Cull buck with 160 Accubond

Went out early this morning, as dawn broke, as many as 20 does and 4 bucks were nibbling corn and most of those bucks are young around 2 years old and the rut hasn't started yet to see bigger bucks until mid December and the late rut in January. A cull 10 point buck, I aged it around 3 to 3 and a half years old visually, came out to nibble and I saw that the rack was small, but 10 points. Looked like it will not grow its antlers much since its almost passing 4 years old. So I decided to take him out. Ranged and calibrated the NSX on the 7 Mag at 225 yards. The buck nearly stumbled and bolted into the brush when the 160 AccuBond hit, with 3,140 fps at the muzzle. I waited 10 minutes before I started tracking. I saw a few spots of blood, bits of meat and a chunk of a lung in the sand where it stood. I started tracking, had quite a hard time because blood was scarce , and started seeing spots of blood on high grass and twig scrapes and droplets in the sand, more blood on cactus and brush was pretty thick with some catclaws shrubbery tearing at my clothing, and I came across the buck. It ran roughly 50 yards and I spent some time dragging it out. Tracking took me about 15 minutes. Entry ( left side) and exited nicely and no bullet recovery. Inside of the entry wound is devastating, lungs were soupy. Got the buck quartered and on the ice for an ice bath before I'll start processing in a day or two. I got to thank the man upstairs for blessing me with food for the table.

Definitely some fine dining in the offing for you. It does appear that bullet did some major damage.

Great hunt. Sometimes they just don’t bleed as good as they should. Looks like the AccuBond did its job. [emoji106]


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That 160 AB is just about my favorite all arounder in about any 7. Congrats on the buck.

Thanks guys. Going to be busy the next couple of days processing the deer, making some deer ground with a ratio of 80 / 20 with ground brisket, deer steaks and some grilling sausages. I'll be done grinding and packaging by tomorrow evening.

I took mine at about the same distance this year with a 7 Rem Mag, using the 150gr Swift Scirocco II at about 3115. He made it about 75 yards, very little blood as well. I was a bit further back with shot placement, not an ounce of wasted meat. Nice young six pointer, and the rut up north had definitely started around the new moon.

First year using the 7 Mag, I think with bonded bullets there's not much fragmentation on whitetails when you don't hit bone, so you rely on that shock wave getting them. I only got two milk jugs of penetration at 100 yards with the new 180 ELD-M'S, so it's a trade off. I guess I'd rather have the back up of penetration over fragmentation if shot placement requires it.

Good eating though! Congrats.

SHM

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A sleeper in the big 7’s is the 150 Ballistic Tip. A few of my buddies use them from Mashburns at 3250 for elk, deer and antelope. If I was primarily hunting deer that would be the bullet I’d be running. It’s plenty tough enough and I guarantee it’ll open up plenty.

SJB358":2ysd3p7q said:

A sleeper in the big 7’s is the 150 Ballistic Tip. A few of my buddies use them from Mashburns at 3250 for elk, deer and antelope. If I was primarily hunting deer that would be the bullet I’d be running. It’s plenty tough enough and I guarantee it’ll open up plenty.

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I agree on the 150 Ballistic Tip, I have used them a lot in the past. The 140 Ballistic Tips is great as well for smallish South Texas whitetails.

Mark,

Congratulations on a very nice cull buck!
The 160 gr AB is an excellent bullet and opens up,
even in WT deer. I've used it with great success on my 280 AI.
JD338

I've taken three smallish Texas coastal bucks with a 7mm rem mag and the 160 AccuBond. The wounds caused were identical to the one shown in your pictures. Great load. And a great buck for a "cull". The 160 AccuBond rocks.

Nice job Mark! I've been thinking about testing the 160 AB in my 280 AI, and seeing this just confirms what I remember while using that bullet in my old 7mm-08.

What I noticed today at my LGS was the cost difference between the 160 AB @ $35.97/50 vs. the 168 LRAB @ $56.97/100 or $54.97/100 for the 150 LRAB. Seemed odd that the new bullet was so much less per bullet? I can't see myself needing the LRAB anyway since 1,800 fps should get me at least out to 700 yards, and I wouldn't even attempt a shot further on a game animal then that!?!

longrangehunter":1tw0vmqs said:

Nice job Mark! I've been thinking about testing the 160 AB in my 280 AI, and seeing this just confirms what I remember while using that bullet in my old 7mm-08.

What I noticed today at my LGS was the cost difference between the 160 AB @ $35.97/50 vs. the 168 LRAB @ $56.97/100 or $54.97/100 for the 150 LRAB. Seemed odd that the new bullet was so much less per bullet? I can't see myself needing the LRAB anyway since 1,800 fps should get me at least out to 700 yards, and I wouldn't even attempt a shot further on a game animal then that!?!

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Thanks for the compliments guys. I would love to hunt with the LRAB in the big 7, but few last workups with it was fussy to get it to shoot small, its why I switched to the 160 AB, and it was easier tweaking to get it to shoot small. Pushing it with Retumbo and CCI 250. The BC on the LRAB is amazing compared to the AccuBond.

You don’t need the LRAB... to kill critters at longer ranges. There are no flies on the standard 160 AccuBond, either in the air, or on fur.

I shot close to 100 of the 160 Accubonds out of my 7mm Rem Mag this fall. Working up loads, and shooting them out past 600, in order to prepare for a 4th Season Colorado Mule Deer tag I was very lucky to draw.

My experience shows that BC on the 160 AB to be about .550 in actual field testing... which is not shabby at all.... and quite frankly.... a 160 grain bullet, with a .55 BC, starting out at 3000 fps, is no joke.

When the time came, two of those 160s landed almost exactly where I wanted them to... on my biggest buck to date... at 547 yards.

I’ll take the all-around performance advantage of the 160 AccuBond, over any small “ballistic” advantage that the LRAB May offer.

I have a bunch of the 150 gr. ABLR's and so far I haven't been able to get anywhere decent groups with them. They've been tried in three 7x57 rifles and a .280 Remington and so far, nothing but patterns. These are first too and not blems.
Oh well, after I'm done with my elk hunt I'll sit down and do so serious work trying to make them and some 7MM TSX bullets to group well.
PB

PJGunner":31a172xn said:

I have a bunch of the 150 gr. ABLR's and so far I haven't been able to get anywhere decent groups with them. They've been tried in three 7x57 rifles and a .280 Remington and so far, nothing but patterns. These are first too and not blems.
Oh well, after I'm done with my elk hunt I'll sit down and do so serious work trying to make them and some 7MM TSX bullets to group well.
PB

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Since I heard that from just about everyone on here is why I just bought a box of the 7mm 160 AB's to test this weekend in my Jarrett 280 AI in RWS brass I FF last week. Speaking of which, every time I've FF brass in this gun the groups are lights out bug holes, with only a few fliers! I used 49.7 H4350 and those 162 ELD-X bullets to FF the RWS brass, anything less wasn't enough to fully FF the shoulder properly.

Songdog":1uxgvf8f said:

You don’t need the LRAB... to kill critters at longer ranges. There are no flies on the standard 160 AccuBond, either in the air, or on fur.

I shot close to 100 of the 160 Accubonds out of my 7mm Rem Mag this fall. Working up loads, and shooting them out past 600, in order to prepare for a 4th Season Colorado Mule Deer tag I was very lucky to draw.

My experience shows that BC on the 160 AB to be about .550 in actual field testing... which is not shabby at all.... and quite frankly.... a 160 grain bullet, with a .55 BC, starting out at 3000 fps, is no joke.

When the time came, two of those 160s landed almost exactly where I wanted them to... on my biggest buck to date... at 547 yards.

I’ll take the all-around performance advantage of the 160 AccuBond, over any small “ballistic” advantage that the LRAB May offer.

Click to expand...

Songdog, once I tried to work up a load once with the ABLR, went through about 40 rounds, still no small groups, so sold the rest to Scotty on this site, he loves the ABLR for his 280 AI. On my last buck and first one with the 160 AB, the 160 AB performed exactly the way I wanted, and I am sold on it. Muzzle velocity at 3,140 fps out of the 7 Mag is smoking and there is nothing that will make me go to another type of bullet. Not sure if my speed is too fast, but it doesn't show any signs of pressure. It's the best it will group at that speed.

It is really hard to beat the AccuBond for an all around load. Tough enough for close range but still can expand well way out there.

Songdog":1tx3rj4u said:

You don’t need the LRAB... to kill critters at longer ranges. There are no flies on the standard 160 AccuBond, either in the air, or on fur.

I shot close to 100 of the 160 Accubonds out of my 7mm Rem Mag this fall. Working up loads, and shooting them out past 600, in order to prepare for a 4th Season Colorado Mule Deer tag I was very lucky to draw.

My experience shows that BC on the 160 AB to be about .550 in actual field testing... which is not shabby at all.... and quite frankly.... a 160 grain bullet, with a .55 BC, starting out at 3000 fps, is no joke.

When the time came, two of those 160s landed almost exactly where I wanted them to... on my biggest buck to date... at 547 yards.

I’ll take the all-around performance advantage of the 160 AccuBond, over any small “ballistic” advantage that the LRAB May offer.

Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more. It has taken elk and deer with excellent results by a few of us here..

Nice buck.
That wouldn’t be considered a cull around here. As for the pills, they did what they’re supposed to do and they do it well.
Happy dining.

Vince


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Don't forget the 162 ELDX, I'm using Reloader 26 for right at 3100 fps. One buck, one shot, DRT. A big 6x6 bull, one shot, DRT. My brother killed a big cow elk, one shot DRT. No long shots this year but we typically shoot 450 to 550 yards.




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