Nosler Partition vs Nosler Accubond

[daisygordoninc]

Has anyone made a comparison of these two bullets, 180 gr. for a 300 Win Mag.
Someone told me they didn't think the Accubond with the plastic tip would
hold together well with heavy animals like moose or bear. Any thoughts?

[crs]

You might try a Google search with your question.

[Griff]

I've used Ballistic Tip Noslers on deer many times. I've never had one get back up. Larger game? I don't have an answer for ya.

[PriseDeFer]

The Partitions have been relied on to expand and go deep since Moses walked the wilderness.

[Pete44ru]

Has anyone made a comparison of these two bullets, 180 gr. for a 300 Win Mag.
Someone told me they didn't think the Accubond with the plastic tip would
hold together well with heavy animals like moose or bear. Any thoughts?

From the horse's mouth (Nosler): http://faq.nosler.com/index.php?action= ... artlang=en

What is the difference between the AccuBond® and Partition® ?

The AccuBond® and Partition® are very similar in terminal performance, but they differ greatly in internal structure.

The Partition® bullet is the original, controlled expansion, design created by John A. Nosler over 65 years ago.

Long before the invention of bonding technology, the dual-core, partitioned jacket design of the Partition® bullet created the perfect blend of controlled expansion and deep penetration.

The AccuBond® bullet was designed to mimic the on-game performance of the Partition® in a sleeker, more aerodynamic design by taking advantage of modern impact-extruded jacket design and bonding technology.

Internally, where the Partition® features separate front and rear lead cores separated by an integral partition, the AccuBond® features a heavily tapered jacket and a single lead core which is permanently bonded to the jacket.

Externally, the Partition® has a flat base and lead nose while the AccuBond® has a boat tailed base and a white polymer tip.

Both bullets are designed to be general-purpose hunting bullets suitable for all game animals.
Both bullets are designed to expand into consistent mushrooms while retaining 65-70% of their original weight with proven performance over a wide range of velocities and game.

Partition® users will not see a gain by switching to AccuBond® unless their particular firearm shoots them more accurately.


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[jkbrea]

I normally use Federal 180 grain Nosler Partition in 30-06 for elk hunts with great performance. My brother was using Blackhills Nosler Accubonds the last couple years in his 30-06. In my opinion, they perform very similar. Both are accurate in my bolt rifle, a Tikka T3 lite, with the accubond being a little more accurate. You can't go wrong with either on big game.

[TedH]

I have seen quite a few animals taken with Accubonds, several of them myself. I use them in my 270 and 338 Win Mag. A good friend uses them in his 300 Win Mag, and his son uses them in his 308. We've used them on critters from Antelope to Moose, and as far as I know, none of us has ever recovered a fired bullet. It's my opinion that weight retention is very similar between the Accubond and the Partition. The Accubond seems to be a bit more explosive on the entry side of things, but they have no problem digging a deep channel afterward. I personally have killed a black bear, and two deer with Accubonds. One of the deer was a big Missouri corn fed bruiser that I hit on the shoulder quartering toward me with my 338 from about 250 yards. He dropped on the spot, and that facing shoulder was completely ruined of edible meat. The bullet continues through the body and exited out the right hip leaving a nickle size exit. This was a case of an entrance wound that was substantially larger than the exit, leading me to believe the Accubond shares the explosive nature of the Ballistic Tip bullets, which I also have used for many years in many other calibers. I don't think there is a better long range hunting bullet so long as you match bullet weight to your intended game.

[Chuck 100 yd]

Under various conditions,almost any bullet can fail. I have killed Elk,Deer and Antelope with partitions and had one ( .243 105 gr. ) enter and exit the same side of a buck Antelope on a broadside shot. What would make a bullet reverse direction in a 100 lb. animal?

[mohavesam]

Look at the Accubond as the latest revision designed by computers. The Partition started them all and is still top-shelf, but there are excellent (and cheaper!) bullets available in 2015.

I prefer the Barnes Triple-shock X for the once-in-a-lifetime potential shot.

[EdinCT]

I have shot many deer and 1 bear with the partition in calibers from 6mm through .458 with perfect results so I've never shot accubonds at game. I have to also say that my rifles didn't shoot the accubonds has well has the partition. (That's just my rifles)
I have been in on the killing of a large black bear with .338 225 gr accubond out of a 340 Weatherby and was so impressed with the exit wounds that I bought a 338 magnum. Both bullets work very well the Partition seems to have a smaller exit but exit it will 95 % of the time.

[rogn]

Ive used partitions in 6mm, 7mm and 308 and always had good results with only one 180- 30 cal be a bit slow opening. This left a small exit on a good sized deer. On the other hand I have had one 7mm Accubond blow up on a small doe at 110 yds. Thats only one bullet and 1 failure, but i think Ill stick will the Partitions or as sam said the TSX.

[Bullard4075]

I could never get the NP (Nosler Partition)to shoot very well and lord knows I tried. Just never hit the right load I guess. Years ago I tried the Nosler
Solid Base bullets (the forerunner of the Ballistic Tip) and every rifle of mine seemed to do well with them and then the BT's (Ballistic Tip) as well. The
BT's were very,very accurate but a bit too fragile seldom, exiting our large Montana Mule deer. As I always want an exit hole when the Accubond
came out (being a heavier constructed, and bonded Ballistic Tip) I tried them and have never looked back. As I have never recovered one I can't
speak to mushroom diameter or weight loss I just know the game performance has been remarkable. I question any "always" statement but so far
Accubonds have been the most consistently accurate and deadly bullet I have ever used.
On the opposite side of the coin I have never been a fan of the Berger bullet and their penetrate a couple inches and blowup style. Last year I shot
one of the biggest if not the biggest Muley (body size) I've ever seen. A friend asked me to use his new 6.5x284 with Bergers on this deer and I did.
The deer facing me at a measured 205 yards I hit him dead center the chest (thinking I would miss the sternum one side or the other) the deer dropped
DRT. There was nothing in the chest but blood and pulp, no heart, no lungs. In this case I can find no fault with the Berger bullet.
The Buffalo I shot this year (35 Whelen/225 Accubond) dropped straight down. This year I think my new 257 Weatherby/110 Accubond will get the nod.

[Tycer]

Under various conditions,almost any bullet can fail. I have killed Elk,Deer and Antelope with partitions and had one ( .243 105 gr. ) enter and exit the same side of a buck Antelope on a broadside shot. What would make a bullet reverse direction in a 100 lb. animal?

My best guess; Nick a bone and spin the bullet like a curve ball. I had the same thing happen and found the bullet under the skin. One side of the bullet tip was deformed much more than the other and the shoulder blade had a half circle cut out of the thick part.

[6pt-sika]

I've been an advocate of Nosler bullets for many years !

First the Partition and the Plain Base bullets , then the Partition and the Ballistic Tip (that replaced the Plain Base) . Now I like the Partitions , Ballistic Tips and AccuBonds quite a bit having used them in everything from 22 cal to 375 (there is no AccuBond 22 cal I think but there is a 22 Partition) . Now with that being said I'm an advocate of the Hornady SST and Interbond bullets as well .

[kooz]

I have shot 4 big cow elk with the Accubond in 3006 & 308 , and seen another cow taken with the Accubond out of a 308, shots ranged from 125yds to 484yds, also taken a couple Antelope at 350yds. These were all 165gr bullets. Bullet performance has been excellent so far, only two bullets recovered, one out of a cow @125yds and another out of a cow @ 418yds, both bullets recovered resting under the hide on the exit side, both bullets perfect expansion and as I remember 85% or so weight retention. I use them almost exclusively now, they are almost always the most accurate bullet in any of my guns .

[Bullard4075]

I could never get the NP (Nosler Partition)to shoot very well and lord knows I tried. Just never hit the right load I guess. Years ago I tried the Nosler
Solid Base bullets (the forerunner of the Ballistic Tip) and every rifle of mine seemed to do well with them and then the BT's (Ballistic Tip) as well. The
BT's were very,very accurate but a bit too fragile seldom, exiting our large Montana Mule deer. As I always want an exit hole when the Accubond
came out (being a heavier constructed, and bonded Ballistic Tip) I tried them and have never looked back. As I have never recovered one I can't
speak to mushroom diameter or weight loss I just know the game performance has been remarkable. I question any "always" statement but so far
Accubonds have been the most consistently accurate and deadly bullet I have ever used.
On the opposite side of the coin I have never been a fan of the Berger bullet and their penetrate a couple inches and blowup style. Last year I shot
one of the biggest if not the biggest Muley (body size) I've ever seen. A friend asked me to use his new 6.5x284 with Bergers on this deer and I did.
The deer facing me at a measured 205 yards I hit him dead center the chest (thinking I would miss the sternum one side or the other) the deer dropped
DRT. There was nothing in the chest but blood and pulp, no heart, no lungs. In this case I can find no fault with the Berger bullet.
The Buffalo I shot this year (35 Whelen/225 Accubond) dropped straight down. This year I think my new 257 Weatherby/110 Accubond will get the nod.

Update:
Last year I used my 257 Weatherby/110 Accubond on a Bull Elk. About an 85 yard shot behind the leg for a lung shot.
The land owner wanted me to keep shooting (the elk was just inside his fence) for a total of 4 shots. He staggered at each hit. No bullets exited. The heart and lungs were pulped. Different conditions one shot would have been enough. While I can't -or won't- fault the bullet I think I am done with minor calibres on elk size game.

[Lassiter]

The Partitions have been relied on to expand and go deep since Moses walked the wilderness.

^^^^^This^^^^
I've never had one fail

[M. M. Wright]

+1 to Lassiter!

[piller]

I recently had a nice Red Stag succumb to a 30-06 Nosler partition in Poland. It did exactly what it was supposed to do. On the same trip, a good sized wild boar swallowed a Barnes TTSX and died without a visible entrance or exit hole. The stalker just looked at the insides and said "goulash" while laughing. A roebuck took the Nosler partition and it didn't expand. 1 shot kill and DRT, but the exit hole was the same size as the entrance hole. On the stag, the exit hole was over an inch in diameter. It took out a chunk of one rib and all but 1/16th of an inch of the ones on either side. The stag still took a couple of steps, but it was not more than 15 feet from where it stood when hit. I am sold on the partition bullets. Nothing against Barnes. It is just what I had in the chamber at the moment. The Barnes on the boar was supposed to be a front on head shot, but the boar jerked its head up and opened its mouth at the moment The trigger broke. There was a big chip taken out of 3 vertebrae. The exit was under the tail. The Barnes did an excellent job, but there was not any way of telling much about expansion or anything.

[Fisher-Price]

Last Thursday a 200 gr Accubond worked in a .300 Win Mag.

[Canuck Bob]

I used the Partitions in a 375 H&H, 7 Rem Mag, and a 243. For black bear up I would use them again in such cartridges. Actually I'd try the Swift A-Frame as well. It is partitioned and bonded core I think. Except for the 243 partitions are a bit much for deer IMO.

I found the Partitions opened quick. If cup and core too quick. A guy gets real good initial expansion and a straight driving solid shank.

[jkbrea]

Last Thursday a 200 gr Accubond worked in a .300 Win Mag.

Nice bull! Where did you hunt?

I've shot about a dozen elk with 165 gr or 180 gr Nosler Partitions out of 7mm, 30-06 and .308 and they have always performed great. The rest was with 45-70 leverevolutions

[Fisher-Price]

Thank You! Two Ocean Pass country in Wyoming

Fisher-Price

[Grizz]

You guys have a tremendous amount of hunting history.

Biggest animals I've shot are sitka deer, small little things. I don't know where my notes are right now, and can't remember if I used noslers or hornaday, or both.

One caveat about that class and style of bullets, back in my day, is that they are, or were, unreliable bear charge stoppers, because the bullets then weren't designed to function at 50 feet, and were frangible close to the muzzle.

I am curious if anybody has used the same bullets that function so well downrange, at bow and arrow distances on big boned heavy game. And if so, how did the bullet performance compare to the overall performance?

TedH mentioned a ruined front quarter with his 338. I shot a deer in the head with my 338 and the bullet angled through the torso and completely ruined a hind quarter. Too close for the job at hand and that bullet. And consequently not a great load for the bear that shows up to the deer call, IMO.