I have 5 rifles for big game hunting and can't seem to get any of them to shoot accubonds worth a darn. Have tried different powders and seating depths. What's the deal?? I had the 260 shooting 130's and then got a carbon ring, cleaned that out and now it won't shoot them. What seating depths are guys using, on the lands, off, how far off??
reloading accubonds ??
- Thread starter tom338
- Start date
sbhooper
Well-known member
I am not sure what your problem is. Every rifle is different and some don't like the Abs. I have a 7 mag that loves the 140s, but my Ruger American .308 did not shoot them as well. It seems odd to me, though that all five rifles don't like them.
I generally load all of my bullets just longer than book specs (depending on magazine length). It seems to work for the accuracy that I need from my loads.
I generally load all of my bullets just longer than book specs (depending on magazine length). It seems to work for the accuracy that I need from my loads.
BuzzH
Well-known member
IME, they like a pretty good jump, .020-.050
Rancho Loco
Well-known member
Not working in every rig is puzzling..
TimeOnTarget
Well-known member
I agree, Nosler products in general have all been very easy for me to get to shoot well (0.5 moa or better)
A-5_Guy
Member
They didn't shoot well in my Ruger #1 7x57 or my Ruger M77 25-06. Loaded them at varying depths up to including on the lands. Those two rigs just didn't seem to shoot Accubonds very well, which bummed me out because I love those bullets. It's not that they wouldn't deliver killing shots, it's just that they were unpredictable, even using a lead sled, etc.
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Could not get em (140 AB) to group in a 7-08 but didn't tinker long coz barnes 140 TTSX solved the riddle pronto. The AB's shoot just fine in a couple of safe'd 300 mags.
elkaholic06
New member
I load accubonds for 3 different rifles and they have all performed very well. The 160 grainers for the 7mm Remington Magnum are loaded .020" off the lands and they shoot .625". The 180 grainers for the .30-06 are loaded to the COL in Nosler's reloading manual 8 (well off the lands) and they shoot MOA. In my experience, Nosler bullets perform great over a wide range of conditions. Every rifle is different, though. How bad is "worth a darn"? I know guys that get upset with 1.5" groups for a huntin rifle (which is just fine for ethical huntin distances). I was shooting an old rifle this weekend that was shooting 4-5" groups, which is pretty bad!
Being a hunter and not a bench rest shooter,1.5 inch groups are great. When I can do mypart,accubonds have always preformed as I needed.I have shot them in 5 different caliber rifles and found them not fussy on seating depth or powders. I usually use Nosler Specs.
Well call me fussy but if a rifle won't shoot at least 1 inch or less it does not stay in my ownership very long. Where I hunt long shots are the normal not the exception. If I hunted in a place where 200 yards was a long shot, well then not that big a deal, but at 300-600 yards.....
sbhooper
Well-known member
Your problem is a bit puzzling, but if none of your guns are shooting the abs to your specs, then I would say it is time to try something else. If you primarily shoot deer or antelope, then the bullet durability is not as critical.
nidahunter
Well-known member
I have a Tikka 7mm08 and a BLR 7mm08, and neither shoot accubonds well, tried 3 different powders for each. Changed to TTSX and now both are under an inch (and I really didn't expect that from the BLR).
Washington Hunter
Well-known member
Tom338- So do those rifles shoot other bullets better? Just wondering what else you have tried. Do you know they are all capable of 1 inch groups?
Yes, both 7MM remington mags shoot barnes 15o TTSX bullets, 1/2 inch groups @100. My 338 win mag 185 grain TTSX shoots 0.60. The 260 remington shoots 127 Barnes LRX @ 0.25 and finally the 25/06 115 grain TSX shoot 0.45. I can't seem to get a Accubond to shoot under an inch in any of the above rifles. Don't get me wrong, I like the Barnes bullets, never had a failure. Just hear so many good things about Accubonds I wanted to try them
D
Deleted member 20812
Guest
With the groups they are shooting with the Barnes, I'd buy enough components to last a lifetime and then find something better to do with my time.
dk17hmr
New member
Did you clean all the copper out of your bore before switching bullets? Barnes has their own copper remover for a reason.
MTGunner
Well-known member
dk17hmr has brought up a really important issue when it comes to copper fouling. I would completely clean/strip the barrel of any fouling before attempting to load another manufacturers projectile. BTW, I have been loading 180 Accubonds for some time now and they have accounted for 18 big game animals from Africa and New Zealand, Texas, Montana and etc. MTG
D
Deleted member 20812
Guest
The current Barnes don't have the fouling issues that they did way back in the day. While I'm not saying it isn't worth looking at, I've put anywhere from 50 to 100 rounds of Barnes through a rifle with no affect on accuracy.
If it's a concern, use some Wipe Out and clean it up good and start fresh.
