opinions on accubond bullets...

[4570]

I am a 1 gun guy for big game hunting. Use a 30 06.
I have always used federal premium ammo with 180 grain nosler partion bullets. Worked well in the past on deer and moose.

When I bought my tikka T3 in 30 06 I did not choose the federal ammo
Perhaps they were out of stock.
On advice of the gun shop guy, who is well respected, I bought a box of winchester supreme 180 g accubond.
1" to 1/4" groups. So I went out and bought 5 more boxes. Enough ammo for years since I do not shoot a 30 06 for fun.

My tikka T3 has taken 4 whitetail and 1 bull elk. No problems

I am asking for opinions since I do no see accubonds listed as favorite bullets on various threads here. Since most bullets are a compromise...
What are the accubonds good for and what are their weak points.

[BuckBuckBuck]

I dont have a pile of experience with the accubonds but i am shooting them in my .338 win mag, and .257 wby.
Its hard to ignore the high B.C.

I took a whitetail this fall with the .257, with a poor shot...hit him in the back quarter, he went through a fence and fell after 100 yards,
when i skinned out the animal i found major damage with a hole big enough to throw a cat through (on the entrance side) i guess thats why you hear them called Accubombs.

[harv3589]

Originally Posted by BuckBuckBuck

I dont have a pile of experience with the accubonds but i am shooting them in my .338 win mag, and .257 wby.
Its hard to ignore the high B.C.

I took a whitetail this fall with the .257, with a poor shot...hit him in the back quarter, he went through a fence and fell after 100 yards,
when i skinned out the animal i found major damage with a hole big enough to throw a cat through (on the entrance side) i guess thats why you hear them called Accubombs.

My hunting partner had the same experience with his accubonds this year as well...needless to say the rest he has will only being seeing coyotes. He is going back to the partition.....from what I have seen the accubonds are crappy, high BC or not. The deer he shot in Sask was so badly damaged that he was going to loose alot of meat from it.

[Buckhead]

The good points of the Accubond is that they tend to be quite accurate in a lot of rifles and shoot flat. IMO they are a pretty good long range bullet (300 yards and beyond) as I like they way they perform at lower velocities (not as violent expansion).

At closer ranges and higher velocities there is going to be a lot of bloodshot meat. Based on my shooting experience they are similar to the partition in that the base holds together for good penetration. The bullet tip seems to expand a bit quicker and more violently than a partition.

If you just want the animal on the ground and don't care so much if there is some meat damage or large or multiple exit holes - they work fine.

If you are more of a finesse shooter, than they are probably not for you.

[Dick284]

Reports on Accubond performance are all over the place.
The poor reports seem to come from their use in rifles which produce impact velocities in excess of 2700fps.
Good reports seem to come from rifles where impact velocities are less than 2700fps.

This much I know for sure.

Polycarbonite tipped bullets regardless of design features create larger than often expected entrance wounds, this is caused by the near instantanious upset of the bullet upon contact with the animal.
This is not necessarily a bad thing but often to the ill informed who are used to different results it immediatly sparks calls of bullet failure.
I see it as a possable positive because if the bullet fails to exit your almost guarenteed to get a decent blood trail.
And lets face it if the bullet goes into the heart lung region the meat loss is minimal.

If however you are an ardent shoulder shooter perhaps the Accubond is a big no go.

Seeing as your using a 30'06, and expected impact velocities are definatly below the 2700fps window, I think your golden with the bullet choice.

[Buckhead]

4570

I agree with Dick for the most part - although based on what I have seen I would lower the impact threshold to about 2500 fps for good performance from these bullets.

The last lot of the Winchester Supreme 180 grain Accubond ammo in 30-06 that I chronyed was running at an average of 2802 fps at 15 feet from the muzzle (22" barrel) so you may not like the performance at closer ranges.

[Homesteader]

Originally Posted by Dick284

I see it as a possable positive because if the bullet fails to exit your almost guarenteed to get a decent blood trail.

That's weird, my experience has been the exact opposite, go figure.

That said I think your accubonds are more than enough for the 06, heck I mostly use Hornady Interlocks in mine. The biggest problem I have had with the accubonds is overall length can be too much for your mag.

Homesteader

[TangoKilo]

In my experiance, the accubond is quite a robust bullet. I have used it in the 308 and 270 with great sucess. I have never experiances any issues with excess meat damage when using this bullet. The one and only accubond that I have recovered performed flawlessly!

Shoot the accubond with confidence. The biggest thing is still to hit em right!

[Huntnut]

I've shot a moose with a 225gr 338 accubond at 75yds a couple of deer with a 7mm rum and 140 accubond at 75 and 225 yds and a couple of weeks ago an elk with a 300rum and a 200gr accubond at 50yds. Both rums are over 3100fps and with the exception of the deer at 75 yds there was no more meat damage then ones shot with a partition from what I've seen. These were all lung shots. Shoulder shots may produce differant results.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by Homesteader

That's weird, my experience has been the exact opposite, go figure.

That said I think your accubonds are more than enough for the 06, heck I mostly use Hornady Interlocks in mine. The biggest problem I have had with the accubonds is overall length can be too much for your mag.

Homesteader

Opposite my experience as well. Have always found two holes bleed more than one.

[LongDraw]

Really with any "premium" hunting bullet out of a 30-06 in the 180 weight range to say one is heads above the rest is a moot point. Hit'em in the boilermaker and they die. There is nothing scientific about one persons report compared to anothers. A poor shot with any bullet is still a poor shot.

[Jeromeo]

overpriced. I use the Nosler Ballistic tips. They work great.

[Mad_Mikee]

I was just going to make a comment about the new Nosler hunting ballistic tips. I'm just in the middle of building and testing new loads for my 30-06.

I use accubonds in other non-hunting guns but was hoping that the 30 cal (168gr.) hunting ballistic tips would be the ticket. Cheap to shoot, hopefully accurate and flat shooting.

h ttp://www.nosler.com/?p=3

[Mad_Mikee]

as a side note...has anyone heard a reccomendation for the starting distance off of the lans when building loads?

I know my Barnes TSX's reccomended at .03-.07 off the lans as a start.

I dont need a magic answer, but a starting point would be ideal.

[North of 53]

I have used accubonds in my 300 RUM for a few years now. they shoot very well on the range and in the field. I have shoot close to a 1000 of them. They shoot better in my gun than the balistic tips. I killed two deer with them this fall and was very pleased with the results. One deer was a big doe at just under 600 yards and the other was a nice buck at 350 yards both deer went down right where they where shot. As to how much meat they spoil,,, well don't shoot them in the parts you want to eat. There is lots of room to shoot in the neck and lungs you just have to hit them there.
I would always trade accuracy for most other features of a bullet but with the accubond I never felt I was giving up anything. They do cost more but I really don't care that much about a few cents more for a better bullet. I am shooting about 50cents worth of barrel life every shot so I like to make them count when I am on the range or in the field.

[Dick284]

Homesteader and Chuck.
Of course 2 holes bleed better than one.
In the event that you only had the entrance wound ie. no bullet exit, a larger and more open entrance wound would bleed better than a smaller less disturbed entrance wound.

Sorry if this point was somehow not clear enough in my original post.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Dick284

Homesteader and Chuck.
Of course 2 holes bleed better than one.
In the event that you only had the entrance wound ie. no bullet exit, a larger and more open entrance wound would bleed better than a smaller less disturbed entrance wound.

Sorry if this point was somehow not clear enough in my original post.

Didn't you have one fail to exit at close range a few years back, Dick, or was that an interbond?
Cat

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by Dick284

Homesteader and Chuck.
Of course 2 holes bleed better than one.
In the event that you only had the entrance wound ie. no bullet exit, a larger and more open entrance wound would bleed better than a smaller less disturbed entrance wound.

Sorry if this point was somehow not clear enough in my original post.

Gotcha. I did scratch my head there for a minute.

[Dick284]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Didn't you have one fail to exit at close range a few years back, Dick, or was that an interbond?
Cat

Nope all close range encounters with AB's and IB's have exited.
Only using AB's in one rifle(270WSM) and it has only shot about 3 head of game, all but one were longer affairs, no recovered slugs.
The IB's are run in the 300WSM, and with something like 6 or 7 head of game to it's credit no recovered slugs either.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Dick284

Nope all close range encounters with AB's and IB's have exited.
Only using AB's in one rifle(270WSM) and it has only shot about 3 head of game, all but one were longer affairs, no recovered slugs.
The IB's are run in the 300WSM, and with something like 6 or 7 head of game to it's credit no recovered slugs either.

Crap, I remember it on shortmags.org, but maybe it was huntnut or painted horse?
I hate it when I can't remember stuff!
Cat

[Huntnut]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Crap, I remember it on shortmags.org, but maybe it was huntnut or painted horse?
I hate it when I can't remember stuff!
Cat

Nope wasn't me. Mine have all been through and throughs. i do have some that I have recovered after shooting them into a 24" aspen-if I get a chance I will post the pictures.

[Mintaka]

.

[ram crazy]

Originally Posted by BuckBuckBuck

I dont have a pile of experience with the accubonds but i am shooting them in my .338 win mag, and .257 wby.
Its hard to ignore the high B.C.

I took a whitetail this fall with the .257, with a poor shot...hit him in the back quarter, he went through a fence and fell after 100 yards,
when i skinned out the animal i found major damage with a hole big enough to throw a cat through (on the entrance side) i guess thats why you hear them called Accubombs.

Thats what you want, because its hard to sew holes up in the animal when its running through the forest. I just started using them in my 270 titanium and will keep using them. All the animals that I hit this year didn't go any where after they were hit.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by Mintaka

I don't buy it... I mean I've bought some and used them but the little plastic tippy thing don't make sense.
I've heard say that the tip will increase BC but I've also shot lead tipped bullets that were hammered blunt and still seemed to hit the same spot. Besides after getting blasted out of a barrel of fire and traveling 3000fps what is going to be left of the plastic tip.
I like the bullets with red and yellow tips but had to settle with the ones with the white tips, if they came out with a camo colored tip, that would be cool.
It's bonded, I think that's what matters.

The advantage of the tip for me is it's aid in the initiation of expansion. For years I shot most of my game with ballistic tips and occasionally recovered one in the animal. That tip makes it to the target and the ones I recovered indicated that they where pretty tough.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Huntnut

Nope wasn't me. Mine have all been through and throughs. i do have some that I have recovered after shooting them into a 24" aspen-if I get a chance I will post the pictures.

Different huntnut!
This fella was from shortmags.org and lived stateside.
IIRC, the shot was VERY close, and although the bullet expanded tremendously, it didn't penetrate very much at all.
Cat

[Huntnut]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Different huntnut!
This fella was from shortmags.org and lived stateside.
IIRC, the shot was VERY close, and although the bullet expanded tremendously, it didn't penetrate very much at all.
Cat

And here I thought I was an original.

[Donny Bear]

I shoot them in 300 wsm 165 gr and 25-06 110 gr love them no issues with performance have yet to recover a bullet. Very accurate and heavier jacket than the ballistics tip make for a good all around bullet IMO

[jaybull]

180gr accubonds, Took two deer with 30.06 from 100 to 130 yards this year. Both dropped on spot. Meat damage was minamal cuz i don't eat the lungs or heart. Couple ribs got it bad though. All pass through. I'm hooked on them.

[sirmike68]

Shot my first animal this year with a 180 gr Accubond at about 75 yards. I hit the deer with a lung shot but the thing ran another 100 yards up a hill before it fell down.. This was with a 300 RUM. Entry whole was massive and it jellied the flank steaks on the whole front 1/4. After seeing the damage I could not believe this deer ran as far as it did. I'm thinking this bullet is probably better for long distance shots. I will shoot a few more animals before I decide whether to stay with it or not.

[Dick284]

Originally Posted by sirmike68

Shot my first animal this year with a 180 gr Accubond at about 75 yards. I hit the deer with a lung shot but the thing ran another 100 yards up a hill before it fell down.. This was with a 300 RUM. Entry whole was massive and it jellied the flank steaks on the whole front 1/4. After seeing the damage I could not believe this deer ran as far as it did. I'm thinking this bullet is probably better for long distance shots. I will shoot a few more animals before I decide whether to stay with it or not.

You likely had a impact velocity somewhere around 3050 to 3100fps.

The bullet you used is also used in 308Win.
And your suprised to find that things did not go well in the terminal ballistics department.

A pretty tall order for any bullet with such a wide use envelope.

I would be looking to try loading something a whole lot better suited to impact velocities you will encounter. ie. Barnes, Swift or TBBC.

If you read my original post in this thread you'll understand where this is coming from.