Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Poor Accubond Performance

I agree. And I've shot them fast out of stuff like 300 Wby and 7STW.

Darn good bullet.

mtmuley yes, the 200 gr is a good bullet. A few friends use them from 300 magnums and one killed a 6x6 with a couple last year. Not arguing it isn't good....but apparently what might have happened here could happen with any of them if they strike bone at an angle and simply don't dig in.

I know they work. But if they strike at an angle any bullet could deflect off bone under similar circumstances.

If that happened I can't regard it as any sort of a "bullet failure", regardless of make.

+2. Steep, uphill angle and wound high on the shoulder.

After shooting several elk with 180 gr AB's in a 300 WSM, that's exactly the kind of performance I expect from them. I won't use them again.

Obliterated one shoulder, lodged in the hide on the offside of a decent sized bull this year. (160gr from 280 - 302yds)

I've seen the 7mmRM, 160AB, 3000fps take 2 wildebeest, 2 oryx, zebra, and a kudu, all pretty tough animals. Performance was what I'd call exemplary, especially since crushing through shoulders is preferred over there.

+3. I've had great performance out of them in my 7wsm with 160s3000 fps from 30 to 550yards

No way a 165gr at 30-06 speeds could have done that with a direct hit. Just isn't possible.

I think some of the comments regarding the steep up hill angle and contact with the blade makes sense. I think it was a fluke but am still amazed by this happening.

all rifles will fail, all scopes will fail, all ammo will fail.

I think the angle was probably the biggest issue there.

I am still waiting to see a barnes fail for me or friends, but I expect I"ll see it sooner or later.

Personally for elk in an 06 I'd be running 180s of about any standard bullets flavor. But I really think that the angle was the issue here. Like tossing a stone at a flat water surface... I suspect it kind of skipped in a way.

Being that high of an angle the ideal would have been a very low entry shot though, and exit high due to angle. As it was if this one had penetrated it may well, dependign on angle, only stunned the elk with a hit above the spine, rather than killed it.

Bottom line, the shooter knew to never drop your guard, and to keep shooting, till its down and out, and all was good.

Loved the story and pics. Especially the last picture.

Thank you

I see nothing to indicate the bullet glanced off bone.. rather it was such a shallow angle the bullet went straight through the little bit of flesh presented to it. That opened it enough to see bone, but the bone from the pictures is not damaged like one would expect of a glancing bullet.

I'm certainly not any kind of expert on bullet performance considering I've only shot one deer with a 165gr accubond from a 30-06 at 50 or so yards last year. Performance was exceptional on sample size of one. Never found the bullet.

Armed with 140gr accubonds for my antelope hunt this coming week out of a 280AI.

If I were to follow all the threads on bullet failure here and take them all to heart, I don't think there would be a bullet left to use! So I guess I just pick the best I can and take my chances, hope for the best.

A lesson in shot placement glad the follow ups worked well.

I look at the AB as a better Ballistic Tip and would aim accordingly.

Use Partitions if you want Partition performance, not sure they wouldn't have acted same way in this situation though.

Mike

That could be, too.

So the bullet never struck bone? Just exposed it. Interesting theory.

I just ain't buying that this was a direct hit. The bullet either hit something prior to entry or was at such an angle that is just skinned the elk. I have seen many wounds like that and all were from poor entry angles.

There is just no way an accubond did that.

Beat me to it.

I have the "luxury" of having seen quite a few poorly placed shots over the years. Bullets bouncing off bone do not leave white bone behind. If I read the pictures correctly there is white bone at the bottom of that wound.