Tough Bullet Opinions

[Ryan Avery]

All three would work just fine.

The A Frame is the toughest IMO.

Not on the list but I have a good friend that has shot a pile of moose and elk with a Swift Sciroccos 130s out of his 270 WSM.

 

[ptarmigan]

If I recall from another forum, Luke Moffat and his wife have killed moose and brown bears with the lowly .308 and 180gr factory Federal Fusions fodder. They've worked just fine for me too. Pick the one that shoots good and bring home some meat.

 

[cooperjd]

YEP, all a person has to do is read what Nosler writes in the descriptions of the Partition and Accubond and what they are INTENDED to do when they hit the game intended - I've read that PH stuff before, I'd guess bad shooting had much more to do with the lost game than any poor terminal performance - for the "record" it's more like 40% than 1/2 but I suppose that's splittin' hairs ......

very possible. i'm not arguing for or against them, i have no experience, and merely reporting what i was told. However, those guys also hunt ~10months a year and see a lot of game shot with a lot of equipment, so i feel their opinions may be valid, depending on subject matter.

I've shot TSX from my 7RM for a decade, gonna switch over to accubonds since they shoot better and see how they do. my pops has used A-frames from a 7RUM for a few elk with really good results.

 

[JigStick]

You don't need a 150g bullet for Caribou. I personally would go with a 130g bullet. Specifically the Cutting Edge 135g Rifle Maximus. Your 270wsm is begging for this bullet. perfect application too. Take advantage of that high BC, and devastating expansion.

 

[AXEL]

I have loaded 150 Npts in over a dozen .270win. and a .270Weath, starting in spring 1968. I have shot some animals with it, seen many more killed, including elk and moose, all over BC and one Grizzly, late '60s with the older style.

I am into my 53rd BC hunting season, many years of wilderness working experience and own/ed about 150 rifles, a lifelong favourite is the .270Win.

I like SAFs, am getting into TTSXs in my other favourite cartridge, the .338WM, but, my FIRST choice, always, from .243 to .375H&H, almost loaded them in the fine early Browning Safari LE .458wm I had, is the Nosler Partition. In fact, I have never had or seen one fail and trust them 100%.

BTW, moose are actually a "soft" animal, the tough ones here are big bull elk and RM Goats.

 

[5MilesBack]

I'll just say this......I haven't recovered a single A-frame, I've always gotten two holes........even almost lengthwise shots that have blown through and shattered shoulders on entry and exit. I used Partitions a lot too, but they really do shed that front end and I believe losing all that front lead weight makes the bullet lose penetration potential as well. I've recovered lots of Partitions in elk. But there's no doubt that they still kill if put in the boiler room. But I've become very fond of passthroughs, both for rifle and archery.

 

[AkMtnRunner]

I took a large bull moose with 3 A Frames last fall. Let's just say I learned how a bullet that retains 95% of its weight can cause delayed kills. The first bullet was center lungs and the moose ran ~100 yards to a mud hole and it took 2 more shots in the heart. This with a 375 cal 300 grain. I wish I had loaded my 260 grain Accubond that I had ready for a longer shot but I figured the A frame would expand plenty at about 2250 fps at impact.

To me, the A Frame is the greatest bullet to give delayed kills. Next time I'll use a more frangible bullet like the Accubond or Partition or go with a TTSX with a more forward shot and break down the shoulders too.

 

[GKPrice]

I took a large bull moose with 3 A Frames last fall. Let's just say I learned how a bullet that retains 95% of its weight can cause delayed kills. The first bullet was center lungs and the moose ran ~100 yards to a mud hole and it took 2 more shots in the heart. This with a 375 cal 300 grain. I wish I had loaded my 260 grain Accubond that I had ready for a longer shot but I figured the A frame would expand plenty at about 2250 fps at impact.

To me, the A Frame is the greatest bullet to give delayed kills. Next time I'll use a more frangible bullet like the Accubond or Partition or go with a TTSX with a more forward shot and break down the shoulders too.

why not just put that .375/300 into a "more forward shot and break down the shoulders" ? ? your shot placement had everything to do with where the moose ended up - "delayed kill" ....... moose are notoriously "not a tough animal" but that big critter has a lot of blood pumping and the center lung shot means most of it needs to pump out for the moose to drop - don't see where the brand of bullet had much to do with it

 

[luke moffat]

why not just put that .375/300 into a "more forward shot and break down the shoulders" ? ? your shot placement had everything to do with where the moose ended up - "delayed kill" ....... moose are notoriously "not a tough animal" but that big critter has a lot of blood pumping and the center lung shot means most of it needs to pump out for the moose to drop - don't see where the brand of bullet had much to do with it

Because some of us like to eat the shoulders too.

 

[5MilesBack]

Because some of us like to eat the shoulders too.

Which is also one reason why I'm not a frangible fan for big game.

 

[hodgeman]

I bet the Partition has KILLED more game in North America than any other bullet. This ain't Africa. The Accubond is another "tough" bullet. mtmuley

Yeah...everyone (including guides and PHs) have their favorites. But when it comes to bullets....the Partition is rarely the wrong answer.

I'm a huge fan of the Accubond...I've got a very long string of critters shot with them that exhibited perfect performance from near to far.

 

[cell4soul]

Has anyone tried the Barnes LRX on game? I have a load worked up with the .284 145 gr LRX that I plan to use this year. I've heard really good things about the TTSX and TSX, but not much about the LRX.

 

[AXEL]

I have a load in my NO3 .280 Rem. a custom HVA 4100, Kreiger FW tube at 23", modded Bansner stock, Talley SL-QDs and Swaro Z3-3x9, a hair over 7lbs empty and running the 145 at 2980, so far, sub-moa.

Would like to break 3000, but, I think this will whack any deer or even Elk, I manage to find and can hit well.

Am interested in any reports of performance on these animals by others here.

 

[luke moffat]

Which is also one reason why I'm not a frangible fan for big game.

Then don't

 

[GKPrice]

sometimes a shoulder hit is warranted and another time a 100 yard death dash is no big thing - Personally, I'll take the bullet that will accomplish the toughest job possible, if a through and through lung hit is what's needed no big deal, if the shoulder punch is what's needed the bullet will be up to the task - AFrame, Accubond, Partition, monolithic, etc ... on a deer or antelope there are lots of options, with an elk or larger not so much IME - Erring on the side of "tough" will be my practice

 

[907to406]

I wouldn't think twice about shooting either of the options you listed in your first post but not sure why Nosler Accubonds didn't make the list? They are a fantastic bullet that flat out put animals down. I killed a big shiras bull with my 270WSM using 140gr Accubond at 168 yards and it worked flawlessly. I've also taken multiple bull elk, deer and antelope with the same set up from 100 yards out to 470 yards with out any problems.

Focus on shot placement and taking good clean shots you are comfortable with. When it comes to the moose don't be afraid to keep putting holes in him, they are big animals and can take upwards of 2 minutes to bleed out with a perfect double lung shot and have a tendency to die in shitty places.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[cell4soul]

I have a load in my NO3 .280 Rem. a custom HVA 4100, Kreiger FW tube at 23", modded Bansner stock, Talley SL-QDs and Swaro Z3-3x9, a hair over 7lbs empty and running the 145 at 2980, so far, sub-moa.

Would like to break 3000, but, I think this will whack any deer or even Elk, I manage to find and can hit well.

Am interested in any reports of performance on these animals by others here.

I am running the 145 gr LRX at 3,199 FPS out of my 7 SAUM with a 24" tube. Groups at sub 1/4" MOA. I am pretty damn sure it is gonna kill anything I point it at, but hoping to hear some real world results with the LRX as well.

 

[awaldro7]

I wouldn't think twice about shooting either of the options you listed in your first post but not sure why Nosler Accubonds didn't make the list? They are a fantastic bullet that flat out put animals down. I killed a big shiras bull with my 270WSM using 140gr Accubond at 168 yards and it worked flawlessly. I've also taken multiple bull elk, deer and antelope with the same set up from 100 yards out to 470 yards with out any problems.

Focus on shot placement and taking good clean shots you are comfortable with. When it comes to the moose don't be afraid to keep putting holes in him, they are big animals and can take upwards of 2 minutes to bleed out with a perfect double lung shot and have a tendency to die in shitty places.

Good luck and have fun!

Glad to hear this first hand information. I have loaded 160gr accubonds for my 7 rem mag for my Newfoundland moose hunt this fall. I have also loaded 180gr accubonds for my dads 300WSM for the same hunt.

 

[GKPrice]

Swift Scirocco has not been mentioned, they work just as well as all the other bonded core bullets mentioned

 

[luke moffat]

Swift Scirocco has not been mentioned, they work just as well as all the other bonded core bullets mentioned

In my experience the sciroccos weight retention exceeds the accubond everytime I have recovered a bullet.