Bonded vs Non Bonded - Accubond vs Berger or SST or Ballistic Tip

[LVJ76]

I alway prefer the fragmenting bullet over the high retention type. Berger EH are my bullet of choice in most of my rifles. Shot BT's a lot and they shed 50% and usually stop under off side hide. Used my fair share of Accubnds too. Only one I shot stayed in the animal, the rest passed through with small to average wound channels but all dead. I shot a bull this year with 200 gr AB, bull just stood for 20 seconds then tip over dead.

I would use any of those bullets mentioned with confidence. But through my experience at harvesting game, the fragmenting kill better and quicker so that's what I choose. I don't knock the high retention, they do just as they are designed to but not my first choice.

Thanks Plinker. I'm going to keep using the softer bullets and I like to use heavy for caliber on the magnum so I avoid bullet blow up on impact.

Thanks again

 

[Send it 284]

Thanks Plinker. I'm going to keep using the softer bullets and I like to use heavy for caliber on the magnum so I avoid bullet blow up on impact.

Thanks again

I had a few blow ups with ELDMS on elk shoulders at longer ranges.
I went to the Accubond LR for awhile and saw some really weak terminal performance, especially with lung shots.
I'm going back to Bergers, I also agree that heavy for caliber fragmenting bullets kill the best.
Even with blowups and marginal hits I've never lost an animal with target bullets.

 

[Hand Skills]

...

Last week I took a javelina with a 140gr Accubond with my 7mm-08, now usually I take these down with head and neck shots to preserve the little meat they have. In this case his head was behind some prickly pear cacti so lung shot it was, and to the ground he fell. About 15 minutes later as I approached him he pops up about 15 yards in front of me takes a few steps then slowly lays down and expires. Lungs were complete with a nice hole on them but still pretty complete. Now I have taken a couple of these desert pigs with lung shots in the past with SST and BT's and there were no lungs left.

...

There are a lot of variables at play, but I have found similar results with 7mm Accubonds on lighter framed deer. I have noted a surprising amount of bloodshot meat given the relatively small permanent wound channel. The 30cal versions have done better for me when it comes to wound channels on deer.

Last year I had the first opportunity to try Hammer bullets. After putting 5 deer down, from 100-400yd, I'm going to have trouble using anything else. Too early to draw any conclusions yet, but at the closer ranges, lungs were liquified.

As impact velocity dropped off, the liquification factor diminished, but trauma was still extensive.

Here are some mule deer lungs. .284" 140gr Absolute Hammer. Impact velocity ~2500fps.



Seems to offer a good balance of fragmentation and penetration, creating lots of internal trauma while minimizing meat damage.

 

[LVJ76]

We use mid-weight for caliber AB's and Interbonds in our hunting loads for deer and moose - all with MV's of about 3000-3100 FPS. 300WSM = 165 gr AB or IB, 270Win = 140 AB, 6.5X55AI = 130 or 140 AB. We have sometimes used these same (300WSM) loads on elk and they always did the job, but when we step up a little to 168 TTSX or 180 AB's they tend to hit harder and always with more authority. Performance of these bonded bullets on our somewhat larger northern deer species has been outstanding out to about 600 yards and have not yet experienced the "penciling" others have. Shots on Moose and elk have all been within 400 yards and velocity at that range is high enough for these bullets to perform well on the bigger animals. I personally began to run the tougher bonded bullets in our faster hunting cartridges after having 2 different situations a year apart where - inside 100 yards on big Whitetail bucks - a 165 gr cup/core SST and a 165 BT essentially blew up after hitting bone on shoulder and (front) leg. They were good shots and the animals died (both after 2nd shots), but both deer looked like a grenade went off on the close side, shrapnel was everywhere, and neither bullet exited. However, we do use regular c/c bullets when hunting antelope with same cartridges and will go with same weight c/c Nosler BT's, Sierra SPBT or Gamechangers or SST's with great results and in our 6.5x55SE's we have settled on the 130 Sierra GC (2750 fps) and performance on antelope and deer has been devastating. JME

Thanks Saskquatch6. I've seem bullet blow up up close and it's not pretty. That's why I like heavy for caliber bullets on the 7mm Rem Mag.

My buddy's 270 WSM load is no slouch and he hit his deer at 70 some yards with the 140gr Accubond, would've though there would've been more damage but that wasn't the case.

On the 7mm-08 due to its lower velocities the SST's and BT's haven't given us a problem. Wife and I taken a few deer under 100 yds and we get full penetration and DRT's.

I have about 90 140gr Accubonds and close to 200 139gr Interbonds that'll I'll provably trade or shoot them on the 7mm Rem Mag. Got some thinking to do.

Thanks again

 

[LVJ76]

I had a few blow ups with ELDMS on elk shoulders at longer ranges.
I went to the Accubond LR for awhile and saw some really weak terminal performance, especially with lung shots.
I'm going back to Bergers, I also agree that heavy for caliber fragmenting bullets kill the best.
Even with blowups and marginal hits I've never lost an animal with target bullets.

Thanks Send It 284.

Shot placement is key and although I try to stay off the shoulder I found that that the right soft bullet will still go throught the shoulder and reach vitals. I was impressed with Bergers this last season so for now the plan is to stick with them in the 7mm Rem Mag.

 

[LVJ76]

There are a lot of variables at play, but I have found similar results with 7mm Accubonds on lighter framed deer. I have noted a surprising amount of bloodshot meat given the relatively small permanent wound channel. The 30cal versions have done better for me when it comes to wound channels on deer.

Last year I had the first opportunity to try Hammer bullets. After putting 5 deer down, from 100-400yd, I'm going to have trouble using anything else. Too early to draw any conclusions yet, but at the closer ranges, lungs were liquified.

As impact velocity dropped off, the liquification factor diminished, but trauma was still extensive.

Here are some mule deer lungs. .284" 140gr Absolute Hammer. Impact velocity ~2500fps.

View attachment 256210

Seems to offer a good balance of fragmentation and penetration, creating lots of internal trauma while minimizing meat damage.

Thanks Hand Skills.

I tried out the Hammers this past summer and and they were a no go. Could not get them to group under MOA on my 7mm-08's, tried four different powders and 3 different primers and nothing.

Tried the Absolutes and Hunters and just did not work.

 

[Hand Skills]

Thanks Hand Skills.

I tried out the Hammers this past summer and and they were a no go. Could not get them to group under MOA on my 7mm-08's, tried four different powders and 3 different primers and nothing.

Tried the Absolutes and Hunters and just did not work.

Wow, I'm sorry to hear that! I now better understand your dilemma, however.

Wish I could offer more insight. I would be tempted to try the 120gr ballistic tip, but I don't have a ton of experience with it yet myself.

 

[LVJ76]

Wow, I'm sorry to hear that! I now better understand your dilemma, however.

Wish I could offer more insight. I would be tempted to try the 120gr ballistic tip, but I don't have a ton of experience with it yet myself.

Thanks. My wife's 7mm-08 shoots cloverleafs with the 120gr Ballistic Tip, it's her go to load for deer and javelinas and they kill fast. Tough little bullet.

 

[Hand Skills]

Here is a fun screenshot from deep in my archive;

 

[Savage 12BVSS]

Thanx Hand Skills that makes it easy to see the difference in the different bullets. I use innerbond and accubond for our deer and moose, the bucks can go above 200# dressed and I'm a scapula high shoulder shooter. Its never a long run if any with broken shoulders...........I do give up some shoulder meat however.

I do believe if I was a heart/lung shooter that ballistic tips or SST's would be more my cup of tea. I will say accubonds are very accurate for me, and shoot and group just like the ballistic tip.

 

[BEEMAN]

I used the 130 Accubond and the 130 Berger hunting out of two 6.5x47's in Texas. Shots were 100 to 300 yds on whitetail. Both bullets performed good. I was actually surprised with the damage of the 130 AB. Results were very similar to the Berger. Two deer taken with 124 hammer hunters with a 6.5x47 both DRT. But shots were close out of tree stands. I do like what I am seeing with the hammers.

 

[Longtine88]

I would agree with that! The reverse is use a lot of mass with a Bergerj, i.e. go heavy

What he said

 

[the blur]

I used an accubond on Antelope. Pencil hole though & through. The Antelope stood there like nothing happened. Another shot, same thing, just a pencil hole. Antelope still standing there. It was basically dead on it's feet, wasn't walking anywhere. All of the other Antelope ran off.

So my next hunt, I used Ballistic tip. That worked much better for a light skinned animal.

 

[Tikkashooter]

Alot of it has to do with the the wieght and body construction of the game your shooting. Nutons law "equal and opposite reaction" , the bullet can only expand and transfer energy as much as the animals mass is able to push back. For this reason , it's usually better to use a "softer" bullet on a smaller animal.

In an extreme scenario, think about a 22-250 vs a 338 lapua on a prarie dog, the 22-250 blows them up way more even through the 338 has 5 times the energy. That 33 cal 300 gr bullet just zipps on through without skipping a beat or fully expanding.