Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game bullets recovered from plainsgame

As an extension of last year's thread https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...1665/bullets_from_plainsgame#Post7841665 but I thought I'd rather start a new topic.


On this year's cull hunt I took my 6XC loaded with 105gr VLD Hunting, 105gr AMaxes, and 90gr Accubonds, and here are some samples of the bullets I was able to recover:


105 gr AMax recoverd from Springbuck. They would exit about 50pct of the time.


Berger recovered from Springbuck. They would exit about 75pct of the time and were better killers than the AMaxes.
My colleague used 80gr TTSX factory loads in his 243 and they seemed to kill the Springbucks at least as well, if not better, than the Bergers, which I found surprising as many of the shot taken were beyond 300yds and monolitics seem to work better the higher the impact speed.

Also shot several warthogs with the Bergers and they stayed inside 75pct of the time. Even with well placed shots most of the times they took off on a 50-100 yd dead run on which most of the time we were not able to find any blood.
The Accubonds were better killers here, passing through on three out of four warthogs, and dropping them where they stood or almost.

I forgot to mention that I am not tryin to destroy anybody's cult for any particular bullet brand, just to share my experience and pictures of recovered bullets that at least for me are always fun to look at.

I will have to continue later, sorry.



Alvaro

Placing the shots carefully and keeping them inside 300 meters, I stretched thing a little and shot 10 wildebeest cows and gemsbok.





I used Bergers and Accubonds alternatevely and did not get one single pass through. Bergers killed very efficiently, penetrating a couple of inches of whatever they found on their way, and blowing uo inside. Accubonds did not kill so well and 3 out of five animals required finishing shots in spite of the almost perfect bullet placement.


Incidentally, I had this Berger perform rather conventionally. It was found under the skin of the opposite side, on the blue wildwebeest of the above photo.

This is how Accubonds and Bergers typically looked like...





My colleague used a 7mm with 160gr Accubonds factory loads. If memory serves, out of ten gemsbok and blue wildebeest only one passed through. They killed better than their little 90gr sisters from my 6XC, but not so much better than you might expect, and not any better than a well placed Berger.

This is what a 160gr Accubond would tipycally look like.



Hoping you enjoyed the photos,

Alvaro

Thank you for the update. Loving the AB's!

Thanks for taking the time to post the results.

So if you to pick one bullet of the 3 for game up to the size you killed on this cull, what would be your pick?

Lonny,

I would say the Berger, followed by the Accubonds.

I did not shoot any of the bigger stuff with any A-Maxes so I can't tell how would they do, though,

I swapped from one bullet to another without telling my hunting buddy which bullet I was shooting each time, and would ask him by the end of the day which one he thought had been a better killer. In his totally unbiased opinion, Bergers were best, too.

Interesting

Thank BBerg for the review and pictures. It gives us real performance on how they perform. Great job!

Cool, thanks.

I just got back from Africa. Was shooting 160 TTSX from a 338 Federal. They performed fantastically! Here is the one I recovered. It was from the off-side hide of a Waterbuck. Bullet went through ribs on both sides.

Thank you, gentlemen!

Maybe others chime in and show us their latest recoveries

PRM:
Very good photos, thank you, and that TTSX looks perfect!
I have learned that the way a recovered bullet looks may not have much to do with how it kills, just take a look at some of my Bergers, but who does not like a recovered bullet look like yours!

Here are a couple of .375 cal 270gr triple shocks recovered from a Gemsbok....you don't recover many but most look like this....

or like yours, AFTERUM!

That's nice and all, but I'm more concerned how they do with water jugs...........

My experience with 180 gr Accubonds on elk is they disintegrate. I find the jacket much like what your photo shows and the core can be about anywhere. On one elk, I later found the core in the heart. The meat destruction around the entry hole is massive. I usually find the jacket on the near side of the elk unless it's in the ribs. Out of 3 elk I've shot with them, I have yet to have a 1 shot kill.

What caliber/weight was that? I've considered using the 180 or 200 AB in .338

300 WSM, 180 gr. If you're trying to save on the high price of premium bullets, I find that Speer Hotcores perform much better, better penetration and weight retention than AB's. I've shot at least 7 or 8 elk with Hotcores and in my experience, they hold up about as well as Partitions.

What weight grain Rock Chuck? Kinda surprised to see the Accubonds not get a better report card. powdr

I must be shooting the wrong bullets. Haven't recovered 1 in over 10 years. Darned Barnes!

180

7 or 8 years ago, I shot a medium sized bull that was quartering toward me. I used a Speer 180 gr Hotcore and hit him in the shoulder. The bullet missed the long bone but just clipped the scapula, went backwards taking out a lung, all the way through the stomach that was full of the morning feed, and I found it in the haunch on the far size. After all that, it still weighed over 150gr. I was impressed.