Leupold BX-4 Rangefinding Binoculars

Accubond Polymer Tip issue

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So here is the scenario I had earlier this season. I do almost all my rifle hunting with a Rem 700 300 RUM. I shoot 180 gr Accubond factory loads from Nosler. When I leave the truck or camp I have 3 rounds in the magazine, never put one in the chamber until I am ready to shoot. I make it a practice to open the action and verify the chamber is empty whenever I am done hunting for the day, but usually leave the 3 rounds in the magazine until I am done for that trip and loading up in the truck.

A few weeks ago, near the end of deer season, I find a great buck bedded in an old burn. Manage to get to 107 yds, he has no idea I am there, just need to wait for him to stand so I have a clear shot. 20 minutes later he does. I have a great rest, felt like a steady shot but I completely miss. So certain he was a dead deer, I really didn't even think of a follow up shot. Cycle the bolt to take out the spent case but don't put another one in the chamber. Spent rest of the evening looking for signs of a hit, but nothing. I am 100% confident he was unharmed. Not sure how I missed such an easy shot. I chalk it up to the shooter. The gun was on before the season. Nothing happened to make me wonder if the scope may have been knocked off. It has been a really long time since I have missed and cant ever recall missing a chip shot like that one. Hunt the next morning but with no success in finding a buck I liked. Never bothered to add a third round back to the magazine that morning. When I get to the truck, I open the bottom hinge of the magazine and these are the two rounds that fall into my hand.

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Has anyone seen this before with Accubonds? These are Nosler factory loads. I think they are no more than 5 years old. Cant imagine I would have put the round without the polymer tip in the magazine and not noticed but I guess it is possible. I have taken the gun to the range since and verified that the gun is still dead on. While it is still most likely that the miss was fully on me, if the other round looked anything like these two not sure where it would have gone. Looked through the box these rounds came from and found one other that had some deterioration of the polymer and chipping of the bullet tip.
 
They can break off, but should still hit close enough to POI to not be an issue at the range that you are talking about. My dad had some Winchester factory ammo that came with loose and missing tips, and the bullets were made by nosler. Any mfg plastic tip can break off, and is even designed to, but it shouldn’t break in the magazine.

Those look like they could be caused by a chemical. Look at the tips of the bullet below the polymer and it is very discolored. Any bore solvent used that may have gotten into the action or magazine that could have helped dissolve them? It could have even dried and been reactivated by condensation or humidity
 
ny bore solvent used that may have gotten into the action or magazine that could have helped dissolve them? It could have even dried and been reactivated by condensation or humidity
I was about to ask this.

Try this with the rest of your Nosler ammo...Press down on the side of the tip like you're writing with a big marker. If they wiggle or break you know you have bad ones. Then contact nosler right away. I don't know when they run Accubond lots but it seems I haven't seen 30cals in a long time.

If you need ammo and can find it in 300RUM check out Norma's Bond Strike. It's supposed to be very similar to Accubonds.
 
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Those look like they could be caused by a chemical. Look at the tips of the bullet below the polymer and it is very discolored. Any bore solvent used that may have gotten into the action or magazine that could have helped dissolve them? It could have even dried and been reactivated by condensation or humidity
Its possible but not likely. This gun really like being shot with a dirty barrel. It doesn't get much cleaning. Also humidity in this part of country is pretty darn low. The remaining tip is very chalky. The tip of the bullet is actually flaking off on the one that has most of the polymer remaining.
 
Over the years, I've had new boxes of AB 180's with missing tips when I opened them. Nosler has always replaced no questions at all. Whatever the problem is/was it seems to have gone away since haven't had a tip missing in quite a while.
 
I had a few Barnes TTSX bullets that lost their tips and were set aside for range use only. At 100 yards they shot into the same group as bullets that still had the tips. I would imagine that it would make a difference at much longer ranges, but no measurable difference at 100 yards.

I shoot the AccuBond bullets frequently and have not yet had any that lost their tips.
 
There was an issue with earlier ones, just like @brockel said. How old are those rounds?

I had an OLD box of .30 180gr projectiles graciously replaced by Nosler a couple years ago. I also bought some of the blems from shooters pro shop and found the ones that did break off (about 10-15 out of 100rds) exhibited some deformities and chalk-like texture. I don't think anything of recent manufacture would've been prone to that.
 
Have you checked zero with them? I agree that the missing tip shouldn’t change POI appreciably, especially at that distance.
I have not shot these two rounds, plan to to see what they do. Zero with other rounds is right on.
 
There was an issue with earlier ones, just like @brockel said. How old are those rounds?

I had an OLD box of .30 180gr projectiles graciously replaced by Nosler a couple years ago. I also bought some of the blems from shooters pro shop and found the ones that did break off (about 10-15 out of 100rds) exhibited some deformities and chalk-like texture. I don't think anything of recent manufacture would've been prone to that.
Not entirely sure how old they are. Bought several boxes maybe 5 years ago when I saw availability.
 
Doesn't the plastic tip just burn off going downrange? I think some bullet company came out with a special type of plastic that wouldn't burn off, so it must be a thing. I doubt that it would affect the accuracy regardless at normal hunting distances.
 
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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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.


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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