Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters accubond bullet

I just go for the top of the heart and if a shoulder is in the way just send the bullet through it.

I've always heard Swift Scirocco was a tough bullet...jacket looks thicker than the AB and InterBond. Never seen any tests or had any friends use them in the real world hunting.

Maybe not quite apple to apple but here a 6.5 140gr Accubond vs a 6.5 130gr Scirocco II

In my experience Sciroccos expand and penetrate more than InterBonds (which expand VERY widely) but not as deeply as AccuBonds--which penetrate almost as deeply as Partitions. The Scirocco jacket is heavier, but made of pure copper, which is a little softer than the gilding metal jackets on the AB and IB--which is a mild brass (copper with a little zinc) used for most centerfire bullet jackets.

The .25 100gn Scirocco is a very good bullet at 3150 fps from my Roberts. I had one penetrate about two feet quartering through a feral billy goat at about 40 metres.

Out of interest..............which was developed first? The Scirocco or Accubond? Who copied who?

Swift was bonding bullets first, both the Scirocco and the A-Frame.

Edited to add that they weren't the first to do it, just the first large manufacturer to do it.

If I recall correctly, Swift was the first bullet company to make a bonded plastic-tip.

The first version expanded somewhat wider than the present version, because Swift envision it as a higher-BC bullet for deer-sized game, since they already made the A-Frame for bigger stuff. Nosler had the same idea when they introduced the Ballistic Tip, since they already had the Partition for larger game--but so many hunters liked the accuracy and higher ballistic coefficient of the Scirocco and Ballistic Tip that they started hunting game like elk with the plastic-tipped "deer bullets" and naturally some hunters weren't satisfied with their penetration.

As a result, both companies started making changes. Swift introduced the Scirocco II (the present version), designed to penetrate deeper. Nosler introduced heavy-jacket versions of the Ballistic Tip, and eventually the AccuBond.

Sounds like in the end, they all work very well. Just splitting hairs, which ever one is the most accurate is the one to go with.

Recovered this 260 grain .375" Accubond from a black bear which I'd tracked after it was wounded by another hunter. My shot was from about 15 feet. Muzzle velocity about 2650 fps. The bullet was hanging in the off-side hide.





I'm impressed with the Accubond, have taken several black bear with it. Good accuracy and excellent performance on game. I was a little surprised to recover the bullet as I'd seen pass-throughs before.

Regards, Guy

I "caught" my first Accubond last week. My buddy shot a Whitetail buck and a doe (one shot each) in MT with .243 Win rounds I had loaded for him with the 90 AB at about 3050 FPS. The round shot at the doe fully penetrated and left a nice blood trail in the snow (for about 60 yards). The buck didn't go as far but the bullet lodged just under the skin on the off side, retaining 64% of its original weight.
All the ABs I have shot in my previously limited experience, mostly 6.5mm 130s, have fully penetrated.

Cheers,
Rex

I just reweighed my two .35 225gn Accubonds caught in two sambar deer from my Whelen. One retained 77% and the other 74%. One at 40m and the other at 70m.

Recovered this pair of .30cal 150gn Accubonds from wild pigs a few weeks back. At a.308 Win muzzle velocity of 2750fps retained weight was 102gns & 103gns.

Used the Accubond 160 gr in my 7 Mag last year on deer and black bear. Completely satisfied with performance. One doe took one quartering to me at 90 yards found it in off side hip under the hide. The bear was shot broad side spraying pink tissue out the other. After trying various bullets and weights in that rifle I’m sticking to the Accubond for the 7.
GreggH

Can a person heat there none bonded bullets and turn them into bonded? How hot would they have to be?

I've recovered a few Accubonds from large wild pigs and elk but in most cases there was complete penetration. The recovered bullets were .30 caliber and 180 grains. I've used a lot of 140 grain 7mm Accubonds and some in 6.5mm on mule deer but have never recovered one. I like Accubonds and their performance on game, and they generally shoot well in my rifles.

In theory you could, though I don't know the necessary temperature, which would vary a little depending on the lead alloy used.

But there are several difficulties, first that heating also tend to anneal (soften) the copper or copper-alloy jacket--which is why many bonded bullets have jackets that are very thick (or partitioned) toward the rear. If you bond a typical thin-jacketed soft-point, it tends to come apart, often as much as the same bullet unbonded.

Also, if the bullet isn't heated absolutely evenly, it can warp a little, which doesn't help accuracy.

This accubond hit a deer at 80 yards. Deer was quartering towards me and the bullet entered high on the shoulder. Bullet busted the near side shoulder, destroyed the lungs and liver and ended up under the skin just behind the last rib. Taking a rough measurement with a tape measure, the bullet traveled at least 20". It retained 75% of its weight. Deer ran 20 years and flopped. Entry hole in the skin was caliber size, but while processing that front shoulder, there was a 2" hole in the shoulder bone. It also busted through a rib just below the spine.

6.8spc with 16" barrel. 110 Accubond handload at 2560 fps 15' from the muzzle.

I've only used NAB's in my .257 Bob antelope getter. I load the 110 gr's to tickle 3000 fps and they just knock over dinner. I've never recovered a single one even with a shot that was pushing 400 yards.

Only thing I'd add is that you get out to further ranges and down around 2000 fps I try to keep them on the shoulder bc they seem to start needing some resistance to expand at lower velocities.