What are your thoughts on this? I am referring to Elk and Bear. Normally use Partition but I like the BC of the Accubonds. Thanks-karl

What are you shooting your bullets out of? JJHACK likes to say that under 3,000 fps it's hard to beat a bonded core bullet. Over 3,000 fps it might be time to move to a Partition or an A-Frame.

Jaywalker

I shoot an 8mm Magnum, .338 Magnum and .375H&H Magnum. Only the 8mm is above 3000fps. Thanks for the info.

How much penetration do you need? You can expect the Partition to go somewhat deeper then the Accubond.

465H&H

I have used the Accubonds in my 300WM (180gr)and 270WSM(140gr), and the fatherinlaw with his 7mmRemMag(160gr). All the ammo has been theWinchester Supreme Accubonds. I have reloads for my 270WSM with Accubonds and used them this season. All I can say is UNBELIEVABLE PERFORMANCE! Shooting Elk, moose, bear, WT and Mulies...all 1 shot kills. Small entrance , HUGE EXIT wound. I was shooting Partition Golds with my 300WM up to the 2004 season. When I got my new T3 LS 270WSM, I tried the Accubonds. In 2004, I shot a NT mulie @ 45m quartering away with my 300WM & 180gr. Accubonds. Bullet entered behind the left front leg, and I found the bullet in the RF Shoulder. Its retained weight was 150gr (83.3%). I then later that day shot my 8x7 WT at 554m, with a complete pass-thru. Double lung, smashing ribs.

I was not comfortable shooting elk with the 270WSM w/ 140gr. but after the past 2 season and seeing the performance of this bullet/caliber, I'm very content. I still prefer my 300WM but I didt mind packing the 270WSM and dropped my cow elk this year on the last day, after being with my wife when she shot her elk in 2004 year with the 270WSM @ 200yrds and her first mulie buck (160BC) @ 400m. My fatherinlaw this year used the 270WSM on his cow elk also...likes this rifle better than his 7mm.

I sold on them for now. I will be trying the new Winchester Supreme XP3 bullets when they are available in the spring.

My 2 bits is use the Accubonds, but you may want to try the new XP3 bullets. Suppose to be a combination of the accubond and the failsafe, or the new Barnse MRX. TSX bullet with a plastic tip.

Two great bullets to choose from, so that makes it easy.

Whichever one shoots the best for you!!

I would give consideration to the velocity of the bullets when they impact the animal at a given distance. Not at the muzzle. The Partitions have softer noses and will give expansion at longer ranges. The Accubond is a fairly tough bullet. Both should do well for the animals you suggest.

I find the NAB penetrates a bit less & expands a bit more, at least in close. BC is really over rated for most hunting situations. Out to 400yds there is little diff. between a NAB or NP of same weight & caliber.

Both work when placed into the boiler room!

quote:

Originally posted by Fish30114:
Two great bullets to choose from, so that makes it easy.

Whichever one shoots the best for you!!

exactly.....flip a coin......or get some A-Frames...

I have less faith in the AB when hitting bone.

I'd expect better penetration from the Partition, but wider and shallower wound channel from the AB, and I'd allocate bullet to game accordingly...

My 300 RUM got a nice 6x6 this fall @ 167 yards. Used a 200 Gr. Accubond. I put it through both lungs and it lodged on the offside shoulder.I love Nosler, but count me as one who was not impressed with what happened. I recovered the bullet and it weighed about half of what it started out at. I weighed it and it was something like 106.9 grains or thereabouts. There was a good bit of lead wiped off the mushroom, which was not supposed to happen. I will go back to Partitions or Bearclaws, both which performed fantastic.
Yeah, he died, right there, but.....the bulls I got with the partitions and bearclaws were "deader". (The results were measureably better in my humble opinion). I think the accubonds will be my ultimate deer bullet though....like a bomb on our whitetails.

Well, Accubond is not the only bonded core bullet, and may not be the best of its breed. Swift's Sirocco and Hornady's Interbond are also available. Both seem to retain more weight after hitting bone than the Accubond.

As for capability on bone, JJHACK's 165g Intebond from his 30-06 punched through the spine of a bison recently and lodged under the far-side skin. I suspect there isn't more bone to hit in North America, so that seems plenty tough for my purposes.

Still, when you're shooting a big, heavy critter (African plains game, maybe) the A-Frame sounds like the ticket, even under 3,000 fps velocity. Smaller game needing quicker expansion even above the 3,000 fps might still benefit from the bonded core. It's just shades of answers here - there's no real right or wrong with either.

Jaywalker

2004 I shot an enormous Bull Elk at 180 yards with a 30/06 shooting 180 grain Nosler Accubonds going about 2800 FPS. He was broadside to me and only offered a high shoulder shot so I took it. He dropped "bang-flop" as they say. Put a finishing shot on him when I walked up to him. Bullet was found under the hide on the far side and weighed 114 grains when recovered. Bullet had penetrated full width of a large bull and nearly exited after passing through shoulder blades and causing trauma to the spine. Worked fine I guess, I was expecting an exit though. If you need more penetration than that go to a Barnes instead of Partition.
Dave

in my experiance, bonded core and balistic tip bulletts work the best in 30 caliber an smaller non magnums. magnums tend to push the bonded and balistic tips too fast and you do loose alot of the bullett.

in the 3 calibers you shoot and for beer and elk, id definatly stay with a partition gold or regular partition especially in a 338 or 375 there very close to each other in ballistics

Quoting from NRA's American Rifleman from their May, 2004 issue:

"While other bulletmakers tout 90 percent weight retention from their bonded bullets, Nosler took a different approach. Its goal is deeper penetration, even at the sacrifice of weight retention. The problem with bonded bullets that are designed for high weight retention is that they quickly form a large frontal area that impedes penetration. Nosler designed its bullet to have about 60 to 70 percent weight retention. That obviously means that it will lose some weight. That's because it's designed to shed some of the expanded bullet material to keep the frontal area of the Accubond bullet a little smaller than some other bonded bullets. Accubond is designed for early expansion, but rather than tear completely apart as a Ballistic Tip often will, the Accubond's petals are designed to fold back tighter against the bullet shank. This makes a slightly smaller diameter mushroom to allow deeper penetration."

Hope this helps.

As Microsoft would say, "It's not a bug; it's a feature!"

Jaywalker

quote:

Originally posted by Doc:
I have less faith in the AB when hitting bone.

I agree. I also have less faith in the ACCUBONDS when hitting bone but on the flip side the A/B's can be accurate as hell.

Saw a piece on the outdoor channel today where they were at the Nosler plant looking at bullet manufactureing. While there they fired two 30cal 180gr bullets into balistic test medium. One was an acubond, the other a partition. When the camera showed the gell from the side it looked like there was less than 2 inches diference in penetration in the two with the partition in the lead.

I wish they made a .308 165 grain Accubond. It would be perfect for the 30-06.

I like them. I used them on whitetails. 140 from a 280AI at over 3000fps. They fly better than partitions IMO (more accurate) and work better than Ballistic tips, I used them in evrything for 5-6years. I shot a large doe this year north to south. right front shoulder was red jello destroyed the bone (spelled gone into dust) that attached the front leg with the shoulder blade. Exit under the hip above the far ham. Fist size hole in the rib cage. Exit was the size of a 50 cent piece. All the interanls were turned red goo. So far they work as advertised. I might go with a tougher bullet for bigger stuff, Barnes or Bearclaws, from that rifle. I think they are a fine deer bullet.

quote:

Originally posted by Leo L.:
I wish they made a .308 165 grain Accubond. It would be perfect for the 30-06.

I agree. Of late, there was a post here on AR claiming the .308 cal 165 grs AB would be added to the lineup. Thus far, I have not seen it listed on the Nosler website, though.
- mike

Correction to above post. I used B-tips in everything for 5-6years. I changed to Accubonds last year.