The frustration of Nosler ABLR

[mitdr774]

I have found this to be an issue across several cartridges and multiple bullet weights in each case. Maybe it's just my luck, but it seems as if driving the Nosler ABLR at what I would feel to be acceptable velocities for a given cartridge they tend to have random flyers. Slow things down a bunch and the flyers go away. That being said, pushing 6.5CM velocity in a 6.5-06 seems rather pointless to me. If I drop the velocity to about 2500 fps it produces fantastic groups all day long, but why use the -06 case when I can get the same velocity in a more efficient case size?

I had forgotten why I stopped shooting the ABLR in my 6.5-06 until yesterday when I took my wife's step brother to the range for load work up on his M70 6.5CM. I took my .430x1.8, .458x1.8, and 6.5-06. If I exclude the two flyers it's an amazing group for me. Below is two pictures showing a comparison of my "bitch" about the ABLR and why I ended up using the 129gr InterLock on my pronghorn hunt last year. Both groups were done as two sets of three. The 150gr group produced one flyer in each of the sets. It's not a consistent point in the set either. The 129gr IL load usually does a little better than that, so my shooting may have been off some, but not that far off.

IMG_20250906_202906007.jpg (4.31 MiB) Viewed 356 times

IMG_20250906_202912705.jpg (4.27 MiB) Viewed 356 times

Has anyone else experienced this?

I am slowly working on switching hunting loads over to lead free to at least prepare for the day it happens. I wonder how the 150gr ABLR would do in a 6.5 Grendel??? The 142gr produces some very nice groups at about 2000 fps from my CZ 6.5g from what I recall.

[Diver43]

Have you tried making it sceam?

[Bigslug]

Looks like the potential is there, but probably for one critical little thing.

How consistent are the velocities on the loads? When I do a load workup, I'm looking for the spots where the velocity doesn't really change significantly across three or more charge increases of 0.2 to 0.3 grains, and then I concentrate my efforts around those flat spots. It's usually worked very well.

You might also have a seating depth preference issue. The Barnes TTSX's I've been hunting with LIKE a long jump to the lands. I am not familiar with these ABLR's, but you might check Nosler's recipe for COAL for guidance.

[GrapeApe]

Being bonded, I'm not surprised.
To easy for them to come out slightly different in balance

[mitdr774]

I would have to check my numbers again, but from what I recall velocities were been fairly consistent. Nothing jumped out velocity wise at the range.

The ABLR has proven to be somewhat of an oddball for jump. Some cartridge/ABLR bullet combinations like more jump than others. If i recall correctly I have as little jump as I can manage while still having smooth feeding. Nolser recommends something like sticking to max cartridge length spec. Nosler has no data for this bullet and cartridge combination.

The lead free bullets do seem to generally like a long jump.

I know that bonded bullets have a potential for some issues due to the bonding process. The only other bonded rifle bullet lines I have played with would be the 85gr InterBond in a .243, and the 120gr and 140gr Gold-Dot in multiple 6.5 cartridges. I have played with the ABLR in several 6.5mm and .30 cal cartridges and experience the same results with the ABLR every time. The ABLR is the only one that consistently has this issue where lower velocities produce fantastic groups and higher velocities start producing odd random flyers.

I like the promise of the ABLR, but I dont like the performance on paper at higher velocities.

[GrapeApe]

Gold dots aren't bonded, they're plated. The lead isn't melted in a jacket

[mitdr774]

"Law enforcement professionals trust the Gold Dot® bullet design with their lives every day. Now Speer® offers consumers the same performance in a line of personal protection rifle bullets. Their exclusive manufacturing process bonds the uniform jacket to the core one atom at a time, ensuring proper expansion and nearly 100 percent weight retention. The result is superb accuracy and immediate, threat-stopping performance."

I know they are plated, but it is still a bonding process. Its just not soldered together like a more typical bonded bullet. Its a thick enough plating to create a jacket of sorts. It also isnt a traditional plating like what you typically see on plated pistol bullets. It for sure is not a cup and core construction like an InterLock. Speer calls it bonded, they behave like a bonded, and they do not use a drawn jacket with a lead core so Im just going to call it bonded.

Either way, they dont exhibit the same issue that I experience with the ABLR.

[GrapeApe]

There's normally a void in the lead in the top of a traditionally bonded bullet (which I learned from Cobin when researching making bonded bullets) It's "filled" during the forming process from a plain jacket cup with the lead soldered into it, to a shaped bullet.
There's nearly zero chance that the void forms identically in the cooling lead in every bullet.


Gold-Dots started from the Speer TMJ line and an engineer wondering what would happen if he punched a HP into one. That's where the "gold dot" in the expanded bullet comes from