Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Which bullet would you pick

Rifle: Savage 16 .308
Intended Target: Elk, Moose, Mule Deer
Maximum Range: 300 yards
Powder: Varget (45.5 gr)

Bullet: Hornady 165gr btsp interlock OR Nosler Accubond 165 gr

Which bullet would you pick? The interlock is shooting slightly better, but both are under 1" at 100 yards. Aside from cost, does one bullet have an advantage over the other?

I haven't shot that many 165 Hornadys.. A few at deer.. I have used the Accubonds in several calibers.. Right now it is one of my top choices for game.. Doesn't make the Hornady a bad deal, but of the two, I prefer the Acc...

Hornady 165 BTSP works fine. Not much I wouldn't shoot with that bullet with 308/06 velocity! The accubond is the newer bullet but the Hornady has been around for a long time. Don't think you will go wrong with either bullet.

Either will work fine. However, at those velocities you don't really need a "premium" like the accubond. I'd opt for the Hornady since I've used more of them and know they work...

A lot of folks think when it comes to moose that they are hard to kill in reality they are not put one in the lungs and they are done put two in the lungs even better most time they will walk a few steps and lay down and die. Elk are by far the hardest to put down.

Why not the bonded NAB? Might not need it but I can't see it hurting.

People sometimes confuse resistance to penetration with difficulty to kill. Elk are more difficult to kill (I have heard/read); moose are simply more resistant to bullets at times.

Of course, all moose are not built the same either since Shiras and Alaskan/Yukon moose are different in magnitude. The bigger moose will easily stop either of those bullets so one must choose their shots carefully. I would use either but prefer the NAB if I was hunting moose.

Thanks guys. As for the moose being a target, it will be a Shiras cow, and may very well be the only time I get to hunt a moose. It sounds like the smart choice is to go with the best bullet for elk, as it will also be enough for a moose, and certainly either would do for mule deer.

I saw a 165 btsp shed a big chunk of jacket under the hide of a bull caribou last fall, on the entry side. It was launched from a 22" barreled 06 and the shot was around 150 yards. The core went on and exited behind the offside shoulder and of course he was down pronto. I know it was an example of one but I wasn't overly impressed. Both elk and moose have heavier bones than your average deer or caribou. And while I've no doubt that one through the slats would do in the biggest of bulls, either elk or moose, I'd be inclined to opt for something a bit sturdier.
It's not the first time I've seen this happen with Hornady ILs either, had a 350gr .458 and a 140gr .284 leave the whole jacket under the onside hide on Sitka blacktails. I still use a lot of them and they're hard to beat in the accuracy dept in most of my rifles, just not sure they'd be my first choice for really big or tough game.

I think both bullets are great at .308 velocities. However, for a bullet that will be used on moose and elk, I would prefer the Accubond, no doubt about it.

Accubonds work (and penetrate) like Partitions. The shoulders of moose and elk can cause relatively soft bullets like the Hornady Interlocks to come apart.

I have found the 165-grain Hornady Interlock BTSP to be an incredibly accurate bullet in a wide variety of .30 cal rifles, and it is great on deer (in addition to being cheap and readily available). But for stepping up to bigger game, I would personally recommend the Nosler Accubond or Hornady Interbond.

A combination of 45.5 grains of Varget with a 165 Accubond would be my choice for an all-around .308 load.

either

Since elk are on the menu, I'd go with the AB for just a little insurance.

165 gr N PT, no other. Muddy

165gr Partition, Accubond or Scirroco

I've been trying to get the partition to shoot, and they did well enough, but no where near as accurate as the Nos. AB or Hornady IL. I need to try some different powders with the NPT, but I'm running out of time before the hunting season is here... and I won't be testing loads when there's an open hunting season

46gr of RE15,H380,BLC-2 will get you where you need to be, velocity should be 2700 ish range depending on barrel.

Thanks Hammer - I've got some BLC2 that I can try and I might be able to get my mitts on some Re15.

Only shot one animal with the 165 gr. Accubond, a cow elk with my 30-06. Bullet entered at the back two ribs and took out the left lung. She went maybe 30 feet and collapsed, unable to rise. Bullet was not recovered and no exit wound found. I believe it was probably still in the lung material when cleaning her out. Never have used many 30 caliber Hornadys but have taken quite a few deer with the 165 gr. Speer Hot Core. Only recovered one Speer bullet, all others being total pass throughs. The Speers were shot in a .308.
Paul B.

Hi Paul,

Hawaiian up here in the Valley. Not sure exactly what question you were asking. Accubond vs Hornady vs Hot Cores?

When I'm looking for a load combination, I consider a lot of factors but two more so then the other's.

Bullet construction
How does it shoot in my rifle

It sounds like you've found a load with the 165 Accubonds. If I were reduced to one rifle (hahahahahahaha) and only ever hunted in AZ (Javelina to Elk), I would have no problem using that load. For Bison I might barrow a family members 338 Win Mag and load up some Barnes. YMMV

If the problem is you can't find any Accubonds, can you find any Interbonds? Hot Cor's have been killing stuff for a long time now. I've never met anyone who has killed anything with Deep Curls but I'm sure people have. If you cross the border to the west, you're a little limited as to the bullet choices. If you hunt in Unit 9, you are asked to use non-lead bullets not told.


HaYen

You must mean unit 9 in California. Here we're asked to use monometal bullets up in the Kaibab National Forest and the Arizona strip country just to the north of the Kaibab as they are considered part of the condor flyway. I've hunted the Kaibab maybe 6 or 7 times over the last 36 years and have never seen one of those oversized buzzards yet. I always take a bigger gun than necessary for deer and Fish & Game do not want any elk or bison on that area. Supposedly, should you see an elk or bison, you're supposed to report it at the check out station and sometimes they'll sell you a tag to take the animal to remove it. When I'm lucky enough to draw a atg. I take my .35 Whelen loaded with 225 gr. Barnes TSX bullets. They should more than do the job.
FWIW, I did not draw either area again this year. Makes getting skinned the sixth time in a row. No matter. I have a cow elk land owner tag for New Mexico for sure so I will go hunting.
Paul B.