Velocity to expand 180 gr Noz Partition & Accubond

[Wind Dancer]

I shoot 180 gr Nozlers from a .308 at about 2575fps. Does anyone know at what minimum velocities these bullets (partition and accubond)will expand. I would also be interested in what range you believe is the max range that they could be used on elk. As some background...I have a range at my house with targets at 100, 318, and 528 yards as dictated by the terrain. On calm days I keep 528 yrd groups between 2-3 inches with my sporter weight rifle. On windier days those groups open to 10 inches or so, and my first shots still aren't always what I hope for on the windy days. I should also say that I have become one who believes in bullet placement first, and bullet construction second...and last. I don't have anything against velocity except I got tired of beating mysef up with a 300 Win Mag. Loved the rifle though, and it shot great groups. Have also hunted big whitetails with a (don't cuss) .223. My shots have been close with that rifle, but I have a couple of friends who reliably kill deer with .223s at distances I shudder to think about. I would add that I haven't seen any significant difference between how quick deer die with a .223 verses any of the bigger bores, or higher velocity. (Although double lung shots with any explosive, high velocity bullet are remarkable.) Anyway, what I really want to know is how far a .308 might work on elk with a reasonable, broad side shot, realizing a shoulder might be hit. Really appreciate any comment. P.S. I'm a little new at the long range stuff but am confident I will learn..hope to expand my range to about 800 soon as the weather clears up. <font color="black">

 

[älg]

if you are worried about hitting a shoulder, then you MUST worry about bullet construction.

north fork bullets page has a reference to impact velocities under which their bullets will reliably expand; maybe you can look there for a comparison bearing in mind the difference between the bullets, although I think the partitions are softer and the plastic tip on the accubonds will make expansion easier.

 

[goodgrouper]

I believe in shooting elk in the shoulder blade/spine area and for that either bullet you mention will work fine. Elk are like cars, if you punch a gaping hole in the radiator hose, the car can still go a few miles before it seizes. But if you break the axle, it ain't goin nowhere. Break that shoulder bone and they won't get up. I have seen several elk double lunged and heart shot run for miles!

I have seen the Accubond expand reliably with impact velocities of 800 fps and I would assume they would expand fine going even slower. I believe the Accubond to be the best long and short range bullet ever designed. I loaded some up for a friend of mine who shot a 360" bull elk at 25 yards and the mushroom looked the same as the one that came out of my cow elk at 820 yards. That is pretty **** amazing. The Partitions are fine bullets as well, but they lack the BC for long range shooting.

Basically, any bullet can and will break the shoulder, but the Accubond will do it farther out in my opinion. The bc's are very high for the weight which will help you retain the energy farther. The 308 will do fine if you search for a bullet with the absolute highest bc you can find which will be a Scirroco, Interbond, or the Accubond.
Hope this helped. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Wind Dancer]

Want to thank you gents for the input. Have some 180 gr. Accubonds ordered. I see that you're (goodgrouper) a .300 WM shooter. I love that cartridge but the recoil gives me a headache after about 100 rounds or so, which I used to do frequently. That was from a Ruger 77 that I bedded well and did a little extra work on. It shot 3/4" groups real consistently with 180 and 200 grainers, and capable of lot smaller groups occasionally. On the other hand, I find the .308 an absolute pleasure to shoot, but of course I loose a bunch of velocity with 180 gr. loads, and that's why I'm tryin to wring out everything I can from the .308. Would love to get into some hunting over 600 yards but am not sure how far out I can make the .308 penetrate shoulders. Thought about going to a heavier gun and back to a .300 WM but I'm gettin too old to lug around a really heavy gun. If anyone else out there has any other thoughts, I'd love to hear them. By the way, I really like Barnes X bullets as well. Someone I know well, and whose advice I otherwise trust, says they are hard on barrels, to the extent that some barrel makers may not cover warranties if you have used Barnes bullets. I haven't noticed any problems, and love the bullets. If anyone has any info on that, I would like to know that as well. Thanks in advance.