partition vs accubond vs tsx?

I

IHuntNUtah

Guest
Which is the better bullet for elk, 160 grain? I will be hunting deer with the same. I shoot a 7mm Rem Mag. The other bullet i am considering but not so much is just the good old cheap soft point in a 150 grain.
 
What about the berger bullets? I have herd from several people that they shoot very well and they perform well on elk?

For the past four years I have used the 180 grain Nosler Accubond in my 300 WSM. They have done jon numerous times and I have never lost an animal with them But I have not been overly impressed with their performance. It almost seems as if Nosler took the bullet past the bonded stage and into the full metal jacket stage. VERY little expansion on the bullets and the closer the shot the worse the problem gets. This year is shot my elk at about 30 yards. I had a 30 cal hole in and a 30 cal hole out. He didn't go far but zero bullet expansion.

I'm going to load some Bergers and see how they shoot. If they shoot well I will be giving them a try next fall.
 
Nosler Partition's in the 160/180 Grain are what I've used on deer, elk and antelope. For both the deer and elk, I was able to retrieve the bullet and the job it did was awesome. Both bullets were found in the opposite side skin/fat layer and mushroomed just perfect and did all the damage on the way through. On the Antelope it was a small entry hole and beautiful expansion and exit hole was much bigger than entry. The deer and antelope were shot with .270 WSM, the elk a .300 WSM so IMO regardless of the caliber the performance is awesome. Only down side is that the 180 Grain Nosler Partition is a popular bullet and hard to find at the last minute, so stock up on it over the summer!!!

good luck to ya,

Al
 
168grn Berger Hunting VLD. Drop my moose in its tracks like I turned off the switch at 150yds. Accurate at hell to boot.
 
I like the Accubond for all my rifle shooting and hunting needs.

VT had a noticeable problem example at 30 yds. I believe most "better" constructed bullets will have some similar traits or problems at high velocity, at 30 yds.

Joey


"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"
 
Agree with you 100% Sage. That caliber and bullet at 30 yards is smoking too fast and I am not surprised at what he posted. They are meant for fairly long range out of that gun.
 
>Agree with you 100% Sage.
>That caliber and bullet at
>30 yards is smoking too
>fast and I am not
>surprised at what he posted.
> They are meant for
>fairly long range out of
>that gun.


That comment makes about as much sence as a soup sandwich..Do tell how the bullet "smoking too fast" hinders expansion, and how moving slower will aid in performance? Old wives tales die hard..And with you around its easy to see why.

That said, the bullet performed exactly as it should have.
 
Whichever bullet shoots most accurate in your rifle is the one I would use. All 3 mentioned are great bullets. I like the accubonds and the TTSX. I think the tipped version of the TSX is a much better design than tsx.
 
I've put the close range high velocity impact test to an Accubond. 42 yards, muzzle velocity of 3200 fps. I can assure you the exit hole was NOT .308 inches in diameter. mtmuley
 
ACCUBOND,

As said above the bullet you rifle shoots best. I shoot the 150 Accubond in my 300WBY. I have taken 5 bulls, 4 mule deer and antelope, no problems. Good luck picking. JB
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-25-11 AT 01:13AM (MST)[p]The VLD has too thin skin and too soft of lead for my tastes, similar to Nosler ballistic tips but with better BC. It's not a bone breaker but the high BC makes it desirable for longer range.
The Partition is a penetration bullet designed to keep the back end intact rather than a fragmenter like the ballistic tip.
The Accubond is a combination of the ballistic tip and partition with the back half of the bullet staying intact for better penetration.
The Trophy bonded tip is one to look at, it's like the Accubond but has better BC.
 
>I like Hornady and their Interbond
>is hard to beat on
>elk.


I like the hornady interbond a lot too. I use the 139 gr version. If you shoot them in the ribs they die. A guy doesn't need bullets that cost 10.00 each. Hornadys just get er done. Ron
 
The partition and TSX are two of the top bullet offereings available. The edge goes to the TSX today in most calibers. Only when case capacity and bullet length are an issue will I use the partition. In all others I go with the TSX.
Bill
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-25-11 AT 04:22PM (MST)[p]Why do the Swift Siroccos always get left out of this discussion? I have never used them, but I am going to try some this Spring. My brother in Law uses the 150gr out of his Ultra Mag and they have worked very well for him on deer and elk.
Accubonds fly very well, perform well at long range. They are a little iffy at impacts over 3200fps.
 
I shot Nosler Partitions for a long time and still like them but the AccuBond shoots the best out of my hunting rifles....Tack drivers... and the Accubond has done a great job on all the critters I've taken with them. IMHO great bullet!
 
I stole this off another site. I think this old ad about sums up the discussion.
Bill



5046ammo.jpg
 
I've never been a fan of the barnes bullets in anything, I've seen them shot by friends with great success. I've also personally seen them not expand at all either and with more than enough velocity that they should have. Thats all I'll say about them.

Up until this fall, I'd used partitions in everything from .22 to .338 calibers for most of my hunting the last 25 or so years. I've never had anything bad happen with a partition, not once.

However, this past summer, I was trying to squeak out every bit of accuracy I could out of a 7mm Mag that a friend and I worked on. We bedded the rifle, installed a new trigger, stock, etc. I was shooting honest MOA with the partitions and then decided to give the accubonds a try.

My rifle

IMG_4645.JPG


A 300 yard target after working with COAL and using 160 accubonds ahead of 62 grains of IMR4831. MV of 2970.

IMG_4362.JPG


With them shooting so well, figured I wring them out on game this year. I was nervous about the accubonds and all the explosive stories I'd heard.

I shot 4 antelope with them from 50 yards to 420 yards and had the same results on all three, nice quarter to 50 cent piece sized exits.

I also shot 4 elk with them this year as well. Shot a WY bull at 25 yards, impact velocity over 2900 fps. That shot worried me the most. The bullet entered through the back part of the shoulder blade and exited just behind the shoulder. Shredded the lungs and the bull never took a step, just slumped over and died.

Photos of the entrance and exit sides on that bull:

Entrance:

IMG_4625.JPG


Exit:

IMG_4621.JPG


Exit up close...hard to say this was "explosive":

IMG_4620_1.JPG


Shot a bull in Montana at 376 yards and didnt recover any bullets, but did recover one from a Montana mule deer on a hard quartering shot. Found the bullet under the hide on the off-side, shot was 120 yards.

Picture of a cow elk with what I found to be normal bullet performance from the 160 accubonds, a 50-cent pieces sized exit, shot was 211 yards, exit side:

IMG_4805.JPG


For my last elk in AZ, I shot a nice 6 point at 620 yards. The first shot put him down, but I shot him 2 more times in his bed, recovered the bullets on the off-side.

Picture of the 3 bullets I recovered:

From left, one from the box, 2 from the 6 point at 620, the final one from the mule deer at 120 yards:

IMG_4851.JPG


While 9 animals isnt the end all, so far I've been more than happy with the accubonds and didnt experience any of the things I was concerned about...and have read about. I think they're a quality bullet at a decent price.

YMMV.
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-26-11 AT 03:42PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Dec-26-11 AT 03:38?PM (MST)

I could never get particians to shoot good out of my .270, sierras have worked best for me. I think what ever your gun shoots most accuratly is what you should use.



Watch your top knot
 
Ive seen accubonds out of a 7mag explode on the hide and make a nasty crater on deer and antelope allowing them to run off and require 1 or more follow up rounds,even if a TSX didnt expand its going to penetrate and kill.
 
I am currently shooting the ttsx with great results. I am definitely a fan.

Someone asked about the scirocco's. I love the way they shoot, but the terminal ballistics for me meant wounded game on more than one occasion. I discontinued using them for that reason.

Not a vld fan either. They are hell of accurate, but I have not been overly impressed with the terminal ballistics on these bullets.

My nephew has had great luck with the accubonds, but I have not used them or the partitions personally.

[URLwww.sjoutfitting.com][/URL]
YouTube
 
BuzzH---I would say you got it dialed in pretty good, LOL, and from what you posted it appears you couldn't ask any more of a bullet at the various ranges you took all those animals at! Congratulations on a fantastic season buddy!!!
 
Spend a few hours doing google searches on this subject for each bullet you are looking at. First you will find a few failures for each and every bullet you search for. Second you will find that statistically each and every bullet you are looking at are reliable with maybe 1:100 or less being considered some kind of failure, either not expanding enough or not penetrating enough. So, find what shoot's well as your first determination, but I would say that the Accubond has the best of all worlds. It shoots well, has the best ballistic coefficient, is easy to load for, has worked on game from varmints to grizz, and is by far the cheapest of the three for doing a lot of practice.

BTW, I shoot the Berger VLD in my 7mm and have first hand experience and for anyone to say it isn't a bone breaker doesn't know this bullet at all. Find old video's of John Burns from the original Best of the West hunting show and his shooting DVD series and see where he shoots cow shoulders with these bullets and see how they perform. You didn't ask about these so I am not telling you to use them, they can be tricky to load for but work great on big game including elk.
 
I didn't take the time to read all the posts (but the photos were cool)

Any of the 3 bullets you mentioned would work very well on both deer and elk size animals. They're all considered premium bullets and they acheive excellent penetration and expansion but do so through totally different construction methods.

I've had lots of experience with all 3 but if I had to place in order of preference it would be TTSX, AccuBond, Partition.

The TTSX and AB shoot a little more accurately for me and have a higher BC which might help if the ranges get a bit long (whatever that is).

Zeke
 
>Agree with you 100% Sage.
>That caliber and bullet at
>30 yards is smoking too
>fast and I am not
>surprised at what he posted.
> They are meant for
>fairly long range out of
>that gun.

How does 'smoking too fast' prevent a bullet from expanding? Kind of a silly comment.

Anyway, I've no experience with the Accubond. I have used Partitions for about 25 years, with no failures of any kind. Not the most accurate bullet, but they work. Since 1992, I have been using Barnes, first the X, then the XLC, and now the TSX and T-TSX. The TSX/TTSX shoot MOA, or better, in everything I load them for, from 22Hornet to 300 Weatherby, and they just hammer game.

I vote Barnes, all the way.
 
Any of the three premium bullets you listed will perform great on elk and 90% of other big game. Let your gun tell you which one to use. Try shooting each of them in your gun and choose the most accurate of the three.

I have used 180 grain partitions and TTSX's for many years in my .300 Rem SAUM & .300 Win Mag handloads. I don't shoot the Win Mag much any more because I have become so happy with the SAUM and its shorter action and barrel. I get 1.05 MOA with the partitions, and .55 MOA with TTSX's. I wasn't able to get accubonds to shoot under MOA, but your gun will tell you what it likes. I have shot well over 100 elk, deer, and antelope with these bullets and can't remember any of them taking more than two steps after the shot.

I haven't tried Bergers yet and probably won't since I have been happy with what I have worked up for my gun. I'm sure they are good bullets as well.

A couple of comments:

1. SHOT PLACEMENT IS CRITICAL!!!! The best performing bullet won't kill if it isn't placed in the correct location.

2. Nothing against those long range shooting shows, but don't believe everything you see on TV. Those shows arent going to show many misses and poor kill shots. They have sponsors that won't allow showing their products not performing.

3. Some people claim the TSX's don't expand at close range & high velocities. I have not seen that problem yet. Below is a picture of two TTSX's that I was able to recover this year. the middle one was from a buck deer that was shot at 15 yards. It entered from the front just inside the shoulder blade and was retrieved just under the hide in the oposite rear quarter. It weighed 178.8 grains after recovery. That is 100% weight retention when you consider the plastic tip was gone. The other bullet was from an elk shot at 8 yards. It broke one rib on each side of the ribcage and the opposite shoulder blade was shattered. It was found just under the hide of the oppostie shoulder. It did have two of the four petals break off though and I found them right next to the recovered bullet so I assume they broke off when hitting the shoulder blade but were intact going through the ribs.

6401ttsx.jpg



Good luck on your hunt.
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-27-11 AT 04:53PM (MST)[p]
SDBugler stated: "2. Nothing against those long range shooting shows, but don't believe everything you see on TV. Those shows aren't going to show many misses and poor kill shots. They have sponsors that won't allow showing their products not performing."

That's exactly why I DO have a problem with them. I've never seen one yet where the animal didn't drop right in his tracks and I worry that too many novices watch those programs and think they can emulate a John Burns or John Porter just by buying those rifles, scopes and a box of Berger bullets! John Burns even stated in that campfire discussion that they aim for the shoulder just like he had the girl in the video do so they will go right down on camera when they hit them. I think he should have used the word IF! The real problem that a bunch of guys had with him on that and another site was that he admitted after questioning that the girl had never shot the rifle and it was the first shot she had ever taken with any rifle on big game! He tried to pass it off as guys just getting their panties in a wad because a girl shot the elk. To that many of them finally said that all that video was made for was a promotional stunt to plug his equipment to show that ANYBODY could do it and that it wasn't ethical. On that I fully agreed.
 
I shot a mature bull at 30 yards with a TTSX out of a 7 mag going over 3200 fps,fully expanded and stopped just under the hide on the far side after going through both shoulders and the spine.Same scenario with the Accubombs at 90 yards on an antelope and the bullet didnt make it through the first shoulder except for maybe a few tiny fragments,Nosler rep told me they wernt designed for speeds over 3000 fps,Ill never fire them at anything but paper and varmits again.
 
Here is the bullet from my 2011 mule deer. Quartering away at 220 yards. Found it on the other side of the front shoulder just underneath the hide. .30-06. 165 Grain Accubond. Deer went 5 feet. I'm sold.


2175accubond.jpg





"That's a special feeling, Lloyd"
 
+1 mtmuley and Tikka, :)

I ues Accubonds for all my hunting and shooting needs. No problems, great penetration with nice exit wounds, reasonably priced, and they shoot great in my rifles. What more could a guy want??

Joey


"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"
 
>LAST EDITED ON Dec-27-11
>AT 04:53?PM (MST)

>
>
>SDBugler stated: "2. Nothing against
>those long range shooting shows,
>but don't believe everything you
>see on TV. Those shows
>aren't going to show many
>misses and poor kill shots.
>They have sponsors that won't
>allow showing their products not
>performing."
>
>That's exactly why I DO have
>a problem with them.
>I've never seen one yet
>where the animal didn't drop
>right in his tracks and
>I worry that too many
>novices watch those programs and
>think they can emulate a
>John Burns or John Porter
>just by buying those rifles,
>scopes and a box of
>Berger bullets! John Burns
>even stated in that campfire
>discussion that they aim for
>the shoulder just like he
>had the girl in the
>video do so they will
>go right down on camera
>when they hit them.
>I think he should have
>used the word IF! The
>real problem that a bunch
>of guys had with him
>on that and another site
>was that he admitted after
>questioning that the girl had
>never shot the rifle and
>it was the first shot
>she had ever taken with
>any rifle on big game!
> He tried to pass
>it off as guys just
>getting their panties in a
>wad because a girl shot
>the elk. To that
>many of them finally said
>that all that video was
>made for was a promotional
>stunt to plug his equipment
>to show that ANYBODY could
>do it and that it
>wasn't ethical. On that
>I fully agreed.
>
>

So you have not shot these bullets and have NO personal experience with them on game. So you have NO credibility on the subject. I have and the bullets penetrate. I also have experience with the others. So when you have some experience on the terminal performance you can share it, otherwise it's just an undeducated opinion. As I stated, do the google search. I can show you more people with first hand experience that had problems with TSX that didn't expand and "arrowed" through game than you can show me posts of people who had Bergers that blew up. My point was and is, if you have a large enough sample you will find negative "personal experiences" with all these bullets but won't find a high enough percentate on any mentioned including the Berger. The negative responses you will find on Berger is the same you will find on the TSX and Accubond, occasionally but not routinely not expanding. Now I have not killed any big game with them but a few bullets that I have seen a high enough percentage of negative reports on to not hunt with include the Ballistic Tip and Hornady SST, particularly on elk.
 
Recently had really good results with the Barnes TTSX, took my bull at 450 yds, 1 bullet. Just make sure your rifle agrees with the Barnes, if so, you won't be disappointed. Probably not the best option for deer, however.
 
For 20 years I've shot a 340 Weatherby with 210 grain Nosler Partitions and have used it to kill coyotes, antelope, deer, elk, moose, buffalo and plains game with no complaints. I tried the "cheap" Wby ammo (Hornady spire point)once and the bullet exploded on the near shoulder of an antelope and never even made it to the other side! Just for the heck of it I tried some custom loaded 225 TSX this year. They seem to be very accurate bullets with pathetic down range performance on elk. I'll use the rest of the TSX for sighting in my gun only. I won't hunt with them.
 
Would you use a bullet you saw fail on more than one occasion?Nevermind you probably would.
 
I know that I wouldn't shoot Barnes. I can only go by my experience shooting them. As far as I am concerned, they are all hype nothing more.
I'm going tomgive the accubonds a "shot"!
 
I think which is "better" depends somewhat on the shooter and the rifle.

Personally, I switched to the Barnes bullet this season and will continue to shoot them. In my .30-06, they produced the best grouping of any bullet I have ever shot. I used Partitions for years, and had one box of Accubonds.

I filled my cow elk and mule deer buck tags this season, both with Barnes. Field performance was as good as range performance.
 
All three bullets are good for elk or deer, but they are NOT interchangeable in their application.

For the Barnes bullets you need to keep a few things in mind. From what I've gathered most of the Barnes failures occur in one of two situations.

The first is in sub-30 cal cartridges. I have no idea why, but most of the failures have occurred in .243, .257, .264, .277, and .284 calibers. The Tipped TSX may remedy this to some extent but its too early to tell.

The second situation is when a heavy for caliber bullet is chosen in a cartridge that has a relatively low muzzle velocity. Barnes themselves will tell you that their bullets need to be pushed fast and they recommend shooting light for caliber bullets to help this. In other words, don't pick a 160gr Barnes for a 7mm-08.

Also, because of the solid copper construction and the high weight retention, critters shot with Barnes usually run further than animals shot with lead core bullets. That is not good or bad, but it is something to keep in mind.

As far as Accubonds go, unlike Barnes or Partitions, they have no "fail-safe" expansion feature. In other words, there is nothing like a solid copper core or a partition to keep them from blowing apart if you push them fast enough. That said, I've never had one fail and I've used them in cartridges such as a .300 Wby and a 7mm STW.

The Accubond was desinged to esssentially be a tougher Ballistic Tip. Nosler succeeded in doing so. Accubonds, IMO, are the best all-around hunting bullet ever designed. They shed enough lead to make a quick kill, retain enough weight for good penetration, and have a frontal diameter that makes nice big holes for good blood trails and quick kills. Also, they are very accurate. They are also plenty tough in most situations, and I like to pick heavy for caliber Accubonds to both ensure good penetration and reduced wind drift.

Yes, Accubonds do take a few brain cells to select the proper one, however anybody with an IQ higher than a goldfish should be able to figure out what Accubond will be best in their rifle. As an example, use the 140gr 7mm in your 7mm-08. Use the 160gr 7mm in your 7STW. Its not rocket science.

Partitions are good bullets as well. Not generally as accurate as Accubonds or Barnes, but good enough in most rifles for most hunting situations. They don't retain the weight of the Barnes, but its impossible to blow one apart because of the partition. Also, they kill quicker than the Barnes because they shed their front lead core as they penetrate.

All are great bullets and I've shot game will all of them and will contintue to do so in the future.
 
There are alot of good bullets on the market these days and I have tried most of them and have settled on Accubonds.

In my .25-06/.338RUM/.270WBY they are 16 for 16 with a total of zero steps taken. The total was 8 pronghorn, 6 mule deer, 1 elk and 1 oryx.

They have high BC, are very accurate in my guns and have always held together well on shoulder shots.
 
Stu,

I agree. I've been using them for years in my -06 and have never had a problem with them.

What powder are you pushing those with?

I'm using 57gr of IMR 4350 and getting 1/2 groups at 100yds.
 
I use Accubond in everything over .25cal with Berger mixed in with a few rifles that like them better in the grain I prefer. TTSX/TSX below .25 cal. (except in 223)
 
I have a.280 rem, so shoot the same bullets as your 7mm. I learned a long time ago about using cheap factory bullets on elk (they blow up and don't penetrate when they hit bone). Since then I've use partitions with great luck on deer, although I think they expand too fast. Last few years it's been accubond and they are awesome. Much better accuracy too, and every deer has dropped in it's tracks, including a 330 yard shot. They expand just fine, and would use them on elk if I had a tag.
 

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