# AccuBond vs. Ballistic Tip



## Mavis13 (Oct 29, 2007)

I've been shooting Ballistic Tip's from my .06 and they fly great but I've not had a chance to shoot any animals with them yet as I've only been hunting ML for the last decade. This year I have an Elk tag for the general season and I've got some 180 Ballistic Tip's loaded up that I'm sure will be fine for elk but always looking for a reason to reload I've been reading about AccuBonds. Has anyone shot big game with these? If so is there a reason to change? Also I've been reading that a lot of guys are now just shooting 165gr for booth deer and elk where I've always shot 150's at deer and 180's at elk. Any personal experience on actual performance would be interesting to hear.


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## Afishnado (Sep 18, 2007)

I personally love ballistic tips, just not for big game. The bullet seems to break up to much and lose a considerable amount of weight. I really like Nosler Partitions, or Barnes TSX bullets. I get great expansion and weight retention from both, and have never had to shoot twice.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

The Nosler Accubond will basically mimic the ballistic performance of the ballistic tip while performing much like a Partition on game. I have killed many animals with them and they are a proven commodity in my opinion. You will not be dissappointed going from the Ballistic Tip to the AB.----SS


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## elkmule123 (Aug 14, 2013)

x 2 I shoot them out of my 7mm and love 'em. I've dropped every elk I set one at like a sack of potatoes.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Originally Ballistic Tips were thin skinned bullets that fragmented quickly. But recently Nosler has been making a new kind of Hunting Ballistic Tip. Make sure you are using the Hunting version for big game and you will be fine. We have been shooting 120grn BT:Hunting bullets out of my boys 7mm08 and they have been grouping great. Should work fantastic on antelope this fall.

Make sure it says "Hunting" on the box:










-DallanC


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Springville Shooter said:


> The Nosler Accubond will basically mimic the ballistic performance of the ballistic tip while performing much like a Partition on game. I have killed many animals with them and they are a proven commodity in my opinion. You will not be dissappointed going from the Ballistic Tip to the AB.----SS


Great to hear, I've worked up a new Accubond load for my 7STW, yet to try it on any big game but I've read glowing reports on it. A 160grn pill at 3200fps ought to give an elk nightmares.

-DallanC


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## Mavis13 (Oct 29, 2007)

So what do you think of the 165gr instead of a 180?


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

the first bull I killed was with a rifle (30-06) at 650 yards on a range finder shooting a 165gr bullet, it was slightly quartered away. the bullet entered in at a perfect lung shot, and was actually poking out of the skin on the other side at the base of the neck. the elk went a total of 10 yards. the 165gr is more than enough bullet, and has less drop out farther distances. out of the 2 I would shoot an accubond just because its an accubond. The ballistic tip, and the accubond in 165gr has the same BC


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

another vote for the AB...

here's a once 200Gr 30Cal


Before you buy, take a look at this past post.
http://utahwildlife.net/forum/18-firearms-reloading/37997-long-range-accubonds.html

anyone shoot ^^these^^ lil dandy's yet??


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

DallanC said:


> Great to hear, I've worked up a new Accubond load for my 7STW, yet to try it on any big game but I've read glowing reports on it. A 160grn pill at 3200fps ought to give an elk nightmares.
> 
> -DallanC


I shoot them at 3150 out of my Dakota and 3 elk have fallen to 3 shots; 100 yards, 75 yards, and 525 yards. Still yet to get a bullet back.---SS


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

Mavis13 said:


> So what do you think of the 165gr instead of a 180?


Absolutely, I think that the 165 is a great weight for the 30-06 and the velocity and recoil will improve without sacrificing much in the form of energy. My pet load incorporates AA4350 with a 168 at a very accurate 2850fps.----SS


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## Kevin D (Sep 15, 2007)

I bought some Nosler Ballistic Tips for my 7 Mag shortly after they were introduced onto the market in the early 80's. They shot superb on paper but proved less than ideal, at least to me, with how they performed in the field. 

That year I hit a bear in the shoulder hard on a spring Idaho spot and stalk hunt and all he did was stand there with one foot in the air. I had to shoot him again through the ribs to put him down. Later that fall I hit a buck through the shoulder and knocked him down, only to watch him regain his feet and take off running the opposite direction carrying a front leg. I hit him again solid and down he went. After I gathered up my empty brass I looked up and the buck was trying to get up again. WTH?? Another shot through the neck finished him off.

In that one box of 100 I tried I had three bullets that contacted the near shoulder bone of a big game animal and broke apart before reaching the vitals. I was sorely disappointed.

Maybe things have changed since then, but with bullets like the Accubond and Partition out there specializing in taking down heavy boned big game animals, I can't see any advantage in using a bullet like the Ballistic Tips on elk sized animals.


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## Mavis13 (Oct 29, 2007)

I hadn't considered partitions, My dad likes them but I guess I just figured the newer stuff was better. Again I've not spent any of my adult life hunting with a scope; mostly because the general hunts just make me crabby seeing all the stupid people; even though most folks are good, and respectful there seems to be an abnormal supply of stupid on those.


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## Mavis13 (Oct 29, 2007)

DallanC said:


> Make sure it says "Hunting" on the box:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Mine does not say hunting; I've had them along time. Guess I save them for blowing up milk jugs and find something else. So I guess the new queston is AccuBonds vs. Partitions?? Funny I buy Hornady stuff all the time for my other loads and I do have some Hornady 100gr varmint stuff for my .308 caliber rifles but I always seem to gravitate to Nosler for big game stuff; which is additionally funny because I haven't been on a center fire hunt in what I thought was 10 years but as I think about it, its more like 20. But I still load stuff for them and shoot the heck out of paper and milk jugs with it.
So AccuBonds come in a long range, at what distance does a shot become long range?


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

I do not have any field testing results, but the Accubond is my most accurate bullet on paper.


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## timberbuck (May 19, 2010)

Nosler toughened up the ballistic tips in the larger calibers as so many people were using them for big game. In the smaller calibers they are still considered varmint bullets.

The modern ballistic tips in calibers .270 win and larger are just fine.

I would still run a 180 for an elk bullet regardless if it were a ballistic tip or accubond.

The .30 cal accubonds are not much tougher than the ballistic tips, yes they are bonded but they are one of the fastest opening/least weight retention bonded bullets on the market and more so in .30 cal and up. I have not been too impressed with the .30 cal 180 grain accubonds fired from a .300 win mag, the results I have see on game mimic standard cup and core non bonded bullets like the core lock ect. . The 7mm accubonds perform much better.

The best bonded bullet in my experience is the Swift Scirocco. I have also had good luck with Winchester's XP3. Both offer better penetration than the accubond while expanding more than the monolithic bullets like the Barnes.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

timberbuck said:


> I have also had good luck with Winchester's XP3. Both offer better penetration than the accubond while expanding more than the monolithic bullets like the Barnes.


Can you get the XP3 for reloading or only factory loads?


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## elkman (Sep 1, 2013)

I shoot a lighter solid copper bullet. The solid copper lets you go lighter because you have very little weight loss. They also shoot flatter and faster so at long range you actually get more energy out of a smaller bullet that is still flying than you do out of a heavier bullet that is falling. At least that is how it was explained to me. my light bullet has made elk and deer both drop strait down from 120 yards to 383 yards. That is with a 165gn trippleshock on a 300rum.


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## dmoody (Jul 26, 2013)

I shoot accubond's in just about every hunting rifle I own/ have owned. (90gr 6mm, 110gr 25-06, 180gr 300wsm, 225gr 330 Dakota, 260gr 375 Ruger) They shoot just as well as the ballistic tip's but are bonded for weight retention. They've performed extremely well on every deer or elk that I've shot. The partition is a great bullet as well, but typically don't shoot quite as well as the accubond's in my experience. In a 30-06 I would probably just shoot 180gr for both deer and elk so there would be no need to resight for a different load. Just my opinion.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

timberbuck said:


> Nosler toughened up the ballistic tips in the larger calibers as so many people were using them for big game. In the smaller calibers they are still considered varmint bullets.


No, there are both Varmint and Hunting specific versions of most all BT bullets. Nosler is clearly marking boxes now to avoid confusion.

Varmint BTs:










Hunting BTs:

















Personally I don't understand why they would make a hunting version of the BT when the Accubond is even better, maybe a cost thing or hunters just buy more BTs than other types. My personal favorite Nosler bullet is still a Partition.

-DallanC


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## Mavis13 (Oct 29, 2007)

I got some 180 accubonds this morning cuz they were out of 165s but cost is likely the difference. BT are $22ish and Accubonds were about $33. 180's for deer huh; I'd thought that would all but turn a deer inside out; again I've only shot a deer with 150gr and that was a long time ago.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I once shot a deer with a 180 grain ????? out of a 30-06, it picked him up turned him sideways and blew out the opposite shoulder leaving a 6" hole where it used to be located at. Since that time I have used 150 grain bullets for deer and elk with no problems. However last year on the deer hunt I hit one with a 225 grain Barnes TSX at 3,000 fps and the only meat that I lost was the rib where the bullet went in and the rib where it went out. I don't know what would of happened if I would of hit him in the shoulder.


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## timberbuck (May 19, 2010)

No, I was talking about factory loaded rounds ,not bullets for reloading.

Manufactures loading ballistic tips do not indicate varmint or big game on their boxes.


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

Mavis13 said:


> I got some 180 accubonds this morning cuz they were out of 165s but cost is likely the difference. BT are $22ish and Accubonds were about $33. 180's for deer huh; I'd thought that would all but turn a deer inside out; again I've only shot a deer with 150gr and that was a long time ago.


Mavis, everything I've ever read in shooting mags., say that the 165 gr bullet for 30-06 is the best all around round.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

timberbuck said:


> No, I was talking about factory loaded rounds ,not bullets for reloading.
> 
> Manufactures loading ballistic tips do not indicate varmint or big game on their boxes.


Load data is identical, what is different is the jacket construction and terminal performance.

-DallanC


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

http://utahwildlife.net/forum/18-firearms-reloading/37548-nosler-accubond-field-tested.html

Here's an old thread from a buck I killed last year with a 160 Accubond out of my Dakota.----SS


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## Frisco Pete (Sep 22, 2007)

> So I guess the new queston is AccuBonds vs. Partitions??


Nosler engineered the bonded-core AccuBond to have virtually the same terminal ballistics/weight retention etc. as their proven Partitions. This data comes from Nosler themselves. Because of the design the AccuBond may be a bit more accurate, and it is more streamlined which may be a small factor at extreme range. In addition the plastic tip doesn't flatten in the magazine of a hard-kicking rifle like a lead tip does - though mainly this is a cosmetic issue. You also can tell which caliber they are by the caliber-color-coded tip.

But basically you can't go wrong with either.



> Personally I don't understand why they would make a hunting version of the BT when the Accubond is even better, maybe a cost thing


Obviously cost is a factor, but so is velocity and range - which is another velocity factor. If you are shooting a cartridge on the slower side of the spectrum - say a 7mm-08 instead of a 7mm Mag or STW, or a .300 Savage, then the lesser velocity stresses the bullet less on impact up close and the Ballistic Tip will perform like any other cup-and-core bullet like a Sierra GameKing or Rem Core-Lokt. This also occurs when velocity has bled off due to long range - or the chosen round has low velocity at long range. This may be a specialty shooting situation need. Or game may be small and the cartridge moderate in velocity. Or you may want the high BC of a heavier bullet for long range target or coyote shooting, or something. Remove the high velocity factor from Ballistic Tips and you remove much of the issues with them being "soft". Therefore, for rounds with lower velocities you can get the streamlining and accuracy. Basically more buyer choices by offering both types.

Care must be taken to chose the right Ballistic Tip in the right weight for the right cartridge. _Fshrman_ on this forum chose a 100-grain Ballistic Tip in his .25-06 for antelope (_it could also be used on coyotes for dual-purpose_), and the bullet exploded in a shallow, non-lethal wound when a 'lope was hit at under 100 yards on bone. Had the range been a lot longer (reducing velocity), bones avoided (easier said than done), a heavier weight used (120?), or a .257 Roberts used the results might have been different. However it certainly illustrated that it is better to error on the stiffer and controlled side when velocity is high. He never had an issue when he used his normal Partitions. He and I both learned something from this incident. (_He killed the buck with the 2nd shot though_).



> 180's for deer huh; I'd thought that would all but turn a deer inside out; again I've only shot a deer with 150gr and that was a long time ago.


 Conventional cup-and-core 180s in .30 caliber are tuned for the .30-06 - as are most .30 bullets, and usually are a bit "stiffer" than the 150s as CW dictates that traditionally 150s are used for deer and 180s for elk. 
People I know that used to use 180s in their '06 (like the Speer Hot-Cor) found that the 180 did less tissue damage on deer than a 150, but often the kill wasn't as spectacular. This person changed to the Ballistic Tip 180 in his '06 when they were new and noticed much increased tissue damage and very quick kills due to the softness of this bullet in this weight. He used it on an elk at 400 yards and took out the heart, but the bullet was in no way stressed by velocity or shoulder bone in that case. He was attuned to the 180 trajectory in his rifle so this change worked out for him pretty much, except he felt the B-T did shoot a bit flatter than the Speer.

The same thing was true for another guy who switched from a 140 Hornady to a 140 B-T in his .270. Quicker kills on deer and better kills at long range, but more tissue damage due to the softness.

The main point is that 180s in .30 are usually a bit stiffer and usually do less, rather than more damage. For one thing they are starting out around 200 fps slower.


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## timberbuck (May 19, 2010)

Just got back from a friends Nebo LE Elk hunt.

He used 180 grain 30-06 Winchester ballistic silvertips and they performed perfectly on a 300 yard shot on a 330 class bull elk.

I recovered one of the two bullets in the elk and the bullet retained around 80% of its weight and the mushroom/expansion was perfect.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

timberbuck said:


> Just got back from a friends Nebo LE Elk hunt.
> 
> He used 180 grain 30-06 Winchester ballistic silvertips and they performed perfectly on a 300 yard shot on a 330 class bull elk.
> 
> I recovered one of the two bullets in the elk and the bullet retained around 80% of its weight and the mushroom/expansion was perfect.


I don't like the insta-foul coating that they put on these. Used to shoot them in my 25-06 a long time ago.-------SS


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Springville Shooter said:


> I don't like the insta-foul coating that they put on these. Used to shoot them in my 25-06 a long time ago.-------SS


Is that similar to a moly coat or what is it?
I see there website reads as follows:


> *Lubalox ®Exterior Coating
> * Reduces fouling, pressure and friction between bullet and bore; provides longer barrel life, easier cleaning and enhanced accuracy.
> *What is Lubalox®?*
> 
> ...


Why didn't you like it? I have been looking at these bullets a little bit.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

All I got was a few more patches of black Lubalox coating out of my barrel after shooting these. Didn't see any reduction in copper fouling at all. Shot just exactly like ballistic tips in my experience. I do like the 168 offering for the 30-06 and they look cool. Other than that, they are ballistic tip bullets with a black coating that rubs off in your barrel.-----SS


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