Stinky,

My buddy shot an elk with his two weeks ago. It was a 225gr Accubond out of a .338 Ultra Mag. The first bullet was recovered in the ON shoulder it weighed 131grs and pentrated about 10 inches. (Frontal quatering shot.)

The second bullet exited on a high gut shot just below the spine.That one killed the elk the first shot didn't make it to the vitals.

The elk was at 206 yards the MV was around 3100fps.

I was not at all impressed with that bullet. Of course my pal likes them thunder zappin eargasplitin lighting clapper rounds so he was probably pushing the bullet beyond it's designed impact velocity.

There was discusion sbout these bullets on the african hunting site. Many reported simular experinces out of normal .338's and the like.

I know nosler makes an accubond, but am unaware of a winchester accubond. That bullet perfomance worries me.

I'll have to disagree with all the nay-sayers on the AB. They were fantastic in my 375 H&H. My performance testing and game killing in Namibia proved them to be excellent performers for me.

impala - both shoulders/exit
kudu - both shoulders/exit
warthog - both shoulders/exit
gemsbok - both shoulders/exit
blesbok - shoulder and neck/exit
blue WB - shoulder/recovered 76%
- rear spine forward/recovered 74%
warthog - quartering forward/shoulder/exit
springbok - both shoulders/exit
zebra - shoulder quartering towards/lost in guts
hartebeest - both shoulders/exit

Can't ask for better than that. Double caliber expansion and exit wounds for good blood trails (when needed). Most went down in their tracks.

Surestrike, are you sure you havent confused the Accubond with the ballistic tip? Section one of each and a gameking and compare them and then tell us which one is going to come apart easier. Also take into account that the accubond core is actually bonded to the jacket and not just pressed against it like the gameking and ballistic tip are.

As usual we are discussing bullets, and observed performance, and get totally conflicting results. But observed impact velocity may have differed totally, and with it observed results.

On my last hunt in Africa, a 1st time African hunter did well with his .300 Win Mag with factory 190 grs. Hornady Boat Tails. Being the "perfect diplomat" I am , one evening I questioned the suitability of his bullet caliber combination, to the understandable chagrin of our 1st timer. As he pointed out, these bullets were accurate enough to split hair at 100 yds, to which I replied: what a lot of good that would do if he was going to loose a wounded animal due to a blown-up bullet. Fast forward 2 days. Our 1st time African hunter returned to camp after having been lucky enough to sneak up on a Kudu that he had wounded with his first shot, and that had subsequently run off. All was fine, he had his Kudu, and the first bullet was found with a perfect jacket-core separation just under the skin on the ENTRY side. A bad bruise with just a bit of bleeding was all that bullet had caused. As it turned out, that was his closest shot until now, and the bullet that had worked fine until now, no longer could stand the impact velocity.

If you want to use a super-duper high velocity cartridge for its caliber (the .338 RUM probably qualifies), use a bullet that will handle the impact velocity at any distance - a Barnes TSX or a Failsafe, say. Don't choose your bullet solely based on what shoots the best. If, on the other hand, you are happy to shoot a middle-of-the-road cartridge (velocity wise - a .30-06 or a .375 H&H spring to mind), you'll be fine with the Accubond.

- mike

Read it in a magazine...I believe everything I read...don't you?

On a serious note though, I have had other hunters show me their pictures, and the few bullets that were recovered.

As far as shooting GameKings, well, I don't know if you are aware, but I'm "the bad guy" when it comes to those. I've had better accuracy from a partition than a gameking. I have given GameKings a good faith try for years too. I'd love to save money, but they don't work for me.

Col. Craig Boddington used the 140 Accubond on an elk from a 270 WSM. The shot was 225 yards quartering away. The bullet passed all the way through the vitals and lodged on the offside shoulder. The elk went 10 yards and fell, never to move again.

I have 140 Accubonds loaded up in my 270 WCF over IMR 4831. After hearing over 14 elk success stories with this bullet in this caliber, I'll be happy to shoot an elk under 200 yards with it. Which may happen while I'm gone on this trip. Or my November trip.

Guys,

I was there and I saw this "AB" come apart with my own two eyes. I won't use them. I had a very simular experience with a Sirroco last year on a mule deer.

Got about 7 inches of penetration on a shoulder shot. It killed the deer alright but the bullet performance was not what I'd call great. Once again this was using a round with too much velocity for a polamer tipped bullet.

Stinky asked for real world experince and that's what I gave him. Sorry if I offened "your" bullet but the little white tipped sucker came completly uncorked. As did the one the guy used on a eland getting only about 4" penetration out of a .338WM. As reported in the African hunting thread last week.

I am not confusing them with anything. The incident I refered to with the elk was an Accubond 225gr .338 bullet. I loaded it for the guy!

Nosler makes the accubond. Winchester loads Nosler accubonds in some of its factory loads.

I started using Accubond bullets this year after continuous bullet failure with Sierra Gamekings. I shoot 200 gr bullets at a chronographed average of 2980fps. On the 6 or 8 elk I've shot with Gamekings over the past several years, every one shot at under 250-300 yds had no exit wound because the bullets were fragmenting. Yesterday I shot a cow through near and off-side ribs and off-side shoulder at 80 yds or so, with complete penetration. The exit hole was quarter size, and the carcass did not look like it was hit with a hand grenade. A sampling of one is not conclusive, but I plan to continue using them in my .300 Jarrett, and will use them in a .270 WSM just ordered.

I guess the secret with these accubonds is DON'T hit any bone. They come apart BAD. Of course if you are going to limit yourself to those type of shots why not just shoot Sierra game kings which perform about exactley the same and save yourself a whole bunch of money?



Doc were you with Craig and did you see the bullet or did you read about this in a magazine?

My friend used them last year in his 338 Win Mag and out of 5 elk and 3 deer shot and killed there was only one recovered bullet. It was a 225gr that weighted around 180 when it was recovered under the hide of the off shoulder of a big cow elk. He's using them again this year for elk.

Surestrike, I believe you! I tested the Accubond's in sand (an admittedly tough test, though useful for comparing premiums)... they flattened out like the proverbial pancake while the Partition's and even the Speer DeepShok's held a decent amount of shank and weight. I've heard several experiences like yours from l;ocal hunters here.

A bonded Nosler Partition with a plastic tip would be the ideal bullet IMO...

Jon,



I am less than 100% impressed with Nosler Partitions as well. I had one shed both front and rear lead on a hog out of a .308win. All I found was jacket material a total and complete core seperation front and rear. And that's not the first time I've seen that with NPT either. I am not however, anti-partition thay are a fine bullet and I've killed well over a hundred head of assorted game with them from Moose down to coyotes and springbok.



If you read the Accubond adds that Nosler is putting out they advertise deep pentration excellent weight retention. That is simply not true.



There are far stouter bullets out there for less or the same money. The Accubond is alot of marketing hype for about average bullet performance in my opinon.



(I'm now less fond of Accubond !

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(I don't know how to make this a link can anyone help me?)



This is the thread I'm refering to it is on page 7 of the African hunting board. In which you'll find real life observations that are right in line with mine. And of course those who totally pro Accubond as well. So it all comes down to what you want to use.



The Accubond is a great deer bullet. But it is not the best choice on larger game. There are far better tools for the job on 500LB + animals.