.338 225gr Accubond

[partisan1911]

Just finished a caribou hunt on the N. Slope, AK. I was using 225gr accubonds at 3000fps and shot a caribou at 350yds and another one at 400yds.

The first animal was hit double lung and took out a couple of ribs. He didn't go far but took about 30 seconds to expire. The internal damage was minimal and I expect he would have ran had he known where I was.

The second animal was hit in the front shoulder and then again in the lungs. The first shot didn't put him down. He merely limped a littel bit. The second shot upset him but didn't knock him down either. He took about two minutes to lie down an die. He walked in circles for a little while not knowing where to go.

I was expecting the bou to go straight down. I have had other poor results using accubonds out of a 300wsm on Mt.Goat last year. Every animal has had a kill shot but did not have serious body damage nor did they expire quickly. Am I just shooting some resiliant animals?

The same hunt my bro-in-law was shot a caribou with his 338lapua-300gr matchking approx 2800fps at 680 yards. The bou was hit right behind the front shoulder and came out the opposite side shoulder. It went straight down and didn't budge. It was the reaction I was expecting from the 225gr accubond.

One of these day I will get around to posting a story.....

 

[Pdvdh]

The first animal double-lunged through the ribs doesn't surprise me.

I'm surprised the second animal stayed on his feet with the entry through one of the front shoulders though.

I doubled lunged a nice bull caribou in 1976 with a .338 Win Mag & 250gr Nosler Partition at about 125 yds. The bull remained on his feet walking around in a daze for about 5 minutes. Could see blood blowing out the ribcage during breaths for an incredibly long time. He painted the tundra red. He was dead on his feet and he finally collapsed. Never really ran off at all. Just wandering around in a stupor.

Mt. Goat are pretty stout animals. They have a reputation for being pretty resilient to bullet hits through the ribcage. I shot one at 200 yds with a 338-378 Wthby Mag and again, 250 grain Nosler Partitions through the ribcage - broadside once. Rocked him pretty good. Almost knocked him off his feet. He regained his composure and then peg-legged it toward a cliff, but before he could get more than 4-5 crippled jumps in, he collapsed. The other Mt. Goats I've shot were spined and that anchors them, as expected. Instantly.

The performance of Nosler Partitions and Accubonds is described as being pretty similar as far as retained weight, etc. The Accubonds actually retain a bit more weight after expansion, IMO and experience. Thus my input on my experience on these two game animals with the Partition.

I've shot a number of animals with the Accubonds. Very accurate in the rifles I've used them in, and very reliable on-game performance. They won't explode on impact and provide the dramatic kills that some bullets do when they come unglued and shrapnel after several inches of penetration. But the Accubonds expand reliably, and in a controlled fashion, with predictable consequences - a dead game animal.

 

[partisan1911]

I had thought about switching over to partitions but may just bump up to 250gr accubonds and run with those after reading about your similar results. Bottom line is they work. I was just looking for "dead on arrival" results.

 

[Michael Eichele]

Most double lunged animals are never a bang, flop senario regardless of bullet size or weight. The only way to get consistent bang flops is to high shoulder or neck shoot them. If the bullet comes out the opposite side and the hole is bigger than the one on the entry, it did its job.

 

[North61]

Hate to bring this thread back from the dead but..... I have spent 22 years in Labrador/NWT.Nunavut/Yukon and in that time have likely harvested over 50 caribou. Caribou will drop right away when double lung shot with a soft bullet. Why I like the partition is that it acts like a soft bullet up front with a hard back up. I have dropped many lung shot caribou instantly with a 308 and 150-165 Partitions. Hornady interlocks and Sierras work too.

The best string of one shot kills I have had is with a 6.5 Rem and 120 Sierra's. Remarkable string of bang-flops.

I have had slower kills with larger calibers and harder bullets. A 350 Rem Mag that I still have is a wonderful rig, but caribou where doing the 50-100 yard dash after lung shots at long range because the bullets I was using weren't creating the massive shock impulse that fast expansion will give.

You can't shock some tougher animals to death but caribou you can. Go frangible (within reason) young man. Leave the Accubonds for Moose or Bear.

 

[bleeds blue]

I shot an elk at 366 yards this October with a 180gr AB out of a 300 weatherby. The elk was dead before I could chamber a second round. I was VERY impressed with the performance of the accubond.

 

[B23]

I've always been a big fan or Nosler BT's and AB's and to me the AB's is just a better version of the BT. I look forward to the new 300gr .338 AB

 

[North61]

I am sure the AB is a great bullet for Elk and good for caribou. Caribou are very susceptible to shock... I have had a bit better luck with bang flops with more frangible bullets.

 

[alaska]

225gr Accubond in 338 Win
After 9 Alaskan Bull Moose 50 to 483 yards one shot kills with RL 19 ....I would say a excellent bullet.

 

[High Country]

I've got a .338 WM and have killed a Dall Ram, a moose, and a caribou with the 225 Accubond. Farthest has been 349 yards, the closest 50 yards. Despite a good shot, the moose at 50 yards stood for a while before tumbling...

I've been researching the impacts of bullets at different ranges and came across this article... It seems like the search for the perfect bullet is an ongoing search. For me, I am not as concerned with close animals dropping as I am extended range animals. When I shoot LR, it is because there is no other option and if that critter takes off, it's far enough away recovery / locating could be difficult. I'd like to think the 225 gr Accubond will drop a mule deer sized critter at 500 yards (with a well placed shot), but this guy tells me no....

"The 225 grain Accubond is best suited to game weighing between 90 and 320kg (200-700lb) while being adequate for game weighing up to 450kg (1000lb) with rear lung shots, tucked closely behind the shoulder (crease) of game. Velocity of this load drops quickly, falling below 2600fps at around 80 yards. Construction of the 225 grain Accubond is adequate enough to handle heavy round ball joints however weight loss is significant, the Accubond retaining only 110 to 120 grains of its original weight. On cross body shots on game weighing between 700 and 1000lb, the Accubond will sometimes penetrate through to and come to rest under offside skin but is just as likely to become lodged in the offside chest wall of game or within offside muscle or bone. As ranges are extended, the performance of the Accubond wanes further. Its core bonding prevents wide wounding below impact velocities of 2400fps. Like the Nosler Ballistic Tip, this bullet can at times prove to be neither fish nor fowl."
https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/.338+Winchester+Magnum.html

If you spend the time and read the article, the author seems to really like the Hornady SST in 225 grains... I may have to get some of these and see how they load up in my rifle...

 

[alaska]

I've got a .338 WM and have killed a Dall Ram, a moose, and a caribou with the 225 Accubond. Farthest has been 349 yards, the closest 50 yards. Despite a good shot, the moose at 50 yards stood for a while before tumbling...

I've been researching the impacts of bullets at different ranges and came across this article... It seems like the search for the perfect bullet is an ongoing search. For me, I am not as concerned with close animals dropping as I am extended range animals. When I shoot LR, it is because there is no other option and if that critter takes off, it's far enough away recovery / locating could be difficult. I'd like to think the 225 gr Accubond will drop a mule deer sized critter at 500 yards (with a well placed shot), but this guy tells me no....

"The 225 grain Accubond is best suited to game weighing between 90 and 320kg (200-700lb) while being adequate for game weighing up to 450kg (1000lb) with rear lung shots, tucked closely behind the shoulder (crease) of game. Velocity of this load drops quickly, falling below 2600fps at around 80 yards. Construction of the 225 grain Accubond is adequate enough to handle heavy round ball joints however weight loss is significant, the Accubond retaining only 110 to 120 grains of its original weight. On cross body shots on game weighing between 700 and 1000lb, the Accubond will sometimes penetrate through to and come to rest under offside skin but is just as likely to become lodged in the offside chest wall of game or within offside muscle or bone. As ranges are extended, the performance of the Accubond wanes further. Its core bonding prevents wide wounding below impact velocities of 2400fps. Like the Nosler Ballistic Tip, this bullet can at times prove to be neither fish nor fowl."
https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/.338+Winchester+Magnum.html

If you spend the time and read the article, the author seems to really like the Hornady SST in 225 grains... I may have to get some of these and see how they load up in my rifle...

 

[alaska]

I use the 225gr Accubond in the 338 win mag for Alaskan moose. I have harvested them from 50 to 475 yards. Excellent accuracy with RL 19 @ 76.0.

 

[High Country]

How did the moose react when hit at 475?

I just got back from a hunt, where I had a shot at mule deer at 539 yards. I mixed up my ballistic table in my head and shot high. It was a tiny window, or I would have tried to close the distance... It took me a solid 45 minutes+ to get there and confirm the spot and verify the miss. If I had connected, I would have wanted him to drop as quickly as possible to avoid a long search. Thus my deep dive into my continued use of the 225 gr Accubond or not. ???

 

[alaska]

4 steps and dead