Nosler Partition or Accubond

[Sweet 6.5]

Hi

Can you guys (or girls) help me without ripping each other to pieces

I just found a shop where I can get Noslers at a decent price. (too high to use for target
shooting but low enough to use for hunting)
At lower velocities (2500fps to 2700fps) which one do you prefer, the NP or the Accubond?
I want to use it for medium size game (Hartebeest 300 - 400 pounds, Black wildebeest 250 - 350 Pounds)
at longer distances than my normal less than 100 meters. More like 200 to 250 meters.
Looking at 140grs for my 6.5x55.

Cheers
Sweet

[ms]

First off if a Nosler shoots well out of your rifle thats great. But my experiment with nosler out of my rifles are bad. I would go with a accubond what ever you practice with you should hunt with. I would also look in to hornady.

[Sweet 6.5]

Hi

Hornady does not make a premium .264 bullet, I did send them an email to ask about
a bonded 140 gr but they ignored me.

I will re-sight my scope with the bullets I am going to hunt with before I go hunting, but
they are just too expensive to practice with.

Thanks
Sweet

[the jigger]

With game the size you describe, I would go with the tried and proven Partition. Just my $.02 !

[Val]

I don't think you can go wrong with either one. I use mostly Nosler for my hunting loads and have good accuracy in many different calibers. The Nosler Partitions and Accubonds should be interchangeable in a given load recipe. I find the Accubonds to group a bit tighter than the partitions.

[ms]

I think you will do fine with a non premium bullet like hornady. For the game size you plan on hunting at those yards.

[Siskiyou]

I have not used the Accu Bond in my 6.5 Swede, I have found the 140-grain Partition effective on mule deer, which are much smaller, then the game you plan on hunting. 

A friend has had success with the .140-grain Accu Bond in the .270 Winchester.  The bullet completely penetrated the front shoulders of a buck.

I have had not accuracy issues with the partition in .264 or .308 calibers.

[nomosendero]

Hi

Can you guys (or girls) help me without ripping each other to pieces

I just found a shop where I can get Noslers at a decent price. (too high to use for target
shooting but low enough to use for hunting)
At lower velocities (2500fps to 2700fps) which one do you prefer, the NP or the Accubond?
I want to use it for medium size game (Hartebeest 300 - 400 pounds, Black wildebeest 250 - 350 Pounds)
at longer distances than my normal less than 100 meters. More like 200 to 250 meters.
Looking at 140grs for my 6.5x55.

Cheers
Sweet

Both will do great. Since that is the case & it is , I would see which one your gun likes best & it may stop there. Keep in mind the choices
would be 140 in the Part. but a 130 in the Accubond. I have used the Part. for years with very good results, but the Accubond is becoming the preferred bullet for me at least. Last year I loaded up some Accubonds for a fall hunt in WY. & some hunting at home in Arkansas. I loaded 130 Acc. for my Wife's 6.5X55. She shot a Doe Antelope at 125 yards & a Buck Antelope at 285 yards. I Loaded the 140gr. 270 for me and my son. We killed a Mule Deer buck apiece & both were just over 400 yards. I shot a Buck Antelope at over 200 yards & his Buck Antelope was about 250. My brother shot a Buck antelope at 275 yards with my 270 the next day. Back home I shot a Whtetail at about 60 yards & took out a shoulder. I loaded the 180 Accubond in the my 300 Magnum Sendero for my little brother who oddly enough drew an Arkansas Cow Elk tag. He shot the 400# Cow at about 160 yards & took out both shoulders. All 3 loads are accurate with the 270 load being match grade accurate. All nine kills were pass-throughs with very good terminal damage. This consistancy did not go unnoticed when we are talking about hitting shoulder bone up fairly close as in the case of the Elk & Whitetail & having expansion in soft lung tissue at a distance as in the case of the Mule Deer & some of the Antelope. Expansion, penetration, accuracy, no battering of bullet noses & high BC, what is there not to like.

[45north]

First I would like to make a comment, you are traveling to Africa for plains game. this should set you back $ 7000.00 to $ 10000.00 more or less. You could spend more money tipping the maid that puts the little mint on your pillow in your motel room, than you will on the 10 or 20 rounds that that you might shoot while hunting plains game. I would not worry about the little stuff.
 If your rifle shoots them I would shoot Barnes TSX or the swift A-frame. Look over at the African hunting section JJhack really likes the TSX in 30/06 and 375. Just pick which ever premium bullet works best in your rifle and go have a good time.

45north

[Mikey]

I have used both the Accubond and the Hornaday bullets in my 8mm and both shoot the same group to the same point of aim, and the group is nice and small.  The Accubonds in the 8mm run 200 gn and the Hornadays run to 195.  I used the same powder charge under each slug.  It is interesting to note that I paid twice for the Noslers that I paid for the Hornadays.  HTH.  Mikey.

[canon6]

In my 6.5X55 I have used both  but my favorite was the Partition.At the velocities menmtioned I have had pass thru's on mule deer and medium sized elk in Wyoming.I guess they do not armor plate them as well as other states. 45 North , Sweet 6.5  lives in Africa,  Doug

[beemanbeme]

I don't know when it became a no-no to practice year around with a cheap similar bullet and then hunt with the high dollar stuff.  I've done it for years and years.  I see little point of going out say bi-weekly and poking 25 or 30 or more dollar-a-pop bullets into a dirt bank from field positions.  I merely verify my zero with the good stuff before going hunting.  Perhaps if a fellow is merely going to take old trusty rusty out of the closet the week before hunting season and send a couple down range to see if he can still hit a pie plate.............

That said, I've never hunted with the Accurbond bullet but the NP has producted too many one shot kills for me not to have absolute confidence in it's propertys as a game bullet.

[Sweet 6.5]

If your rifle shoots them I would shoot Barnes TSX or the swift A-frame. Look over at the African hunting section JJhack really likes the TSX in 30/06 and 375. Just pick which ever premium bullet works best in your rifle and go have a good time.
45north

I only have the Swede - so I have to make it work and with our laws now, it is a 2 year plan to get another gun.
As for JJ - that is another story  Ask him if you can shoot blue wildebeest with a 160gr cup and core Hornady or maybe
with a 140gr Rhino? and that with one shot each!! ....if you dare

Comming back to the Noslers! These are NP from the weekend

The dot is 1 inch big. 125gr NP @ 100 meters

[charles p]

No doubt about it, the Partition is a great bullet, but it won't group well for me.  The Accubond groups better. 

[nomosendero]

Good group!! Sweet, have you grouped any Accubonds yet?

[canon6]

Sweet  that is a fine group.     Doug

[Sweet 6.5]

Good group!! Sweet, have you grouped any Accubonds yet?

Not yet, but I don't think I am going to try them soon  just now they group just as good and then I 
have the same problem again, of which one to use
I will now first use these to hunt with, and then it will be about a week after I came back that the itching willl start again, I wonder how this or that bullet would have performed.....

Cheers
Sweet

[WyoStillhunter]

Sweet,

They say "a picture is worth a thousand words."  The picture of your Nosler PT groups says it all.  Stock up on Partitions and call it good.

PS -- would you share that load recipe?  Or at least tell us the brand of each component even if you want to withhold the amount of powder used?

[nomosendero]

They should do great, the PT. always has for me.

[Sweet 6.5]

Hi

I use S365 powder (South African made). You can check out this address to compare the burn rates of your available powder
http://www.reloadersnest.com/burnrates.asp.

According to Somchem's site the min and max load for 120gr is 41.4 and 46.
I use 43gr with the 125gr which makes it a mild load. I have no idea what the speed
is, but should be able to tell you after the weekend. I think it should be about 2600fps.
You can compare this to the powder you use's manual to make sure it is safe.

I also loaded some with 43.5, 44 and 44.5gr to see how they perform. Maybe I can get to 2700
with my 22 inche barrel.

I use Norma brass - only neck sized - Federal 210 primers. COL 3.00 inches.

Cheers
Sweet

[WyoStillhunter]

Thanks.  I am just getting acquainted with 6.5x55 in a new-to-me Rem. 700 Classic.  I am in the process of finding a good hunting load.

[nomosendero]

Thanks.  I am just getting acquainted with 6.5x55 in a new-to-me Rem. 700 Classic.  I am in the process of finding a good hunting load.

Wyo, Sweet's load sure looks good & the 125 is proven, but if you want to try the Accubond I can tell you that I shot several groups like
Sweet posted with the 130Acc. & I was more than impressed with the performance with my Wife's 6.5X55 last year in Wyoming. I used H4350 powder & it is interesting to note that Hor. list that as the powder for the Creedmoor.

[canon6]

My 6.5X55 loved H4350 and 120 NBT or 125 NP,if there was any difference, the NBT was slightly more accurate.  Doug

[FLNT4EVR]

Sweet 6.5  Go to the Shooters Pro Shop  website  where they sell the Nosler seconds .They are having a sale on the Accubonds.

[drdougrx]

Gee Flynt,

You got me excited there fir a minute.  I need restocking of accubonds (which I buy from  there) and they were and still are out of stock.

Darn.....

[Sweet 6.5]

Hi

The 43gr load ave. 2645fps - the 44gr went up to 2680 fps but the group opened up a bit
so I will stay with the 43gr. The speed is just fine for me.

Cheers
sweet.

[Sourdough]

I use both, and find they are interchangeable in my reloads and shoot about the same.  For long distance (beyond 400 and 500 yards) I prefer the Accubonds.  They seem to be more accurate at longer ranges and they also seem to open more reliably at the lower velocities at longer ranges.  Was with a friend that shot an Alaska Brown Bear at just over 800 yards using the 225gr .338 Nosler Accubond.  Bear spun around twice then ran about 20 yards and fell dead.  I have shot Moose with the same bullet at 787 yards.  Moose flinched, stood there for a few seconds, then fell.  I also get the same response from Moose at 80 yards, using the .338 225gr Accubond, and Partition. 

[jro45]

I shoot both in my 338 RUM. As a matter of fact I'm going Black Bear next month. I'll be using Partitions this trip up in Canada.
Both are fine bullets.