Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting .308 165gr Accubond for Elk

Any Experiences or observations of .308 165gr Accubonds on Elk?
I have my 30-06 Dialed in with the Nosler Custom 165gr AB's, sub MOA in my rifle. I like having a one load option for this rifle, would you hesitate to use this on Elk?

mg

I've shot almost 40 head of African plains game, including some elk-sized and larger with a 7mm 160 Accubond and it performed perfectly. I see no reason why it wouldn't on elk as well. Go kick some asss.

No, I wouldn't hesitate. I don't know anyone who would. It's more than enough bullet to kill an elk (they aren't hard to kill). My buddy killed one a few years ago with a 165 AB out of a .30-06 over H4350. It was a complete pass through and the elk went about 25 or 30 yds.

The .475 BC isn't anything to get real excited about if you're planning on shooting long range in the wind, but other than that, no worries.

I sure hope they'll work. that's what I'm loading in my .308 this year.

in fairness, I have yet to use them on anything but paper, but all reports I've read on them tell me that bullet wont be a problem.

getting in shape, knowing the lay of the land, knowing where elk are/ought to be.... now THOSE are the real challenge.

Good luck to you

A 150g AccuBond dropped a cow elk for me with no problem. It was on the ground before I recovered from the recoil.

Wouldn't hesitate to use a 165g.

I've taken 3 elk, two bulls and a cow, with the 165 NAB from the 308. Works very well. This years 7x7 was with a 165 Speer Hotcore.

Just about any reasonable bullet will work well on elk with the 308.

One of my bulls was taken with the 30 caliber 200 grain AB. Bang flop through near side ribs, resting under the hide on the off side. 105 grains on recovered mushroomed bullet from 167 yards away.

Not bad performance at all...pretty much as advertised.

He was a nice 6x6 about 800 #.

This is a recovered 165 AB from a 5x3 Wyoming bull elk from this year.



Weight:



This is the front side shoulder it went through first:



This is a pic of the bone fragments around the opposite shoulder:



And a picture of the bullet, as found during processing:



This was out of a 30-06, shot about 2900 fps muzzle velocity, impact at 200 yards. Not a pass through, but it did take out two elk shoulders. Amazingly the bull still managed to run/stumble about 40 yards.

Joel that looks darn good!

Awesome performance Joel, thanks that's what I was hoping to see!

That bullet busted up a lot of bone and held up well. Kind of wish I wouldn't have bought the 180 gr Accubond for my '06 and gone with the 165 instead after seeing that. Big fan of the Accubond's here.

I am an accubond fan as well! In my new 300 wsm I have taken a large mule deer, two cow elk, and an aoudad. 4 shots total fired, 180 grain accubonds. I did my part but the performance was perfect. I've used accubonds exclusively for the last 8 years in my 35 calibers as well, 3 bull elk, several deer, and a couple big bears, all one shot. The couple of bullets I recovered were perfect mushrooms. In testing awhile back I had several barnes tsx bullets fail to open, I used them in 35 whelen on a cow elk, shot her 3 times in the same spot and all three penciled through, no expansion, same thing happened on an antelope at 50 yards with a 7mm mag! I'll get off my soapbox but the accubond is where it's at for me!

Wife has killed two so far with her .308 and 165 Accubonds

My wife also uses 165 Accubonds in a 308. She has killed a pile of elk with with them. We've never experienced any sort of issue--everything she has shot from 50-500 yds has tipped over as directed. I think this combination has accounted for a dozen elk in my freezer.

I'm not an accubond fan but I think it'd work.

I used the 110 grain in a .257 Roberts on two deer this year. Both were behind-the-shoulder shots raking forward towards the opposite shoulder. Both bullets stopped between the ribs and scapula on the off-side and 3 of the 4 front shoulders were nothing but purple goo .. nothing recognizable as muscle left: throw it out or drink it with a straw.

I used the 165 grain AB from a .308 on a deer. It worked, but then, what doesn't on a head shot?

Yeah, I think it would work but I think there are better choices.

Tom

What else would be any more effective?

While I don't shoot Accubonds, I do shoot a 308. Personally, I prefer the overkill method, so I use a 180g bullet, but that's me. To be exact an 180g Oryx factory load.

I have used this bullet out of a 300 ultra on deer with excellent results. Have never recovered one as all have been pass throughs and they killed very quick.

i've never used a 308 win for elk, but will do so this year. still undecided between a 165gr ab as opposed to a 180gr partition. i'm certain either will work, but i tend to lean toward the heavier bullet.

I should point out that my post quoted above was with a .30-06, not a .308.

That said, the two loads I have worked up for Daughter #1 and her .308 Win include a 130g TTSX and a 150g AccuBond. Whichever she chooses will be used for antelope, deer and elk.