Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Nosler AB vs. PT ?

Does anybody here have any experience with both the Nosler Accubond and the Partition in 250gr .338 caliber ? I get unreal accuracy from the Accubonds, along with a 440yd one shot kill on a decent sized bull moose. Bullet shed a bit of weight, but held together. High tundra hunt.
In 2015, going for a new hunting area, North of the Yukon River. The grizzly bears are thick in this area. May take a moose or caribou long range, but a good chance Mr. or Mrs. Grizz may come into our butchering. As an AK Resident, I can take two, but, wonder if the 250gr Partition might be a better choice for a hungry Grizz at close range ? Keeping in mind a large Grizz is 650lbs in the interior of AK.

Are you going to take two different loads with you, one for long range moose or caribou and one for Grizz ????

Dont know what 338 you are shooting but if it were me, my first choice is the 300grSMK (will take down anything close or far) my second choice would be the Accubond. the partition is still a great bullet but would never consider it a long range option.

The Partition will kill fine at 400-500 yards,and likely penetrate the grizzly stem to stern.

I would feel a hell of a lot better w/a 250 Partition up the spout than a 300 gr match King up close and personal with any bear. I want broken bones and a big hole out the other side.- Muddy

225 grain TTSX perfect for both scenarios.

IIRC Mule Deer has used the 260gr Accubond on a Grizzly out of a 9.3 with no problems...FWIW.

I'd take the 250 AB and shoot everything with confidence.

Accubonds will work just fine

I'm shooting a 338 EDGE, Lawton action,(Pre Bobby days), 22" 9:3.5 twist bbl, Sendero contour. Get right at 3000fps w/ 250gr Accubond. Used the 300gr SMK in EA WA for LR Mulies, but really only trust a bonded/Partition/Barnes hunting bullet for Moose and the bigger bears. The 250 AB is deadly accurate, but was wondering how well it holds up compared to the PT, and Barnes, of course, the Barnes is a given, but don't know the accuracy in my rifle.

Go with the 300 grn accubonds I was getting 2850 out of my edge with them they are big medicine.

Sandrat. 3k is a very good muzzle velocity for BT's and AB's. It tends to provide good expansion characteristics over a significant variation in range.

In addition you are asking this in the LR forum, and the AB's have a higher BC, and as you suggested on, average, it easier to get them to shoot.

I don't use any of heavy calibers mentioned, but I've been considering switching to The Old Standbys. I reckon in part due to reading JOC's and Noslers biographies. Had 3 Barnes TTSX (6.5, 120's) tips snap off this year. Never happened before and got me a little jumpy. First one jammed the follower pretty good. Second one was barely hanging by a thread. Must have happened when I loaded in the dark. Kinda glad I didn't see anything worth shooting that day, gut feeling tells me if I'd fired the tip would have come the rest of the way off in the tube. Coulda been pretty ugly.

I reckon they get a little fragile when its cold. Could have been the batch. Dunno, but it certainly got my noggin turning.

Sandrat, have a difference of opinion or different viewpoint on several points of your post, you trust only a bonded/partition/Barnes hunting bullet for moose and the bigger bears...love the bonded and partition but both can lose significant weight and the Barnes at times will pencil through.

Been using the 300grSMK for over a decade and never once have seen a sign of bullet failure or a loss of 10% weight.

If you dont believe me do as another poster said and try the 300grAB but your statement "Barnes, of course, the Barnes is a given" is ridiculous, they have more chance of failure than any other bullet in this discussion.

For Grizz....I'd feel a LOT BETTER with a .470 Evans!

I don't think I would trust a SMK to anything that would gladly eat me if given the chance.

I do enjoy the whole high-BC game, but some lines will never be crossed. That is one of them.

Why not load a partition first out for bear, followed by ab. If moose or boo present at long, chuck out the first round and have at it.

Mmmm. That'll make you think in a "that never happened to me" kinda way

Leaving reliable function on the table in exchange for a few points in BC that don't matter anyway makes no sense to me. The moose and grizz are easily killed with the 250 Partition at any distance either should be shot.

It's a slam dunk decision for me....unless I could scrounge up a few 225 Bitterroots

I got a lifetime supply of 250 gr Nos Part 338 when Midway made a mistake on the on line price at 10 cents a shot.
So all my target practice is with 250 gr partition.
With 68 gr H4350 I seem to get 2" groups at 2600 fps with my two BARs.

I have a 338WM reamer, a few barrels, and lots of donor actions lying around. I may build a more accurate 338WM bolt action.

I did get just a couple hundred of the Federal Fusion 200 gr 338 bullets off the 24HCF classified. So I will be stingy with them.

I stand a 50% chance of drawing an elk tag in 2015, and the guy I hunt with is deathly afraid of griz bears. But bears are few around there. Besides, there are two of us always arguing about how to gut animals. "Less twist on the Butt-out!"

Clarkm,

2" groups? Have you tried to improve that? I'll bet you can!

The first thing I would try is holding back on the resizer 0.100", creating a shoulder on the neck, to improve centering the cartridge with the bore. Try it.

SCOOTERBUM,
I just took them to the range and shot a couple groups with the crummy 2x7 scopes that came on the rifles.
I can buy a gun a week and go to the range once every 3 months:(

If I draw and elk tag, I will give those BARs another trip to the range.