25 cal 110 Accubond performance

[sierracharlie338]

So I am new to the Accubond camp after years of shooting other projectiles and have worked up a great load with the 110s. Its running at what I feel is a respectable 2950 at the muzzle. I have shot two deer with it in the past two months and have had zero blood trails. Now, I'm not complaining because both ran less than 60 yards and were recovered. The first deer I didn't skin but when I asked the guys cleaning it to locate the bullet they couldn't find it. The second one I cleaned and at first glance thought the bullet would be in the opposite shoulder due to no blood being visible or a hole for that matter. Well as I skinned it, I found about a 1/4 inch hole through the skin where it exited.

Is this common performance for the Accubonds? They were clearly dumping a good amount of energy into the chest cavity but then exiting with what seems to be very little expansion due to the small exit.

Shots were at about 60 and 110-120 yards. Wasn't able to get pics unfortunately.

 

[Raudy707]

Nope, that's not at all how they typically work. I've shot over 50 deer with Accubonds and they have passed thru I'm guessing 90% of the time. I have a few recovered large mushroom typically retaining 70% of their total weight. Exit wounds are golf ball size and I've had good blood trails. One thing about .257 cal I have noticed is they're very tough bullet. For deer I've switched to the 115 Ballistic tip and had great results. The 110 does actually do well on bones and I've taken a few elk with them from my 25-06. Good luck. My family does shoot four 25-06 rifles and 257 Roberts and one 257 AI. Great little deer rifles.

 

[sierracharlie338]

Nope, that's not at all how they typically work. I've shot over 50 deer with Accubonds and they have passed thru I'm guessing 90% of the time. I have a few recovered large mushroom typically retaining 70% of their total weight. Exit wounds are golf ball size and I've had good blood trails. One thing about .257 cal I have noticed is they're very tough bullet. For deer I've switched to the 115 Ballistic tip and had great results. The 110 does actually do well bones and I've taken a few elk with them from my 25-06. Good luck. My family does shoot four 25-06 rifles and 257 Roberts and one 257 AI. Great little deer rifles.

On the deer that I cleaned the shoulder was absolutely destroyed which is why I found the exit so peculiar.
Is the bullet not moving fast enough at that range or too fast?

This is out of a 257AI

 

[elkaholic]

On the deer that I cleaned the shoulder was absolutely destroyed which is why I found the exit so peculiar.
Is the bullet not moving fast enough at that range or too fast?

This is out of a 257AI

I suspect the velocity and bone at close range caused the front of the bullet to come unglued and the small exit hole was the shank.

 

[sierracharlie338]

I suspect the velocity and bone at close range caused the front of the bullet to come unglued and the small exit hole was the shank.

I would have never thought of that. I can see that as a possible explanation for sure.

 

[Hunterjones]

My experience with them has been tremendous expansion and great blood trails. I generally push them much faster than 2950. In shoot 110's in a 257 WBY at 3450 FPS

 

[Hunterjones]

I have shot 30 cal 180 & 200 grain Accubonds at 3200-3400 with super expansion as well even on 150 LB whitetails

 

[sierracharlie338]

I have shot 30 cal 180 & 200 grain Accubonds at 3200-3400 with super expansion as well even on 150 LB whitetails

I'm not hitting any pressure signs so I may try to extend the ladder test and see what velocity it yields. Thanks for the input

 

[MagnumManiac]

My experience shooting countless deer is that the mushroom isn't large and the jacket that peels back stays close to the shank in 90% of the time.
I shoot Accubonds in several cals from 25 through to 375.
In all, the mushroom is maybe half again bigger than bullet calibre and most exit leaving a slightly bigger than cal exit hole.
Have a handful of recovered bullets here, 25 cal are the most prolific, then I have 27 & 30 cal, and several 33 & 37 cal from my water buff eradication days, these are interesting as I also have some Woodleigh Weld Cores here from the same animals that are distorted and mushroomed in all different manners just like the Accubonds.
Hip shots on buff do weird things to bonded bullets, only partially opening on one side or completely taking out one whole side of the bullet etc, etc.
Accubonds are my first choice for everything I shoot, so hunt with confidence I say. I love the 110gr out of my 3 25-06's.

Cheers.

 

[RT2506]

"My experience shooting countless deer is that the mushroom isn't large and the jacket that peels back stays close to the shank in 90% of the time.
I shoot Accubonds in several cals from 25 through to 375.
In all, the mushroom is maybe half again bigger than bullet caliber and most exit leaving a slightly bigger than cal exit hole."

You took the words right out of my mouth so to speak. I agree whole heartedly with this because it has been my experience with the Accubond. Also if you take out the pump (heart) there is nothing to pump blood out to leave a blood trail. If your shot placement is in the upper half of the chest cavity for blood to leak out the chest cavity has to fill with blood first and that takes some time. As long as you put the Accubond where it needs to go there won't be much or any tracking to be done. Now if you want exits and blood trails go to the 115 Berger VLD and shoot them just behind the shoulder. There will be a fist size hole on the off side. If you hit the front shoulder you will have to throw the whole front end away there is so much damage. I have killed a well over 100 deer with the 25-06 and one of my favorite bullets is the 117 Sierra Pro Hunter. Shoot a deer in the shoulder and it is laying where it was standing at impact 99% of the time. I use the 130 Accubond at 3350 fps in my 264 Win mag and have killed over a dozen deer with it from 25 to a touch over 500 yards and none have gone more than a stager or a hop and they are down for good. Most drop in their tracks.

 

[sierracharlie338]

Great response thanks. I'm trying to decided on a bullet for a 264wm also but that's another thread haha. I hear a lot about the 115s in the 25s may be trying those. I have some 131 Aces to play with too. Definitely not giving up on the accubonds though because the terminal performance was spot on.

 

[Coldfinger]

So I am new to the Accubond camp after years of shooting other projectiles and have worked up a great load with the 110s. Its running at what I feel is a respectable 2950 at the muzzle. I have shot two deer with it in the past two months and have had zero blood trails. Now, I'm not complaining because both ran less than 60 yards and were recovered. The first deer I didn't skin but when I asked the guys cleaning it to locate the bullet they couldn't find it. The second one I cleaned and at first glance thought the bullet would be in the opposite shoulder due to no blood being visible or a hole for that matter. Well as I skinned it, I found about a 1/4 inch hole through the skin where it exited.

Is this common performance for the Accubonds? They were clearly dumping all its energy into the chest cavity but then exiting with what seems to be very little expansion.

Shots were at about 60 and 110-120 yards. Wasn't able to get pics unfortunately.

If they exited then they didn't expend all their energy into the animal. I've shot them at paper and was going to load some up for season in my .257wby but noticed 30 or so 90 grain hollow points begging for attention!

 

[sierracharlie338]

If they exited then they didn't expend all their energy into the animal. I've shot them at paper and was going to load some up for season in my .257wby but noticed 30 or so 90 grain hollow points begging for attention!

I agree. I mistyped that.

 

[Tiny Tim]

Shot them for years in a 7 RM. Only had 1 not exit. Otherwise seemed to open violently but left a golf ball sized exit. Perhaps @Raudy707 is right about that particular bullet being "abnormally" tough.