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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 764
Campfire Regular
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OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 764 |
Looking for opinions on whether to load 180gr Accubonds or 185gr Berger VLD's in a new rifle.
Rifle: Weatherby 30-06 (24" barrel) Maximum Range: 500 yards Intended Target: Elk
What would you pick (or not pick), and why?
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 35,900
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 35,900 |
Accubond.
The 280 Remington is overbore.
The 7 Rem Mag is over bore.
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,253 Likes: 6
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,253 Likes: 6 |
In spite of all of the 24HCF love, I'm not a big fan of VLD H bullets, at least in my 7mag. They are accurate enough, but my kills with them on 1 whitetail deer and 20 or so hogs makes me never want to use them again.
Love the accubond, and have used the 7mm 160 version on about 30 head of African plains game, several the size of elk. Worked to perfection.
It is irrelevant what you think. What matters is the TRUTH.
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 716
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 716 |
I like Bergers, the 140 grain VLD shoots great in my 270, and I've been using them for antelope in Wyoming. But for elk I'd go with the Accubond, as long as it shoots good in your rifle. You're much more likely to have an exit with the Nosler, and therefore a better blood trail, if needed.
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 12,651
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 12,651 |
AccuBond.
Its pretty well known here I'm not a fan of bullets that the manufacturer advertises to essentially go "poof" after contact.
AccuBonds have never let us down, from antelope to elk.
Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!
No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.
A good .30-06 is a 99% solution.
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 4,249
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 4,249 |
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15,305
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15,305 |
Semper Fi
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,352
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,352 |
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 920
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 920 |
Have yet to see an accubomb that impressed me.
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 96,158 Likes: 3
Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 96,158 Likes: 3 |
Life Member SCI Life Member DSC Member New Mexico Shooting Sports Association
Take your responsibilities seriously, never yourself-Ken Howell Proper bullet placement + sufficient penetration = quick, clean kill. Finn Aagard
Ken
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 17,784 Likes: 1
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 17,784 Likes: 1 |
I have maybe shot a dozen head with Accubonds.. Excellent.. I have used Bergers on maybe half a dozen antelope, nothing else.. They were used in a .25-06 and 7mm Rem. Mag. I loaded 50 rounds for the 7.. When I shoot the rest away at bottles of water or rocks, either Accubonds or BTBT will be my load for the 7.. Already shot mos t of the .25's away..
Molon Labe
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Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 341
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 341 |
I shot animals with 168 bergers from a 280AI and 180 accubonds from a .308. They both kill just fine. But something about the Bergers keeps me going back. They just seem to shoot better and leave devastating wounds, at least in my experience.
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,485
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,485 |
Those devastating wounds flat bother me. But I too keep shooting bergers trying to find what I had in OLD bergers, caliber in, nickel size out, and messed up inside, very little waste, and very dead.
If I can't get back to that I'm going heavier, 210/215 in 308... if that doesn't work, back to old reliable perfection of the barnes bullets.
The accubombs I"ve never tried, I kept hearing them called this. Plus added to old ballistic tips were horrible at game wasting meat.... I just can't bring myself to try them.
BTW on bergers I"m about back to using the target version, a lot harder and the deer seem to die just as well. Lungs speckled with frags, and yet caliber in and not all that large on the exit. This with 185 bergers in 308.
The last hunting berger my wife used left an exit almost the size of a tangerine....ugh. Lucky we stay the heck away from shoulders when shooting.
YMMV.
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
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Joined: Apr 2012
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,833 |
I like the bergers in my 7mm mag
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,253 Likes: 6
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,253 Likes: 6 |
The accubombs I"ve never tried, I kept hearing them called this. Plus added to old ballistic tips were horrible at game wasting meat.... I just can't bring myself to try them.
Hearsay is a poor substitute for actual experience. You'll never see an "accubomb" do this..... [img:left] [/img] or this...... [img:left] [/img] Never seen a modern era ballistic tip do that either FWIW.
It is irrelevant what you think. What matters is the TRUTH.
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 920
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 920 |
What were the circumstances on those?
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,253 Likes: 6
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,253 Likes: 6 |
Average sized whitetail buck shot at just over 100 yds with my 7mmRemMag, 168 VLD H. The hogs I've shot most often run about 100 yards into wild plum thickets, leave no blood trail, and had I not been able to watch where they went I would have never found about half of them. Antelope was actually shot with the a 7mmRemMag and 139g SST's, factory superformance ammo. Also around 100 yds. This was typical AB performance on African game, 7mm 160's, impact distance of 100-160 yds. [img:left] [/img]
It is irrelevant what you think. What matters is the TRUTH.
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 9,472
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 9,472 |
BT'S are a damn fine bullet. And.meat damage is cured by not shooting them in the meat.
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 9,472
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 9,472 |
I'd take the AB'S or a 168 BT fwiw
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 13,401
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 13,401 |
JG, How about a 130 Accubomb out of a pedestrian 270 at 200 yards. Here's the entrance: And a closer up:
“There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot.” ALDO LEOPOLD
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