Nosler accubond performance

[Nomosendero]

You said a 6.5x55 and 6.5cm both put a 140gr partition completely thru both shoulders on an elk and exited? What speed are you running those? Just curious as rarely do 300mags and sometimes not even 338s go all the way thru an elk via both shoulders. How young a bull elk? Yearlings or 2 1/2 yr olds?

6.5x55 vel. is 2720, 6.5CM is 2,825
I stated but I guess you did not see, both were young. One was likely a 1.5 yr or so and one was likely 2.5-3. I did not have them aged and I did not hint the same would have happened with a 2000# Bison or 1200# Moose, I merely did a comparison of bullet performance between those animals and a MUCH smaller 140# Whitetail that was not shot in the shoulders but yet did not exit. Merely showing sometimes bullets don't follow the script.

 

[nicholasjohn]

Two things I don't like in this thread 1. Heads shots are not for sportsmen, to easy to miss or just wound the animal. Last year I saw a cow elk with her lower hanging from a missed head shot. 2. Used to be a fan of Nosler ammo until while hunting on a ranch in Northern Colorado. The outfitter would not let me use NP bullets, said every elk he had lost was shot with NPs. NPs won't expand unless you hit a bone. Tried the Nosler tipped bullets, with theses one must be extremely careful and not damage the tip.

I agree with your comments on heads shots - too many variables in the equation. This is the first time I have heard of anybody who didn't like the terminal performance of the Nosler Partition bullet. I suspect that poor shot placement was the reason for his loss of these animals. If they didn't find the elk, he doesn't know where they were hit. I've shot a fair number of animals with them, and have never had them fail to expand, even on rib cage shots on lightly-built deer & antelope. One of the reasons guys often think they didn't expand is the small exit wounds they sometime leave in the animal. This is because they often lose the front core, and the jacket folds back along the shank like a rivet. This doesn't leave a large hole, but the internal organs are usually pretty well destroyed.

I have talked with outfitters who won't allow the use of a particular cartridge or bullet, and I make it a point not to hunt with those outfitters. A lot of them blame the bullet or cartridge for problems that probably resulted from poor shot placement. I talked with an outfitter a while back who told me not to show up with anything smaller than a 338 Winchester. I took his advice and chose not to show up at all. He said this was because the 300 magnums just don't kill elk reliably. I think that the 300's he's seen used were probably too much gun for the shooters who employed them, and they didn't place their shots well. The 338 would have just been that much worse, due to increased recoil and not enough practice.

Also, there are no bullets that perform perfectly 100% of the time, because there are far too many variables that can affect the way the bullet expands and/or penetrates. There's also the matter of whether the hunter prefers complete penetration or not. Everybody's experiences dictate what he likes best, and we haven't all had the same experiences, good ones or bad ones. Some guys swear by the head shot; others swear AT it. Different strokes for different folks. We all get to make our own choices about bullets, cartridges, and shot placement.

 

[XSIVSPD]

Wow,, people really need to read the first post before replying...

 

[dfrahm]

If the bullet didn't 'smash' the skull, how did you recover the bullet?

 

[MontanaJack]

I've never mounted a game head, so I usually finish them with a head shot. That said, I haven't needed a finishing shot for over 30 years. About that time, I quit the behind the shoulder shot that I learned as a youngster. Started using the high shoulder shot. Now, animals drop in their tracks. In my prime, I was a jungle hunter. Lost several elk in heavy downfall and brush with the behind the shoulder shot. They always ran unless I hit the heart. Line the vertical crosshair with the front legs, and the horizontal crosshair 6" to 8" below the top of the back. Stops them in their tracks and they're dead by the time I get to them. Best of all, no stinky green stuff when you gut them out. If their quarter turn facing the shooter, that behind the shoulder shot can get messy. High shoulder shot doesn't ruin a mount either.

 

[preventec47]

I am rather amazed that since it did not blow up upon hitting the skull that it did not shoot right through as the final shape reminds of FMJ. Sure skull bone is thick and hard but for crise sake this is a 270 nearly point blank !

 

[Gone Ballistic]

You're dealing with shooting into such various density and deflection at high velocity. This, in and of itself, makes theory into conclusions as it is impossible to know how the bullet travels and angle when it hits that type of tissue. You could make the same shot ten times and have ten different bullet formations and fragmentation.
I shot an elk at 707 yards with my 338 WinMag and a 180gr Accubond several years ago. The bullet traveled through behind the right shoulder and was found in the joint of the left shoulder with a 30 degree bend and minimal expansion. Lots of theories came out about how it happened!

 

[Pdvdh]

Samples of one are difficult when it comes to drawing conclusions.
My Wife hunts with a 6.5x55 and a 6.5CM, both using a 140 Nos. Part. within 100 fps of each other. She has shot 2 young bull Elk, in both case the bullet penetrated both shoulders and exited, also with good terminal performance. She has done the same with several Deer but she shot one AR Whitetail that was not big at all, angling from back of the ribs to the offside shoulder and the bullet did not exit at all. I have no idea why but I do know strange things happen.
Concerning the .270 Accubond, I used that bullet on 10-12 head of Big Game with really good results but I will confess I did not shoot a Elk in the skull, or an Elk at all with that bullet. I believe it is a very good bullet.
I hope some day we have a bullet that expands at all useful velocities, Penetrates the same every time, with a good BC and very accurate, EVERY TIME. I don't know if we are there, I see new stuff like the TLR and wonder & I am thankful that the bullet companies keep trying!

Wanted everyone's thoughts on this bullet?
It's a 140gr accubond from a 270
View attachment 214909
from an elk skull at 40yds. Not what I expected personally

Edited:
Since some ppl are so concerned about a head shot, I will add to the story.
My brother in law shot the elk at 400 yds behind the shoulder, elk walked into some bush with a hump in his back, when he got there it was still dying so he shot it in the head. Reason for post isn't a complaint but shocked that the bullet wouldnt smash the elks skull. To me this is a reminder to be careful on those shoulder shots on elk and moose

My thought..., I'd hate to have been hit with it...

 

[smokey3]

I have used that exact bullet out of my 270 on a number of animals, elk included. The performance has always been exactly what I would Have expected on recovered bullets perfectly mushroomed and either stopped u set the off side hide or penetrated completely. Personally I would never purposely shoot an animal in the head. There is just too much room for error and I have seen more than one animal with a blown off jaw. I respect the game I hunt more than that.

Read the entire post, finishing shot after the animal was down

 

[Deleted member 107796]

Two things I don't like in this thread 1. Heads shots are not for sportsmen,to easy to miss or just wound the animal. Last year I saw a cow elk with her lower hanging from a missed head shot. 2. Used to be a fan of Nosler ammo until while hunting on a ranch in Northern Colorado. The outfitter would not let me use NP bullets, said every elk he had lost was shot with NPs. NPs won't expand unless you hit a bone. Tried the Nosler tipped bullets, with theses one must be extremely careful and not damage the tip.

I think it's a great thread and any recovered bullet is excellent discussion, IMO. Two thing I respectfully don't like about this comment, 1. I had to finish an elk cow off with a head shot at 465 yards just before she slipped into the brush. I saw the head and shoulders in the last clearing and I thank god that I carefully placed that 7mm wsm trophy bonded bear claw and she did not suffer long. Far from my ideal shot, I find hunting dynamic like this. 2. Although I completely agree that Nosler's plastic tips are the weakest out there, the NP is too proven too just be waved off by any one outfitter, unless it is an inexperienced one. The first elk I got was using a NP. It was bedding, front quartering towards me and I placed the hairs of my 270 on her center chest. I looked away from my scope to see this cow, standing straight up on her hind legs, front legs and head towards the sky and she fell back into the scrub oak. I found the bullet on the far side hide and it had expanded perfectly, fully blowing up half of her heart.

 

[Pdvdh]

I think it's a great thread and any recovered bullet is excellent discussion, IMO. Two thing I respectfully don't like about this comment, 1. I had to finish an elk cow off with a head shot at 465 yards just before she slipped into the brush. I saw the head and shoulders in the last clearing and I thank god that I carefully placed that 7mm wsm trophy bonded bear claw ...

Trophy Bonded Bear Claw...
A terrific bullet on large, tough game animals on closer to mid-range shots. Killed some brown bear with the original Jack Carter built .338 bullets. Also caribou and moose in different calibers. I've loaded them for bear and camp defense bullets for many years now, because of the prior, consistent, knockdown performances.

Never shot the newer plastic tipped versions, but after researching them earlier today, I'm seriously considering purchase of some Federal .308 200gr Terminal Ascent bullets. I've just about run out of the original Jack Carter bullets.

 

[bigbull]

It is a great bullet on deer, great penetration and expansion, never recovered one.
BB

 

[.300 Dakota]

Wanted everyone's thoughts on this bullet?
It's a 140gr accubond from a 270
View attachment 214909
from an elk skull at 40yds. Not what I expected personally

Edited:
Since some ppl are so concerned about a head shot, I will add to the story.
My brother in law shot the elk at 400 yds behind the shoulder, elk walked into some bush with a hump in his back, when he got there it was still dying so he shot it in the head. Reason for post isn't a complaint but shocked that the bullet wouldnt smash the elks skull. To me this is a reminder to be careful on those shoulder shots on elk and moose

Accubonds are SOFT! I rarely, if ever, get pass-throughs on whitetail. They generally expand to twice their diameter and retain 60% weight, as advertised, but penetration CAN be an issue. To get around this, go to the next highest weight, which will automatically slow it down enough that SOMETIMES you will then get an exit. In an elk, though, or moose, most likely there is going to be too much meat and bone to get an exit. If you are concerned about a blood trail from 2 holes, get another bullet. If you are in the camp that likes a bullet to use up all its energy inside the body cavity and stay there, just make sure you hit vitals! You will likely be tracking from 5 - 100 yards, depending. The 7mm 140 grain in the 7 Mags do the SAME thing you are describing/illustrating. A good friend of mine switched to Ballistic Tips after having to track 5 deer shot with Accubonds. He conceded that losing a little meat is better than losing the entire deer. Ballistic Tips won't work on elk though... Try Federal's Trophy Bonded Tip bullets if you can find any! I can't tell you how many countless times I've doled out this exact advice because of posts just like this. There are 2 types of hunters using Accubonds: Those who have had to track an animal longer than necessary after a lethal hit, and those who WILL be tracking one eventually.

 

[Nomosendero]

I know the first ones were MUCH softer than the recent bullets.