In this video I talk about the best long range hunting bullet that most people don't use. I talk about why people use Hornady or Berger bullets over the Accubond Long Range.
I use the Hornady eldx now. It seems to shred apart at 100 yards in 4 jugs of water, milk jugs. Not very impressive? I used nosler parton years ago in 280 Remington worked great! Gun wore out. Was mountain gun. I use 6.5 creedmoor in howa hougue now. Good deer gun. Thinking about Barnes ttsx. Going to go to all copper. But have 100 rounds left. Bought 200.
I think you’re right. It’s expensive and I don’t think most people are really interested in setting down and doing a real load development. I believe most people that try a bullet and powder that doesn’t find decent accuracy early on will try something different. I’ve had good luck getting the eldx to shoot decent and I am not hunting anything larger than whitetail deer. So there’s not been any reason to change. I also believe the amount of large game( elk and larger ) is a small amount of the total shooting that takes place. So magnum calibers and tough bullet design is not what most people are shooting. It does have its place and there is a need. Happy hunting. 2A💪
My 30-06 was a tough one to like fact. ammo(back in the 80's) tried Fed, Rem, Win 150 grns. 3-4" at 100 yds, Bought 165 Same make same accuracy. Handload, bought Hornady, Nosler and Speer Bullets. Trial and error. Had a box of 168 target bullets to compare and they were accurate. Eventually 165 grns Speer Grand Slams got me 3 shots at under 1". Today wouldn't hestitate to spend $100 for Accubond Bullets if it's what my rifle likes. And looking at others performace with it, performace and accuracy are great. And at under $2 per bullet not expensive(Midway). Just hunting nearby several $100 for the weekend
The Accubonds may be expensive but they are a small fraction of the cost of a hunt. With careful loading, I have been able to get under a quarter MOA with the 180 gr .308 Accubond. I agree with what you said about seating depth. I check my seating depth to where it touches the lands and back-off a couple of mils. I make a test dummy round with each bullet so that when I install my seating die it only takes a few seconds to use the dummy to set the seating depth. The problem with a lot of 308 Win rifles is that they have a 1:12 twist which will not stabilize the bullet, especially at lower velocities. A 1: 10 twist rate is a better choice. Berger has a stability calculator to determine bullet stability vs velocity and bullet length. Shooting at long range makes this especially important. The bullet may be stable at muzzle velocity, but may not at maximum range as the velocity decreases.
168 grain accubond long range is my favorite bullet inside my typical 200 yard hunting range for where I hunt. But the 90 grain eld-x in .243 is a close 2nd. I think the cup is this same thickness whether it's in 24 caliber or 30 caliber. If it's a cup and core bullet. The cup is the same size and the core is smaller. Less likely to pop out and seperate. I think cup and core bullets are great if driven at high speeds at .25 caliber and under.
Another good video I agree with you another good cheap bullet is the speer hotcore bullets I did a milk jug test at 40 yards with a 7mm 08 with a 145 grain Speer hot core and it held together it did not come apart it went into the fifth milk-jug it was a Ruger American compact with a 18-inch barrel 2600 feet per second is what I'm averaging and the bullet weighed 106.9 grain after I shot into those.
Use the 129gr in my Grendel. They work great even out to 300 meters. Recovered one after going straight through a shoulder bone on a black wildebeest. Animal expired less than 20 meters from where I shot it, 87 grains left intact at opposite side under the skin. Big chunk broke off at the shoulder.
Shot my first big game with a rifle using an Accubond bullet (my state was shotgun only at the time). Not long range but absolutely devastating. I bought the box of ammo (not just bullets), .30-06 Winchester Accubond, for $11/box. Yes, you read that correctly, found on clearance at Walmart. I miss the good old days.
Not sure if I would get the LR because it doesnt hold up as well for ranges you would actually use it in 98% of your shots with the regular accubond. Kinda like the people who pay 50% more for a tipped bullet that is just a cup and core with a plastic tip and only take it out to 300 yards.
I have not used this bullet. But I really like the partition bullet for hunting. I have used the Berger bullets for hunting but excessive meat loss and fragmentation. So I don’t use them anymore. But they are accurate. As far as cost goes spending more for a quality bullet when it’s what is doing the job on the game animals. Is what needs to be priority.
Lucky for me I live in Oregon and make trips to Bend at least once a year. At their factory they sell blems and over runs and you can get a bag of 100 bullets for 25 to 35 bucks depending on the caliber.
I did enjoy this video; you have to believe in what you are using and how you are using it. It is obvious to me that these high bc boat tail bullets work better in tight bore fast twist barrels I really got frustrated getting these to work out of free bore slower twist rifles. I got caught up in the hype of the high bc bullets. I have a couple thousand in my cabinet that I probably will never use. I refuse to play with the seating depth in a free bore my view Weatherby does not embrace this philosophy and can guarantee their factory ammo to achieve sub moa that's good enough for me. In the event I require a long range platform I will dedicate one rifle to this application and not beat up my other rifles. My thoughts regards
Ammo prices are really scrunched together right now. I just purchased the 168 grain Accubond LR. And it was only 3.00 more a box than regular Accubond, so I figured why not.
The RDF bullets and the accubond long range bullets generally print in the same place. But you could also, just before hunting make sure the bullets are going where you want, and then take that one or two shots on game. You really don't shoot much when hunting, so the price should not be the problem.
Here’s the issues that I’ve ran into- I’ve seen two elk shot between 200 and 300yds with the 190gr Accubond LR, neither shots were pass throughs. This was from a 300 win mag, with one taking out the lower spine and upper lungs, the other hitting the lungs. First one dropped, second was piled up 50-60 yards away. I’ve taken deer out to 470 yards, both mule deer and whitetail, with good results. I’ve had better performance with the 200 grain ELDX on elk and bear out to 660 yards, having pass through or almost pass through on all shots. Hence why I’ve switched primarily to the ELDX.
I am using ABLR and it shoots 1/2-5/8 inch groups. Nosler balistian said accubond's like to jump. My prc is 2.867 OAL 2.248 base to o-jive. 20 inch barrel, 56.5 grains rl 26 2917 velocity with short barrel.
Thanks a lot for your video. As a reloader I can tell you: In Germany they´ll charge you roud 90€ (85$) for 50!!! thats 1,70per round, not counting primer and powder...
Love the .30 cal 190gr ABLR, but hard to find and never a good price. Good for when I need to reach out and give me the best results in not so ideal conditions.
I shot a bull elk at 475 with the eld-x with a big entry hole but no pass through. Inside was mush, now the crazy thing is I shot a Muley buck at 330 and still no pass through. With a 300 prc…. I’m here for the AccuBond as you can tell lol
@@Freezer003 Rifle went TU in the week leading up to the hunt. I switched to 151 Cayuga's and it still shot like crap. I saw a NICE Muley buck at just over 300yds, but had a miscommunication with my guide and didn't get to take a shot.
Special logic goes into paying hundreds or thousands of dollars on equipment, tags, travel and all the other expenses that go into the hunt, just to save a 1/2 dollar on the most important component.
The ammunition industry's favourite marketing slogan. Pay more for something that doesn't necessarily perform better or doesn't even perform as good. Just pay more because individually a bullet is the cheapest part.
@@ronlowney4700 i agree, it is the most important part, what im trying to say is use the most effective bullet, not just blindly buy the most expensive one with the belief that it is the most effective. There are expensive bullets out there that are very poor performers compared to some more inexpensive bullets.
Great Review !!! I watched your comparison BTWN 30- 06 and 6.5 PRC.. I thought it was thought provoking !. So for 500 yds maybe 600 , What's your favorite caliber ? and Bullet combo ? Carlos Hathcock used a Win M 70 30-06 I own all the most popular calibers including all the WSM .. My favorite has been the 300 wsm, 7 WSM and 270 WSM.. I like the idea of 24" barrel and full velocity,,, I own 7 mm rem mag, But don't like longer barrel... Thinking 7 PRC with 22" barrel ? I'm also first to say ... shot placement most important and it's THE INDIAN , NOT THE ARROW Most shots are under 350 yds and most people should not be shooting beyond this distance anyway ! MY opinion
I reeeeeally wanted this bullet to work for me back in 2017 for an elk hunt i had. Months before i had put together a 280ai. I started load development with this bullet and was seriously questioning the quality of my barrel. I played with charges, tried multiple powders, and played with seating depth and no matter what i tried i just couldnt get it to group under 2" at 100. I eventually tried other bullets, all shot great. Settled on interlocks, hit a big cow high shoulder, dropped but the bullet did come apart so i guess it failed successfully. Next time i go out west, itll be with some ttsx's
I shoot the 308 caliber, 168g LRAB, in 7mm the 168 and 175g LRAB. In all three of these bullets, I sort the bullets by ogive length, and most importantly, I seat them to within .003 of the lands. The results are tiny group less than 3/8". I did not find bug hole accuracy with the 150g LRAB in the 7 Mag till I started jumping them .150 and over..... On deer and hogs, we found massive expansion with tremendous penetration which is unusual until you realize the bullets are made to expand down to 1200 fps. The bullet is the cheapest part of the hunt.
It’s a bullet that is very hard to get consistent accuracy from. I have played with them in a few calibers and 7 rifles, plus at least another 5 guys I know tried them. It is just plain easier to get accuracy from a berger or eldm/eldx. Performance includes the consistent accuracy needed to hit your intended target.
It takes a little time to work up a good load but once you get it you’re done, I shoot the 6.5-284 with the 142gr ABLR and getting just under .300 groups, taken deer from 200-400 yards and they drop like a rock.. money well spent
I reload for my 300WM. A couple months ago I bought a box of 180gr Nosler Partitions for $100 at Cabelas. Terrible price. Last week I bought a box of Speer Impact 190gr for $55 at a small reloader supply store. Don't always expect a better price from big name companies.
I have used 180gr. Accubond in factory 30-06 for years. Very consistent 2700fps (and a hair..) out the muzzle. Longest moose shot was 260yards. I cannot hope for better consistency and terminal performance. I also reload 210gr. ACLR in .300Wsm. It is well under sub-moa in an 1885. I have not figured out maximum range yet. Conditions will probably dictate what that will be.
Although the Accubonds have a high BC that really doesn’t mean anything at long range because BC is variable. I use Swift Siroccos for ranges from 500-750 yards, I don’t shoot game beyond that range.
Question - for the 270 Win, do you think the 165 ABLR is just a bit too much? Not necessarily in terms of accuracy, you've shown it works for your rifle with H4831, but I thought it was designed for higher velocities: 270 Weatherby, 270 WSM, 6.8 Western, etc., or put a 28" barrel on a 270 Win. I'm considering 2 reamers. 1) 30-7PRC neck up to 30 cal, which would surpass the 300 WSM, likely not by much but some and this reamer already exists. 2) 6.8-7PRC, neck it down, drive a 165 grain 0.277 bullet and see what I can get. I'd prefer this design over the Weatherby
🤷♂️ Out to any reasonable hunting distances, it works more than adequate in the 270 Winchester! Have you ran the numbers and what are your real expectations/needs? 🕵️♂️ What are you hunting? 🤠
@@ronlowney4700 Well for me the 130, 140, 150 ballistic tips, 130 Barnes TTSX, 130 TSX, 110 TTSX and now 129 LRX have been more than satisfying out to 400 yards in any one of my 270s, The 150 Berger VLDs at just over 3000fps have never let me down. As to expectations, simply put, I've not had a need for anything heavier in 270 Win personally but can see the utility of the 165. In fact, I think it was shortly after the OP put up his first video shooting this bullet in his 270 prompted me to order a Brux barrel, #3 contour, 0.277 barrel with a 9 twist. It's done and I'm picking it up Thursday July 20th. It will be spun on a new action I just ordered - Terminus Zeus long action left hand quick change barrel option. I got 2 bolts ordered for it, standard 308 bolt face and Mag bolt face. The plan is to use it and sell off most of my other rifles since I will be able to quick change out the barrels. Likely going to seat it in an MDT chassis system I have on order but will consider a regular stock that will accommodate up to a #5 contour I'm hunting bears, hogs, whitetail deer, mule deer, pronghorn, and elk. Considering a moose hunt. As far as reasonable hunting distances with a 270 Win, I think a lot of hunters kill most of their game inside 200 yards, 250-ish. Most of mine are 200 or less, so candidly any decent off the shelf ammo would work in that scenario from core-lokts, to cheap Winchester bullets, cheap Hornady Whitetail ammo, or the blue box Federal ammo at $24/box at Wahmah
🕵️♂️ Ok, so let's look at the "Numbers" and a "Real Life Senario" of how I hunt! It is Opening Day of elk hunting season and I'm on top of a 12,000 foot pass, just waiting for the other hunters to "play dog" and drive the elk up into me! I am shooting a 165 grain Nosler ABLR bullet, with Reloader 26 powder, out of my 270 Winchester! Reports from multiple people have said that you can get 2,900 ft/s out of your 270 Winchester with that 165 grain Nosler ABLR Bullet (B.C. of 0.620)! My Hunting Conditions, in addition to that 12,000 ft elevation and 2,900 ft/s Muzzle Velocity, would also include a Temperature of 32 F, a Relative Humidity of about 20%, a 10 mph crosswind, and my rifle is zeroed at 200 yards (Actually it is farther than that, but just for a typical reference, we will use 200 yards)! So, what "performance" can I expect out of my 270 Winchester Rifle (24" barrel calculations are the standard)? Let's Run The Numbers in the Horneday Ballistics Calculator and Find Out: Bullet Drop at 500 yards = -34.5", Wind Drift (10 mph crosswind) = -8.8", Bullet Velocity = 2,415 ft lbs, Energy = 2,136 ft lbs! Now let's just say that say I wound the bull elk and he runs to 700 yards and I have to shoot again! What "performance" could I still expect out of my 270 Winchester? Let's look at the Numbers Again: Bullet Drop at 700 yards = -86.7", Wind Drift = -17.6", Bullet Velocity = 2,235 ft/s, Energy = 1,830 ft lbs! Thus 1,830 ft lbs (Even Out at 700 yards) and 2,235 ft/s Bullet Velocity (So, the bullet will still perform as designed) is "More Than Enough" to Kill Any Bull Elk (Moose, Bison, Caribou, etc...), even at this distance! Thus, as you should now be able to see, their is Absolutely No Need for me (and I would dare say You, as well) to buy a Magnum Cartridge - when the 270 Winchester can do the job! Thus, I'll Ask You Again, How Much Energy Do You Really Need? 🤔 The Answer is, if You are Hunting Any North American Big Game Antlered/Horned Animals at Reasonable Hunting Distances (i.e. at less than 500 yards), their is Absolutely No "Need" for a Magnum Cartridge! 😏 Nope, Absolutely None! 😳 Run the Numbers Yourself Again and try the 150 grain Nosler ABLR bullet (B.C. of 0.591) too, which shoots even flatter (you can get 3,000+ ft/s with that same powder combination)! 👨🏫 With right bullet and powder combination, you can see that the 270 Winchester has Alot More to offer than even a 500 yard hunting range (which is still quite a poke)! So, Instead, Save Yourself Some Money and Take It and Buy Yourself a Good Pair of Binoculars or Wall Tent Instead! 🤑 NMN - Means "No Magnum Necessary"! 😎 I stand by that "Conclusion", with Nearly 50 years of hunting experience and a Trophy Room to prove it! 🤠
@@ronlowney4700 Numbers make sense. Issue for me is I can't find Reloder 26. I also can't find those bullets. I do have H1000, Retumbo, Re22, Re25, IMR4831, H4831SC. So far my only elk kills are with archery
🎯 I will sacrifice velocity for accuracy! But my "Point" is that you don't need a Magnum Cartridge to Kill Anything on the North American Continent! The World Record Brown Bear was Killed by a 30-06 (the parent cartridge of the 270 Winchester)! 🐻 My last Bull Elk, with my 270 Winchester Rifle (one of several dozen that I've killed and Nothing smaller than a 5 point bull), was a 7x7 330" class bull elk! 🦌 That is Bigger than most people ever see, let alone shoot! 🙂 I killed him with 1 shot, at 450 yards, with my 270 Winchester! He never took a step and he never knew what hit him! 😵 I also once killed a wounded buck deer at 850 yards, with 1 shot, with my 30-06! 🤯 Thus, I Say, "No Magnum Necessary (NMN)"! 😜
In my experience they are impossible to find, I had been trying to find the 265gr ablr for 338 lapua for about 3 years before I stumbled upon some(looked in both Canada while living there and nz when I moved home) cost didn’t worry me a bit because it’s a hunting round how many are you really flinging every year…100 projectiles will likely last me 6 or 7 years hunting(and we have no big game season or tags to draw just fair game year round)
I use the nosler accubond for elk.i don't shoot anything past 300 hundred yds so I wish that the accubond came with a flat base as opposed to the small boattail they have.as to price your ammo is one of the cheapest items on a hunt.two sodapops or one beer is more than the round you put your whole hunt on.an elk is one tough customer.i used to use partitions on elk but I feel the accubond is a better more efficient design. As for deer and any game smaller the Hornady bullets any of them except the varmint bullets are great.ive killed deer with Hornady and Speer bullets for 40 yrs plus and as long as I do my part ditto the bullet.my longest shot on a elk was 285 paces with a 200 gr Speer bullet 8 mm Mauser at a measly 2500 fps.the elk never knew what hit her .very little meat damage and a fair sized exit wound.all of our modern bullet makers do excellent work We as hunters need to be more selective of our shots.before I go out on a hunt I think about all the successful bowhunters there are and know that I have it very easy indeed
🤯 Exactly, it is the Bullet That Kills The Animal and and is the One Thing That You Don't Want To Go With the "Cheapest Options"! Then, Ethical Hunting Distances is Another Topic that I am "Big On"! We have far too many People Taking "Pot Shots" At Our Wildlife and "Only Hoping to Get Lucky"? 😱 Just Rediculous Behaviors! 🤬
People are too involved drinking the ELD KoolAid. I'd also add the Swift Scirocco to the list of great bullets no one uses as well. Agreed with the cost of some bullets, but people like to spend thousands on rifles and optics but skimp on what truly matters, the projectiles
@ReloadingWeatherby 50 ct is printed on the box, which I assume means 50 count. I've never seen a 100 round box of Accubonds. The last box I picked up (yesterday) was 50. I don't mind paying mucho mulla for a good hunting bullet. I don't shoot much of them since they are for hunting only. My biggest gripe is on and off availability. This forced me to look at the TTSX because it seems to be available most of the time. Bad move on Nosler's part, forcing a loyal customer to go elsewhere. The number one requirement of a good hunting bullet is that it must be available.
@ReloadingWeatherby Oh, you are right. Those LR are in 100s! My bad, sorry. I had to check on Ammo Seek because the LRs are impossible to find around here. I must admit that the situation seems to be gradually improving. I hope Nosler doesn't read this thread. It might give them ideas.
It lacks popularity because it's not available anywhere! Plus it's expensive. I wonder if they have discontinued it? I would like to use this particular bullet in my 30-06, so she has something to elk hunt with.
For a bullet that doesn't get used or is not popular,,you would think that they wouldn't be out of stock no backorder everywhere,,can't find partitions anymore either
@@ReloadingWeatherby I don't like eldx,, I would sooner run a sst,,the new cx is ok , nosler etips are great,,but you can't get them anywhere ,,I'm a die hard Barnes ttsx runner, lastly I love your content and the videos are never missed including the shorts and the write up with no video,, keep it up and shoot hot and fast
If you think about it, I think you answered your own question about expense in Accu bond bullets. You’re wondering why Nosler Accu bond bullets are so expensive, you said Hornaday stop making them because of the expense, you should be glad Nosler didn’t stop making them. Nosler, even though of the extra expense, they had the courtesy and dedication to their customers to continue making them😊
Long range hunting is not hunting. I’d like to try the bullet to see if it rapidly expands at higher velocities. The regular accubond doesn’t expand at 3000 fps in my experience in 300 and 375 RUM on thin skinned deer. I’ve had 100 yard runners most the time with accubonds using both with heart and .lung broadside shots. The poke pencil holes through the hearts of most my deer I’ve shot. A good old cup and core with the same shot placement drops deer where they stand. Imo they are an expensive marketing Gimmic.
For most people it's a simple choice. Get the Hornady Precision ammo that is around $50 that shoots great.... or get the Nosler trophy grade ammo that is $80-100.
@ReloadingWeatherby I find a 15 to 20 dollar difference most of the time. Hornady has risen to power through great marketing. They simply can out sell, out scale, and outperform many in the big picture.
Up here in canada the price is reasonable compared to other options. I switched from the 145g eldx because of poor performance on game especially at close range. Have worked up a load with the 150g in 270 win. I agree it took me alot of shots to find a load. Was very frustrating but man does it shoot good .5 5 shot groups or better. My problem now is I can't find the bullets it is very frustrating. Any suggestions on a similar performer to try next if I can't find these?. BTW it was with 54.8g h4831sc. Thanks
I’m calling BS on your reasoning on the why the ACCUBOND LR isn’t as popular. I purchased a 28 Nosler rifle and made hand loads with 175 grain Nosler Accubond LR that was shooting great. I bought three boxes of projectiles for around $50 a box. Then it took two years of constant looking before I ever found a chance to buy some more and the new price was $100 per box. Nosler’s biggest problem is they just don’t try to meet the demand.
Nosler has become a joke among me and my shooting/hunting buddies. Someone throws around a little cash and we will say something like “Damn he probably shoots Nosler”
Price and availability. I wanted to try some in my 280 Ackley but the ludicrous price and lack of availability shut that down. Nosler is out of their freakin minds with that pricing.
The Nosler Accubond and LRAB are both killer killer accurate out of my .308, .338wm, .300wsm, 6.5x55 Swed and 7mmSTW All were very easy to load for using a combination of Nosler and Lyman recommended losdings I shot the 200 grain LR Accubond out of my 300wsm T3X to 700 yards at the farthest range within 3 hours or less of my home desbite my limited long range skills and under very good low wind range conditions and temps in the 50's I stayed under .7 moa at 700 yards shooting prone and other shooting forms typical to hunting but no bench shooting Im sure if shooting from a bench my groups would've been notably better They are all I hunt with now I have shot three elk with 225/338 NAB and five deer with the 200/300wsm NAB and all ALL were complete pass throughs with a quarter sized entry hole and a golf ball sized exit hole just turned all they passed through to useless mush Cant really give an honest evaluation of the blood trails as every last deer and elk I shot with them dropped within sight Two elk traveled less than 60 yards and were wobbly on thier feet till they dropped and one my biggest bull 336" gross 6x6 shot at 67 yards droppped and was DRT Was not surprised it was a complete pasd through as I use my 338wm and 225grn NAB at a MV of 2875fps so Im guessing impact velocity was over 2700fps and the bullet performed admirably What most people do not realize is the Nosler Accubond series of bullets was designed to mimic the terminal performance of the great Nosler Partition in just like a NPT the NAB front 30-40% is supposed to expand very rapidly into 1.5-2× its original OD and shed about 35-40% of its original weight doing so the back 2/3rds and the remaining 60-65% of its wight drives the bullet as far as needed from any sensible angle into and through that animals vitals turing all it passes through to mush in the process
Looking closer at the bullet holes, it looks like they’re on the verge of breaking stability at 100 yards. I think you’ll notice a significant difference at 200, much bigger difference at 300 and spread out quite a bit at 400.
Well... that's not true at all. My 270 did better at 800 yards than a 6.5 PRC and 28 Nosler. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FL9B2o8wWsA.html
They are pricey, unavailable, don't shoot very well at long range, with b.c. values that need correcting. They got it right with expansion down to low velocity, but other than that they really aren't a good long range option. The serious long range hunters are using better stuff like berger hybrids, atips, eldm, and tmk's.
The AB’s are good bullets but who needs them? The majority of game is shot within 300 yds. Most game falls to a simple cup and lead bullet that costs half as much and works well. These are great bullets without a defined place for hunting. Few hunters have the skills to make a 600 yd shot, fewer yet consider it ethical, so why load up with two dollar bullets?
The reason nobody uses them is because they are too expensive. The money you have to spend on 50 nosler bullets you can get 100 bullets from everyone else
I luv the ablrs i shoot 175 out my 28 nosler and 210 out one of my 300 rums i would shoot then out all my rifles if i could but i have over 50 rifles so thats not possible nosler makes the best bullets
@@eduardoolaechea i would use corelokt before i used ballistic tips. Ive never had s corelokt fail, but have had several bad experiences with Nosler ballistic tips on game, its a shame since theyre extremely accurate
This bullet is garbage for ranges closer than 300 yards, I will never use them again. The accubond is a way better bullet, or better yet the Partition. Your inexperience shows when you talk about Berger and Eld-x bullets for long range hunting, and glad you say you won't hunt long range. Leave that for us professionals.😉
I have seen numerous discussions about these bullets on shooter forums. All have problems with repeatability of accuracy. That and many really complain about high prices of all nosler products. It's a fair argument. Hornady bullets offer the best target bullets and if competition shooting it's all Bergers or stay home. I like nosler but they have priced themselves out of the game. I won't even mention availability. Nosler fails all around. They forgot the hand loaders that put them on top.
👨🏫 Why do I shoot Nosler Bullets? Because, Not Only do they work, but they won't discontinue them a few years after they come out and I have spent countless time and money working up a load for one (Nothing is more Frustrating to Me than That 🤬 )! The same cannot be said for other companies like Federal and Horneday! The "Real Reason" Why Horneday discontinued loading the Interbond bullet is because they were failing at close range on big game animals! That is also Why Swift has the Sirocco II's, because the 1st ones were also failing at closer ranges on animals! However, Nosler was the only one that didn't have that problem with their long range bonded Accubond bullets! Why? Because they made sure that they worked before selling them, instead of just hurrying to get them out the door, to keep up with the latest market craze! But, now, with this "Long Range Shooting Crowd" - the Monolithic Bullets MUST be pushed Fast Enough to Work "Properly" at Longer Ranges - which is something that those Heavier Monolithic Bullets just Won't Do Out of Most Cartridges When Shooting Past 500 yards, because of the Required Bullet Velocity to Make the Bullet "Perform" As Intended/Designed (Which is something that I contend that People Shouldn't Be Doing Anyway)! 😡 But, Most of these People also Can't Even Tell You is At What Distance Their Bullet Is Limited To Working At Out of Their Rifle! 🤯 Seriously! 🤪 But, even Nosler has their flaws - because those Nosler bullets won't perform well at 1,300 ft/s (more like 1,800 ft/s), even though the box says so and Why You Must Test Them First! ☹ For me, considering ALL the other expenses that go into hunting, I am not going to lose sleep over paying $1/bullet for "premium hunting bullets" (Making Bonded Bullets Requires Additional Steps and Additional Time to Make - That Is Just A FACT)! If you want the best results, and I know they are on the expensive side of the price range, you just can't beat the consistent performance of the Swift A-Frame's at reasonable hunting distances (When you can find them is the problem 😪)! That is Why it is smart to have multiple options and to pick a caliber with lots of good bullet options! And, when you find a bullet that your gun likes, buy lots of them! 👨🎓You can't beat the 30 caliber for that, but the 270 is actually becoming a Good #2 for hunting bullet selection (despite developing a reputation, that was established long ago, for not having a good bullet selection in the heavier bullets particularly)! But, for decades, no one was designing a better hunting bullet than the Nosler Partition and is a "Big Reason" Why that happened! THAT'S ANOTHER FACT, UNTIL THE SWIFT A-FRAME CAME ALONG (THE BONDED VERSION OF THE NOSLER PARTITION)! 🤑 Why Nosler never bought them out, or sued them for patent infringement, I don't know? 🙄 It is also helpful to own more than 1 gun in more than 1 caliber, if the wife will go for that? 🤣
I'm fortunate to hunt my dad's property where we have a few shooting houses/elevated blinds, whatever they're called. Longest field is 600 yards. I take TWO rifles to the north end blind. One is for any distance to 600 yards - either my 7RemMag with 168 Berger VLDs at 3020fps, or as of this year, my 6.5PRC or 7PRC both heavy barreled and bughole shooters. And I'm hopeful my 300 WSM will be done before rifle season opens so it will be an option as well. The second rifle will be one of my lighter carry rifles in case I get down and go stalking, which I do frequently. All of these are either factory Tikkas or one of my built rifles with #3 contour barrels. I could also use of of those in the blind as well if I see a deer under 400 yards. I'd just pick whatever between the 2 depending on distance I'm NOT a hunter EAGER to shoot at longer ranges. I much prefer bow range simply because, for me, it's a sure thing, or at least has been for over 3 decades. And, I don't take shots unless everything is near perfect and I'm comfortable with the scenario at hand. I saw a video a few years ago titled, "Nothing Under 300 Yards." If I recall correctly, if the hunter was considered too close, they'd put some distance between them and the animal, or they just didn't include any kills under 300 yards, can't remember. As to bullets, I've shopped for ABLR bullets for a long time and I think on 2 occasions I found what I was looking for in stock and some additional bullets I wasn't looking for but bought anyway, 190 ABLRs in 30 cal (I think) - just got them last week for the 300 WSM coming soon. Inside of 400 yards I'm a Barnes guy, better yet, 300 and under preferred. At any distance I'll use my good ol never failed me Nosler ballistic tips - yes, even to 600 yards. I've taken more game with them than any other bullet. Big fan of the Berger VLDs, also never failed me and they hit hard. As for accuracy, the Bergers win - tightest most consistent repeatable groups for me, next are the btips and original accubonds, then the Barnes TSX and TTSX and just last year for the first time, the LRX, the latter insanely accurate in my 6.5-284 Norma with H1000 and Lapua brass. As of today, only experience I have with any ABLR is the 142 grain 6.5mm (I think that's the weight), in my 6.5PRC and they are grouping under an inch but I still need to do some work with them
Couldn’t agree with you more on everything you’ve said. I use the A-Frames in my 375 H&H. It’s the only bullet African PH’s all agree on. Another thing they almost agree on is, don’t use Hornady bullets. You’re right about the 1,300 ft/sec not being enough for expansion on the ABLRs. It’s more like 1,800 ft/sec, like the Partition.
🤠 At Normal Hunting Distances, I Don't Think That You Could Ever Find A Bullet Better Than The Swift A-Frame's! 😯 They Can Take Down The Toughest Game Animals In The World and Do It With Authority! 💪😵🥊
🧐 Experienced Hunters Know The FACTS From the Company Hype, Because We Put Our Bullets Through The Real Test, In The Field! 🦁🐯🐻 The Bullet is the Most Important Tool of the Hunt, as it is what kills the animal, and yet "most hunters" (I call them "Weekend Warriors" 🤭) overlook it's importance! 🤯
@@ronlowney4700 I think what happens is people want the cheapest and most accurate bullet they can find. Unfortunately, these match grade cup and core bullets fit the bill, but they are lousy hunting bullets. I have a hunting load, and another to shoot steel at long ranges, for all my rifles.
