For the record, none of what follows infers any superiority over any other cartridge or bullet. I own a custom, short barreled 30-06, looking for a dependable, lighter bullet with slightly less recoil. Yes, the rifle should have been a .308 but I didn’t have that foresight at 18 years old – back in the 1960’s. In my spare time I’ve been looking at this bullet and thinking.

1. Here in the South, a .30 cal 125 gr Accubond should be about perfect for deer and hogs – a bullet with a reputation for reliability. It could very well be great for WT deer anywhere? Possibly as a starter cartridge / load for women and youngsters?

2. With a BC of only .366, it will fall short of the ideal long range bullet. But, started at 2,800 fps MV and a 3” high POI at 100 yards, it will land a bit over 12” low at 400 yards. That’s 400, not 300. With the 3” high setting @ 100, at 200 it’s 4” high and dead on at 300 yards. This from “starting” loads in the .308. That’s a very respectable and useful trajectory – with a lighter and dependable bullet – with less recoil than the more common 150 gr and up 30 caliber bullets.

3. There’s almost 1,250 ft lbs of energy left at 300 yards with a MV of 2,800 fps.

4. MV’s in the .308 start at about 2,700 fps and begin to go all the way up to and over 3,500 fps when you step into the .30 cal magnums. Even the ’06 will push this bullet to 3,400 fps, flattening a very usable trajectory significantly. Speeds the Accubond can reportedly handle.

5. No, I don’t see this bullet replacing the 165 gr and up. They all have their rightful place and good uses – albeit with more recoil – and energy too. But the 125 Accubond is tougher than the 125 BT and has the same flight characteristics – and likely the accuracy as well. I’ll know shortly. So, IMHO, out to 300 yards, we (hopefully) now have a reasonably fast, lightweight, reliable hunting bullet in 30 caliber. You could say, generally speaking, this bullet will do for us in our .308’s and ‘06’s what the 120 gr to 140 gr bullets do in the 7-08 and the 3 standard 6.5’s – out to 300 yards at least. That won’t diminish the advantages of those other 4 cartridges in any way, but, IMO, it should expand the versatility and usefulness of the .308 and ’06.

Loading is underway and I hope to confirm some of this over the next few weeks.

Cheers everyone!

I shot more then a few deer with 125gr Serria's way back they would kill them DRT. The lungs and heart were just mush.

I used a max load of IMR4064 in my 06 I went to 180's now in most of my 30cals. I wouldn't want to take hard angle shots with them.

Point taken P dog.

Every bullet out here has its shortcomings.

I've killed hogs, deer, and pronghorn with 125 grain Ballistic Tips out of my 13" .30-30 AI and they've performed marvelously. The bit extra velocity you get out of ought-six should make the Interbonds quite deadly.

We have used the 125 B-tips and Sierras for many years with many 06s on some pretty big deer and have had nothing but quick kills from just about every angle. These are mostly 22" barrels with starting velocities around 3K with the long shots being around 200 yards, but most shots from 30 to 80 yards. I would think the Accubonds would be just as effective. we have also been using the 130 TSX from the 06 and 300 Wby with fantastic results from 10 to 350 yards.

The 125 AB is great. I have been using the 110 grain TTSX in the 30-06 for the past year. I used it on culling trips and had nothing but one shot DRT kills from all angles and all pass thru shots. Loaded to 3500 fps in my 24" Pacnor barrel, it is a devastating load.

You will get a high percentage of quick kills with lightly constructed fast bullets as a rule, but sometimes you don't get that expected quick kill and if they run and bleed internally and many have been loss for a lack of blood on the ground..I've Seen that happen on more than a few times..

Im personally feel more comfortable with a 150 gr. Rem Corelokt, Sierra, Hornady, and I get exit holes and great blood trails if they run..I get a majority of instant kills with these heavy cup and core bullets and Im satisfied with the 150 gr. Nosler partition, its worked for me for many years for elk and deer on the same hunt....

One should never expect instant kills, just be glad when you do get them..Feel confident if you see a lot of blood on the ground that you know will end up with a recovered animal.

Another point to consider IMO is high velocity light bullets destroy a lot of good meat, and in many cases we see one side of a deer totally blood shot..not good IMO...

While I agree with lightly constructed fast cup and core bullets being explosive and causing excess damage to meat, I don't think the 110 TTSX falls in that category. I believe I read about a fellow or fellows using the 80 grain TTSX at just under 4000 fps in a 257 Weatherby. What I think happens in a case like that is the TTSX strikes, releases a tremendous amount of energy probably 1-1 and a half inches inside, sheds some or all of the petals and keeps going. You have a huge release of energy and full penetration. All you could ask for.

It is my opinion, and my opinion only, that the light for caliber TTSX, traveling at very fast speeds, gives tremendous shock and penetration.

I guide whitetail hunts in Texas and every fall I see the performance of every different bullet type. Every year, I get hunters that have been shooting the same box of Corelokts for the past 10 years. I also get hunters that are reloading fanatics and have their own special recipe. By far, I have had fewer lost animals with the cup/core bullets than bonded or slow moving copper bullets. The 150-180 grain TTSX have been the worst performing bullets in standard velocities. They tend to not open up on small whitetails and punch small holes. Usually find the deer, but after long tracking with little or no blood trail.

I spent last fall experimenting with bullets. I went to Africa on a culling trip for a concession and shot 55 animals. I took A-frames, Gamekings, Ballistic Tips, Bergers, and SST ammo for my 30-06. I also cull whitetails for a couple of the ranches and used Amax, SST and Speer bullets.

After studying the results, I tried a light weight TTSX at 3500 fps. Ranging from smaller doe to mature/heavy bucks, I had complete pass thru shots and with a lot of internal hemorrhaging. There appeared to be massive hydrostatic and hydraulic shock.

This is for whitetail deer only and I have not tried it on larger game. I will be culling some elk this fall for a rancher and will see if the penetration continues. I do believe it would work very well on impala and other smaller plains game.

Back when, when I was shooting competitively, my 200 yard SF and RF load in my .308 bolt gun was a 130 grain Hornady spire point. One of the major supply houses had offered the bullets as factory seconds and I had bought several thousand. The only problem I could see with them was discoloration, but I suppose that was enough to make them "seconds". For accuracy I was using a moderate load of Vihtavouri N133 in a Winchester case with a Remington 9 1/2 primer.

One day I decided to take out my Winchester Model 100 in .308 and decided to try my target load on deer. Shortly after sun rise I was sitting about fifty feet back from the edge of a harvested soybean field which the deer had destroyed. A six point buck walked across in front of me so close to where I was sitting on a wind felled log that I was afraid to raise my rifle for fear of spooking him. He walked on past and then paused to graze a bit.

Seeing my chance, I got off a quick shot and was amazed to see the buck rear up on his hind legs and charge off across the field to another patch of woods about 75 yards away.

I waited a while and then walked over to where I had seen him disappear. He had made it about 25 yards into the woods before collapsing. On closer examination, it became obvious that the bullet had broken both shoulders and the front legs were simply dangling. How he made it that far on two legs I have no idea.

I concluded that the Hornady 130 grain spire point was effective on deer.

This comparison is as old as the 270 vs. the 30-06..Relms have been written on it..

IMO a 150 gr. Sierra, Corelokt, at a slow 2500 FPS is effective on any animal to 200 lbs or a bit more at ranges up to 250 yards or a bit more perhaps..I have use this bullet on Kudu, Springbok, culls, and shot many Texas Whitetails with it..mostly drt or short runs with a few 100 yard runs, and meat destruction was minimal...I can shoot this bullet at 3000 FPS in a .308 or more in a 30-06. and get quicker kills but at the expense of meat destruction and blood shot carcasses. To each his own and light fast bullets do get quick kills most of the time, but again sometimes animals run without blood trails and that can end up in a lost animal..Its an individual choice, and both work pretty well most of the time. Contrary to some, I got lots of blood shot meat with the 110 and 120 gr. monolithics and the faster I drove them the more destructive they were..My 250 Sav. mod 99 with the old 75 gr. Barnes or GS Customs 85 gr. HP monolithic bullets are deadly on deer size animals but again they are destructive..To each his own and if a bullet effect satisfies you then by all means use it..

I have shot enough Whitetail and Mule deer with the 222 and 22-250 as have my kids and grandkids to know the 125 gr. Accubond would be excellent for starter hunters backed up by pop. but again meat destruction with the 22s is lots of bloodshot meat, and Ive killed my fair share of trophies so I mostly a subsistence hunter these days and blood shot meat isn't to my liking.