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Eagleye

Eagleye

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North Central B.C.
I have been a bullet-picker all my life, and have collected a few over the years. First, I have a picture of all the standard cup & core bullets, most of which were from my earlier reloading/hunting days. Here is the picture. You will notice that in some cases, very little of the bullet is left, whereas in others, the bullet looks extremely nicely mushroomed. It all depends on how much heavy bone is encountered by these type of bullets.
CIL190bullets_20091023_0781.jpg

In this following picture are a number of Partitions, including the one from this year's moose [third row, RHS] the three on row 4 are various bonded bullets. #1 is a Blue Point, #2 a Scirocco, and # 3 an Accubond. As I have mentioned before, the recovery percentage for Partitions In my experience, is about 17-20%, with the remainder making exit. The Partition has been flawless for me over the years, and I have shot just over 100 head of game with them now. [since 1965] Bone makes little difference to the Partition. They generally will drive through into the vitals even after encountering such resistance. Here are the pics. Regards, Eagleye.
CIL190bullets_20091023_0780.jpg
 
Very impressive - you didn't get all those sitting in your rocking chair at home.

Do you think the accubond will hang together as well as a partition - even when encountering bone? Some have reported it as such. If the lower RHS bullet is your accubond it looks like it held together.
 
Whelen B said:
Very impressive - you didn't get all those sitting in your rocking chair at home.

Do you think the accubond will hang together as well as a partition - even when encountering bone? Some have reported it as such. If the lower RHS bullet is your accubond it looks like it held together.
Click to expand...

Since my experience with the Accubond is relatively limited in comparison to the Partition, I cannot say if it will always stay together. However, the one in the picture took a nice muley at about 200 yards. It was a 140 AB from a 280Remington, started at just over 3000. It weighs 112.5 grains, which is pretty decent retention. [about 80%] Partitions typically retain from 60% to 75% of original weight, regardless of what they hit in the animal. Regards, Eagleye.
 
I think the Accubonds are going to gain a reputation for being very tough.

This one pictured below is from my 2008 moose. The shot was just behind the front leg. It penetrated the the moose hitting ribs on the way in and the way out and then entered the upper part of the offside foreleg and penetrated that and was found under the hide.

The exceptional thing here is that this 165 grain bullet had a muzzle velocity of over 3500 fps and the range was 30 yards, an extreme test for any bullet I would say.

I've not recovered any more Accubonds but I've shot several other animals with them with no signs at all of the bullet coming apart including a moose this season in which heavy shoulder bones where hit. Pass-throughs in all cases.

Its also nice that they have a high BC and tend to be accurate.

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found under the hide.

There it is again - and to my thinking, perfect performance. I can't imagine how a 'total pass through', with residual energy being wasted on a spruce tree somewhere on the leeward side could be any better.

I actually watched an 'under the hide' bullet stoppage once, and have always regretted not being able to film that. My partner and I worked a big bull moose all morning to get him into an "L" shaped ambush, and I ended up watching straight on to his rear end as my partner made the shot from a broadside position off to my left.

The bullet (Nosler 180 NP out of a .30-06) went through both front quarters...the 'offside' hide bellied out an astonishing distance - at least a foot - with dust and dirt and crap flying off it...it reminded me of someone whacking a carpet hung over a clothes line. Of course that's where we found the bullet.....right under the hide. It's the first place to look!
 
TwoTone; That AB looks great, and while no heavy bone was encountered, the impact velocity would have been right up there. If a bullet is going to come apart, it is usually at high velocity. FWIW, I have shot 5 other game animals with Accubonds, 4 with the 270/140 [deer] and 1 with the 8mm/200,[moose] and they all were passthroughs, with evidence of good expansion and no disintegration. I don't really give a whit whether a bullet penetrates an animal or not. If the placement is proper, there is little need for a blood trail, since the animal will be dead in a very short while. You hear stories about lung-shot animals travelling miles, but I don't buy it unless it was a "fringe" hit, just at the very edge of one lung, since an animal with both lungs "holed" is not long for this world. Of all the deer, moose and elk, plus other big game I have shot, the longest distance any animal decently shot has gone is about 80 yards. Regards, Eagleye.
 
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I have some E-Tips in .270/130 grain, but have not tried them on game yet. They are shooting very well out of my M700 CDL, just under 1" at 100 yards. [5 - 3 shot group average was .85"] This CDL is a real shooter though, since the 140 AB and the 140 Partition shoot about the same. Regards, EE
 
Good post, good pictures and great info! Admittedly, I've been somewhat 'reluctant' to get into todays technology bullet wise, for a couple of reasons.
  • - First, there's been some great accuracy results and results on game I've obtained using some of our more conventional bullets available, Sierra being one of my favorites.
  • - Second, the cost factor. My biggest question is for the results I'm presently getting, bang for the buck, are some of these high end bullets worth it?
That 'qeustion' was answered somewhat last year with the results of a Mule Deer hunt with my daughter & son in law in AB. I was shooting a 308 Norma Mag using handloads with 200gr Sierra SBT's and my daughter was shooting a 300WSM with Barnes TTSX. As luck would have it, hits on both our animals were very close to the same place. Both animals went down quickly but the meat damage/loss on mine was CONSIDERABLY greater.

Long story short, I'm in the process of change over and load development to Barnes TTSX, primarily in three calibers. I'm not a trophy hunter and I don't knock it. It's just that one of my main considerations if the meat.
 
Johnn; There is no successful argument to knock standard cup and core bullets. Additionally, many are very accurate. They usually kill just fine, and I am the first to agree. However, if you are shooting those types of bullet, particularly driving them fast, they do more damage, as you have observed. Secondly, you need to be a bit more "picky" about what angle you take your shots at, due to disintegration on heavy bone at times. Your move to the TTSX is a good one. Cost of a few hunting bullets is not usually an issue. But let's illustrate an angled shot. Mr. Moose is facing you, with his front shoulder pointing straight at you. If you shoot him on the point of the shoulder you will break that shoulder with practically any "hunting" bullet you choose, but it may not reach the vitals, because in breaking the bones, it also often breaks up. If you take the shot with the TTSX, [or partition, or a good bonded bullet, etc] Not only will it break the bone, but it will go through and into the vitals, killing that moose quickly. Damage to meat in both cases will be substantial, but likely less with the premium bullet, since a good portion of it will still be intact, instead of scattered all through that shoulder. I have pretty well abandoned all standard bullets, except in older, slow chamberings [my 38-55 & 30-30] I continue to practice with ordinary bullets, since practice is good, and less expensive when you shoot a lot at paper. But when hunting season rolls around, the premium will be up the spout! Regards, Eagleye.
 
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Thanks Eagleye. I appreciate your comments and input. Accuracy using the Sierra 200gr SBT in my 308 Norma Mag was great and the accuracy of the 117gr SBT in my 25-06 was exceptional, hence my initial reluctance to change.

In three of my main hunting rifles, 7x61 S&H, 30-06 and 308NM I am working up loads using Barnes. After some reading and input from a few people like bc sportsman, I've picked up a variety of weights for each caliber and I'll go with what ends up working best for me accuracy wise. In other calibers I have from 219DW to 458WM I'll stay with the more traditional construction of bullet. Thanks again:).
 
Thanks Eagleye and all for the assessment and experiences so far with the AB - a tough dependable bullet it would seem as we've collected the voices here.

I've got a friend in NWT who said he thinks they are so tough and dependable that he believes them "better" than a Partition - which for him has always been the benchmark. After testing both 225grs he concludes that Nosler will probably stop making partitions and supply only the superior (in his thinking) ABs - I doubt that myself but who knows.

Regards
 
Thanks for the positive comments, guys. Obviously, none of us lives to hunt long enough to be completely comprehensive in the assessment of such a variety of bullets as we have today. However, we do get the chance to form opinions that gather weight as we continue to utilize certain methods or products. I have my doubts that Nosler will phase out the Partition in favor of the Accubond, as good as it is proving to be, but I do have a sneaky suspicion that lead cored bullets of any kind may be in jeopardy before too long, due to the environmental issues associated with lead. :( I know one thing....even if they phased out the Partition and Accubond today, I would be shooting them for some time to come! :D ;) FWIW, I have a 140 TTSX load in my 700 Classic 7x57 that shoots a ragged hole at 100 yards, and starts at just over 2900 fps. Just haven't shot any game with it yet, but it definitely looks like a winner! Regards, Eagleye.
 
Again Eagleye, thanks for all the info. While we were in AB this summer I made inquiries at a couple of retail outlets in the Edmonton, and surrounding area, looking for a 'selection' of Barnes bullets. A shop that had all I was looking for at that time was Bashaw Sports. What I made arrangements for in;
7mm:
  • 120gr TTSX
  • 140gr TTSX
  • 150gr TTSX
    My 7x61 S&H Schultz & Larsen has a 1:10 twist and from helpful info I've obtained from a number of people, indications are the 140gr 'should' be the best performer, accuracy wise. A slight hurdle is the lack of Barnes load info for the 7x61 so working up loads may take a while, but that's half the fun.
30 cal:
  • 130gr TTSX
  • 150gr TTSX
  • 165gr TSX
  • 168gr TTSX
My '06 is a Husqvarna with a 1:12 so apparently the 150's could be #1 although some indicate the 130's may prove to be best.
My 308 Norma Schultz & Larsen is is a 1:10 so I'm told the 165's or 168's should be the answer.
348 WCF
  • 220gr originals
  • 250gr originals.
On a more conventional note for my Winchester model 71.;). Needless to say, my 'shopping' trip to Bashaw took care of a good chunk of my 'Mad Money':redface:. Oh well.........:D
 
Great Info!!! I've always used the Honardy IL for practice.But for hunting the
Nosler Partition is a job one for me.
 
Johnn Peterson said:
Again Eagleye, thanks for all the info. While we were in AB this summer I made inquiries at a couple of retail outlets in the Edmonton, and surrounding area, looking for a 'selection' of Barnes bullets. A shop that had all I was looking for at that time was Bashaw Sports. What I made arrangements for in;
7mm:
  • 120gr TTSX
  • 140gr TTSX
  • 150gr TTSX
    My 7x61 S&H Schultz & Larsen has a 1:10 twist and from helpful info I've obtained from a number of people, indications are the 140gr 'should' be the best performer, accuracy wise. A slight hurdle is the lack of Barnes load info for the 7x61 so working up loads may take a while, but that's half the fun.
30 cal:
  • 130gr TTSX
  • 150gr TTSX
  • 165gr TSX
  • 168gr TTSX
My '06 is a Husqvarna with a 1:12 so apparently the 150's could be #1 although some indicate the 130's may prove to be best.
My 308 Norma Schultz & Larsen is is a 1:10 so I'm told the 165's or 168's should be the answer.
348 WCF
  • 220gr originals
  • 250gr originals.
On a more conventional note for my Winchester model 71.;). Needless to say, my 'shopping' trip to Bashaw took care of a good chunk of my 'Mad Money':redface:. Oh well.........:D
Click to expand...

Johnn; I agree that the 140 TTSX should be the real performer in your 7x61 S&H. However, the 10" twist should still stabilize the 150 as well. Try both, use whichever shoots best.

The 1-12" twist in your 30-06 will work just great with all weights up to and including the 180TTSX, However, I would opt for the 150 or 168 first.

Your Norma Mag with the 1-10" twist will be fine for any TTSX up to 200 grains, but a 168 or a 180 would be my choices in it.

Usually, you can drop back a step or two on weight when you use the solid copper bullets, compared to lead core varieties. Let us know how things turn out. Regards, Eagleye.
 
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