Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 180 grain AccuBond for deer?

I was going to pick up some 165 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips for deer in 30-06, but I would like something that holds together a little better, so I started thinking about the AccuBond. I don't handload yet, so I'm forced to buy factory ammo, and the only factory loadings with the AB in 30-06 come in 180 grains. So would a 180 gr AB work fine on deer, or would it over penetrate without doing much damage?

killed several 308 180 accubond 2525 fps

including 2 this past year

punched shoulders on a doe shot a 9 point behind shoulder 1/4 away exit opposite shoulder ran maybe 50 yds

I would shoot those all day before a BT. Why would you think a 180 gr Accubond wouldn't do much damage? Even if it exits the damage is done. If it does exit then you have 2 bleeding holes if it is hit in the boiler. Shoot them and I bet you will not go back to the BT's in any grain.

The AB is tougher than the BT with less bloodshot meat. Other than that, dead is dead.

I stopped using the BT when the AB came out for that reason.

I'd buy 150's or 165's for deer, and in most cases the Accubond is the tougher bullet. I'll just add that Mule Deer here has reported in the past that Nosler has beefed up the 30 cal BT bullets in 165 and 180 gr in recent years after complaints of them failing on game larger than deer. Not sure there is all that much difference now in those 2 bullet weights.

either of your two choices will kill deer without a problem.


just a note, you will get way over penetration on both.

I've slayed a couple of deer with the 180 Accubonds. (300WSM)
If I ever catch one in a deer, I'll let you know how well they hold up.

Certainly a 180 Accubond will work on deer! But in a 180 grain pill, so would a regular BT, Hornady, Speer, Sierra, Rem Core Lokt, Win Power Point, Federal, etc. Doubt there is a 30 cal 180 grain anything, (other than a FMJ), made today that will not do a good job on deer.

http://www.doubletapammo.net/index.php?route=product/category&path=303_316

Double Tap Ammo has a factory loaded 165 NAB for the .30-06

If you're using store bought ammo, why angst about it? Just get a couple of boxes of Remington loaded with 165 or 180gr core lokts bullets and be done? there are probably more deer killed each year with reminngton ammo and core lokt bullets than all the rest combined.

I've killed a bunch of deer with my 300 saum (which is basically a 30-06 +p) and nosler custom 180 AB loads. They work great

I've dropped back down to the 150 BT (no complaints about it either) but I'd not hesitate to use the big AB on deer again.

The BT and AB in any cases are the same bullet. The differance is the back half of a AB is bonded. I have found in general that AB's are a bit less accurate than BT's, so I use mostly use BT's. Either the 165,168, or 180 BT are very tough bullets at -06 velocity levels. Those particular bullets are about the toughest cup and core made.

They are the only bullet I use in my 30/06 anymore. In my experience, they do just fine from coyote to elk. I killed two whitetail with them last year, both bullets performed perfectly.

It'll splatter a deer all over the hillside. I shot one a couple years ago that I'm not proud of. I didn't have a decent rest and shot low, hitting below the lungs (directly below the heart) and slightly above the sternum. The concussion blew him apart, literally. He ran about 50 yards and his stomach was lying on the ground where I shot him. It blew the abdomen apart. His lungs and ribcage were mush. I had a 300 WSM with 180 gr AB's, about 150 yds.
For deer, any standard bullet is much better than a crap AB.

So you got shot the animal and its the bullets fault?

Nothing wrong with the accubond, here is test of the 165 Ballistic Tip, it came within 1/2" of the 200 AB in penetration.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...s/7219652/30_cal_bullet_test_cow_femurs_


I shoot 180 Ballistic Tips from my 30/06 and have always had complete pass throughs.

Read what I said.

there is a reason they earned the nickname "accubomb"

shot an elk with a 7mm once and it literally blew up on impact, similar to your shot. it was a high angle through the shoulders/spine, but it took 3 shots in the same area to put it down. when all was said and done it was messy and shot placement wasn't to blame at all. I won't use the accubombs again. I will use the BT's though

I've shot 2 elk with them and both blew up. One came apart and I later found the core in the heart. The meat waste was tremendous on both of them. My partners told me to not bring them to camp again.

All I can say is that your experiences are certainly different than mine. I have shot elk with 165s in a .30-06, 200s in a .300 WSM, 250s in a 9.3x74R and 260s in a .375 H&H. I have shot deer with 110s in a .257 AI, 130s in a .270 and my wife has used 140s in her .280. I also shot everything in Namibia from impala to eland with the 260s in the .375 H&H. The bullets that we have recovered looked pretty much like recovered partitions, perhaps with 10-15% less retained weight. Don't know if you guys got a bad batch or what, but I have never had one "blow up" and have never "wasted" any meat.