RiverRider,
I very sure we're not going to see a Partition II or A-Frame Supreme, partly for reasons I can't go into here, but partly because that's why the AccuBond and Scirrocco appeared, as higher BC versions of the Partition and A-Frame. Now, Swift did eventually have to beef up the Scirocco, just as Nosler had to beef up the Ballistic Tip, partly into the AccuBond, but also into stouter versions of the Ballistic Tip itself. Why? Many hunters wanted the advantages of higher BC (and to a certain extent, finer accuracy) of the Ballistic Tip and Scirocco.
But both those bullets were originally introduced as "deer bullets," with both companies plainly emphasizing they already made a deeper-penetrating bullet for bigger game. Yet hunters ignored those statements, or (I suspect in many instances) never read them. They saw Nosler or Swift on the box and assumed the bullets would penetrate deeply, so were often surprised (or angry) when they didn't work very well on elk or similar game. So both companies eventually gave in to the inevitable, and made both bullets stouter. Nosler at first beefed up the Ballistic Tip, especially in "elk calibers," then bonded it to retain as much weight as the Partition--as AccuBonds do. Similarly, Swift changed the Scirocco, calling it the Scirocco II.
The other side of all this is partly what my article was all about: The AccuBond Long Range and some other new high-BC bullets tend to retain more weight when slowed down a little for general hunting at so-called "normal" ranges. When hunters somehow get past the notion that they HAVE to start bullets as fast as possible, then both bullets work very well even at short ranges. Last fall I went on an "industry" mule deer hunt where a companion and I took two big-bodied bucks. We didn't get to weigh them whole or field-dressed, but mine yielded exactly 100 pounds of boned meat, indicating a live weight of over 250 pounds, and my companion's buck was noticeably bigger. They were shot at 101 yards (mine) and 311 yards with 143-grain Hornady ELD-X's from the 6.5 Creedmoor, using Hornady factory loads listed at 2700 fps. The only practical shot on mine was through a hole in oak brush, into the shoulders broadside. The buck fell and never moved, because the bullet broke both shoulders and was found under the hide of the far should, retaining 60% of its weight. My buddy's buck was angling away, and the bullet entered the left ribs and ended up in the right shoulder, retaining 74% of its weight. The buck kicked its hind legs, then staggered 25-30 yards and collapsed. Have a good friend who shot a 6x6 Arizona elk with the same 143 ELD-X from a 6.5-284 at 225 yards, muzzle velocity 2900+. The bull was above him on a slope, and the bullet broke the shoulder blade and spine--and exited.
Have yet to see an ABLR "fail" on big game, and they penetrate well, especially if you do what I suggested in the article, use heavier bullets (which have higher BC's) at moderate muzzle velocities. Do they retain as much weight as standard AccuBonds? Generally, no, averaging around 50%. But so what? If they penetrate sufficiently and kill well, does it matter?
For some reason many hunters nowadays equate high weight retention with more "killing power," but in fact the opposite is true. On average, bullets that lose some weight kill quicker, especially with typical behind-the-shoulder shots. Bullets that retain more kill (or at least drop animals) quicker when put through the shoulder--but as we've seen, a 143 ELD-X through the shoulder worked very well on a good-sized mule deer and a bull elk.
What I'm saying, both in the article and here, is that hunters become used to the way certain bullets work, then get stuck there. Nosler Partitions were NOT an instant success when first introduced, because hunters were used to cup-and-core bullets, so "knew" they had to use certain minimum weights for different kinds of big game. They eventually got how you didn't need that much bullet weight with Partitions, but they're not used to how many high-BC bullets work. now. It's a process, both with bullet manufacturers and hunters.
