Nosler markets its Trophy Grade 130-grain AccuBond for deer-sized game. The AccuBond is a polymer-tipped hunting bullet with a boat tail and a lead core bonded to its copper jacket. Nosler rates it at a G1 BC of .488, and it leaves the muzzle at 2,700 fps. That is a gentle pace for a 130-grain .260 Remington load, so the AccuBond trades some speed for lighter recoil.

Compared with Hornady's Superformance 129-grain SST, the AccuBond starts 230 fps slower, and the gap shows at distance. Zeroed at 100 yards, the AccuBond drops about 58 inches at 500 yards and the SST about 48. At 500 yards, a steady 10 mph wind blowing straight across the range pushes the AccuBond about 20 inches sideways and the SST about 18. Compared with DoubleTap's 127-grain Barnes LRX, a lead-free copper bullet, the AccuBond starts 300 fps slower and carries 435 ft-lbs less energy at the muzzle, but the LRX kicks about 7 percent harder in the same rifle.

Buy the AccuBond if you hunt deer-sized game, as Nosler intends, and lighter recoil matters more to you than a flatter path. Pick the Superformance SST if your shots run long and you want less drop and less wind drift from a bullet of nearly the same weight. Pick the Barnes LRX if you want a lead-free bullet and the fastest start of the three. If you want a target load at the same bullet weight for range practice, Hornady's Match 130-grain ELD Match leaves the muzzle 140 fps faster than the AccuBond.