Accubond vs Accubond LR
 

Any have experience with both of these? More so the LR

I shoot a 7mm-08 and have found the BT a little on the violent side under 100 yards, the AB too hard with the 7s “lower” velocity on deer especially.

The LR says they made the jacket thinner up front to expand faster and at lower velocity (1300fps compared to AB at 1800fps). Kinda sounds like the best of both worlds, fast expansion for close up deer and bonded for further away weight retention for elk (maybe) and still AB performance.

Currently I am shooting 140 BT/AB combo, BT for deer and AB for elk/moose. Been ok with performance on both but not really super happy with either. Any experience with these LRs that anyone can weigh in on?

I have hunted with both Accubonds and ABLR's.

Just incredible how much velosity and energy the ABLR's produce! Given the choice i would go with ABLR's every time. Very pricey though!

Yah. Nosler seems to be in general.

They are cheaper then the normal AB. $42/50 compared to $50/50 for my 7mm.

What about performance on game? How did you find them?

I am using the ABLR's in 190 Grains with my 300 Win Mag and I and getting almost the same velocities and energy as you get with a standard .338

@200 Yards: Velocity: 2583 - Energy: 2816

Personally I am a lung shooter or heart shooter, they pack a heck of a lot of hitting power and are lethal. If you hit bone they are devastating. They are also highly accurate or is it me lol. The basic Accubonds are a great cartridge as well.

I bought the ABLR's primarily for Elk as I plan on hunting elk in the USA on guided Trophy hunts in the near future and wanted a cartridge I could trust to take down elk at long range if necessary.

I trust the ABLR's so much that if I went to Africa, all I would bring would be my 300 Win Mag and the ABLR's.

They cost almost $100.00 a box.

I used 168gr ABLR's in my 7mm rem mag 3 years ago on a cow elk.
I was pushing them at 3050fps. I shot her twice behind the front shoulder at 220yds.
Maximum penetration was 6-7". Both bullets appeared at have exploded upon impact.
I did recover her after a lengthy tracking job, although she was not dead and I had to shoot her again.
I havnt shot them since. I kinda felt like I bought into the long range gimmick and they sold me with their fancy advertising, when really I dont even hunt long range. Ive never shot an animal over 400yds.
I am using partitions right now and have no intentions on changing.

Were they hand loads or factory?

I do not load myself and only use factory loads. Isn't 168gr a little on the light side for elk?

First off, I am not shooting handloads, only factory ammo. In my 270wsm, I use the Winchester 140 grain Accubonds, and with a 30-06, the 190 grain Accubond long range.

The regular 270wsm 140s do a great job on heart/lung shots, anchoring animals on the spot. I have recovered only 4 bullets so far and they each retained most of their mass. Even after hitting bone, most of the bullets exited the opposite side of the animals. I recovered one bullet from a quartering neck shot. The bullet still had 2/3 of mass after plowing through approximately 6" of vertebrae, then came to a stop under the hide on the opposite side. I would have expected that bullet to shatter into tiny pieces.

I have not used the 30-06 190LRs on game, but they do group very tightly. They have a much tighter grouping than my 270 with the 140s. Hoping to try the 190s on a hunt later this month.

Never used Accubonds in my 30-06, because my 30-06 loves Winchester Super-X in 165 grain and everything drops dead lol Cant beat that for under $30.00 a box!

Doesn’t sound like very good results at all.

With the 708 I would be lucky to get 2700 with a 150 at muzzle so not sure what results I would expect. The long range ballistics aren’t what I am interested in as much as looking for something bonded to retain weight but will still open up on a deer. The normal ABs seem to pinhole deer with a clean broadside shot.

Partitions... always partitions

" Ouch cough, cough why do I feel woosy all of a sudden??? Cough Cough" Said the elk lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tCH5_C72n0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RErej6j0PhM

Common misconception, weight matter little for elk and moose what matters is a heavy for caliber bonded or premium penetrating bullet. Whether it’s a 140 gr .270 or a 160gr 7mm, both are more than adequate given proper shot placement and bullet selection.

I agree with you that shot placement is everything a .22 bullet in an elks heart will kill it.

As for shocking and bone breaking power a .270 will never out do a 300 win mag. And for a longer distance shot on elk, i personnally would never attempt it with a .270. I can also say with full confidence that tons of elk have been killed by pretty ladies sporting .270's.

You flatter me, i didn’t know I’d be considered a pretty lady for using a .270, I think you missed my point, proper bullet selection is the key to ensuring good penetration and performance on tough large game like elk. I’d take a .270 with a bonded or partition style bullet any day over a .300 win mag using a standard cup and core for elk hunting.

Sorry it was not my intention to personalize my .270 comment towards you! I know for a fact that the .270 is a good rifle, and that many women choose to shoot it because of the lighter recoil. That is all I meant by my comment.

I am and always have been a 30 cal fan, and nobody is ever going to convince me that a .270 is a better caliber for elk over a 300 Win Mag. Especially with ABLR's and the energy I get with them as per my earlier comment.

As for the ABLR's I love them and based on my experiance with them, nobody will convince me that they are not a good bullet.

PS: At the gun range with my rifle with the ABLRs is get .25 MOA @ 200 yards. Pretty accurate if you ask me :)

I was only playing with the flattery comment, I couldn’t agree more with your choice of bullet all I’m saying is that caliber is second to bullet selection, and bullet selection being equal of course the 300 win mag will be superior, I own one myself and would never argue otherwise all I’m saying is proper bullet selection is key and more important even than caliber selection.

Very very pricey

I found the BC didn’t align with the actual BC at long ranges grouping at 300 was alright but definitely found the accuracy from my Berger hybrids were much better haven’t used the Accubond LR since.

I’ve noticed the same, I’ve also found the terminal performance to be inferior to the Berger’s as well on game.

I use the 150gr LRAB in my 270wsm, 3000fps, dropped a buck last year 190 yards and had a clean pass-thru. Only found a teeny piece of copper jacket near the wound.

I used both AB - 130gr & ABLR - 129gr in my 6.5 Creedmoor @ 2750fps - my own hand loads.
Personally I haven’t noticed any difference in expansion, but get better accuracy with the AB’s in my rifle, (found projectile seating depth extremely important for accuracy with both projectiles).

I gues, not to sound obvious,... that expansion is a function of a few different factors, simplified as a combination of: Projectile construction, weight, velocity & Target density.

That’s why I only push the AB 130’s @ 2750fps,... that construction, weight, & velocity give me the best results on deer with my rifle, under my hunting situations thus far.

Next, I’ll be trying Hornady 143gr ELD-X,... the search for perfection continues,...!

Enjoy,...

I think it’s really smart you reduce the velocity of the ABLR my own terminal performance issues were at shots under 100 yards with 2900-3100fps impact velocities, understanding the construction of your bullet is key to getting maximum performance, for me the ABLR always performed excellent at lower-moderate velocities often associated with extended ranges, probably what they were originally designed for.

Yah I am limited by my magazine so .020 is as close as I can get, it stacks the 140 BTs at max book charge so I can’t complain about the accuracy. I just wish they didn’t mess deer up so bad up close, then I look at the normal AB and if I see a deer at 300 yards, the AB seems to lack the hydrostatic punch to flop a deer. I’ve just had to track those deer for longer then I would like. Maybe better off shoulder shooting them. I donno.

I'm still working on a load for my 7mm-08. I tried 150 gr partitions and didn't get any good results, smallest group was 1 1/8"but mostly 2-2 3/4". Just started loading 140 gr accubonds and I had 2 different loads clover, a lot happier with those results.

I load partitions for my .243 and .308 though, great groups from those rifles.

Honestly you can’t go wrong with either, I love partitions for their versatility at low and high velocities, consistency of penetration AND expansion and they have always shot well in my rifles, if I ever found a rifle that didn’t shoot them, the first load I would check next would be the accubond!

I probably seem like a partition marketer at this point but I had the same dilemma, if your rifle groups them well give them a shot, expansion up close without the explosive effect of the BT and better hydrostatic chock at long range than the AB.

Well put sir.

My rifle loves the ABLR's and the end result is supreme accuracy with terminal effect short or long range. The ABLR in 190 grains is the only round I will shoot out of my 300 Win Mag.

GrouseHunter you are really limiting your 300 Win Mag if you don't try the 215 Berger and H1000. It is a perfect combo with great BC and velocity. My custom 300 Win Mag pushes the 215's right at 3000 fps. Devastating on game performance. Deer from 500 to 734 yds and a elk at 625 yds. Sorry for the highjack.

Great shooting Beeman3!

What barrel do you have on your custom 300 and are they hand loads?

Mine were handloads using RL22.
I definitely dont feel a 168gr .284 premium bullet leaving the barrel at 3050fps is light for elk.
The elk ive shot with my 280rem with 140gr ammo died just like they were supposed to.