Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Nosler 6.5 142 grain LRAB

I was talking with a nosler rep over the weekend and she showed me the list of new products one of which is a 142 grain 6.5 long range accubond. She didn't know what the bc is.

That and a handful of H1000 might work well in the 6.5-06. Be curious about BC.

SMK make a killer 142 for 6.5 for many years already. Hard to beat that unit.

Did they put a plastic tip on it?

30338,

A good guess on the G1 BC based on the 129 ABLR would be a little over .600, maybe .620.

Not yet but I bet it won't be too much longer...
https://www.sierrabullets.com/products/new.cfm

Why not a 6.5mm 108, 123, 139, 155, & 160 long range accubond too?

They can add that to the catalog of other bullets that they list but don't actually make.

maybe they should be able to produce the bullets they already have listed before they go marketing another one they cant produce.

The Canadian 142 gr Matrix VLD did quite well at 950 yds on my Utah spike elk at 950 with a muzzle velocity of 2917 fps from my 6.5x47. Can't tell you what the bullet did other than entered at a forward quartering angle just inside the front right shoulder blade, angling down into the thoraic cavity.

Used a G1 of .625 or G7 of .318.

Alan

What ABLR are you looking for ? I've recently bought the 168 in 7mm and I noticed that SPS has 150's also 210 30 cal seconds Cabelas has some in stock also...Just trying to help !

I've been looking for 129 ABLR's for my 26 Nosler, none to be found.

I have Matrix 129 and 142 VLD's on hand to try.

The 142 ABLR may be interesting.

DF

Yep. The 129 ABLR is hard to come by. I could stand a box or two to try out.

Yeah the 6.5 129's are like unicorns around here. I have been wanting to try them since they came out and have not been able to find a box yet. I got an "in stock" update one time but didn't make it to the computer in time.

Until I can find the bullet that the 26 Nosler was built around (129 ABLR), I'm using what I can find.

So far, my bud and I have killed 4 doe and several hogs, using 140 NAB, 140 NPT and 120 E-Tip.

Earlier in the season, a couple of chest shot doe ran, hit with a 140 NAB and a 140 NPT, just not that far.

This weekend, I killed a 180# sow at 186 yd. with a shot to the shoulder, 120 E-Tip at 3,450 fps. She dropped in her tracks, the bullet pulverizing her heart and busting up one shoulder. It exited slightly behind the far shoulder.

A 130# doe was killed that same afternoon. She stepped out of the woods at 80 yds., slightly at an angle. She was acting nervous and I didn't want to wait too long before taking the shot. I aimed for the heart, the bullet striking the front of the right shoulder and exiting just behind the left shoulder. The heart was pulverized, the hit shoulder damaged enough I discarded it. At impact she whirled to run into the woods, made it about 8-10 feet. Good exit wound, plenty of messed up tissue.

My bud killed two hogs at around 100 yds., both sows, 160 and 175#'s, with pigs. He was using his 26 Nosler, shooting 140 gr. Partitions. Both hogs were DRT.

Bottom line: From what I've observed examining these carcasses, there seems to be little difference in killing effect, wound channel damage and exits with these three bullets. The E-Tips were moving faster at 3.450 vs. the Partitions and Accubonds, at around 3,300 fps.

Partitions, reportedly, have a bit more shrapnel effect than Accubonds and, of course, the E-Tips have no shrapnel to speak of. No recovery of any of these bullets, which is OK. They performed as advertised.

The new 142 ABLR may be an interesting bullet for the 26 Nosler. I've read that the ABLR's may be a bit softer than the std. NAB for easier mushrooming at LR and lower velocity.

Then, there are the Matrix 129, 142, 150, and 160 VLD's, they also offer bonded hunting bullets. Don't forget about the Scenar 123, 136L and 139. It'll take a bunch of deer and hogs to check them all out...

DF

Good thing they are introducing more "New" products, since they can't keep the ones they have on the shelves.

Why should I get excited about a product that will in such limited supply that i'll likely not even get to test it; maybe in very limited quantities. Then, it will be another 1-2 years before it's out there again. AKA: 129 ABLR. Being an FFL, i've got a dozen wholesalers that carry Nosler bullets and i've NEVER seen it in stock. I'll likely pass on the 142 ABLR and stay with the 142 Matrix VLD.

Alan

.712..... Must be the magical fairy dust they sprinkle on those things...

Tanner

Maybe they're using the new Common Core math kids are being taught. Pun there.......

.712 does seem optimistic ...... Beings everyone else's 140 class bullets are about .610-625 area. .100 points on the scale for a plastic tip is a lot!

Just got off the phone with a sales guy at Nosler. He said plans are for the .260 142 gr. ABLR to be hitting major distributors in February. To paraphrase the young man in sales "..well most likely...uh ..more likely than not.."

OK then, we shall see.

In legal proceedings, that means with 51% certainty...

DF

I'll wait for Brian Litz's report.

Sounds more like a 30/30 chance.

I have never seen a LRAB in stock at any of the suppliers I buy from other than a light weight 7mm or 270 (I forget which). I have actually seen a few of the bullets and felt that they were so soft that they took extreme care in seating as to not deform the jacket.

The 6.5mm 142 gr LR Accubond is currently available at MidwayUSA:

Nosler 6.5mm 142 gr LRAB in stock at MidwayUSA

They dreaming with a BC of .719...

Here is a Nosler 129 grain LR and a Matrix 142 low drag. The Nosler suggests a BC of .561 while the other suggests a BC of .625. How could the Nosler 142 be that much better than the Matrix or how could the Matrix be that much worse?

I don't believe the BC is above .7, either, but an Accubond design that has a BC in the same range as a Berger VLD, retains weight like a Partition, AND expands at a lower velocity is worth a try.

I concur -

I just ordered a box so we will see!

Try to get to 2800 in your Ackley Dennis?

3000 in my 6.5-284

I'm happy with 140 Sierra game kings at 2850 in my 260AI. I never shoot it past 500.

My 142 grain ABLR came in today. I couldn't smell any fairy dust on them. Maybe it's odorless?

My 6.5-284 will push 140 VLD's at 3K over 48.8 gr. RL-17.

DF

56 gr of retumbo ww primers 142 LRAB lapua brass in the .3" 6.5 x284 will post speed as soon as I get it

Worth a try.

Yes it is

Trying 2 boxes first.

If .719 sounds too good to be true...

I have noticed that the 142 seem soft and if cases have to much neck tensions they will deform in the seating process, I found that they like (in Lapua brass) to have a OD neck size of.293 or greater the .295 bushing will give .0025" of tension and seems to produce the best groups in my rifle.
All guns and case lots are different but this was the findings I have found so far. Also be careful with compressed loads they to can cause bullet deformations(more than with the normal AB ). Example is the max load of retumbo would be 58 gr but my cases are full to bullet deformation at 57 great and I am using 56 and getting great accuracy. Will post more as I find velocity true BC in my rifles ect. .

I discovered the deformation yesterday. I modified a seater to solve the problem. I will have a custom die made to size the neck according to your information.

I'm using a redding bushing die and it seems to be working. Also a foster match seater.

I had the same issue with my LRM until Dennis (thanks again Dennis) neck turned my brass.

I shot some this morning from my 6.5-284. I used two loads; 57 grains Magpro and 47.4 grains of R17. Velocities should have been around 2940 but I couldn't chrono these because of where I shot them from. I also shot some regular ABs with the same load just to see. First shot at 220 yds hit the orange spot on my target, second shot in the same hole and third shot dropped almost 2" out of the group. Went to 550 on my gong and the BC didn't work. Either .712 is high or my velocities are much lower than I thought. I will shoot at 100 and see what the chrono says. So far, not impressed. They did shoot better than the regular ABs though.

.712 likely way high Dennis, or possibly both.

The BC on these 142's are way off! I sent both boxes I bought back to Midway for a refund.


Bryan Litz has tested the G1 at .572 average for the 6.5 142 LRAB.


http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/testing-142-lr-accubond-155514/index7.html#post1099994





More test results.
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/nosler-lr-accubonds-bc-testing-results-137554/

SU35, thanks.

I'm not impressed with them either. I don't know squat about testing true B/C vs dreamed B/C, but past about 400 or so yards these things simply wouldn't stabilize in either my 6.5x55 or my 6.5X284, both of which stabilize the 142 Sierra and 140 AMAX well at those ranges.

They'll print a nice round hole and decent groups on the target at 300 but won't hit a 4x4 sheet of plywood at the 4.

Dog_Hunter,

What're your twists?

1/8 for the 6.5x284. Not sure on the 6.5x55 but it is a factory Ruger M77 MKII.

The Ruger 6.5x55 I had was a 1 in 8 twist. The regular Accubond will work well for any shot I will ever take, I tried the 129's and they worked fine on deer but out at the ranges I shoot a lot of others will work well too.

I will shoot some 140 hybrids and compare. CBS

It seems that the bullets with the best BC are the JLK VLD's with the 130gr at .620 and the 140gr at .630. The 130gr bullets shoot nice in my 264 WM. at 3249 fps.

I was sent 200 of the 140 Hybrids from Berger when they first came out to test them. They shot exceedingly well from both my 260AI and 6.5-284. I could get 3000 fps with Magpro and my 6.5. I shot them out to 800 yards holding 1/2 MOA easily. Seating depth was a non-issue. Whether they worked on game or not was THE issue. I preferred the higher velocity of the 130 Normas (3170) so I stuck with them. Only this week have I tried something else. I am not ready to pass judgement yet but it is looking like the 142 ABLR is not such a great bullet.

There are a lot of guys that posted their doubts about the Nos ACLR BC1=0.712 on this thread many months ago.
You guys were way ahead of me.
I did not pay any attention until last week when the bullets arrived and there was no library data in my Quickload version. I had to enter the BC by hand. Then I just started to be suspicious.
There goes my fantasies of my new 6.5-06 out shooting my 7mmRM

I've shot a few of the 142 ablr's in one of my creedmoors but haven't found a load yet. The 129's are doing ok in my grendal and 260.

Bb

Well, I was pretty jacked to give these a run till I ran across this thread..

What's the highest velocity anyone has achieved with these 142 ablr bullets?

3300 with rl33

Thanks, Fotis.

I get 2956 to 2982 fps with 54 gr H4350 in 6.5-06 24" ratchet rifling 8" twist barrel.

Quickload predicts 2977 fps

My neighbor whom I go on hog safari with almost every evening has acquired a 6.5 Grendel which he mounted on his previous .223 lower. After a little trying we settled on a load with Nosler 129 Accubond LR. The man that butchered the hogs taken with this loading reported them to have disintegrated bullets in them. Is the Nosler Accubond LR unduly frangible at Grendel speeds? I might note that one the hogs in question was hit at close to 300 yards. We don't have a known muzzle velocity but I don't think it could be exceptional with the 18 inch barrel and loaded with 28.5 grains of SRB 118 powder. So far the hogs have been going down pretty quick but I would hope a big game bullet would hold together. Shots on hogs are sometimes not precision and we need them gone so we take shots as they are presented. This week has been a very productive week for hogs after I had recently bragged about how we had just about gotten rid of 'em.

129's do well on deer out of a 6.5 creed and 6.5x47L seated close to the lands.

129's seem easy to tune in several rifles. They are a heck of a lot better bullet than a 130 berger on deer, IF you want penetration with expansion. They are made to expand at long range. They kill the living hell out of anything you shoot.

I have not got to the 142's yet, 6.5/06 is about ready with R#26.

I've been trying to workup a load for my 6.5 SAUM and the 142gn ABLRs.

This rifle will shoot 130gn Berger VLD-H into a nice group, usually under .4 MOA, sometimes as little as .3 MOA at 200m.

The ABLRs have been erratic at best. Finally worked out they like a looong jump of 120thou. At 3030fps the best I've managed is just under .5 MOA, with an average of just under .6 MOA.

Labradar measurements tell me that the G7 BC is .306 from 20 to 100m. A bit less than the advertised numbers and closer to the current revised numbers, but still less than the .315 currently listed.

Any hints for what I should be doing because I'm about out of answers.

Our experience indicated that a longer jump was more accurate with the 129 ABLR. I do not have a measurement on COAL to set the bullet to the lands, but We first went for magazine length and then backed up about 30/1000 which yielded a tighter group. I have not autopsied a wild hog shot with this load, but the man we gave them to reported unusual fragmentation of the bullet which I would not expect of a Nosler ABLR launched at under 2600 fps. I have used .308 caliber Nosler AB that were pretty tough bullets.

LRAB is made to expand at long distances, hence they are not as stout at short range, still dead is dead. I found the same results that the std Accubond is tougher, and this is the way nosler made them. We have never had bad killing experiences from the LRAB in 6.5,7mm, or 30 caliber.


The fact that they open up quickly means very dead stuff, REAL QUICK.


A barrel is going to like what it likes. So, don't get married to a bullet. If OAL to the lands and mag length are killing you,LEARN from this throat geometry with the intention of making changes on your next build. Then change to a different ogive design AFTER you have tried jumping a bullet.

If you can't get the 142's to shoot well, , then change to a 143 eld X. I have had great luck with them in 8T barrels.

I seat the 129 LRAB .005 off the lands, accuracy is excellent at 3/8" in 6.5 creed and 6.5x47 Lapua. A friend is shooting the 129g LRAB on deer in his 26 Nosler, no complaints on deer or accuracy...factory loads.

If you don't have a VLD type of seater stem in your bullet seater, get one.

I'm surprised to hear about fragmentation of the 129 ABLR from a mild round. I had exits on every deer this year, at fairly close range, one at a hard angle taking out a shoulder. These were all from a 6.5 CM.

After a dozen or so deer and hogs, I've only stopped two 129's, and they were on head-on chest shots. Everything else passed through. And like Keith mentions, my 6.5x47L liked them just off the lands (2900fps MV). They kill pretty quickly, on average, with the regular Accubonds indeed being a bit tougher. Haven't caught one of them in 6.5mm.







Weight retention was around 70%.

I bought 20 boxes of the 129's and 10 of the 142's...have not got around to the 142's.

The 129's put the bang flop on a deer and hog.

JPro, could you show a top view picture of the Loaded round in that detachable magazine? Looks like you have "chasing throat geometry" to spare!

Seems like the 129's just might be the least finicky or all of the ABLR line when it comes to accuracy judging from all the posts here and at the Nosler site. I know they shot well in my 260 so I might just need to get some more one day. Ton's of great 6.5 mm bullets around these days though.

Admittedly I am reporting on a small sample that I did not observe the skinning/gutting process on, and the hogs were killed very dead. Since we have over a hundred more of these ABLR 129s and they are very accurate we will keep shooting hogs with them. I would guess since my neighbor and I shoot 150 to 200 hogs a year we'll know more about this bullet before long.

Gerry, the 175g 7mm was easy to tune, also.

Have found the ABLR's relatively easy to "tune" in a good rifle, usually by seating 'em deeper.

They generally retain around 50% of their weight, plus or minus 10%, depending on impact velocity. This is about like some other bullets that are well-respected on the Campfire, such as the Hornady Interlock Spire Point.

But any bullet that loses half its weight does indeed partially "fragment," so am not amazed that some hunters are finding bullet fragments after shooting big game with ABLR's. In fact I'm not amazed when finding "fragments" of just about any expanding bullet, even some that supposedly don't fragment. This is about as astonishing as the fact that fire is hot.

Have also noticed over the years that bullet fragments are generally found in dead animals. The overall trend is the more fragmentation, the quicker the animal dies, as long as the bullet penetrated through vital tissue.

But apparently the "modern" notion is that any fragmentation is bad, and only bullets that retain all their weight, or exit, kill well.

I was making assumptions. I was considering fragmentation more along the line of the "disintegration" originally mentioned in the post, which to me is "there's nothing left but parts of the jacket and no solid core left, even separated"....an assumption on my part. I'd also assumed that the man who did the butchering was a processor who often processed shot game and would have been familiar with the usual bits and pieces left behind by most bullets but that this was different enough for him to comment. .....again, an assumption on my part.

I was talking with Keith about these LRAB bullets and how they fit in short action magazine boxes, so here's a couple of pics to further illustrate the 129gr version. My 6.5x47L was put together by LRI and I believe it was their .123FB reamer. The LRAB is just off the lands with my loads at 2.740". This was originally done to allow maximum latitude in a SA 700 BDL box, but I later moved to a DBM setup, first with a MagPul stock and them with a Bergara HMR take-off stock (which I like far better).

MagPul magazines allow a 2.85"-ish OAL. Here's Hornady 6.5CM 140gr HPBT factory ammo on the left (2.795") and my 6.5x47L handloads on the right (2.740"). Were I building that rifle today, intending to use a DBM setup from the start, I'd go 6.5CM with the shortest throat I could get away with that would allow factory ammo. For a factory mag box, it is tough to beat the 6.5x47L.



Good geometry with the 129gr and a .123 freebore reamer.

.123 FB is what I use on my 6.5x47L also. I believe that a guy could get away with .090 FB shooting this bullet.

The 129 lrab is a bullet worth building a rifle around, depending on the distances you will be shooting. 143 Hornady eldx works great with the .123 freebore also, again with R#26 and a cci 450.

4 year old thread?

That was back when I was young and handsome, and had not killed anything with accubonds yet.

I can't find these in stock (6.5mm 152 ABLRs) - anyone know where to find them? Thanks. Also can't find the 168 gr .30 cal ABLRs, dang it. Not in stock anyhow.

Try 142gr....