Partition vs Accubond

Art Lambart II · Nov 25, 2015

I'm heading to bushveld of SA for my first PG hunt next August and I'll be using my 35 Whelen. I plan on using 250 grn nosler partition @ 2550 fps, my question is would the 225 grn accubond @ 2750 fps be a better choice?

thriller · Nov 25, 2015

They will both work I like the barnes TSX personally. Im always a fan f the heavier bullet personally but thats just me.

Art Lambart II · Nov 25, 2015

I tried the 225 TSX, but my 35 Whelen didn't like very much.

gillettehunter · Nov 25, 2015

The biggest knock that I have heard on the partition is tip separation at higher velocities. You shouldn't have that issue at your velocities. I used a 160 AB last May in africa and had great success. Either should work well for you. If you were in the East Cape where a longer shot could be possible then I'd probably take the 225 grain at the higher velocity. Bushveld is a tossup. Shot placement is king. Bruce

CAustin · Nov 25, 2015

Art go with the heavy bullet! Your going to knock everything down for sure!

enysse · Nov 28, 2015

As long as you can shoot out to 300 yds or plan on stalking closer for a better shot, you will be alright. I would stay away from the quartering to shot on any large animal, because you may not get the penetration you are looking for in a premium bullet.

Ryno Botma · Nov 28, 2015

I was shooting the nosler partition and accubond in my 300 wby , the partition was better accuracy wise but did not hold together and did not get penatration on quartering shots where the accubonds group was not as tight but had no problem with penetration

I also switched over to Barnes the last 2 seasons but I'm thinking of going back to the accubond for better blood trail

My 2 cents is go with the accubond you will have a little bit more range and not have a problem with penetration

browningbbr · Nov 28, 2015

enysse said:
As long as you can shoot out to 300 yds or plan on stalking closer for a better shot, you will be alright. I would stay away from the quartering to shot on any large animal, because you may not get the penetration you are looking for in a premium bullet.

You didn't say which bullet was more accurate in your rifle. As Eric says, "As long as you can shoot out to 300 yds..." Use the more accurate of the two. Placement is everything.

Mr. 16 gauge · Nov 28, 2015

I've used both, and both have performed well......I would go with which ever bullet is more accurate of the two out of your particular rifle.

tarbe · Nov 28, 2015

This is kinda like the old "Ginger vs Mary Ann" argument, it seems to me!

Either choice will work great, if you do your part.

If you like flashy, go with Ginger. If you like slow and steady, pick Mary Ann.

Now, what were we talking about??

KMG Hunting Safaris · Nov 28, 2015

I don't use them myself, but I have never seen any of the Noslers fail from my hunters who use them.

bassasdaindia · Nov 28, 2015

it all depends on which area of South Africa you are hunting in . Generally the bush is much thicker and therefore shorter shots are taken in the North (Limpopo) vs the Eastern Cape where longer shots are taken .

bassasdaindia · Nov 28, 2015

your PH will best advise you of the terrain you will be hunting in and what distance most of your quarry will be taken at.

tarbe · Nov 28, 2015

bassasdaindia said:
it all depends on which area of South Africa you are hunting in . Generally the bush is much thicker and therefore shorter shots are taken in the North (Limpopo) vs the Eastern Cape where longer shots are taken .

This post got me to thinking....

So I went and looked at the B.C. for each of these bullets, and the top velocities published for each weight bullet by Hodgdon.

B.C. for the 225 Accubond and 250 Partition are .421 and .446, respectively. Slight advantage to the Partition (a little surprising).

Hodgdon gets about 100fps more in the Whelen with the 225 vs the 250.

So without bothering to check the drop tables, I am willing to bet my left....arm....that the difference in drop at 300 yards from a 200 yard zero is less than the average dispersion of the shots in a given group off the sticks...probably much less.

So this takes us back to use the bullet that shoots better in your rifle.

Either one will kill Blesbok to Eland if put in the right spot.

Big5 · Nov 29, 2015

KMG Hunting Safaris said:
I don't use them myself, but I have never seen any of the Noslers fail from my hunters who use them.

I have been using Nosler partitions for a wide variety of hunting in several rifles/calibers since the 1970’s and can honestly say I have never once experienced a failure with that particular bullet.

When it comes to the 250gr Nosler partition I will also mention that no other bullet has ever passed through the barrel of my trusty and very well used .340 Weatherby. The 250's in my .340 have proven to be a potent combination.

I’m not leveling criticism toward any other bullet, just saying the Nosler partition has worked well for me over a period of many years now. I also believe there must be a pretty good reason these bullets have remained as popular as they have over time.

Good hunting to you with whichever bullet you decide on!

Art Lambart II · Nov 30, 2015

I'll be hunting the bushveld in the Limpopo province and plan on keeping my shoots under 150 yards which is why I started with the 250gr partition. I'm really a Hornady man but they don't load a heavy bullet in the 35 whelen, the 200gr Superformance load is awesome on deer and hog but seams a bit soft for the larger PG on my list. The partition shoots just under an inch in my T/C Encore and is quite comfortable to shoot (provided I grip the foe end). Thanks for the great advice everyone, please keep it coming.

PHOENIX PHIL · Nov 30, 2015

Art Lambart II said:
I'll be hunting the bushveld in the Limpopo province and plan on keeping my shoots under 150 yards which is why I started with the 250gr partition. I'm really a Hornady man but they don't load a heavy bullet in the 35 whelen, the 200gr Superformance load is awesome on deer and hog but seams a bit soft for the larger PG on my list. The partition shoots just under an inch in my T/C Encore and is quite comfortable to shoot (provided I grip the foe end). Thanks for the great advice everyone, please keep it coming.

That being the case and with Eland perhaps on the menu, go with the Partition just because of the heavier weight. 1" high at 100 yards sight in and you're set.

CDorroh · Nov 30, 2015

It has been my experience on deer-sized game using .308 caliber projectiles that above 3000 fps, the partition outperforms the accubond in penetration. At such high velocities, the partition may shed it's front section, but I've never recovered the rear section from game. It's been through and through every time, regardless of shot angle on animals weighing over 200 lbs field-dressed. That is still small compared to some plains game, but it's the biggest thing we have around here.

My prior experiences with accubonds has been limited to the 180 grain projectiles. At or above 3,000 fps they seem to "over-expand," shed weight, and not penetrate as well as the partition. However, all of these critters have still been very dead, so the bullet did its job. As velocities fall below 3,000 fps, the performances of the 2 projectiles get more and more similar. In this particular instance, I agree with the other suggestions to use the partition, mostly because it is available in 250gr.

This season, I started loading my .300 wby with 200gr accubonds at a MV of 3100 fps. In my mind, the higher SD of the 200gr bullet should offer better penetration, but I didn't see any whitetails that suited my fancy as test subjects this year (I'm getting pretty picky). There was a coyote that decided to chase off some does that I was watching, which proved to be a fatal error on his part. As one would expect, the 200gr accubond had a pretty devastating effect on him on 100 yds, but that's hardly a good field test.

Bruce · Nov 30, 2015

I obviously hunt a lot of PG in RSA as I live here. I do not load my own ammo and only use factory ammo.. local stuff is fine. In 30-06, 408 or 300 WM . I use heavier 180gr soft points for all , PG with the 30-06 and 300WM. For closer bushveld shots ( Limpopo type terrain) I do not use the 300 WM anymore as there is too much meat damage... we keep all the meat here and use it for steaks/ stews and biltong!!. I have never had any issues with factory ammo in this range with ANY PG hunted.
With the DG, I go for the premium bullets .. Swift A frame in general and Federal solids.
For the longer Eastern Cape type shooting, I take the 300 WM along as well...

Longwalker · Dec 7, 2015

I've shot a dozen or so elk and a few moose and deer with the .35 whelen and 250 grain bullets, and have a lot of confidence in it. I have only shot a couple of elk with the 225 grain bullets but they worked very well too. My suggestion is to use the 250 grain. Your shots are very unlikely to be long in the bushveld, and you may want the extra penetration offered by the heavier slug vs the lighter one. Think eland, zebra, gemsbok. Exit wounds on medium game are a nice bonus IMHO. The 250 Nosler will expand OK on Impala and Warthog, and not ruin too much meat or the capes. I don't see any advantage with the lighter bullet, other than slightly less recoil.

Partition vs Accubond

Art Lambart II

thriller

Art Lambart II

gillettehunter

CAustin

enysse

Ryno Botma

browningbbr

Mr. 16 gauge

tarbe

KMG Hunting Safaris

bassasdaindia

bassasdaindia

tarbe

Big5

Art Lambart II

PHOENIX PHIL

CDorroh

Bruce

Longwalker

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