Have Your Tried the Nosler AccuBond?

1

147 Grain

New member
I love Nosler's AccuBond, which I believe is a one of the best all-around bullets there are to choose from.

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For starters, the AccuBond is a Ballistic Efficient round with an aerodynamic BC of .509 - enabling more downrange energy on target.

accubondcut.jpg


Example:

When comparing a bullet's energy in a 30-06 versus a 300 Win Mag, if you put a premium 180-gr. Nosler AccuBond bullet in a 30-06 at 2,750 fps MV and compare it to a plain jane Winchester 180-gr. Power Point in a 300 Win Mag at 2,960 fps MV, the 30-06 AccuBond will have an amazing 104 ft. lbs more energy at 300 yards: that's right - 2,005 versus 2,001 (Source: Winchester's 2005 Ammo Catalog, p. 10 - 13).

So you see the 180-gr. AccuBond with a BC of .509 easily makes up for and passes the 210 fps velocity advantage the 180-gr. Power Point had because of its much lower BC of only .349.

In this case, the 30-06 180-gr. AccuBond outperforms a 300 Win Mag 180-gr. Power Point at 300 yards.

Moreover, a Nosler Technician recently reported that in comparison to the Hornady InterBond, the AccuBond not only expands more than the InterBond (providing more shock), it also penetrates more by shedding shrapnel along the way to the point where the slightly smaller bullet actually penetrates more than the larger mushroom on the InterBond.

The AccuBond's design took 4 1/2 years in the making.

I like this bullet because it provides excellent expansion and its unique ability to slowly shed weight enables it to penetrate more than the competition, so you get the best of both worlds.

http://www.nosler.com/accubond.html
 
That reads a lot like an advertisement.......

I've had trouble with the bonded bullets expanding well at lower speeds and long distance.
 
P.S. No affiliation with Nosler other than one of many satisfied customers. :)

I believe the AccuBond will reliably expand down to 1,800 fps.
 
"Expand" at 1800fps is very subjective and I'll wager that will differ a great degree between the .30 cal and say the .284.

If you shoot something at around 2000fps, report back on this thread.
 
looks to be pretty similar to the hornady SST. the accubond has a thick jacket for use on big game not medium game like deer. i predict that the accubond and the SST would perform the same on deer and the deer would both fall over quite nicely.

i also believe that a plain old soft point will make a deer fall over quickly too because ive seen it done many times.
 
FYI:

Hornady's Super Shock Tip (SST) bullet expands faster and penetrates less than Nosler's BT (Ballistic Tip).

The AccuBond is much tougher and is basically a BONDED version of a Ballistic Tip.

Nosler says that beginning with the 30 caliber 180-gr. Ballistic Tips (and larger), the jacket's profile is changed or upgraded to a much stronger contour similar to the AccuBond (shown below). The lead core is also hardened over the 165-gr. and below bullets.


accubondcut.jpg



Lighter weight bullets like 165-gr. 30 caliber and lower (shown below) do not have the thicker contour which starts in the middle of the shell and goes down to the base.


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In summary, one might suggest that the 180-gr. Ballistic Tip is simply a non-bonded AccuBond.


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Caution:

* Standard bullets generally perform better on deer in lighter to mid-weight sizes.

* Ballistic Tipped rounds are the exception to the rule as outlined in the opening post. Reported problems of a BT blowing up too quickly are generally associated with too light of a bullet.

Steve

P.S.

I like a bullet to perform two things in my 30-06:

1. Violent expansion / shock.
2. Plenty of penetration for a pass-through.

Nosler makes 4 great rounds to accomplish any North American task - listed in order of toughness:

1. Ballistic Tip
2. Solid Base
3. AccuBond
4. Partition

* Light skinned / boned deer: 180-gr. Ballistic Tip / Solid Base / AccuBond
* Heavy skinned / boned elk: 180-gr. Partition / AccuBond
 
Accubonds are nice if they shoot well in your gun...

From my anecdotal conversations with Alaskans that reload and hunt, Barnes are pretty much the bullet of choice however in most calibers up to the biggies

WildjustorderedsomebarnesesmeselfforthatmatterAlaska
 
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