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

[Lee Goodwin]

Accubonds are the way to go for longer shots on bigger prey.

 

[LRNut]

The reason you lost the grizzly was you missed vitals, quartering away behind front shoulder? A bears vitals go way way back, if you'd have aimed 2 ft further back it be a dead bear, all you hit was meat....sorry you lost him!

He was quartering away; I aimed for the off shoulder - hard to imagine his vitals were not hit, especially since his opposite leg flew into the air. If that bear ran 150 yards like the antelope I shot, there was no way we were going to find him with no blood.

 

[Beamonk]

I've killed one deer with 117g SST and it dropped him. I've shot all other whitetails with 120 Barnes in my 7mm-08. Same result. I was told by someone someday that with the Barnes due to the construction use a lighter buller on thin skin animals so I never tried the 140's Barnes. They kill fast in my experience. Longest shot was 175 or so yards.

 

[LVJ76]

The reason you lost the grizzly was you missed vitals, quartering away behind front shoulder? A bears vitals go way way back, if you'd have aimed 2 ft further back it be a dead bear, all you hit was meat....sorry you lost him!

He was quartering away; I aimed for the off shoulder - hard to imagine his vitals were not hit, especially since his opposite leg flew into the air. If that bear ran 150 yards like the antelope I shot, there was no way we were going to find him with no blood.

There are many scenarios that could've happened, I've seen bullets do some crazy stuff.

When I was about 14 or 15 I hit a mulie in the spine above the lungs with a 270 Win and 150gr Partition, he fell like a sack of potatoes and dead, or so we thought.

We opened him up and cleaned him, and there was absolutely no damage to the spine (just a scratch) or any organs, nothing, and he had an exit wound on the belly, a 2" hole but no blood, just the whole.

The bullet entrance was the spine but it bounced off and exited in the belly without hitting a single organ on the way out. The shot distance was about 50 yards.

In other words the bullet somehow knocked him out and enough time for us to hang him in a mesquite tree and open him up.

Seen some other crazy things that a bullet can do, we just never know. Unless the animal is recovered cant really tell what happened. I've also seen animals that should've died on the spot and ran several hundred yards not knowing they were already dead, and by dead I mean no lungs or heart and still kept on going for a while.

 

[LRNut]

I got a better one for you Bearman...my deer hunting buddy in MN said he shot a deer and as he was dragging it out it got up and ran away. I cried "bulls*&t."

He took me to the spot; there was snow on the ground. You could clearly see where he dragged the deer (blood on the ground where he started) and then about 40 yards later the drag marks ended and the hoof prints started.

 

[GLTaylor]

While we're at it, i had a friend shoot a small buck. Drug him to the car and put him in the trunk. Got home (20 mins), opened the trunk and the deer jumped out and ran off!
Some SURPRISE!

 

[LVJ76]

While we're at it, i had a friend shoot a small buck. Drug him to the car and put him in the trunk. Got home (20 mins), opened the trunk and the deer jumped out and ran off!
Some SURPRISE!

Totally believe it. We had spent a morning shooting at squirrels with the 12 GA's and when we got to the car we laid them down on the floor mat and then one of the squirrels wakes up and runs in to the a/c duck of my dad's old blazer. Needless to say it took a few hours and beers to get it out, I still remember trying to pull it out and ending with pulled hair in my hands from its tail. It's one day I'll never gorget.

 

[Hard rock]

Totally believe it. We had spent a morning shooting at squirrels with the 12 GA's and when we got to the car we laid them down on the floor mat and then one of the squirrels wakes up and runs in to the a/c duck of my dad's old blazer. Needless to say it took a few hours and beers to get it out, I still remember trying to pull it out and ending with pulled hair in my hands from its tail. It's one day I'll never gorget.

Well why we're telling stories here's one I still havent figured out for sure my daughter inlaw shot a nice muley with my sons custom 257 ROBERTS I loaded with 100 gr Nosler Partitions at my West Texas Ranch I allways start looking at where the bullet entered and exited tomy surprise for the love of money could not find a entrance or exit I rubbed all over the deer no blood I lifted under the shoulders no blood no entrance I'm thinking did this deer have a heart attack so when I opened him up he was mush inside perfect heart and lung shot the only thing I can conclude the wound vacume sealed itself when the bullet didnt exit any thoughts on this fire away that is a honest no BS story

 

[LVJ76]

Well why we're telling stories here's one I still havent figured out for sure my daughter inlaw shot a nice muley with my sons custom 257 ROBERTS I loaded with 100 gr Nosler Partitions at my West Texas Ranch I allways start looking at where the bullet entered and exited tomy surprise for the love of money could not find a entrance or exit I rubbed all over the deer no blood I lifted under the shoulders no blood no entrance I'm thinking did this deer have a heart attack so when I opened him up he was mush inside perfect heart and lung shot the only thing I can conclude the wound vacume sealed itself when the bullet didnt exit any thoughts on this fire away that is a honest no BS story

When you hunt long enough you see some crazy things happen

 

[Goldengun]

I've killed more elk then I can count with Berger bullets. Never have I had one fail or needed a follow up shot.

dia., bullet weight, muzzle velocity, range?

 

[HTJ]

This past deer season I took a coues with a 168gr Berger with my 7mm Rem Mag, my first kill with a Berger and total destruction of vitals, dead on the spot.

I've taken several deer with the 139gr SST with my 7mm-08 with the same results, quick kill with vitals turned to smush. Some deer with 120gr Ballistic Tips and also the same results.

Now, my buddy took a coues with a 270 WSM and a 140gr Accubond, result was a slower death, bullet went through one rib and both lungs and rested under the skin the on the opposite side. The damage to the lungs was not as severe, a decent hole through them but still complete.

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.

I know bonded bulllets. Are designed to hold together, punch through bone and leave and exit wound, but I don't see them providing a fast kill. The deer I have killed with soft bullets I have pretty much always gotten exit holes and a quick kill.

Now on an elk I get it, its a tougher animal, but I would still want a fast kill, especially on this animal, and I dont see a bonded bullet doing this if they all (Accubond, Interbond, etc) behave the same.

Now I tried these Accubonds because I had some laying around and said why not, heard and read good things but now I'm convinced they don't do what I want. Animals don't bleed out as fast.

Just wanted to share my experience with them.

Stay safe all and enjoy your weekend

I've tested several different bullets on various animals at various ranges. I refuse to hunt with Bergers after loosing two animals with heat lung hits. I've been told that Berger are designed to be placed high shoulder area as to hit spine region as well hence creating that dramatic animal drop! I always go for the heart lung region and have never had issues with partitions, accubond, Barnes, hornady, bear claws all bullets designed for hunting!
I understand those who love Berger, not a hunting bullet for me I shoot them at steel!

 

[Coyote01]

dia., bullet weight, muzzle velocity, range?

.284 180 grain and 30 cal 180grain. Last year was a cow at 50 yards but have killed out to 825 yards. Like I said I couldn't begin to guess how many. I've been fortunate enough to hunt multiple states each year and have guided hunts all my adult life. I've seen lots of kills with few actual bullet failures. Most of the time it's poor shot placement or someone trying to shoot outside of the skill level they at in. I also use Barns bullets and have always had good success.

 

[Goldengun]

.284 180 grain and 30 cal 180grain. Last year was a cow at 50 yards but have killed out to 825 yards. Like I said I couldn't begin to guess how many. I've been fortunate enough to hunt multiple states each year and have guided hunts all my adult life. I've seen lots of kills with few actual bullet failures. Most of the time it's poor shot placement or someone trying to shoot outside of the skill level they at in. I also use Barns bullets and have always had good success.

Only used bergers in my 260AI so far, no complaints.

 

[LDHunter]

Several years ago I switched from using Nosler Partitions to AccuBonds and immediately noticed that bang/flop was no longer happening. It took me several seasons to finally conclude that the AccuBonds simply didn't anchor whitetails like my old favorite Partitions did.

I think that the Partition simply opens up a lot faster but that the rear part carries on through so you get both a devastating shock of a fast opening bullet and the great penetration of a tough bullet. By the way I think the whole weight retention argument is the silliest I've ever heard of for measuring terminal performance.

When I started complaining here on LRH about Accubonds I got poo pooed and was told that my evidence was anecdotal and that there were many more reports of fast kills with the AccuBonds than my experiences but I still insist that while AccuBonds are good penetrators and supremely accurate in my rifles, they just don't anchor whitetails like Partitions.

Sooooo..... As a compromise, I have started using 168gr 308 Nosler Ballistic Tips in my lightweight 308 deer rifle and I have the advantage of better accuracy than the Partitions especially beyond 100 yds and pretty good anchoring but I'm still not sure I shouldn't just go back to Partitions and accept that slight accuracy loss but get the bang/flop advantage back.