Accubond Polymer Tip issue

[Bambistew]

I agree, the tip looks like it was dissolved.

I've shot accubonds since they came out, 20 years ago in many different weights in.243, .264, .277, .284, 308, .324, .338, and .358. I bought a box of factory ammo for my 270 about 15 years ago, some of the tips were missing. Also bought some factory seconds from Shooters Proshop a long time ago in 284, some of the tips broke off. I shot them with missing tips, at 100 yards there was no discernable difference in accuracy.

 

[wyflyguy]

I load 130gr Accubonds in my .270 and have seen this as well. Brand new box of Accubond bullets (not ammo, just the bullets) had several where the tips were broken off. I took photos and sent them to Nosler. The person I interacted with basically told me it's no big deal and "won't affect performance", but they sent me a handful of replacements anyway. At the time I figured it was a bad batch of polymer or something....apparently not!

 

[PsRpOiGrRiAtM]

Multiple times with factory loaded accubonds in .270 and 30.06. . Don't have pics of the Nosler, but these are the Winchester variants here. At first I thought it was shipping damage from Nosler or possibly they rattled around in my pack or got dropped. I never fired them to find out if accuracy was effected, just tossed them.. Tried out the Winchester Expedition Accubonds and they shot really well in a few different rifles so I bought a case. At least one in every box was cracked or missing the tip. Winchester pretty much told me "it sucks to be you" and chalked it up to me mishandling the ammo. ... they offered me a 5% off coupon to buy some of their Chinese apparel online
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These are the ones that Shooters Pro Shop was selling as blems--they're all the black/red Accubonds that were sent to Winchester as OEM. Not surprising that you had some of those break off.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Hmmm, I've got about 8 boxes of accubonds I'll be checking tonight.

 

[The Hedgehog]

Switch to Hornady A-tips.

 

[millerkiller77]

These are the ones that Shooters Pro Shop was selling as blems--they're all the black/red Accubonds that were sent to Winchester as OEM. Not surprising that you had some of those break off.

Interesting, I'd have never knowingly bought blems. I bought them from Outdoor limited with no mention of them being factory seconds, now I feel twice as screwed.. The .270 my kids and their buddies used for plinking. The 30.06 got ran through a belt fed for entertainment. It was pretty bitchin to see 360ish rounds of nickel plated linked up in a can. Bling Bling like the Sitka crew.

 

[PsRpOiGrRiAtM]

Interesting, I'd have never knowingly bought blems. I bought them from Outdoor limited with no mention of them being factory seconds, now I feel twice as screwed.. The .270 my kids and their buddies used for plinking. The 30.06 got ran through a belt fed for entertainment. It was pretty bitchin to see 360ish rounds of nickel plated linked up in a can. Bling Bling like the Sitka crew.

Sorry, I should clarify--the ammunition isn't blems, but recently someone at Winchester must've noticed compromised tips being a problem and sent a bunch of the OEM projectiles back to Nosler, to then be sold at Shooters Pro Shop as blems. It wouldn't have been apparent to you, nor any of the ammo vendors at any point until fairly recently as those became available as blems.

 

[Don Fischer]

I have not shot these two rounds, plan to to see what they do. Zero with other rounds is right on.

I would guess the one with the tip missing should shoot alright, turned it into a HP bullet. Bad thing about every company on the face of this earth is a bad product get through now and then. I have been fortunate to have never got one but i do know it could happen. Only plastic tip bullets I shoot are 75gr V-Max bullet's from aa 243, never had a problem but doesn't mean I won't tomorrow. Thing to do is contact Nosler and show them the photo. Most likely they will apologize and send you a new box of ammo of if you reload, a new box of bullet's.

 

[mtmuley]

My RUM bashes the shit out of the rounds in the magazine because of recoil. Had some flat tips but never a lost one. Have never noticed a difference in POI with the flattened tips either. mtmuley

 

[ImBillT]

You can take a benchrest gun and load five rounds, then take a pair of pliers and smash and mutilate the tip of one of the bullets, and at 100yds all five shots will go into a one hole group. You can then take one bullet and put a very fine knick in the heel with a pocket knife and then load five rounds, and the one with the seemingly meaningless knick in the heel will be substantially separated from the other four shots. For shooting a deer at 100yds I don’t think either issue would cause a miss, but the point is that loosing the tip of that bullet will not matter at 100yds.

Most of my misses have been on painfully easy shots that absolutely should not have been misses.

 

[ImBillT]

I posted this video before, but this is a 180gr Accubond out of a 300WM. The bullet is clearly not flying true and has a clear wobble... it was also wildly inaccurate as it should've easily hit steel.

Watch sx33ne | Streamable

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

The next time I shot that rifle, it shot great. I think it was just a bad bullet. I guess it happens

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I bet a bullet missing a tip would go in the ten ring if you did your part.

 

[Farmerj]

Wow…

Considering I have two boxes of 140gr accubonds for the .260 Remington…

 

[Laelkhunter]

I posted this video before, but this is a 180gr Accubond out of a 300WM. The bullet is clearly not flying true and has a clear wobble... it was also wildly inaccurate as it should've easily hit steel.

Watch sx33ne | Streamable

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

The next time I shot that rifle, it shot great. I think it was just a bad bullet. I guess it happens

View attachment 245264

Did the bullet in that video look different when you loaded it into the rifle? Missing the tip, etc ??

 

[grizzly_]

I bet a bullet missing a tip would go in the ten ring if you did your part.

Did the bullet in that video look different when you loaded it into the rifle? Missing the tip, etc ??

It didn't look any different from the outside, but I'm guessing there was an imbalance that messed up it's flight.

My point is merely that manufacture flaws can happen.

 

[millerkiller77]

I would guess the one with the tip missing should shoot alright, turned it into a HP bullet. Bad thing about every company on the face of this earth is a bad product get through now and then. I have been fortunate to have never got one but i do know it could happen. Only plastic tip bullets I shoot are 75gr V-Max bullet's from aa 243, never had a problem but doesn't mean I won't tomorrow. Thing to do is contact Nosler and show them the photo. Most likely they will apologize and send you a new box of ammo of if you reload, a new box of bullet's.

I doubt it, there is still a small chunk of resin or whatever the tip is made from still stuck in the base and inner wall hollowpoint . It's not like a clean cone was removed and the cavity is spotless.
I still have three boxes of the .270 that are defective. Next time I go out I will update with accuracy results..

 

[morgaj1]

My RUM bashes the shit out of the rounds in the magazine because of recoil. Had some flat tips but never a lost one. Have never noticed a difference in POI with the flattened tips either. mtmuley

My 300WM does the same and it has not affected POI at all.