Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting accubond for deer?

are these bullets like ballistic tips only bonded to hold together better? will they open up or pencil through a deer?

They work just fine on deer. Although I use primarily cheapy Hornady spire points for most of my rifles, I use 110gr Accubonds in my .25-06 and 180gr Accubonds in my .30-06. I have killed 1 deer with each of those two and got excellent performance from the Accubond bullet.

Early Accubonds reportedly had some issues, but as of late the reports seem to be overwhelmingly favorable.

Open up and make big honkin holes all the way through (165 gr out of .308 win)

LC

My experience is with the 110 gran ABs, and they do open up!

Interested............."as of late" would mean about how recently?

I ask because I've not heard of the reported earlier issues with the earliest AB's. Do we know if Nosler actually admitted to such by actually redesigning their AB's? If so, was it a certain cal./weight AB or the entire line?

Thanks in advance.................

They've done a fine job on deer and antelope for me out of my .270, for such things both my sako and I love the things.

shot 5 deer with them out of 308 win
4 150's
1 165
ranges were 15 yards to 235 yards
none went more than 40 yards
all were through the lungs, no shoulders

shot one 180 AB at 3000 FPS in 300WSM thru the lungs of a 22 yard deer, worked perfectly but have decided to use less expensive bullets as the AB's are just not required. Killed two this year with 130 flat base Nosler seconds out of my 270. Those bullets are cheaper and work just fine.

My .264 has kilt 4 whitetail slinging 130gr Accubonds out at 3275fps. From 40 to 385yds, all had a 1/4" innie and a 3/4" outie. Two went through ribs, one through neck bones, and one went through both shoulder bones. All had minimal meat damage.

This Accubond is my deer bullet of choice. I've shot only one deer one coyote with a BT, it was not pretty and I'll never use another.

I'm with mule shoe, I'l use BT for yotes but not another deer. Too much damage.

Only started using them last year (in my 6.5 X 55). Killed two deer, one at 20 yards, one just shy of 400. Bullet shot diagonally through the one a long ways off from left shoulder, out groin area, re-entered right hip, broke bone, stopped, recovered, 100 grains left. Close one through chest on a vertical diangonal, through and through. Both deer dedernhell.

Although I have had great success with the heavy NBTs, NABs are definitely a much tougher design. You can grind one of each to get a good profile and the NAB has a much thicker jacket than the NBT. That jacket gives a good controled expansion IME. The NABs have given NPT field results IME. Maybe alittle much for deer, but they will definitely get-r-done.

The impressive thing with NABs vs other bonded bullets is they give great accuracy, much like NBTs.



Good Luck

loder

One of the deer I killed with an Accubond was an "early" one; it was the first year they came out.

It worked perfectly, could NOT have done anything better. It didn't trash the onside shoulder, it penetrated over 30" and exited, and the deer fell in it's tracks and died. That was a 180 from my 30-06- an elk load.

This year I killed two elk and a buck with my .325 and 200-gn Accubonds and the bullet performed perfectly in every case.

I think, on balance, they may be the best bullet out there for animals up to elk. However, that comes with the disclaimer that I'm NOT a light-for-caliber guy. Run proper-weight AB's in your rifle, and watch stuff keel over and die.

A bonus is that they are excellent at long range and tend to be very accurate- at least they are in my rifles that I use them in (7-08, 30-06, .325 WSM, and .338 WM).

My son and my last many deer were shot with the "earlier" AB's (110's in the 25-06 and 140's in the 270WSM).......all performed as desired. But I am always interested in any "re-do's" to any product that I might be using.

If Nosler actually did reconfigure their more current AB's due to whatever issues with their earlier AB's, it would be interesting to know just what reconfiguring they did. Not unheard of, look at the Scirrocco I and II. Chit happens, but generally I am apprised of such stuff through members here or through my readings. Haven't heard a thing along those lines.

Inquiring minds want to know...............

There is nothing I have come across that would indicate a second generation of NAB's. In their Nosler #6, they describe the AB as having attributes of the BT's and some of the PT's. No indicator of anything - unless Mule Deer knows something different.
I have had good luck with NAB's. Two cow elk were convinced to go into my freezer with the 180gr. version and a 300WSM Montana.

Thanks bigwhoop.

You got lots of good eatin' there......I mean lots! I've got a bit left from last years spike, but this year..........no elk for me or my son. Bummer......

But good for you and glad to hear that the AB's work for you as well.

I just added another 300WSM to the gun rack.......I've found this cartridge to be a serious "elk getter". It has alot of the qualities of that often heard (and thankfully ignored), "if I had to choose just one rifle/cartridge for all my huntin', what would it be?", question. It definitely would be in the running..........

We used Accubonds (140 gr out of 7-08 and 7wsm) for deer the past 4 seasons and have had one shot kills on 8 deer and 5 coyotes. All but two were DRT, neither of those two went further than about 20 yards after being shot. Recovered one bullet that went through about 30" of a Missouri 8 point buck and weighed 98 gr (70% retention). They're a great deer bullet IMO. Wife killed a 7 pointer Sunday morning with 120 gr Ballistic Tip out of her 7-08. Double lunger, DRT, shot at 74 yards with a MV of around 3100 fps. No bloodshot meat. This'll be her deer bullet from now on.