Whitetail geared accubond for Deer

[mj30wilson]

I shoot a .270 WSM and love the ballistic tips but want to switch to accubonds. Is their any plans to introduce a 100 to 125 grain AccuBond in .270 WSM for deer hunting purposes. I feel the 140 grain is a slightly overkill for the body weight of the deer in the area of Missouri where I hunt. I need total dropping power due to the hilly terrain. What do you think?

 

[Northwoods Hunter]

I would reverse your thinking...a 100 gr AccuBond screaming out of a 270 WSM will definitely "explode" against bone and field dress a small whitetail for you. Stick with the 140gr or even consider a 150...it will punch a nice hole through the deer and not expand violently and lose all its "petals". After seeing what 140gr Accs do at 7mm08 speeds I would lean towards the 150...but for "bang flop"...violent damage, the 140 will give you plenty...the 270 WSM is a powerful caliber.

 

[Savage99]

I don't think that we need to fine tune bullet selection when the game gets smaller in terms of anchoring effect. Thats more a function of shot location and I refer you to Haralds site for that info.

Read this first: http://www.rathcoombe.net/sci-tech/ball ... study.html

Here is a pic of what a 270 WSM shooting a 140 AccuBond did to a buck at 150 yds when it nicked the spine. There is a rumor that this deer laughed at me and was forming the words "bullet failure" but it stopped breathing .03 micro seconds later. Just kidding.

 

[Northwoods Hunter]

I call that bullet "blow up"....what kind of exit did you get...if any?

Just curious...if you would have hit the shoulder with that same performance do you think the bullet would have passed through the shoulder blade for a kill shot or kept going?

My friends 140gr Acc hits are even more dramatic..."huge entry craters" with his 7mm08...thats why I am looking at 160 gr Acc loads for my 7mm08. I imagine that whole loin was bloodshot. I hunt to eat.

 

[700 bdl]

I shot a deer last year with a 140 AccuBond out of a 7mm saum going about 3100 f.p.s. I hit the humerus on the left side, the bullet then went through the lungs and exited behind the right shoulder. There was little bloodshot meat, and the exit wound was about as big as a man's finger. I don't think I could have asked for better performance.

 

[Savage99]

I call that bullet "blow up"....what kind of exit did you get...if any?

Just curious...if you would have hit the shoulder with that same performance do you think the bullet would have passed through the shoulder blade for a kill shot or kept going?

My friends 140gr Acc hits are even more dramatic..."huge entry craters" with his 7mm08...thats why I am looking at 160 gr Acc loads for my 7mm08. I imagine that whole loin was bloodshot. I hunt to eat.

How can you call someone elses picture bullet blow up when I know what side I shot the deer on? I saw the entrance hole and showed you the exit hole?

What do I think would happen if it hit a shoulder bone? Not sure that it would exit but I am quite sure the deer would fall and stay down for the count.

Good hunting.

 

[Northwoods Hunter]

Sorry Savage 99...the hole appears to be near the center of the back thats why I thought it was the entry hole....

I meant the ENTRY holes from 140gr accubonds that I have seen have been twice that size...which I am trying to avoid.

I like your handle...Savage 99. I shot several deer with a Savage 99 in .308 Win with 150gr factory bullets. Hit them in the lungs...small entry hole exit hole a little bigger than a quarter...Bang/flop no big holes...very little bloodshot meat. Never had one go more than 50 yds.

You hit them in the boiler room with a light fast flying bullet they die...you hit them there with a heavier slower bullet...they die the same...my main points were;

1)I didn't think a 100gr bullet choice was the best choice for the gentleman's 270 WSM

2) I believe the heavier bullet will punch through with less dramatic expansion and there will be a lot less bloodshot meat.

Good Hunting!

 

[Savage99]

Tom,

I hit that deer a little to far back. I shot off hand as it was the only shot I had and it turned his lights out. It's the only animal that I have shot with a AccuBond so far and I show the picture as I think that it shows outstanding bullet performance.

You know for sure that things are a compromise when hunting game and some birdshot gets into the white meat at times. I try my best and practice a lot. That was the best that I could do.

I would use that same bullet again for deer at any range at any angle. I shot two deer very recently with the same 270 WSM but with 140 Ballsitic Tips closer to 200 yds and the bullets did not exit.

One of the shots was quite unusual and perhaps a less explosive bullet would not have worked so well.

I don't knock the bullets. These days I am spending more and buying Noslers. Sure only 50 come in a box but I don't have to sort them so close and they are really made with care.

When the new NRX's come out by Barnes I may try them after a 12 year hiatis from X's. Nothing much lost there.

I have an extensive target shooting background in position rifle target shooting with Sierra bullets that I still use for that purpose somewhat but Nosler gets most of my business these days for the sport rifles.

 

[Northwoods Hunter]

We have similar backrounds and experiences...

My family comes from a long line of loggers and Deer hunters in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Military training and rifle team competitions got me very focused on accuracy and bench rest shooting....I am 60 yrs old so perhaps my tendancy for anchoring Deer and Bear with .30 and .35 caliber rifles and heavier bullets is from an "older" generational outlook.

When I began reloading I found Sierras to very extremely accurate...and still do. However, because of overall poor comments I have heard on their ability to hold up on game I have never used them for hunting.

Partitions have never failed me on many , many hunts from Antelope to Black Bear. I do see a great potential in the AccuBond. I have managed several sub 0.050 groups with my mid range rifles...7mm08, .270, and .280. I was not really happy with the bullet performance on a really nice 76" SCI Antelope I shot last year...but that was only one application...and yes...he did not go 10yds after being hit with a 140gr Acc from my .280.

I am going back to the reloading bench this week with the 140gr Accubonds for my 7mm08 and am anxious to get some of the new 165s for my custom 30.06 Wby I had built. I can't figure out why they don't make a 130gr Accu for the .270? That should be a dynamite Antelope bullet.

 

[FOTIS]

You would do great with the 140 AB's. Try RL22.