Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles ABLRs

ABLRs are absolutely a bonded bullet, that is fact.

They are a softer long range version of the Accubond, and are definitely related.


Your results would have been better with the standard Accubond, like many other hunters trying to use the ABLR at normal hunting ranges. You chose to use a very soft bullet, and got soft bullet results.

My 6.5x55 at 2920fps loves the 142g ABLR and it hammers every animal it touches! Big mule deer at 410 yards with broadside pass throughs. Big Mule deer at 400 yard with a frontal and side pass through over 20+ inches penetration. Bull elk at 185 with broadside pass through and broke onside leg. Whitetail buck at 175 neck shot pass through and 710 yards high shoulder pass through. Antelope at 200 and 450 yard broadside pass throughs.

Bullet performs at close and long range. Have recovered 2 bullets; cow elk at 60yd follow up shot and big mule deer at 165 high shoulder spine. Both about 60% retention and found on opposite hide.

The ABLRs are butter soft and designed that way. They're designed to expand way out there at lower velocities while still sort of hanging together up close. Think of them sort of like a bonded ELDM or Sierra TMK. Very thin jacket, very soft lead...just bonded.

If you aren't planning on a bunch of low speed impacts stick to normal accubonds, ballistic tips, partitions, interlocks etc; those bullets are designed to work well at higher "normal" impact speeds and are all less jump sensitive, to boot.

I’d agree with Tex. I used the 129 from the 6.5 PRC and hit the buck a little far back. Center punched his liver. Buck went nowhere and was dead before I got to him. Felt bad when I saw the crap shot I put on him but I was glad to have the softer bullet. Shot was about 154 yards when I checked it.