Accubond LR bullets

[FEENIX]

People love Berger and think they are the best hunting bullet made and they blow up like crazy. If I saw them blow up (fail) then I would not use them otherwise stuff them use them and make your decision off from known results you could witness.

I used NP for many years and transitioned to NABs and BTs when they first came out. All with very good success. I also tried the LRAB but did not have the same success. I finally transitioned to Berger bullets. Are they the perfect bullet for every occasion? No! I have a nice inventory of lead and lead-free bullets, but Berger (and similar bullet makers with similar bullet designs, i.e., Matrix, Black Hole, DRT, etc.) is my go-to bullet for hunting now because of its bullet design.

Berger is designed as a frangible (fragments on impact) bullet. What you describe is not a failure but rather, by design, maximum energy dump on impact, and it does not need a pass-through to be effective - another attribute that I like about the Berger bullet design.



The bottom line is there is "NO" such thing as a magic bullet (despite the bullet makers' claims) for all occasions, but we have plenty of choices to choose from (lead and lead-free bullets) based on our differing personal preferences and intended purposes.

 

[stovepipe]

I have taken a few whitetail with the 129 and 142 ablr in a 6.5x55...perfect bullet at those speeds IMO

 

[Lenny Foffa]

I Hunt with the 130 Grn Nosler Ballistic tips, in my 270 Win, and they explode inside a white tail at 100 to 125 yards. I love it. DRT!! I shoot target out to 1200 yards with the 150 Grn. ABLR's out of my 270 Weatherby Mag, at 3000 FPS ,they are very accurate in my Weatherby Mark V. Bang Steel Shooting School at 2800 feet elevation. I'm hoping to hunt with that ABLR bullet soon. I incorrectly thought that the ABLR was too tough to expand at 500 plus yards, due to reduced velocity and a thick jacket. I was convinced other wise on a past thread!! Thanks for this thread, Great information from all of you !!! You boys are good!!

 

[Treetopnonstop]

175 ABLR 7rem mag 3000fps
Blacktail at 60 yards.
Entrance (left) side I could put my fist in.
Exit (right) side one little pin hole.
Absolutely destroyed everything inside. Lead fragments everywhere.

 

[ADR..]

175 ABLR 7rem mag 3000fps
Blacktail at 60 yards.
Entrance (left) side I could put my fist in.
Exit (right) side one little pin hole.
Absolutely destroyed everything inside. Lead fragments everywhere.

What kind of blood trail did it leave?

 

[txaggie1]

Might think about 150 grain scricco's (but they maybe harder to find than accubonds at times) swifts are some of my favorite bullets. Terminal Ascent too maybe? But I like to stay 150-160 in rem mag to keep it running faster.

Son shoots 175 eldx out of his stw and killed aoudad sheep at 400-600 yards effectively they hit like hammers. Just have to watch your twist and maybe finicky to load that heavier bullet.

I've never used them, but my guess on all I've read is the ABLR would be a fine choice.

 

[Treetopnonstop]

What kind of blood trail did it leave?

Haha….DRT.
I think I'll just stay with my .243 for blacktail though. Seems to save meat better.

 

[std7mag]

The buck i took this year was with my 7mm Rem Mag using the 150gr ABLR.
Distance was maybe 50 yards, broadside shot.
Bullet went right through.
Deer back pedaled about 10ft fell & died.
I was really surprised at the lack of damage the bullet did.
Yeah, it went through the heart & both lungs.
But only about bullet sized hole.

Nothing like Ballistic Tips or even a 25 caliber Berger VLD.

 

[MtnTrax]

I have seen several epic failures of the LRAB on both deer and elk. 708, 7mm, 300 wsm. Great paper punching bullets but horrible for hunting.

 

[tim2446]

What's the experiences with the accubond LR bullets on elk? I'm shooting a 7mag. Can't find the 160 accubonds I want to use.

https://www.fieldandstream.com/long-range-shootout/

 

[slv hunter]

62.5 RL22 Nosler Brass Fed 215M @ 3.310" Please work up, obviously. Besides length, this load was straight from the Nosler Reloading Data. I do get pressure signs when it's above 95 degrees, but I don't hunt in those temperatures.

I've had RL22 be very slow in temps below freezing too. I switched to H1000.

 

[CCAguns]

https://www.fieldandstream.com/long-range-shootout/

Interesting article. Thanks for sharing.

 

[BCC72]

Not the ablr's just the hornady sx bullets for me. The guy that built my rifle also guides. He had a few clients that shot them (ablr's) at Muley's and elk. He said they would hit them and just a big cloud of dust. The bullets just blew up and did not penetrate. As far as distances I don't know that. I just knew I didn't want to chance it. I know take it for what it's worth but, I don't have great luck at finding many elk and when I do I wanted a bullet to work. So I went with the 168 bergers.

What's the experiences with the accubond LR bullets on elk? I'm shooting a 7mag. Can't find the 160 accubonds I want to use.

I use the 168 ABLR's in my 7mag and the 129gr and 142gr in my 6.5-284 Norma.
The ABLR was designed to expand down to 1600fps rather than the usual 1800fps of most bullets, hence 'LR'.
Shots on WT, Antelope, MD and Elk have all been successful with proper bullet performance.
All shots with this bullet I have made further than 350yds out to just inside 500. Further on coyotes but not big game. North central Montana is where I use these loads.
168gr going 2935 with RL19, 129gr going 2950 with RL19 and 142gr going 2795 with IMR4831.
Where I live in Western MT I load 160gr Partitions for my 280AI as shots are often a lot closer. Right around 2900fps.
I don't like explosive bullets and have had terrible results with Berger's (hunting) so leave them for F-class loads in my 284Shehane.
The ABLR will perform. Hydraulic performance results will differ often with bullets, just like how a plugged hollow point won't expand or if a bullet hasn't stabilized yet and is still yawing.

 

[WV Hitman]

I agree with cnk. I've had terrible experience with 6.5 129 LRABs just on WV deer. I test all the bullets I can on WV deer since I get lots of crop damage permits. I used a 6.5/.284 XP-100 handgun & killed 15-20 deer with the LRAB. Those shot on perfect broadside shots did OK. Lots of internal damage, big exits. On quartering shots- almost never exits, massive internal damage. Most of these deer ran 150-200 yds. on really good shots. Lost a few on extreme angle shots where only one lung was hit (I did these on purpose to see the effects of the bullets).
Based on my 2652 handgun deer kills, the best deer bullets are BTs, regular ABs, & NPTs. On really big animals the AB (not LRAB) is a superior bullet. 800# kudus, moose, elk, all one shooters with the ABs & they all droped with the shot up to 365 yds. with my handguns (WV deer up to 550 yds with the AB- one shot).