In preparation for my 2022 mountain goat hunt I needed to create a load for my 280 Ackley Improved that I planned on taking. I eventually landed on the Nosler Accubond, and the rationale for this decision is laid out below. While the thought process of selecting the bullet is valuable, for a quick and dirty look at the performace scroll down to the Design Criteria sub-heading.
Rationale
Mountain goats pose a challenging task for a bullet. Externally, mountain goats live well above the treeline in steep cliffs near the mountaintops. This makes accuracy important as long shots are often the norm, not the exception. Additionally, high cliffs are unprotected from alpine wind. Sleek, efficient bullets hold true better through high winds, especially at distance.
Terminally, the mountain goat is also uniquely challenging. While not as large as moose, elk, and caribou, a mountain goat is about the same size as a whitetail deer. However, mountain goats have proportionally very large shoulders. In addition, mountain goats are renowned for their disproportionate ability to soak up lead. This would be a minor challenge except for the terrain that the goats inhabit. Mountain goats have a tendency to run to the cliffs when hurt and many a goat has inadvertantly thrown itself off of a cliff in its dying moments.
To mitigate the risk of a goat going off of a cliff I decided to favour a high shoulder shot. The high shoulder shot ruins more meat than a traditional heart/lung shot, and is harder on the bullet. However, when done properly the high shoulder shot will drop an animal where it stands. Risking losing a quarter is better than risking an unrecoverable animal.
Design Criteria
Given all of the factors above, I needed a bullet that had a fairly reasonable ballistic coefficient, and a balanced combination of penetration and expansion in order to break down both shoulders but still dump enough energy to anchor the animal in its tracks. Following the rationale laid out in our article selecting a bullet eliminated cup and core and monolithic designs. This left four options: the Swift Scirroco, Hornady Interbond, Federal Terminal Ascent, and the Nosler Accubond. I elected to go with the Nosler Accubond and placed and order for several boxes of the 150gr 7mm variety.
Accuracy
After a rough morning shooting 139gr Hornady Interlocks into 1.5-2 inch groups, I began testing the accubond with some trepidation. My nerves proved unwarranted, and Accubond proved a very forgivingly accurate bullet to work with. Through 9 3-shot groups and 2 5-shot groups with charge weights ranging from 54.5 grains to 57.5 grains of IMR 4350, every group printed smaller than one minute of angle. Across all load devlopment testing the average group size with the Accubonds was around three-quarters of an inch at 100 yards.
The aerodynamics of the Accubond also proved their worth during accuracy testing in the results at 315 yards with an approximately 7mph crosswind. The 5-shot group at 300 yards was just barely over 2 inches, measuring less than 2/3rds of an MOA. With a G1 ballistic coefficient of 0.493 the Accubond isn’t a true long range high-BC bullet but it is also a lot more aerodynamic than traditional partition or cup and core designs.
Terminal Performance
Candidly, I have a small sample size of two shots on live game with the Accubond. However, what I have seen was very impressive. The Nosler Accubond passed through on both shots. The first shot was through the scapula and out through the exceptionally heavy shoulder on the other side. Damage to the front shoulder was extreme, evidence of excellent expansion and energy transfer. The goat did not take a step and dropped where it stood.
The second shot was more traditionally located, tucked behind the shoulder and through both lungs. The lungs were suitably shredded by the two bullets. Unsurprisingly, like the first shot it was also a complete pass-through.
Closing Thoughts
The Nosler Accubond is an extremely versatile, well-balanced bullet. It provides solid energy transfer while still retaining enough weight to penetrate well. While it is not a true long-range hunting bullet, it is sleek enough to be an effective 500-600 yard hunting bullet in capable cartridges and rifles. The Accubond is an excellent all-around bullet for western-style hunting for elk-sized game and smaller inside of 600 yards.