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Old September 21, 2019, 04:05 PM   #26
Dufus
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And, we're talking 60s & 70s can't remember how far back, Norma made some bullets that had a little round plastic ball placed in the nose. Seemed it was a very light green color.
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Old October 12, 2019, 11:19 AM   #27
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I killed a 650+/- lb. walking moose with a hot .270 Win, 140 grain Accubond at 260+ yards and it was dead about 5 yards from the spot. It's probably a bit tough for medium-sized whitetails.
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Old October 12, 2019, 12:56 PM   #28
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It sounds like I need to give regular Ballistic Tips a try. Maybe they're a bit beefier than the Ballistic Silver Tips I used.
Maybe. You know what is definitely beefier than the BT's you used? The AccuBonds.

Any bullet will kill a deer. The Accubond is going to waste less meat and will probably penetrate better on bone. I've never used the BT's but people like them. I have no doubt they'll kill deer for you. The AccuBond has a great track record. It's a good bullet. No way would I change everything up on a good load over hearsay for just a deer. But then again, I've shot AccuBonds at deer and elk and seen the results for myself.

The AccuBond is just bonded lead, it's not a monolithic. It doesn't act like a monolithic, it isn't as tough as a monolithic. It was designed to behave like a partition with better accuracy. The lead mushrooms like any other lead bullet, it just doesn't separate from the jacket as easily. This allows it to penetrate deeper by fragmenting less and retaining more weight. It has the same chance of "not opening" as any lead tipped bullet (LOW). The Partition behaves the same way (by different design obvi).

Also. People are always blaming their lousy shots on their bullets "not opening up."
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Last edited by huntinaz; October 12, 2019 at 02:46 PM.
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Old October 13, 2019, 02:23 AM   #29
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I killed a 650+/- lb. walking moose with a hot .270 Win, 140 grain Accubond at 260+ yards and it was dead about 5 yards from the spot. It's probably a bit tough for medium-sized whitetails.
Where do you get a shot like that in Maine?? What is your go-to deer gun in general for hunting in Dirigo? I do have a BLR in 7-08 but it's too pretty to bash around in the woods with.
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Old October 13, 2019, 08:56 AM   #30
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Use the Accubond bullets. A friend uses the 140 grain 7mm Accubond bullets on whitetail deer, mule deer and elk. She has never lost an animal.
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Old October 13, 2019, 08:58 AM   #31
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Lol!
Heck, most people think a shot at 100 yards here in PA is "long distance".
While we do have heavy mountainous woods, areas where an opportunity at 1,200 yards does present itself.
Not that i'm suggesting one take such a shot, mind you.

I only have a few guns that are safe queens.
Original 1861 Harpers Ferry.
Commemorative Winchester 94 in 32 Rem.
1861 Confederate Colt Navy in 36 cal.
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Old October 13, 2019, 02:34 PM   #32
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I have friends in Nevada that all shoot 7-08s and all of them use 140 grain Accu-Bonds. All deer, antelope and a few elk have fallen just fine when hit through the chest with them. What I have seen so far is that 100% have existed deer and antelope and 1 in 3 exited elk.
For deer you will have no issues at all.
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Old October 14, 2019, 08:32 AM   #33
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Thanks all! Given the dwindling timeline, I plan to use the Accubonds this season and see how they do. If the work well, I'll probably keep using them for the foreseeable future since they're so accurate. IF they don't, then I'll go to the trouble to start over with the BTs!
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Old October 21, 2019, 10:58 PM   #34
MGMorden
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Originally Posted by Dufus View Post
My motto: if you are going to all the trouble to hunt and put meat on the table, the bullet is not the place to cheap out on.

Too expensive? Get another hobby.
Meh - IMHO boutique bullets are largely snake-oil. They're not gonna hurt you and you can hunt fine with them, but very rarely is the bullet going to make or break the hunt.

For the past several years I've been hunting with a 7mm-08. Ammo? $15 per box Prvi Partizan JSP's. Nothing I've shot has ran more than 25 yards.
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Old October 22, 2019, 04:39 AM   #35
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Ballistic Tips & Accubonds

I would not abandon an accurate load. The Accubond bullet may well be a bit stout for whitetails, but talk to 3 more people and you may hear that the Ballistic Tip is too soft. Put either one of those slugs in the right place and you will have a dead deer!

Regards cost, I do believe that Nosler has priced their 50/ct boxes high enough now that it is costing them sales. Your Everyday Joe sort of guy comes along, sees he can get a 100/ct box of bullets from Brand X, for the same price that Nosler will sell him 50, and another box of Brand X goes out the door. Reason is NOT cost alone. Everyday Joe knows that his grandaddy, his daddy, etc, have killed deer just fine with Brand X cup and core SP bullets. I'll add too, that about all commodities have increased in price in recent years, and loading components, especially projectiles, have doubled in cost. For most of us, incomes have not.

I do believe premium bullets have their place. If one shoots a light rifle (say .243) for deer, or is inclined to shoot light for caliber slugs, the Partition and the various bonded bullets are a wise choice. And in my experience, the Ballistic Tip is often a very accurate slug across the board if one is shooting truly longer than average distances for deer size game. Though I have no experience shooting game larger than whitetails, on really big deer, elk, moose and bears, I'd want a premium, stout bullet as well. But I don't think a premium slug is essential for deer, as they are not all that tough to kill and typically shot at close range.
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Old October 23, 2019, 07:48 AM   #36
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Originally Posted by bamaranger View Post
I would not abandon an accurate load. The Accubond bullet may well be a bit stout for whitetails, but talk to 3 more people and you may hear that the Ballistic Tip is too soft. Put either one of those slugs in the right place and you will have a dead deer!

Regards cost, I do believe that Nosler has priced their 50/ct boxes high enough now that it is costing them sales. Your Everyday Joe sort of guy comes along, sees he can get a 100/ct box of bullets from Brand X, for the same price that Nosler will sell him 50, and another box of Brand X goes out the door. Reason is NOT cost alone. Everyday Joe knows that his grandaddy, his daddy, etc, have killed deer just fine with Brand X cup and core SP bullets. I'll add too, that about all commodities have increased in price in recent years, and loading components, especially projectiles, have doubled in cost. For most of us, incomes have not.

I do believe premium bullets have their place. If one shoots a light rifle (say .243) for deer, or is inclined to shoot light for caliber slugs, the Partition and the various bonded bullets are a wise choice. And in my experience, the Ballistic Tip is often a very accurate slug across the board if one is shooting truly longer than average distances for deer size game. Though I have no experience shooting game larger than whitetails, on really big deer, elk, moose and bears, I'd want a premium, stout bullet as well. But I don't think a premium slug is essential for deer, as they are not all that tough to kill and typically shot at close range.
Bamaranger - This if my favorite post in the thread! Second paragraph especially... eloquent response to very valid discussion, but for me, it closes the Thanks!

We'll see what Accubonds do this year. Shots will likely be 10-250 yds.
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Old October 23, 2019, 09:47 AM   #37
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I have a freind from Nevada who comes to Wyoming every year to hunt. He's used the 7-08 and the 280 for ALL his hunting here (deer, elk and antelope) and used the 140 grain AccuBond for most of that hunting and did use the 160 grain in his 280, all Accu-Bonds.

I have seen nothing that would make me think there is anything wrong with how they work.
They expand very well, and as of 3 weeks ago, going back about 8 years, I have never seen one fail to exit any animal he's killed with either of his two 7MM rifles.

He just got a 6.5 CM in a Henry lever action 3 weeks ago and so now he is going to try the 140 grain 6.5 Accubonds.
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Old October 23, 2019, 12:38 PM   #38
Ernie Bishop
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For deer and antelope I use A-Max's, ELD-M's, NBT's, LR AB's, and ELD-X's.
Even killed an antelope with a corelokt last week, with 6BR in a center-grip XP-100 at just over 250 yards.
Nothing wrong with AB's or Partitions-They both work great!
Any good cup/core bullet will work fine on deer/antelope.
I have used NBT's, ELD-X's, and Partitions on elk (6.5, 7mm, and 30 cal) with success.
If you want a exit wound and you want to drop them quick, go for a double shoulder shot with the AB's.
I trust my AB's to work on game whether on deer, antelope or elk
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Old October 23, 2019, 01:01 PM   #39
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Originally Posted by Ernie Bishop View Post
For deer and antelope I use A-Max's, ELD-M's, NBT's, LR AB's, and ELD-X's.
Even killed an antelope with a corelokt last week, with 6BR in a center-grip XP-100 at just over 250 yards.
Nothing wrong with AB's or Partitions-They both work great!
Any good cup/core bullet will work fine on deer/antelope.
I have used NBT's, ELD-X's, and Partitions on elk (6.5, 7mm, and 30 cal) with success.
If you want a exit wound and you want to drop them quick, go for a double shoulder shot with the AB's.
I trust my AB's to work on game whether on deer, antelope or elk
Not sure why you would use ELD-M's for hunting with all the other stuff you have available... but... different strokes.

And my OP wasn't to determine if the Accubond is a good hunting bullet. Ideally it would be as it falls under the hunting bullet category. But what works in one context may deviate in another, and that is why I asked folks what they had experienced, not what is nominally correct.
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Old October 23, 2019, 01:31 PM   #40
Ernie Bishop
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Originally Posted by Tallest View Post
Not sure why you would use ELD-M's for hunting with all the other stuff you have available... but... different strokes.
It is a cup/core bullet with a higher BC, than say a NBT and I have killed big and small hogs, whitetail, mule deer, and antelope with A-Max's and they work great!
I have a good friend who has literally killed 100's of small to large hogs with the 168 grain/308 Winchester, not to mention a lot of whitetail.
I have watched the 168 grain A-Max/ELD-M (308 Winchester) penetrate a windshield (at it's regular angle at 100 yards, and then penetrate a military ammo can filled with water and almost exit while doing noticeable damage to the can.
Even in a short barreled 308 it drops animals great even at 350 yards.
There is a reason why Hornady loads their TAP ammo with A-Max's/ELD-M's.
https://youtu.be/dFafJpKGCMs
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Old October 23, 2019, 01:37 PM   #41
Ernie Bishop
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105 A-Max in a 15.5" 6 Creed XP at 2780 fps:
https://youtu.be/i8a2oR91PMQ
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Old October 23, 2019, 01:55 PM   #42
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Originally Posted by Ernie Bishop View Post
It is a cup/core bullet with a higher BC, than say a NBT and I have killed big and small hogs, whitetail, mule deer, and antelope with A-Max's and they work great!
I have a good friend who has literally killed 100's of small to large hogs with the 168 grain/308 Winchester, not to mention a lot of whitetail.
I have watched the 168 grain A-Max/ELD-M (308 Winchester) penetrate a windshield (at it's regular angle at 100 yards, and then penetrate a military ammo can filled with water and almost exit while doing noticeable damage to the can.
Even in a short barreled 308 it drops animals great even at 350 yards.
There is a reason why Hornady loads their TAP ammo with A-Max's/ELD-M's.
https://youtu.be/dFafJpKGCMs
And yet, with all that, there are multiple better choices for game animals. Cup and core is general term for lead bullets with copper (or other soft metal) jackets. Being cup and core doesn't automatically make it good at killing something, especially something that is being killed to eat.
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Old October 23, 2019, 02:25 PM   #43
Ernie Bishop
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"Better" would be a matter of opinion.
Better in what way?
How does eating the Animal and a ELD-M, not make a good match?
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Old October 24, 2019, 10:03 AM   #44
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"Better" would be a matter of opinion.
Better in what way?
How does eating the Animal and a ELD-M, not make a good match?
A thinner, not bonded jacket tends to pepper the meat with unneeded fragments.
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Old October 24, 2019, 10:11 AM   #45
Ernie Bishop
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Matthew,
I use both designs, and have not had a problem with either.
If I shoot one behind the shoulder (lung), that would never affect the meat, but even at that, when I do catch a shoulder it has not been a issue for me...To each their own.

I imagine bird hunting with a shotgun, would be especially distasteful.
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Old October 25, 2019, 07:25 AM   #46
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I’ve run the same two loads on a 7mm08 for years, a 150grn NBT over 45.5grn if either H4350 or H414, the 414 is 75-125fps faster depending on the rifle. Both have yielded excellent accuracy with the 4350 load being a tad bit better. I’ve taken a couple of dump truck loads of deer and pigs with that combination with fantastic results. They run between 2700-2825fps. In my quest for the best load I decided to try the Accubonds and was not happy with the results. Exits are smaller, less internal shock and damage, longer tracks and spottier blood trails. A few DRT kills but not like the BT. My conclusion was that while a great bullet, they are less suitable for thin skinned goats and smaller pigs than the BT’s are. I stopped loading them in my 7mm08.

Accubonds work but there are better choices when hide is thin and bones are light. If I had the opportunity to hunt elk, moose or heavier game, they’d definitely be a choice. Then again if I did that I’d opt for the .300wm anyway. Of course I pick my .300wm up most of the time these days just because hitting a 250#+ pig with a 200grn ELD-X is awesome.
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Old November 15, 2019, 06:50 PM   #47
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If you want cost effective bullets to use deer hunting, my hearty recommendation is Sierra Game King BTSP. They are accurate and flat work on deer. No way do you need a bonded bullet for deer hunting.
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Old November 15, 2019, 11:22 PM   #48
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Those Sierra GK BTSP saved a Tikka T3 Compact .308 from the chopping block. I’d always loaded 46grn of Varget under a 165grn NBT. That little rifle wouldn’t shoot them worth a darn. I misread the weight on the Sierra box and thought I was loading 150’s so I adjusted the powder a little and cranked out some rounds and hit the range. What I thought was going to be a 1.25-1.5” gun on a good day was stacking dimes with the new load so I cranked out a couple hundred for it and put it in use. Those Sierras turned out to be 165’s, amazing how different the same weight but different design will shoot.
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Old November 17, 2019, 09:20 PM   #49
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If you want cost effective bullets to use deer hunting, my hearty recommendation is Sierra Game King BTSP. They are accurate and flat work on deer. No way do you need a bonded bullet for deer hunting.
Sometimes GameKings work. I shot a nice 10 point buck at 150 yards with a 7 Rem mag, 140 Game King. He hut the ground like a ton of bricks. He then jumped up and ran off. Never found blood, just a bit of hair. Fast forward two weeks later. I see a nice 10 point about 200 yards. He is walking funny. I drop him on spot with a 148 Hot Cor. The deer stinks. It smells like a rotting corpse. I dress him and find gangrene on his left shoulder. Just under the shoulder blade I find my exploded game king. Lead was disintegrated. Total jacket separation. Thats probably the last large game I have shot with a Gameking. Deer hit oerfect with 7 mag and not killed. No excuse for that bullet failure.
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Old November 23, 2019, 09:45 AM   #50
Picher
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Originally Posted by stagpanther View Post
Where do you get a shot like that in Maine?? What is your go-to deer gun in general for hunting in Dirigo? I do have a BLR in 7-08 but it's too pretty to bash around in the woods with.
We were hunting in the North Maine Woods, on an old haul road. I was sitting on my stool on top of a hill and could see about 350 yards in that direction, but only about 200 in the other. The rifle is a Rem 700 CDL in an after-market Stocky's "sandwich" stock that has two carbon fiber sheets running full length, down the middle of the walnut slabs, separated by another piece of walnut.

We had left the truck at the end of an old haul road and walked-in about a half-mile or so.

I have two favorite deer rifles, both Rem 700 BDLs in .270 Win. The knock-about rifle has a Sendero take-off stock and the stand rifle is the one used for the moose. My deer load uses a Nosler 130 grain Ballistic Tip, and a max load of Reloder 22. It shoots 3/8" MOA in the Sendero. Both rifles sport 3-9X Leupold VX3 scopes and Timney triggers, adjusted to just under 3 lbs. JP
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