# Anybody Using Nosler Accubonds??



## mayor

Just looking for any experience anybody has had with Nosler Accubonds. Is the accuracy any better or any worse compared to others? How is the expansion, or killing power? Ill be using them in my 25-06 on whitetails.
:sniper:


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## Savage260

mayor, I have not used them on game yet, but a few loads that I have worked up shoot just a bit less than 1" out of my Savage 110FP. 58.5gr RL19, 47gr H4350, and 50gr H4831sc. That is about as good as I can shoot, so I think they are pretty good in the accuracy dept in my opinion.


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## headshot

I have had bad exp. with the accu-bond in my 30 06. Bullets blowing up on impact on deer. I was loading less then max loads with the 150gr bullets.


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## Scooter

I shoot the 130gr AB in my 6.5-06AI and get less than 1/2in. groups using 53.0gr of RL22. To me accuracy is fine and as far as terminal performance I have not used them yet but I have seen my dad shoot 1 antelope and 1 whitetail with them out of his 25-06 and they worked just fine. Bullet in and 1 in. or so exit and the rest looked like a bang and a flop no bullets blowing up on impact. But it has been my experience that the Ballistic tips blow up all the time.


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## headshot

I talked to an older gentlemen that shoots the accu-bonds today. He shoots and reloads a lot, I refer to him as a ballistic super genius, 35 yrs as an armourer for the military. He says they can't be driven to the insane speeds that a lot of the wssm's and ultra mags are delivering. He says they are accurate no matter what but there is a fine line around 2800fps +/- depending on calibre where they fail miserably. Looking back on my load data if I used a heavier bullet and reduced the velocity a little I think could attain excellent accuracy and retain good terminal perfomance. Range accuracy is one thing but I need the confidence of a hard hitting bullet everytime. I have shot a lot of test media while developing loads and nothing really replicates flesh and bone. My ultimate test now is a sealed 5 gallon pail full of water at 300m. If there's a mushrooom cloud I'm satisfied. Accubonds broke the pail but nothing explosive like the partition. Let me know how it works out for you, hopefully next fall you'll have some pics and memories of what your handloads accomplished. :sniper:


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## MagnumManiac

mayor said:


> Just looking for any experience anybody has had with Nosler Accubonds. Is the accuracy any better or any worse compared to others? How is the expansion, or killing power? Ill be using them in my 25-06 on whitetails.
> :sniper:


I am using them in my 25-06,and all I can say is AWESOME.
I have used the Accubond on everything,from 'roos,Fallow deer,Red deer and Hog deer,which weigh about 70lbs,and they absolutely FLATTEN 'EM!
Accuracy wise,they are excellent,less than 1/4" @ 100yds!
I'm loading 'em with H4831sc,52grs,WLRM primers and Remington brass.I'm getting 3160fps with this load.
This load is near maximum,so I would work up from 49grs,and see how it performs in your gun.Another good performing powder is RE22.
*MagnumManiac*
:sniper:


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## MagnumManiac

headshot said:


> I have had bad exp. with the accu-bond in my 30 06. Bullets blowing up on impact on deer. I was loading less then max loads with the 150gr bullets.


The 180gr Accubonds never 'blow up',near or far.
I have used them out to 400yds in my 300WM,and they have never failed,at that range velocity has dropped off to only 2361fps.They don't get 'full' expansion,but they do expand.
I feel that any 150gr bullet in the 30-06 is too light for game bigger than 'yotes,they all tend to 'over expand' IMO.
*MagnumManiac*
:sniper:


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## headshot

> I feel that any 150gr bullet in the 30-06 is too light for game bigger than 'yotes,they all tend to 'over expand' IMO


I don't know if I would call what happened over expansion. More like a POS bonding process where the core and jacket seperated on impact leaving small wounds with very little penetration. Almost like shrapnel, hornady v-maxes retain more weight. IMO the energy of the round need to be released inside the body cavity of an animal. Hell I can survive a flesh wound but there is no walking away when your insides are liquified. From what I've seen some ppl love the accu-bonds while others hate them. Personally I think they are a glorified varmit bullet. No way would I take a chance on them for hunting here in canada, or anywhere else for that matter where there's a chance of getting killed by an animal if you don't kill it right away.

BTW: If you think 150gr bullets are too small for big game you should come see the pile of deer I have taken with 85gr bullets. I use 180's for moose, 130-150's for elk,mulies and black bears, 85-100's for WT deer and smaller animals and my favourite is the hard hitting 300gr cast bullets for my 45-70.


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## Mudder32

I loaded some 130 gr accubonds for my 270 this year and they worked great. Shot 2 deer with them, they each had about a 1" exit wound. Compared to the Fusions I used to shoot from the factory they were more accurate but did less damage.


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## Plainsman

Headshot I think you need to take some notes of bullet performance and I'll bet you come up with a different conclusion. You say in the first post that the Accubond blew up. Then you say the Nosler Partition blew up a 5 gallon bucket of water at 300m and the Accubond didn't . This is where you need notes. Check again and see if this isn't true, it is for every other bullet. If it passed through the 5 gallon jug with less expansion than the Partition then it's not blowing as bad as you think in game. Also, if you don't like bullets that blow up why in the world are you shooting varmint weight bullets for deer. 
I have some 165 gr Accubond that I will try this spring. I am expecting good things from them, because I am blowing holes all the way through deer with 165 gr Ballistic Tips doing 3350 fps. I have had good luck with Swift Scirocco, but the Accubond are cheaper so I hope they perform comparably.


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## Wyomingpredator

accuracy they are great, I think they tend to "over expand" if you will. I use them in a 7mm mag and a 300 win mag 160 gr and 165 gr. both guns are loaded under max and they "blow" blow up more than I would like. I am switching over to barnes after seeing the performance I saw last year.


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## Wyomingpredator

accuracy they are great, I think they tend to "over expand" if you will. I use them in a 7mm mag and a 300 win mag 160 gr and 165 gr. both guns are loaded under max and they "blow" blow up more than I would like. I am switching over to barnes after seeing the performance I saw last year.


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## headshot

> why in the world are you shooting varmint weight bullets for deer.


The barnes TSX 85gr in 6mm is not a varmint bullet. When I say the partition blew the jug up it put a 6mm hole on one side and a 1/2 inch hole on the backside. Blew the lid to little pieces and emptied over half the water in the mushroom cloud. No projectile to be found. Nosler accu-bond from a heavier gun(30-06) same range different pail. 3/4 inch entrance hole and minimal water loss. No fragment in the pail was over 10 grains. Only recovered 45% of the bullet. Maybe the batch of bullets I had were crap, but I hear lots of stories of "premature" expansion with the accu-bonds. I have played around with a lot of different bullets and the only thing they have in common is each manufacturer claims their product is the best. I am a big fan of the partition and I always will be. It's a design that hasn't changed in a long time because you can't fix what isn't broken.


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## Plainsman

> The barnes TSX 85gr in 6mm is not a varmint bullet.


Oh, I see, I got lost with the 25 and 30 caliber stuff. Your absolutely right, the TSX changes everything. I have seen 110 gr X bullets used with the 300 Winchester Mag. The guy had shoulder surgery so loaded them to get away from recoil for that season. They did a heck of a job on a nice buck at 200 yards.


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## MagnumManiac

Wyomingpredator said:


> accuracy they are great, I think they tend to "over expand" if you will. I use them in a 7mm mag and a 300 win mag 160 gr and 165 gr. both guns are loaded under max and they "blow" blow up more than I would like. I am switching over to barnes after seeing the performance I saw last year.


I'll let you all in on a little SECRET!
The 150 gr and 165gr Accubonds were designed for the 308 and 30-06 cartridges!
The 180gr and 200gr Accubonds were designed for the MAGNUMS!
If you persist on using 'light' for calibre bullets,you are going to FAIL!
It seems to me that all of you 'read' what velocity you can get with 'LIGHT' bullets,and don't look at the fact that heavier bullets start out slower but catch up and even surpass the lighter bullets at extended ranges!
Of course they 'OVEREXPAND' they are too light and fast to do the job you are asking of them!
FORGET the Barnes,step up in bullet weight and see how they perform on game,YOU WILL BE SURPRISED!The Barnes won't be as accurate either!
Lighter Partitions do exactly the same,but everyone uses 'HEAVY' Partitions,because that is considered what you DO.Use HEAVY Partitions on HEAVY GAME,you here it everywhere!
Why are the Accubonds any DIFFERENT!
*MagnumManiac*
:sniper:


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## cwoparson

That might explain why a 165 grain Accubond loaded just over 2600 fpe in a 30-06 has worked so well for my brother and the last two elk he has taken. Both one shot kills, bullet found pushing on the far side skin with good expansion and destructive wound channel. Personally I like for a bullet to pass completely through if possible so I'm sticking to the Partitions for the time being.


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## headshot

Magnum has it right. I know I was pushing the limits, I have sinced "eased off" in my reloading habits because of trial and error. I have found what works for me and I am confident in my reloads and the killing power of my rifle.


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