.300wsm, Nosler Accubond Performance Question

[Nikolakangrga]

I ordered a box of .300 wsm 180gr Accubond from DoubleTap to give them a try on a deer hunt this past weekend. This is not a "bullet performance" bashing or anything else as I killed a doe and a buck and both hit the dirt dead with very minimum meat loss. So on to my question...

180gr accubond, 3050fps according to DoubleTap.

Buck was shot quartering away at 40 yards. Bullet struck deer 3rd to last rib back breaking two ribs @ entry traveling thru chest destroying lungs and leaving good size hole thru heart. But NO exit! I was shocked and almost didn't believe it. While skinning I found perfectly mushroomed accubond just under skin 1/2 behind opposite side shoulder. Bullet did not hit any heavy bone. Broke 2 ribs going in and one rib going out of chest cavity.... At that range how did it not exit?

Next morning I shot a very old, big bodied doe. Almost identical shot placement. She was also quartering away. Same gun, same load, this time it broke 3 ribs going in and 2 going out and blew out the opposite side of her leaving a 2" hole behind her opposite shoulder. Shot was also taken around the 75 yard mark. So....

Could that first round have been loaded incorrectly from doubletap? I was very surprised to see a accubond at that distance mushroom perfectly and not seperate hit no heavy bone and still stop under the skin with a .300 wsm and a 180gr accubond.

Also wanted to add, these weren't 250 lb deer. They were blacktail deer. It was a 120 lb doe and a 165lb buck
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

 

[varmintH8R]

I wish I had some science to contribute, but I don't. I think it can be chalked up to "bullet weirdness". Projectiles ripping along at 3000fps seem to occasionally do weird things. Check out the umpteen threads where Berger fans and Barnes fans go at it. Most have had bad experiences (pr numerous great experiences) with one or the other. I don't think either side has a bone to pick - just hard for people to understand that their good or bad experience is not shared by all.

I shot a 165 lb deer last fall with a 7-08 and a 139gr interbond at 55yds. He jumped at the shot and took off at a full run. I went to get him about 15 min later. I found him about 80 yards out.

I walk up, and there is a 2" hole just in front of his right hip. How did I blow a 55yd rifle shot??? I flipped him over and the entry was about 3" up and 3" back from the front shoulder - perfect boiler-room shot. Couldn't tell you why that rib shot made a 80 degree turn..... But it did.

 

[Nikolakangrga]

Thank u for the response. What you say does make sense. Weird things do happen. While cutting up the doe I found. Piece of the accubonds jacket inside one of the backstrap steaks. This came off of the bullet that exited the doe...

 

[TOM H]

Thank u for the response. What you say does make sense. Weird things do happen. While cutting up the doe I found. Piece of the accubonds jacket inside one of the backstrap steaks. This came off of the bullet that exited the doe...

Most time here in Co I hunt bull elk/deer same season and about 95% of the bucks taken since 1977 have been with various mag cal and bullet in and out other side. Few years back had my 3rd 30-338mag build and worked up loads using 165gr AB and no problems with that bullet on elk. I was in some timber heading up around timberline and seen pretty nice 5x5 buck maybe 70yds ahead of me I was side hilling. One shot in the heart he spotted me and tuned for that shot just dropped long story short found the bullet under the skin other side and I weight it later 80.8grs prefect mushroom. If you have the Nosler manual page 26 my bullet look like the one @ 3200fps but it did that inside the deer and stopped there.

I post on the Nosler forum also and heard everything from bullet did it's job to that I shot it too close etc. Since then only hunted deer/elk same season one time and got my buck with 180gr Partiton. Last year separate rifle season got my buck with 140gr Barnes for a 270.

We all know that Nosler does sell 2nds maybe something slipped thru?

 

[Michael Eichele]

There are a million factors at play here. Don't over think it or worry about it. In both cases, they obviously performed well and did their jobs. Bullets that mushroom and get caught in hide just means that enough energy was expended on the animal that it didn't have enough left to exit the hide. Maybe the skin was more taught in the area it exited the doe versus your buck.

M

 

[Nikolakangrga]

Here is a Pic of the buck we speak of.... not the biggest California blacktail but a fine buck...

 

[varmintH8R]

That, sir, is a FINE blacktail!

 

[bigngreen]

Animal hides are like bullet traps especially if the bullet is in that classic mushroom shape, I would not read anything into it unless you saw little damage to the internals indicating the bullet was easing though instead of creating a good permanent wound channel.

 

[Nikolakangrga]

Yes, bullet was mushroomed perfectly and internal damage was perfect to say the least... I have no concerns with the bullet itself. Just suprised to see it didn't exit. At first I almost convinced myself something was wrong with the load. But yes, great performance. Like I said, deer was dead before it hit the ground.

 

[TOM H]

Nice buck not coastal is he? My Mom & Dad used lived in Sonoma couple blocks from barkery.

 

[Nikolakangrga]

Yes it is a coastal deer. Killed in Mendocino