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

I shoot a .308 almost exclusively for elk. I have great luck with Nosler E-Tips and Partitions. I suspect Accubonds will provide the same.

This 165 grain Nosler E-Tip was extracted from under the hide on the opposite shoulder of my best ever bull, taken last year. I have not measured for retention. The shot was 309 yards.






Some have told me that a .308 Win will not provide energy necessary for proper expansion over 300 yards. I have a wall full of elk skulls from bulls who did not get the memo.

To the OP, I think the 165 AB will work just fine out of your 30-06

Based on what experience?

Sheesh...

Here's a 165 NAB from a 5pt bull elk shot as a finisher a PBR:



Here's this year's bull taken with a 165 Speer HotCore from a 308 Win, which as far as I'm concerned is an inferior bullet to the 165 Accubond:



Here's a small bull that took a 165 NAB through the lungs from a 308 Win. In and out, bullet exited. Bull went no more than 25 yards:

I bet he saw it on a long range hunting show or read it on the Internet.

Good info for me. I have been looking for pics/experience with e-tips impacting at slightly slower velocity. That was likely 2100-2300 give or take, and opened enough.

Only one cow elk with the 165 gr. AB from a 30-06 with a 1 in 12" twist barrel. At impact the elk ran about 30 feet in a half circle and dropped. Shot was a 100 yards give or take 10 yards. Bullet lost, probably in the mess that was the left lung. Muzzle velocity was about 2890 FPS. This rifled will not shoot anything heavier that 165 gr. accurately.
If I use it this year, I'll try the 165 gr. Partitions, that is if the rifle likes them.
Paul B.

In the late 60s - early 70s, I fell in with 4 other guys and we hunted a wonderful spot in the East BitterRoot that produced Bull after Bull over a five year period.

Coincidentally, 3 of us shot Win 88s in .308. We all 3 used 180 grain CoreLokts, which had a good reputation.

In 5 years, the 3 of us shot 15 Bulls of various size. Never lost one -- excellent performance. I've broken both shoulders on a large Bull @ well over 100 yards. Shot another one with a raking shot. Never trailed one over 150 yards (and he was shot thru the heart). It was later when my partners started shooting 340 Roys and 358 STWs that I learned to trail wounded Elk.

I'd say your AccuBond is a better bullet than those old CoreLokts; and they worked very well.

In fact, my Elk bullet this year will be a 140 grain AccuBond @ 2800 out of a handy little 7MM-08.

I really like those Kimber Montana rifles in .308 Win.

Brad, I think you've proven they work quite well on bull elk.

If all you do is read articles about elk bullets you will think the 308 is not adequate. I sure did for many years. Then over a period of three years I saw several elk shot with both a 308 and 270 using Nosler bullets and quickly decided they work incredibly well, and they don't kick your ass while shooting them. Unless you are trying to do the whole "long range hunting" thing, the 308 makes excellent elk medicine.

A lot of magazine articles are written by people who base their knowledge on what other people have written, sometimes many years ago, or the use of mediocre bullets.

The cartridge doesn't kill game. Instead the bullet does, and we've had good bullets for the .270 since 1948, when Nosler Partitions were first sold commerciall, and the .308 since it appeared in 1955. Some people just didn't get the memo, so kept shooting lesser bullets.

I remember reading one article published in the 1970's, by a guy from the South who went on his first elk hunt. He took a .308 and shot a bull up the rear end with a standard 150-grain bullet. The bull got away (no surprise there), and the guy had to borrow a MAGNUM to kill his elk. His conclusion? Elk require a MAGNUM.

When I saw this, I was headed for my photobucket in order to grab Joel's pictures. The 30-06 and 165 AB showed me how effective the AB is on tough elk bones. That bullet did as well as could be hoped for. Not that I should have been, but I was really impressed with the 06/165 AB...

Plus, the guy steering it knew what was going on as well.

For those who have used it do you believe the .308 with the 165 AB is a 400 yard gun for a MATURE bull?

Yes, no, maybe. How is the wind? Is it a rushed shot? Do you have a really stable rest? What scope? Are you using Kentucky windage? Lot's of variables. 400 yards can be a long shot or a easy one, regardless of caliber.

Dont hesitate. Took my first bull at 409 yards with a 160 accubond leaving the barrel under 2850. Went clean through both shoulders. Bull took a few steps backwards and rolled down the hill.

Are MATURE bulls harder to kill than other elk? Just wondering. mtmuley

I am not sure they are harder to kill if the bullet gets into where it needs to go and does what it needs to do but they are much bigger. I think that a 400 pound rag horn bull or big cow is in fact a different animal than a 700 pound MATURE bull. I have killed both and they sure look different on the ground.