Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Nosler AB vs. PT ?

This sounds like the way I think as well. Depending on you of course, I would probably feel comfortable carrying my high B.C. ammo in a stock carrier or in a chest pocket and change what's in the tube when setting up for a longer shot. You'd do well to go ahead and shoot the Partition at the game of choice to some pretty long distances. How much change in drop are you really talking about?

Incidentally, my favorite tough sp out of the .338WM has been the Woodliegh WeldCore PP. It is moving at lower velocity than the Edge but they are pretty impressive.

My buddy is an AB fan.....I shoot both but load Partitions to hunt. Most recently we both have 7mm Mashburn Supers, he shooting the 160 AB and I shoot the 160 Partition,both started about the same velocity.

Comparing dope and holes in the targets we can't see the difference between the two out to 600 yards.

For that matter, I've worked up loads in several 7 Rem Mags with 140 AB's that grouped the 140 BBC the 140 Partition, in the same group,same POI. The BBC and partitions lands with the AB at 400 yards.

This is a result of actual shooting to confirm; in short I can't see a difference.

The reason I'd regard carrying an AB for a 500 yard shot on a moose,and a Partition for a closer shot on the same animal,pretty much a waste of excess brain protein. We can really over think this stuff which will make our heads ache.

Not that much. Now check the drift column of your favorite ballistic calculator and you will find that high BC bullets have a larger effect on wind drift than on drop and it gets bigger the further out you go. This is good because it is ten times harder to judge the wind than determine distance.

Yup..... I just ran the numbers through the good old Hornady Ballistics calculator for the 250 AB vs the 250 Nolser Partition from the 338 Win Mag, both at 2800 fps(Nosler Manual calls for 2790 fps but close enough).

The 250 AB shows a drop of 42" at 500 yards from a 200 yard zero; the 250 Partition shows 45.1". Difference is 3.1".

In a full value cross wind, 10 mph, the 250 AB shows 15.7" at 500 yards; the 250 NPT shows 19.8" Difference is 4.1".


This all makes a difference on a bull moose assuming your rifle can put them all into the same hole at 500 yards, and your hold in the field is "perfect".

If the best your rifle and you can do is keep them all in a 6"" circle at that distance under field conditions,then the advantages are sort of lost in the group size.

But these differences are monumental and well worth the effort and bother of carrying two bullets around on a hunting trip....

I can see someone lazing the animal,getting a reading of 397 and wool gathering which bullet to shoot him with....while the guide or your hunting partner stands there wondering what else they could be doing for fun....while the bull sort of meanders around chasing that hot cow (changing distances)or disappears into the willows.

Add on top of this the time spent groping for the ideal power setting on the variable...and you have a perfect storm brewing. Good thing moose aren't to bright.

My thought with this is if you can shoot to 400 or 500 yards with the Partition you've covered the vast majority of typical range for hunting.
I could eject a round and drop in a high BC wind bucking perfect long range round from the stock ammo band in a few seconds. Shooting far enough away that you NEED that super douper high BC wind bucking ammo will take much longer setting up that shot than the time to swap even the whole magazine out.

Nate if carrying two bullets makes you more confident go for it.

I think people way over think a lot of the hunting stuff these days, and make simple chores of killing more complex than they need to be, is my point.

Not me.
I said I could. I'd be using the Nosler Partition and limiting my range. There's a time and place for most everything.

Bob,

I sometimes carry more than two bullets. Heck, sometimes I carry two guns! I hope that is okay with you.

Carry on.

In anticipation of a long-awaited moose hunt I loaded up several 250gr bullets for my 338 RUM.
While the 250 NPT and the 250 Berger EH shot well at 300yds, the 250 Accubond reliably but 3 bullets into an inch at that distance. I was sold on the NAB and got them loaded up.

A 15 point bull was spotted at just under 1,000yds and, amazingly, responded to the call. I always anticipated that a long shot opportunity may present itself and had practiced accordingly. However, the big bull did things his way and popped out of a wood line exactly 54 yds away. I got on him quickly as he walked broadside. The 250 Accubond hit him on the point of his shoulder and flipped him over backwards. The bull was DRT.
Ultimately the bullet was recovered in the off-side hide where it had passed through both shoulders. The remaining bullet was fully intact but only weighed 102grs. While the terminal performance was spectacular, a tougher bullet may have been a better choice if it were large toothy bears that I was hunting.

scooterbum: I know..it's complex and dangerous out there!

A guys just never knows what might pop up does he?

Proceed as you wish. It's a free country......for now anyway.

I will.

I once had a VERY large black bear cross the 2 track about 75 yards in front of me. I was not all that enamored to the bird shot loads I had in the 12.

But I can assure you, the bear definitely had my attention.

Nate or scooterbum, what's the poi difference between the 2 bullets at say 300 yards? I'm talking in your rifle, not what the loading manuals say. I've seen big differences at even 100 yards with varying bullets at different velocities. Of course you are practicing for over 600 yard shots too, with each bullet. What's you zero? It will probably be different for each bullet. What scope are you using and how are you keeping track of this information out in the field when the moment of truth comes along??

+1

So many people think a partition will not work past 250 yards....
Most them goons need to shoot more, and quit worrying about numbers.

I have not fired a .338 accubond bullet to date, but have actually fired and used 338 partitions, 225 and 250 grains. They are the deepest penetrating bullets I have fired into game.

I don't have any experience with the AB, just the BT and a very limited use of the Partition. If I use the 200gr Part in 30 cal, instead of my 180gr BT, I expect it (and have verified it) to be very close to my trajectory for the BT. The BT is my normal load, for 200 and beyond, the Part is for close in, to prevent bullet flow up.

Accubond all day long! Have a friend who shot his kodiak brown bear using 200gr accubond 325 wsm one dead bear. Another fella shot a nice interior bear with his 06 using 180gr accubonds. All bullets held together just fine.

BSA- I have only messed with the two different ammo thing with two of my rifles. More out of curiosity than anything else.

In my 7mm Rem mag with a 200 yard zero there was less than an inch difference in POI at 200, between NP and Hornady SST's, Sierra had two different weights that were also right in the same range depending on weight. I wasn't impressed with my 7mm and pulled the tube. It was hard to find loads that shot well in it. It's now a .300 Win Mag and may be something else before to long. The greatest change in POI was between Barnes XLC's and Sierra both in 160gr. I never shot it at any living target beyond 400 yards. At 300 yards or less it would have made no difference.

MY .25-06 is more sensitve to bullet weight changes because the velocity changes are greater. I never used it in the field with different ammo than it was zerod for. I also zero this one for 200.

I keep a notebook with my load notes, how things group, and poi changes. Nothing as detailed as a benchrester.

I see no point in using high BC bullets unless you are stretching the legs on something. If you felt the need to have "tougher" bullets in the tube for a close encounter and you know how they shoot in regards to your favorite long range setup I could easily feel comfortable shooting two different flavors of ammo in the field. Truth is most game is killed at distances where B.C. makes little to no difference. If you are shooting game at distances where it has come into play, you've hopefully spent enough time, ammo, and homework to understand exactly how your gun shoots.

I think everyone should be doing what works for them, and the one thing that practice builds is confidence.