Browning A-bolt 7mm RM
140 grain Nosler Accubonds
64.0 grains IMR 4350
Velocity @ 3250 fps
Just got home from a pronghorn hunt in Wyoming and thought I would put some info out there for anyone who would be willing to read it.I shot a buck and 3 doe and every one of them dropped like they were crushed by the hand of god but pushing those Accubonds that fast caused a pretty violent expansion and some massive holes and meat damage. I am happy with how they preformed and this was more or less what I expected to happen.
Also worth noting was the further the shot, the less obscene the hole and meat damage. The doe that was @ 400 yards was pretty reasonable but the doe @120 looked like I shot her with a 50 BMG.
On the buck I had an interesting experience. He was bedded quartering away @ 190 yards and the bullet clipped his back knee before entering his chest. The bullet expanded fully on the knee, broke the leg in 2 places, and continued through to liver and lungs. He was instantly deceased from the hydrostatic shock and he never even stood from his bed. Inside his chest the damage looked akin to buckshot from chunks of lead and bone. No exit. Heres a photo of how he laid where you can see the pretty massive entry wound.
Speed kills thats for sure! Though I think what I have learned is that you shouldn't push the Accubonds that fast and in the future when shooting lighter bullets out of a magnum caliber it may be better to use either a monolithic copper bullet or a partition that will both retain more of their weight at higher velocities and not expand as violently.
140 grain Nosler Accubonds
64.0 grains IMR 4350
Velocity @ 3250 fps
Just got home from a pronghorn hunt in Wyoming and thought I would put some info out there for anyone who would be willing to read it.I shot a buck and 3 doe and every one of them dropped like they were crushed by the hand of god but pushing those Accubonds that fast caused a pretty violent expansion and some massive holes and meat damage. I am happy with how they preformed and this was more or less what I expected to happen.
Also worth noting was the further the shot, the less obscene the hole and meat damage. The doe that was @ 400 yards was pretty reasonable but the doe @120 looked like I shot her with a 50 BMG.
On the buck I had an interesting experience. He was bedded quartering away @ 190 yards and the bullet clipped his back knee before entering his chest. The bullet expanded fully on the knee, broke the leg in 2 places, and continued through to liver and lungs. He was instantly deceased from the hydrostatic shock and he never even stood from his bed. Inside his chest the damage looked akin to buckshot from chunks of lead and bone. No exit. Heres a photo of how he laid where you can see the pretty massive entry wound.
Speed kills thats for sure! Though I think what I have learned is that you shouldn't push the Accubonds that fast and in the future when shooting lighter bullets out of a magnum caliber it may be better to use either a monolithic copper bullet or a partition that will both retain more of their weight at higher velocities and not expand as violently.
