Experience with Nosler Accubonds

[South Pender]

Does anyone know how the Nosler Accubond bullets are made? The use of the term "bond" would seem to suggest some sort of physical bonding of core to jacket (like Bill Steigers' old Bitterroot bullets), but is this actually the case? Steigers used a soldering process with his.

 

[norfolk shooter]

All I know is they kill well. I have shot many deer in the UK with the Nosler acubond long range in my 7x64. All one shot kills ans no sight of separation. As for the process used I have no clue. But in short yes they are bonded

 

[Goose Cracker]

I've been led to believe that they are chemically bonded (jacket and core), similar to Swift Sciroccos or Hornady Interbonds? That's different than a physical bond, like Hornady's Interlock - where there is a little ring on the inside of the jacket that "bonds" it to the core.

I've had great luck with accuracy and on-game performance with Accubonds and wouldn't hesitate to use them up to about 2900fps or elk/kudu-sized game. For larger game or speed-demon cartridges I'd lean more towards mono-metals or really tough bullets like A-Frames or TBBCs. YMMV!

 

[Standard Velocity]

I've been led to believe that they are chemically bonded (jacket and core), similar to Swift Sciroccos or Hornady Interbonds? That's different than a physical bond, like Hornady's Interlock - where there is a little ring on the inside of the jacket that "bonds" it to the core.

I've had great luck with accuracy and on-game performance with Accubonds and wouldn't hesitate to use them up to about 2900fps or elk/kudu-sized game. For larger game or speed-demon cartridges I'd lean more towards mono-metals or really tough bullets like A-Frames or TBBCs. YMMV!

Interlock is physically locked by the ring you speak of, Interbond is bonded.
The Accubond is bonded with a ballistic tip.

The effect of bonding is relative to the hardness of both the lead and jacket as well as the thickness and taper of the jacket. Regardless of the method of bonding the lead is more likely to stay attached to the jacket. Even on soft lead cores this usually has high weight retention. The physical “lock” of the Interlock is not bonded though.

 

[Areaonereal]

I have used the Accubond..180 grain in a 30 06 on over 100 head of Africa PG, never saw a separation...always retained 60 per cent or more on the few that were recovered, most were pass thru...very accurate in my rifle. 2750 FPS handloads. Duiker to wildebeast and zebra all in between...management and trophy game.

 

[Ray B]

A fellow instructor used some Accubonds in his 280 Ackley Improved, where he was getting velocities that approached 7mm Rem Mag. I forget what he shot (deer or elk) but he was dissatisfied with them due to excessive (from his perspective) meat disruption. He prefers some of the more stiffly constructed bullets such as A-frames. Just because the core is bonded to the jacket doesn't mean that the jacket is sufficient to its job. If you cross-section an Accubond and compare it to a BBC you'll see what I mean.

 

[WAB]

So interesting to hear these reports. When these bullets first came out I had 3 instances of total failure to expand, in other words they performed just like a solid. The three shots were:
180 gr 30-06, black bear, broadside, 200 yards
180 gr 30-06, black bear, broadside, 350 yards
260 gr, .375, zebra, quartering frontal, 75 yards
As you can see, these bullets hit plenty of mass and bone to set them up. As a result I stopped using them. Based on others positive experience, I wonder if they have if they softened them up in recent years?

 

[johnnyblues]

I’ve used them with ok results. My heart belongs to Nosler partion bullets, I’ve had excellent results with them.

 

[YancyW]

Entry wound from a 160 Accubond on a Hartebeest. NEVER again.

 

[WAB]

Wow, any chance it hit something before it got there? I really wonder if they’ve changed the design. They were so hard when they first came out and this looks precisely the opposite.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Entry wound from a 160 Accubond on a Hartebeest. NEVER again.
View attachment 326217 View attachment 326220

Wow. I presume no exit wound, if so, did you recover the bullet?

 

[YancyW]

From the same lot of bullets, this is a sheep I shot down at @gizmo ranch. Those are both entry side of the animal, above on the left side was the second shot, the first one was that football size whole, clearly it was quartering away.

 

[YancyW]

Wow. I presume no exit wound, if so, did you recover the bullet?

I have a couple pieces the skinners pulled out, it was just a few strips of copper. I did recover another bullet from that same lot, it looked pretty normal, I think I got it out of warthog.

 

[gillettehunter]

@YancyW were you by chance shooting the LR accubonds (long range)/ There is quite a bit of difference between the 2 bullets. The regular AB's I have used have worked well for me. Nice mushrooms and clean kills. I have read about the softness of the long range AB's tho. That was why I was asking.
Bruce

 

[YancyW]

@YancyW were you by chance shooting the LR accubonds (long range)/ There is quite a bit of difference between the 2 bullets. The regular AB's I have used have worked well for me. Nice mushrooms and clean kills. I have read about the softness of the long range AB's tho. That was why I was asking.
Bruce

They are in a boxed that's marked as the normal Accubonds, I wondered the same thing, maybe a run of LRs made into the wrong box. I found one of the rounds from that box. Other than cutting it apart, I'm not sure there is a way of telling the difference?

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I wonder if you got ballistic tips in a accubond box.

 

[GA Hunter]

I’ve used 200gr AB’s in my 300 RUM and had great success on a truck load of hogs, a handful of deer, and several species of PG. The compliment of PG included everything from a jackal to eland. The only animal to require a second shot was a gemsbok that was down and in its death throws. The eland was shot square on the shoulder at full broadside from approx 100yds. I found the bullet just under the skin on the off side. All the slugs I’ve recovered were in fine shape and had performed as expected.

FWIW I started using them about 5 years ago.

BD

 

[johnnyblues]

I had similar results on a big whitetail I shot in Montana few years back.quartering away shot same results as your wildebeest. Again I just prefer nosler partion.

 

[YancyW]

I’ve used 200gr AB’s in my 300 RUM and had great success on a truck load of hogs, a handful of deer, and several species of PG. The compliment of PG included everything from a jackal to eland. The only animal to require a second shot was a gemsbok that was down and in its death throws. The eland was shot square on the shoulder at full broadside from approx 100yds. I found the bullet just under the skin on the off side. All the slugs I’ve recovered were in fine shape and had performed as expected.

FWIW I started using them about 5 years ago.

BD

Those outcomes are far more common than the few I have had. The 210s shoot great in my 300 rum, but I am not used them on game.

 

[sestoppelman]

I used them in Namibia in 9.3x62 (250gr) and cannot complain. Only thing between me and grounded critters was poor shooting on my part. Otherwise good performance. Weight retention was low on the one or two recovered bullets, around 60 percent. I was less happy with the performance of 225 gr Hornady Interbond bullets from my .338 Win mag though. Quite fragile even at downloaded velocities.