Most Accurate Traditional Hunting Bullet?

[Jud96]

I am curious what you all have found to consistently be the most accurate traditional hunting bullets? I'm excluding match bullets and Berger bullets because I know those are designed to be accurate. I'm asking about Nosler Partitions, Accubonds, Ballistic Tips, Hornady SSTs, Sierra GameKings, etc. I'd prefer the bullet to be a lead core design, but monos are fine. You can add in as many bullets you have experience with. Please include issues such as flyers, bullet failures in flight, inconsistent weights or lengths, etc. that you have experienced. Also include the ranges you have shot them to, and how long you've used them. Thank you!

Just as a heads up, this thread isn't designed to be a discussion on bullet design A vs bullet design B. It's also not a thread about terminal performance or how one design it better than another for killing game. I'm just looking for nice clean responses detailing your accuracy experiences with hunting bullet "x". Again this isn't suppose to be an argument.

 

[Phil Rizzo]

Nosler Ballistic Tip and Nosler Accubond have been extremely consistent for me, concerning accuracy out to 500yds. Over a lot of years in several several rifles. Like every rifle I've tried them in. My personal standard is .5 moa, or less.
Beyond 500 I'm going with higher BC Berger Hybrid Target bullets, but thats mostly on steel.
Even through shortages, it was worth paying more to keep with my proven favorites.

 

[tydaws]

+1 for the Noslers

 

[birddog 68]

Nosler Ballistic Tip and Nosler Accubond have been extremely consistent for me, concerning accuracy out to 500yds. Over a lot of years in several several rifles. Like every rifle I've tried them in

Ditto

 

[entoptics]

Anything Sierra.

I don't shoot them much anymore, but back before I was good at shooting/reloading, various GameKings (pre TGK days) always seemed to do better than average in my guns with whatever random load I took from a book.

Now days, I've had good luck with all ELD-X bullets in 26, 7, and 30, with only one exception in a buddies rifle that just wouldn't behave with the 200 gr ELDX.

 

[comfisherman]

Had a rifle that stacked the 160 7mm partitions into some of the best groups of my life. Sadly I'd built the rifle for the uld bullets, which despite its fast twist and custom throat it only shot o.k. For some reason it stacked those partitions. B.c. of a parachute and all...

It's my go too lead hunting bullet, guess I've never really looked at raw accuracy on those. Most my partition hunting uses fall under the "good enough" category.

Haven't had great luck with swift sciroccos, have had bipolar luck with accubonds ( have had some shoot exemplary, others that drove me batty) maybe a 70/30 good vs. Crazy ratio. Shot an inordinate amount of ballistic tips in a 300 wsm, they shot alright.

Had an odd one with old hornady dgx bullets in my 375, exceptionally accurate if you had the guts to shoot lots of groups with it.

My game king and interlock experience isn't extensive enough to comment on.

Looking at my reloading desk by volume nosler clearly has my preference.

 

[Lou270]

Nosler ballistic tip for standard and Nosler Accubond for tougher bullets. Sierra second. Good luck with normal hornady interlock. Mixed results with sst, eldx

Lou

 

[del2les]

Before all the tipped and VLD designs, it depended on the rifle, load, bullet combo. Many decades ago, I found several Sierra bullets would shoot sub moa with ease, and often, I could experiment and find hunting loads in the 1/2 moa range. Other rifles/loads preferred a Speer bullet over the Sierra, and many liked the older Noslers "Solid Base" BT designs. Many varmint bullets could produce very tight groups in the 1/4-1/3 moa range in good rifles and loads.

Once the Ballistic Tips and similar came out about 40 years ago, occasionally, we could produce slightly better groups in some loads/rifles, but not always, and similar with the AB designs.

Decades ago and in 30 cal, one of the most accurate hunting loads I had in 30-06 and 308 was the Sierra 165gr BTHP GK. It was designed to be as accurate as their 168 MK, but with a larger HP and expandable for hunting.

Today, I still find many of the "old" cup-n-core designed bullets to be very accurate and still use them in many rifles and loads.

 

[haisardao]

I've had good luck with ELDX and Nosler ballistic tips. Those have shot consistently sub MOa in a wide number of chamberings. Accubonds have done good but not as good.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

We've had good luck with the Nosler BT and hornady eld-x. We've been able to get nosler partitions down around 1/2moa as well I just wasn't a fan of the performance they gave.

 

[BAKPAKR]

Accubonds have shot really well for me in a few different cartridges. I am using 160 gr Accubonds in a 280 AI this year.

 

[Tiny Tim]

Another vote for the Nosler Ballistic tip and Accubond. Out to 500 yards are almost interchangeable in some rifles. Even though a target bullet, Sierra HPBT is amazing as well.

 

[xsn10s]

Yup Nosler Ballistic Tips have been the most accurate for me also. Proven killers too.

 

[Turpentine21]

For a pure lead tip the Sierra Gameking. I've had some guns that would drive tacks with them. At regular hunting distances they do fine. The lead tip gets pretty beat up though and their BC isn't the greatest.
I also like the Accubond and the ballistic tip. The accubond is one of my favorites for serious hunting.