210 gr Accubond LR bullets

[death-junky]

So I picked up and box of 100 as I'm looking to develop loads for different situations. I'll be using H4831SC as the powder, the cartridge is 300 win mag. My question is what is the seating depth off the lands has the best results for these bullets. I found that the .040 off the lands worked best for the Berger VLD hunters in my rifle. I was going to start there regardless. Other question is how are these bullets on game as they will be used for moose and elk hunting mainly.

 

[Potashminer]

I suspect is another one of those things that you have to try in your rifle and tell us what worked or not - do not think what another guy did or does in his is even close to what yours will want. From another recent thread - read up on "chasing lands" - if that is something that you will be fussy and precise about, know that the lands will be moving as more rounds sent down that barrel - so is not a "fixed" length - so need to come up with efficient and painless way to establish appropriate distance almost every time that you reload a batch. I can not say whether there is measurable difference after 10, 100 or 1,000 rounds, but sooner or later it will be there.

I have not loaded for that bullet, but have used Accubonds in several other cartridges - so I look at the Nosler loading manual - almost always select the "most accurate" powder that they found, and use the COAL that they used. Do up a pressure series like that to find out whether or not I can go as high as they did - really helpful at that stage to also be using a chronometer to confirm what you are getting for muzzle velocity, compared to what they got. Generally, velocity = pressure - same powder, same muzzle velocity (in same length of barrel) and must be very close to same pressure. Likely pure "dumb luck" but my Win Model 70 in 338 Win Mag - using straight out of Nosler book, and their "most accurate load" - 74.0 grains RL-19 with 225 grain Accubond, Fed 215 primers and 24" 1-10" twist barrel - I used W-W brass; they used Nosler brass. I am getting very repeatable 3 shot triangle shaped groups at 100 yards - about 3/4" to the side of equilateral triangle - very pleased with that one - have done nothing else to try to "improve" on that result. Happens to be within plus or minus 10 or 15 fps of 150 grain Partitions in my 7x57, and 165 grain HotCor in our son's 308 Win

 

[Potashminer]

I was curious, and looked up your choices in my Nosler 9 book. So, H4831SC is their most accurate powder that they tested, and their most accurate load of it was Max. at 69.5 grains - so will want to start at their Start level (65.5 grains) and see if you can get to their Max or not. Overall Cartridge Length that they tested was 3.340" They used Nosler brass, WLRM primers in 24" 1-10" twist barrel, for 2,731 fps as their Max average velocity. I suspect that is as good a place to start as any. Likely want to try longer loads if your magazine allows, or shorter - likely most productive to try 0.010" "steps", once you think you have the best powder load??

For many years, I tested and sighted in from sandbags at 100 yard targets. Went hunting, sighted in like that, and got my share of game. I have since been convinced that if you want to know how the load performs at 300 yards, have to shoot targets out there - what you did or did not get at 100 yards may or may not have much to do with 300 yard results.

I couldn't help but notice that, in this case, the most accurate powder was also the one with the lowest Maximum Charge velocity, of the 10 powders that they show. The all-out highest velocity loading they show is with H1000 powder at about 150 fps more speed, if all out speed is your measure of "better"... And their "most accurate loading" with H1000 powder was not their maximum load of it. Has to all be taken as a report of the result that they got with the gear that they used to test - they did not use your rifle, so your results can be different than theirs...

 

[Eagleye]

I shoot the 210 LRAB in my rechambered #1B Ruger. [308 Norma Mag]Obviously, I have no magazine length
to worry about, so I am way out at 3.53" COL [this is .015" off the lands] My powder of choice
is Hodgdon's Retumbo at 7x grains. Velocity is 2930 [26" barrel] and this load shoots sub moa right out
to 400 meters.

I took a bull Moose in the fall of 2019, but he was only 120 yards away. Shot was ever so
slightly quartering away, and the bullet exited, taking out a rib on both sides. Dead Moose
very quickly. Lung damage was impressive.

The 210 LRAB seems to be good, but I have not killed enough game with it to really give
an experienced evaluation.

I did shoot a big cow elk with a 6.5mm, 142 LRAB - 350 yards, bullet stayed in, Elk DRT.

If I was shooting a 300 Win Mag, I would not settle for 2730 fps. Ballistically, it is nearly
the twin to the 308 Norma Mag. Regards, Dave.

 

[bearhunter]

OP, it's nice to see a fellow that actually utilizes the case capacity of his chosen cartridge for the type/weight of bullets it was intended to enhance.

A few years ago, I loaded that bullet into a lovely Holland and Holland in 300 H&H, pre WWII Mauser, with a great later date Zeiss scope on claw mounts.

I knew I couldn't really afford to keep this gorgeous rifle, but I wanted to shoot a moose with it, with exactly the same bullet you chose.

The best velocities I could get out of it were just over 2800fps, with IMR7828. This powder gave be the best velocities and the most consistent accuracy. Recoil was brutal, IMHO, but I'm definitely recoil shy.

I seated those bullets so that the base of the bullet was just slightly compressing the powder column.

The freebore in that rifle was almost beyond generous, as it had originally been ordered from the factory for hunting under African conditions.

Sorry if that's to much information but it's relevant.

There was at least .200 inch of freebore. That's a lot of jump but thankfully the throat diameter was very close to minimum spec and the rifle shot much better than I first thought it would.

I cringed every time I pulled the trigger of that rifle and the groups were still good IMHO, it held to 1.5moa all the way out to 300 yds, which is about as far as I would prefer to shoot.

The rifle had a 1-10 twist rate and I tried lighter bullets. Recoil was lighter but accuracy wasn't great, at least not nearly as good as the heavier/longer 210 grn accubonds.

IMHO, if your rifle has a tight throat, it will shoot well, no matter where you seat your bullets.

When push comes to shove, if the throat dimensions are on maximum or close to it specs, that means you have to hold the base of the bullet in the case neck, long enough for it to engage the leade of the rifling so that it will feed straight into the bore.

Slower powders burn with better consistency, if they are slightly compressed.

If your rifle has a generous throat, then seat your bullets closer to the leade. If it has a tight throat, don't worry about it.

That's another great advantage to shooting long for weight bullets, it gives you some wiggle room, to get the best accuracy from your rifle.


To many folks are recoil shy but won't admit it, so they load lighter bullets than the cartridge was designed to handle and things go awry from there.

 

[death-junky]

The last round of testing I found a load that gave me 1/4" groups at 200 yards. 3 shots through a ragged hole and one "flyer" just off the cluster. The bullet was a 190 gr Berger VLD hunting with 71 grs of 4831SC and a federal match primer. I used Hornady brass and federal match large rifle magnum primers. the COAL was 3.480 or .140 over max SAAMI specs. With the bullet seated at that depth it was .040 off the lands.

I'm lucky my rifles mag is large at a total length on 3.6" so I have lots of room to play with my COAL. So the load will be more or less the same other then the COAL will be slightly different then before. All the reading I've done on these bullets state that they like to have a bit of a jump to start unlike the Berger's. But since the bullet is quite a bit longer the COAL is 3.486 and the jump is .100 its noticeable how much the Ogive is different then the Berger's.

The one thing I'm reading is the Nosler page data is for a bullet that fallows a SAAMI case length of 3.340 and thus the pressure would be far higher with a lighter load then out of a 3.486. I've looked on other official sights and loading books that have load data for them and a longer COAL (3.430) and they say that the start is at 69.0 and max is 72.3 of H4831SC. and your max PSI is 63500 I've also looked at other "similar" loads and they are all in this same ball park.

 

[Potashminer]

Sounds like you are finding out what works! Good on you! A caution - you have no way to know that pressure will be "far higher" or "far lower" by altering components or assembly - almost all of us have no way to actually measure that - all we can go on is the velocity - and you do not mention what you are getting. Velocity is typically something that many or most of us can measure, to some extent... It can even be worked out "backwards", if you get dependable bullet drop information at range from your rifle, and then use dependable ballistic tables - does not have to be an electronic gizmo to come up with a reasonably valid number.

Your own experience is a bit different than I normally read - the Barnes X bullets typically want or need a significant "jump" - go back up a few posts to read why that may or may not be a thing with your rifle with lead core bullets. At least for first couple decades, Weatherby boomers came from the factory with considerable length "throats" - was a way to moderate breech pressure, and somehow got balanced with "accuracy" to be "good enough" for most shooters. As per John Barsness articles, resulted that some "custom cut" chambers, that did not have that free bore - would lock up the bolt tight, with Weatherby factory ammo.

 

[Dogleg]

I use the ABLRs a lot in rifles that like them. They have the endearing trait of laughing at wind, and are truly vicious killers.

Inevitably; if they are going to shoot it will be at light contact to .015 jam.