Nosler 7mm 160 gr Accubond for Elk

bea175

bea175

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Has anyone taken an elk with the 7 mm 160 gr Accubond? If so how did the bullet preform on a big bull ? Did you get complete penetration or did the bullet come apart and how far did the elk travel or did it just go down. I know the partition has proven itself many times, but was just wondering how the Accubond worked on these big animals. May load some in my 280 Ack for my Elk hunt this year since i haven't taken a Elk with this rifle. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
I've not used that bullet, but my old shooting partner has taken a pile with the Speer 175 grain Grand slam in his 7mm Rem mag. I doubt he's getting any better velocity than you could with the 280 AI.
 
I tried the Speer Grand Slam in my 270 Win and it didn't like them . I gave the loads to my friends wife and her Ruger 77 in 270 Win shot them around 1/2 inch at 100 yards . They are good bullets but i like the BT Polymer Tips with the high BC and the Nosler BT and Accubond just seem to shoot like match bullets out of most of my rifles. I shoot the Speers Hot-Cor 160 gr 99% of the time in my 280 Ack. and it loves them shooting 1/2 to 3/4 inch groups.
 
Bea, I loaded some 162 Hornady sst for the 280, Ill let you know how they do if I ever get any time to get to the range. Havent tried the accubond though Im sure it would do a number on an elk. You just never know with those animals, Ive heard of them running 500 yards after a double lungs shot from more than one person!
 
Most of those double lunger that run 500 yards are shot to far back and the lungs are missed and the Elk runs off. I have never had a Elk go over 50 yards centered in both lungs and most not that far. Most Elk like most deer that gets away is because the shooter fails to do his part and has nothing to do with the rifle or bullet used.
 
I guess you just answered your original question then! The 500 yards deal happened while a heard was running through a big opening, they stopped, two elk took shots to the lungs, and the herd went 500 yards before the two they got tipped over as the herd continued. This probly doesnt happen on private ranches but when you have a heard thats been chased and shot at on pulic land for a week its a different story. Dont think it cant happen Bea /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
I"ve shot AB's as well as partitions into wet newspaper and penetration and weight retention was the same. Reguardless of caliber/bullet weight retention was always 60-65%. I doubt you'll notice the difference, or the elk for that matter, when using a 160g AB or a 160g Partitions.

I"ve got 160g AB's loaded in my 7 RM for elk as well. But with the new addition of my 338 EDGE, I dont think I"ll be using the 7 RM, unless god forbid something happens to my 338 EDGE. Also aquired a 300 Weatherby and worked up a load with the 200g AB @3060fps as another option for a back up rifle.

I killed about 6-7 elk (cows and spikes) with my old 300 RUM and the 200g AB @3100fps from 75-525 yards and never found a bullet. There still going... Exit holes were the size of my fist and the elk either dropped DRT or went about 20 yards and fell over dead as a doornail.

The AB is the best all around bullet for dual application of short/long range hunting IMO.
 
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I guess you just answered your original question then! The 500 yards deal happened while a heard was running through a big opening, they stopped, two elk took shots to the lungs, and the herd went 500 yards before the two they got tipped over as the herd continued. This probly doesnt happen on private ranches but when you have a heard thats been chased and shot at on pulic land for a week its a different story. Dont think it cant happen Bea /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif



I never for once believed the AccuBond wouldn't take Elk i was just asking for real time info from someone who actually killed a Elk with them. I still don't believe a double lung shot Elk will make 500 yards before the brain runs out of oxygen and shuts down, that is if both lungs are centered with a big game bullet. They may be tough but not that tough.
 
I was wondering the very same thing bea
I saw them on Noslers site and was going to order some but like you was uncertain of their preformance but ya know the old saying "if ya want something done rite" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Bea, before I drag you through my post, I have no experience with 7MM 160 grain AB's.

I have been shooting the 140 grain AccuBonds's out of my .270 Win for the past three years. Of the three elk I've shot with the 140's, two bullets exited and one I recovered. The recovered 140 AB retained 72% of it's original weight. The only other AB I have recovered was from a close range(20 yards)large buck and the 140 AB retained 62% of it's original weight. Both recovered bullets held together nicely and expanded well.

For many years my go to elk bullet has been a .277 150 Partition. So far the AccuBonds are very Partition-like in their performance on game from my experience.
 
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I have been shooting the 140 grain AccuBonds's out of my .270 Win for the past three years. Of the three elk I've shot with the 140's, two bullets exited and one I recovered.



I have a buddy who shoots exactly that same set up and it has not failed him.

I'm shooting a 7mm this season. I plan on using Win. Ball. Silvertips 150gr. simply from an accuracy standpoint. But, I shoot cows only (can't eat antlers). I generally look for head shots within 300 yds.

I think 160'gr. Accubonds's should work well for you. It's all about placement, right?
 
I'm shooting the Hornedy 139 SST's in my 280 Remington, but just for deer. Take the 8mm Rem mag elk hunting with Sierra 220 grain Game Kings. I'm sure the 7mm's work well as there's lots of elk killed here in Idaho with them, but I've always liked something bigger, but that's just me.

Every gun is different as to the bullets it likes and you've just got to do some experimenting to see which yours likes better. Every rifle I have seems to have a preference and finding that preference is the fun part of loading and shooting. I've often seen two identical rifles that would not shoot the same bullet well.

Keep on plunking those bullets downrange and you'll find one that works. As far as what takes an elk down, well that's a different proposition. I've seen elk wounded with about everything you can plunk at them, but of the 45 or so I've killed I've always used either a 300 mag with 180 grain bullets or since 1978 the 8mm mag with 220 grain bullets. Would I shoot one with the 280, well yes if that was all I had, but I'd do just like you or most sportsman do and be very careful with my shot.

I've a friend whose wife used to shoot her elk every fall with her 243 and hundred grain bullets. She always shot a cow and always kept her shots under a hundred yards and always took a neck shot or simply didn't shoot. She always harvested her elk. So smaller calibers will kill and like many say elk aren't bullet proof. Now that we've got a wolf infestation going she's retired her 243.

One of the reasons I like bigger bullets with more energy is I've packed some elk out of some really nasty places they've gone after being shot dead with my friends favorite 270 and they simply decided dead or not I'm going to run to the bottom of this canyon before I fall over. Three days later of packing, dragging, sweating, cursing, winching and trying to salvage the meat the weather is trying to spoil.

I've also seen them fall right over from the same shot so I'm not condemning any caliber.
 
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Bea, before I drag you through my post, I have no experience with 7MM 160 grain AB's.

I have been shooting the 140 grain AccuBonds's out of my .270 Win for the past three years. Of the three elk I've shot with the 140's, two bullets exited and one I recovered. The recovered 140 AB retained 72% of it's original weight. The only other AB I have recovered was from a close range(20 yards)large buck and the 140 AB retained 62% of it's original weight. Both recovered bullets held together nicely and expanded well.

For many years my go to elk bullet has been a .277 150 Partition. So far the AccuBonds are very Partition-like in their performance on game from my experience.



I have the 140 gr AccuBonds loaded in my 270 WSM and the 130 gr Interbond and the 150 gr Nosler Part. loaded for my regular 270's . I have killed more than 50 whitetail with the 270 Win and 90 % of them with the 130 gr Hornady Interlock and the rest with the Speer 150 gr Hot-Cor and Nosler 130 gr BT. I loaded 50 160 gr Failsafes for my 280 Ack for my last Elk hunt but ended up taking 338-06 Ack . I still have them loaded and may use them if i decide to use the 280 Ack this Oct.
 
Never shot the 160 grain accubond out of the 7mm mag but I have killed a boat load of elk with the 160 grain Nosler Partition from my 7mm mag. I see no reason in the world why you would not get excellant terminal performance from the accubonds. The only thing I would take over the Noslers is the Barnes Triple shocks. Flawless terminal performance.
 
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