300 grain Nosler accubond for long range hunting

[AaronEdwardJames]

Are the 300 grain nosler accubonds good for long range hunting or are they geared more towards the big game hunters and short ranges, do they perform well for her hunting big game eg elk , goats , sheep at ranges between 600 - 1000 metres

 

[J E Custom]

Are the 300 grain nosler accubonds good for long range hunting or are they geared more towards the big game hunters and short ranges, do they perform well for her hunting big game eg elk , goats , sheep at ranges between 600 - 1000 metres

The Accubonds are Hunting bullets and one of the most consistent performers on game that I know of.

The 300 grain Accubond is good for any distance on game where the velocity remains in the 1500 to 1800 hundred feet per/sec range.

At close range they are hammers on any game although the 250 grain ABs are recommended in most cases.

J E CUSTOM

 

[AaronEdwardJames]

Cheers for the reply that's what I was wanting to here just wanted a bit of confirmation before I order a few and don't want to waste what little powder I have , I'm going to try the 300 nosler accubonds lapua cases fed215 primers and vvn570 for 338 lapua

 

[elkaholic]

I agree with Jerry on the AB's for the most part but have had some personal experience at 1000 yards with a 300 rum where they did not perform well. Pretty much just blew off the nose with no expansion. My personal opinion is use them to maybe 800 if you want but something with higher b.c. that expands a little better at beyond that. It could be that the 338 works a little better than the 30 though, because of the frontal area?.....Rich

 

[AaronEdwardJames]

What would the I don't want to say best because everyone has there own favourites but in a general opinion what would the best 338 cal hunting round excluding Berger bullets

 

[elkaholic]

What would the I don't want to say best because everyone has there own favourites but in a general opinion what would the best 338 cal hunting round excluding Berger bullets

I don't own a 338 but I would give the 285 Hornady ELD a look......Rich

 

[Timber338]

I have shot a lot of elk with the 225 and 250 Accubonds out of a 338 win mag. I shot two elk last year with the 300 Accubond out of my 338 RUM. The Accubonds have never let me down.

Am now shooting the 338 Elite Hunter out of my RUM and hoping to connect with a couple of elk this year. For long range hunting I think this bullet is going to be hard to beat. Lots of guys have been using it with great results.

Like Rich suggests, the Hornady 285 ELD-M looks awesome, I would like to see them make an X version for hunting. Would even like a 250 ELD-X in 338, or a Nosler Accubond Long range in 250 grains. With a RUM a guy could push that around 3000 FPS and have just about the perfect blend of BC and velocity.

 

[J E Custom]

What would the I don't want to say best because everyone has there own favourites but in a general opinion what would the best 338 cal hunting round excluding Berger bullets

There are a lot of 338,s and lots of bullets to choose from So in my way of thinking the cartridge would dictate the best bullet for it. I have hunted with almost every kind/brand of bullet and found the match/target grade bullets to be very accurate but inconsistent on game as far as penetration
and expansion.

So I recommend a hunting bullet that weighs the correct amount to get the best of the cartridge.

Example; in the 338,s like the 338 federal, a 165 to 180 would be my choice because of the velocity potential. the 338 RCM would be a 180 to 200 grain bullet. 338 Winchesters would be the 200 to 225
grain bullets and the 338 rum and the Lapua can manage 225 and 250 grain bullets with enough energy for 1100 yards on Elk. the bigger 338,s can manage the 250 to 285,s because of the velocity
they can achieve. although lots of people like and use the 300 grain bullets I only recommend them in the biggest 338,s that can achieve 2800+ with them. and for hunting, only bullets designed for hunting should be used.

This is only my opinion and I feel that if the proper bullet for the task is picked and the optimum
bullet weight (Not the maximum bullet) is selected, the outcome should be very predictable.

All to often we get caught up in the numbers game (BC,s) and not the best section for the cartridge.

The 300 grain Accubond is a great hunting bullet, but it must be pushed fast enough to reap the benefits of it. (From what I can tell, and have been told. It works best at 2800 ft/sec to 3100 ft/sec
for best performance) to slow or to fast and accuracy or performance on game is lost.

Just my opinion

J E CUSTOM

 

[D.Camilleri]

The 300 gr Accubond has a very long bearing surface. I have heard some people say that you will give up velocity by using the Accubond over the Berger. I have been testing the 300 gr Accubond in my 338 rum and have been very pleased with the velocity results. 100 gr of RL33 yields 2820 fps, 101, 2857, and 102, 2895. I need to fine tune this load a little to see how it shoots at distance. So far, it looks like 101 is the most accurate.

I have killed many animals with the 225 Accubond in my 338 rum and results were always very good. For the last several years I have shot the 338 Berger Tactical OTM with some of the fastest kills I have ever seen. What I haven't liked though is the lack of penetration. Last fall I shot a big mulie, 486 yards and hit him high in the spine. The bullet blew up 4 inches of the spine, but didn't exit. Later in the fall I shot a cow elk at 520 yards on a quartering shot and the bullet entered behind the shoulder and exited the neck on the off side. Several other bull elk kills, one at 550 DRT no exit, and 750 dead within 30 yards, no exit. I have recovered two of the 300 gr OTM's and both are expanded to over and inch.

 

[elkaholic]

I think one of the things that causes the most discussion, and differing opinions, is not being specific enough about what long range is and what the bullet is expected to do at a given range. I dare say that the vast majority of big game in the U.S. is killed at less than 200 yards. The bullet manufacturers make bullets to best fit the MAJORITY of shooters. Also, many shooters shoot magnum rifles whether they shoot more than 200 yards or not! Many of the HUNTING bullets are constructed with this in mind and they are built relatively tough because of this.
IMO, a good HUNTING bullet is one that performs the best for the purpose it is being used for. Having said that, several bullets that were designed for target use become better bullets for hunting at 1000 yards than the so called HUNTING bullets.
They not only have a thinner jacket for better expansion, but also higher a b.c. to keep the velocity at a level where they have enough energy left to expand.
It has only been VERY recently, with long range hunting becoming much more popular, that the manufacturers have started to realize this and the first actual HUNTING bullets developed for long range shooters have come on the scene. (Lets use 700+ yards as a baseline)(the op said 600-1000 meters) Examples of these bullets are the Nosler Long Range AB and the Hornady ELDX. Both of these bullets are better than so called target bullets close up and better than most of the old hunting bullets at distance. They have a high b.c. and expand better at lower velocities. (partially because of the tip which is another discussion topic)
Again, this is my opinion, but I think it is sound. At say 800 yards or more, I would rather have certain target bullets than ANY other bullets made. This does not include the SMK because the combination of a tangent ogive and small meplat does not allow them to open well at lower velocities.
Again, I think what must be kept in mind is; what is the definition of long range hunting? There are a lot of guys on this forum that consistently kill game from 700-1200, and sometimes farther. At these ranges, certain TARGET bullets become HUNTING bullets IMO.
The bullets that I make for my 30 are about as target as it gets. They have thin target jackets, large tips, and very high b.c. They also perform better on long range game than any that I can purchase. Close up, they are EXPLOSIVE and there are a lot of better bullets for that use........Rich

 

[AaronEdwardJames]

MAybe I should go for the 250 grains as even with n570 near max loads I can't get 2700fps , with 1.935 twist, I struggle with getting good velocitys here so maybe the 250 going 2950 or so would be the ticket

 

[RockyMtnMT]

MAybe I should go for the 250 grains as even with n570 near max loads I can't get 2700fps , with 1.935 twist, I struggle with getting good velocitys here so maybe the 250 going 2950 or so would be the ticket

I think that may be a good idea. The other thing you can do is get on a ballistics calculator and run the bullets with realistic muzzle velocities and see how they compare at the distances you will hunt. Compare drop, drift, and impact velocity. J E is correct that guys look only at bc and forget the other things that make the a given cartridge work as it was designed.

Steve

 

[AaronEdwardJames]

Yeah I'll be hunting out to about 900 metres is my limit I set, I am confident out to 1200 with 12"x12" steel plates but I just stick to 900 as my hunting max , I'm not new to shooting but relatively new to hunting game off the animal type that is. Taliban I take it doesn't count as game lol

 

[elkaholic]

I think that may be a good idea. The other thing you can do is get on a ballistics calculator and run the bullets with realistic muzzle velocities and see how they compare at the distances you will hunt. Compare drop, drift, and impact velocity. J E is correct that guys look only at bc and forget the other things that make the a given cartridge work as it was designed.

Steve

I agree! J E made some very good points and it all boils down to whether the bullet being used will perform at the impact velocity in question.....Rich