168 grain Nosler J4 Comp. 308 good for shooting but not for hunting

[Desert Fox]

Finally got a chance to shoot long range with this bullet for my 308 Tactical this morning. Just as I suspected, this bullet is good only for paper punching and not much else. I thought I would be able to use them hunting but after recovering the remnant of the bullet in the dirt, there wasn't much to be desired (see picture below). Total jacket and core separation. The combined remaining weight of jacket and lead core was 130.5 grain. According to Exbal, the impact energy remaining at 737 yards, the distance at which I was shooting, was 862 ft/lbs.
The Exbal was right on target though as far as elevation is concerned. I was shooting at a rock, about a foot in diameter, at an elevation of 2602 ft. The temperature was at 59 degrees F and the pressure at 27.17" courtesy of my GPS. My first shot was about a foot low following the recomended standard pressure at altitude on the Exbal program , which was 26.89". I then corrected the pressure for my successive shot by inserting 27.17", the reading I was getting from my GPS, and fired three more times, hitting the rock twice. My average velocity is 2650 fps. I didn't have to tweaked the B.C on this bullet. It is right on the money also.

 

[YOTES2CALL]

Ever test the 168 Berger VLD like this ?

 

[Desert Fox]

I haven't tried Berger but the result would probably be the same. Both utilized the same jacket material.

 

[James Jones]

Theirs a huge differance between shooting game and dirt!!! if you fired an Accu-Bond in this test I sure that the result would not look to promising either.

More than likly any bullet that you shoot into the dirt thats not a bond core bullet is going to suffer core seperation.
Its true the Bergers and the Nosler Comps share the same J4 jacket material and I have seen the bergers kill with great results from 15yds out to 1000yds or deer sized game.

 

[strictlyRUM]

Nosler does not use J4 jackets any more. They started making their own as of allmost two years ago. It is infact a very thin copper stripping that they use to make the jacket much like J4. Very easy to make a good shooting bullet but very easy to separate the jacket from the core. I also have a few accubonds that I have shot into rocks and dirt at various ranges and they look much like one that would come from an animal. Very little weight loss. I have kept them not to prove how good an accubond is but just cause that is what I was shooting at the time of my first 500, 700, and 1000 yard hits. Kinda conversation peices in my box at work.

Jason

 

[Michael Eichele]

[ QUOTE ]
if you fired an Accu-Bond in this test I sure that the result would not look to promising either.


[/ QUOTE ]

Actualy, I have pulled 180 and 200 accubonds out of the sand backstops and they looked awesome! Even at 300 yards and 600 yards both.

 

[Desert Fox]

Thanks for the info Jason. Is that why Nosler doesn't have J-4 sticker in their new boxes of bullet that I just bought anymore? This particular bullet though came from my old boxes of bullet that I bought way back that has a J-4 sticker on them.

 

[strictlyRUM]

That is exactly why.

Jason