New Custom - 280AI

[Jnasa]

I've heard alot of negatives about the ballistic tips, many guides do not like their clients shooting them for the same reason you point out - they lack penetration and seem to explode on contact, whereas other bonded bullets don't do that. Accubonds don't seem to have the same problem, but I'll be interested to see how they perform on the real article. Definitely don't need this much to take out a whitetail with a rifle.

I used to hunt with Accubonds. I’ve never had an issue with penetration. I have had them fragment on the exit. I’ve also had them stay intact and mushroom. I went back to Partitions and now mostly hunt with mono’s such as Barnes.

I would use Accubonds again if they were why my rifle liked. However, I prefer mono’s when I can.

 

[bluegrassdan]

I went into this projects barrel choice thinking that maybe a little faster twist rate, in this case a 1-7.5, instead of a 1-9 twist might make the really long TSX and LRX style all copper bullets shoot a little better. I decided to try it with a standard throat AI reamer, I can always make the throat longer and change the lead geometry to fit the ogive a little better later on if they show promise. I have done that with several ELR competition rifle chambers with great success. However, and I may revisit these since it was pretty early in the barrel life that I tried them, but they just did not seem as consistent accuracy and velocity wise as I was hoping. The LRX grouped ok, but everything else was all over the map (SD/ES/MV) and groups at distance seemed to be a lot more vertical than I would ethically consider to be accurate. I know these are not match bullets, but I was hoping to at least get them to stay in my acceptable vertical spread (no more than about 1 MOA out to 500) where I would feel comfortable taking a longish shot at game. Granted, a Moose is a huge critter and the vitals are a much larger target than a deer, but I absolutely hate the thought of wounding an animal and have to chase it down until I can finish it. I shot a large white tail buck with a Ballistic tip and it took 3 shots, about 100 yards from each of the previous shots before it finally went down. The area looked like a slaughterhouse and I thought how could it possibly still be moving as far as its going. The first 2 just barely penetrated and just blew large chunks off the shoulder areas and the frontal rib cage, the last one hit in one of those areas and finally penetrated. That was when I said no more ballistic tip style bullets. On the flip side, I hunted hogs with the original accubonds in .308 and while the pig was dead and never took a step, I had two finger sized holes through it that never bled outside the hog. If I had not nailed it right there, it would have been a real bitch to track that thing. So, my experience is pretty limited with bonded bullets and zero with all copper bullets.

 

[Dougfirtree]

I've heard alot of negatives about the ballistic tips, many guides do not like their clients shooting them for the same reason you point out - they lack penetration and seem to explode on contact, whereas other bonded bullets don't do that. Accubonds don't seem to have the same problem, but I'll be interested to see how they perform on the real article. Definitely don't need this much to take out a whitetail with a rifle.

Ballistic Tips aren't bonded. Accubonds are. They're essentially the same bullet, otherwise. Each individual caliber/weight combo has a slightly different design in the Ballistic Tip and they perform differently. Some are pretty soft, while others (notably the 120 grain .284 model), are surprisingly tough. If you search online, you'll find pictures of bullet cross sections from different weights. They're pretty telling...

Accubonds, being bonded, hold together really well. They'll shed some weight, but the bulk of the bullet will generally hang together and penetrate beautifully. They're also wicked accurate, in my experience. If I hadn't switched to all-copper, I'd still be shooting accubonds. I think your choice of the 160 AB is a good one. It's like the "little black dress" of lead bullets.

 

[bluegrassdan]

This is the rifle in its just assembled form. I have swapped out the scope and rings several times, Cerakoted the barrel black, made a custom muzzle brake, new bolt knob. I like the stock from a classic "hunting rifle" standpoint, but may change it out to a carbon fiber stock to give me a flatter and more steady forearm for shooting across my pack.

280AI with the standard Nosler SAMMI Spec chamber
Impact NBK long action
Trigger Tech Diamond trigger
22" 1-7.5 Twist Bartlein barrel
Old Remington 700 stock I had in the shop
Hawkins Hunter DBM

 

[mtmuley]

This is the rifle in its just assembled form. I have swapped out the scope and rings several times, Cerakoted the barrel black, made a custom muzzle brake, new bolt knob. I like the stock from a classic "hunting rifle" standpoint, but may change it out to a carbon fiber stock to give me a flatter and more steady forearm for shooting across my pack.

280AI with the standard Nosler SAMMI Spec chamber
Impact NBK long action
Trigger Tech Diamond trigger
22" 1-7.5 Twist Bartlein barrel
Old Remington 700 stock I had in the shop
Hawkins Hunter DBM

View attachment 379748

Load the Hammer of your choice in the 140 grain range offerings. mtmuley

 

[Wind Gypsy]

This is the rifle in its just assembled form. I have swapped out the scope and rings several times, Cerakoted the barrel black, made a custom muzzle brake, new bolt knob. I like the stock from a classic "hunting rifle" standpoint, but may change it out to a carbon fiber stock to give me a flatter and more steady forearm for shooting across my pack.

280AI with the standard Nosler SAMMI Spec chamber
Impact NBK long action
Trigger Tech Diamond trigger
22" 1-7.5 Twist Bartlein barrel
Old Remington 700 stock I had in the shop
Hawkins Hunter DBM

View attachment 379748

We all like to wax poetic on bullet choice but seriously - put an expanding bullet in the vitials and the animal will die.

 

[The_Coloradoboy]

Love the 280ai. I shot one for years but it kinda has been replaced in my arsenal by my 7mm Saum. As far as bullets go, The Berger 168vld and 175 EOL, and Hornady Eldx 162/175 and 162 ELDM have been solid performers for me. However a 160 nosler accubond is a great performing bullet. It obviously doesn’t have the High BC’s that the Berger or Hornady does but a very reliable bullet. Can’t speak for the Barnes performance, the copper/mono bullets have never much impressed me, but a lot of people seem to recommend Hammers. Especially those stuck in California who have to abide by their laws.

 

[bluegrassdan]

We all like to wax poetic on bullet choice but seriously - put an expanding bullet in the vitials and the animal will die.

I agree with that thought, but because I am spending a healthy chunk of change on this hunt, I don't want to come home with 500lbs of burger and "moose Tips" mystery meat because of all the bloodshot meat and bullet fragment. I had that experience once and will never have my game processed by somebody else ever again.