered the rear of the ribs, ending up under the skin of the far shoulder, just behind the bone, weighing 80.6 grains (53.7%). The bull took a step and a half and folded up.


Here is one of your accubonds

STB_023: This 180 grain, .30 caliber Nosler AccuBond fired from a Heym SR 21 in .300 Win. Mag. was recovered from a gemsbuck. The bullet, though it lost 31 % of its weight, still managed to penetrate through to under the hide on the off-side on a quartering away shot. This is because it set up with a small frontal diameter. Range 80 yards.

I Personally thought that it would have held up better than that myself.


Heres a Partition. Looks to me like it seperated.

Nosler Partition, 140-grain 7mm Muzzle velocity 2900 fps, mule deer buck quartering on at 150 yards. The bullet entered inside the near shoulder and ended up under the skin at the rear of the ribcage on the far side, weighing 98.4 grains (70.3%). The buck dropped at the shot. JB

Not any one bullet will be perfect, but some better than others. Not one person on this earth can predict how a bullet will preform due to all the variables that go into each shot. But in a perfect world, The AccuBond should hold togther better. Therefore, I would reserve it for larger game. Hope I didnt confuse anyone.

 

[JD338]

smitty81,

Good post buddy! Thanks for sharing the pics, very good information.

JD338

 

[fredj338]

I would look at bonded bullet when impact vel. would be over 2600fps or so. They just hold togerher a better for deeper penetration from any angle. I hunt almost exclusively w/ NPs, they just work time after time.

 

[WHELENATOR]

Hey guys. I just got back from San Antonio where I went on one of those exotic day hunts on a big old ranch. Basically, I shot an Axis doe for the meat, and the experience of it. I am a little short of money, and couldn't spend what it would take to kill a buck of that species. They run about $1000 for one. Anyway, I was using a 7 MM Weatrherby, and in my haste packing, grabbed the wrong box of ammo. I took some 140 Grain Accubonds. They were test bullets, so I hadn't clocked them, but they were loaded at about 74 or so grains of RL-22, so they should be doing roughly 3300 FPS. I shot the axis deer from a ground blinc at exactly 85 yards, and she was standing right side towards me, quartering. I hit her just behind that facing shoulder, meant to shoot a little in front of it, but was shaking like a 9 year old on his first deer. Go figure! Anyway, We only found very small pieces of that bullet, and it DID NOT fully penetrate the deer. She was wrecked inside for sure, and dead less than 100 yards from where I shot her, so dead is dead right. It is my fault for grabbing the wrong ammo, and I felt like a 150 or 160 would have fully penetrated the deer, however, I was a little surprised that it didn't go all the way through especially with all the talk of tha AB's. Do you need a bonded bullet for deer, elk, caribou, moose and others?? No, because for the last 100 years or so, Core-Lokts, Spire Points, and Sierras have been doing the job well enough. Bonded bullets are great and fix a problem that only sometimes exists. are they worth the extra cost? yeah, for sure, since they are pretty good insurance against bullet failure, but at the same time, be sure to match the bullet weight to your specific caliber and cartridge combination, or no amount of bonding will mean squat.
case in point, my buddy up here just got done with a cow moose hunt where he shot a big fat cow with a 300 RUM and a 200 Grain Barnes Triple Shock at less than 100 paces and his didn't fully penetrate either. Nor did the Barnes TSX hold up any better at that velocity than my AB did. Does it make me want to stop using Barnes or AB's? No, just makes me more educated, that's all.