As ethical hunters we owe it to our quarry to do everything in our power to quickly and cleanly kill the game we’re pursuing. For this reason, it’s important to select the appropriate bullet for the task at hand.

Fortunately, the vast majority of hunters do not require extremely specialized ammunition unless they’re looking for optimum performance at extended range or hunting thick-skinned dangerous game. So, you have lots of options if you’re among the many hunters who do not fall into either of those categories.

Nosler’s Trophy Grade line of ammo is one of the many good options that’s well suited for those hunters. Available in virtually all of the popular centerfire rifle cartridges, this is Nosler’s largest and most diverse line of factory ammunition.

Trophy Grade ammunition is loaded with AccuBond, Partition, or E-Tip bullets. While there is quite a bit of overlap in the capabilities of those bullets, each one has unique strengths and weaknesses and it’s important to select the right one for a particular hunting situation.

Image: Nosler

The Nosler Partition is the oldest bullet of the three and is built with two lead cores separated by an internal partition. The front core is designed for rapid expansion while the rear core is designed to facilitate deep penetration. The result is a bullet that will reliably expand across a wide range of impact velocities, but won’t come apart, has good weight retention, and delivers very reliable penetration.

This means the Partition is well suited for hunting game of varying sizes like feral hogs, javelina, whitetail deer, mule deer, mountain goat, elk, and moose. It’s not the most aerodynamic bullet though. So, the Partition is best suited for shorter range hunting situations. It will work just fine out to several hundred yards depending on the exact cartridge and game in question. Fortunately, this will work great for the vast majority of hunters.

Hunters looking for better performance at longer range should consider the AccuBond. Featuring a polymer tip and a more aerodynamic shape, the AccuBond shoots flatter, has less wind drift, and retains more energy at extended range than comparable loads using the Nosler Partition bullet.

The AccuBond is not quite as durable as the Partition and usually won’t retain quite as much weight. However, even though it lacks the dual-core construction of the Partition, the AccuBond is a bonded bullet and is still pretty tough. All things considered, the AccuBond will still get the job done on bigger game like elk and moose.

As you can see, there’s a lot of overlap between the Partition and the AccuBond. However, the Nosler AccuBond bullet is generally better suited for longer range hunting situations while the Nosler Partition is better suited for shorter range hunting situations and/or when hunting really big, tough game like moose.

Finally, the E-Tip ammo is lead free. For this reason, the E-Tip is ideal for hunters in places like California that mandate the use of lead free ammo. It’s not limited to those hunters though and the E-Tip is an excellent all-around hunting bullet that delivers a combination of great expansion, reliable penetration, and high weight retention.

Nosler Trophy Grade ammunition is currently available in the following cartridges: .223 Remington, .22-250 Remington, 22 Nosler, 6mm Creedmoor, .243 Winchester, .25-06 Remington, .257 Roberts, .257 Weatherby Magnum, 6.5-284 Norma, 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser, .260 Remington, .264 Winchester Magnum, 26 Nosler, .270 Winchester, 270 Winchester Short Magnum, 27 Nosler, 7mm Mauser, 7mm-08 Remington, 7mm Remington Magnum, 7mm Remington Ultra Magnum, 7mm Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum, 7mm Shooting Times Westerner, .280 Remington, .280 Ackley Improved, 28 Nosler, .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, 300 Winchester Short Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum, .300 Holland & Holland Magnum, .300 Remington Ultra Magnum, 300 Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum, .300 Weatherby Magnum, 30 Nosler, 325 Winchester Short Magnum, .338 Winchester Magnum, .338 Remington Ultra Magnum, 340 Weatherby Magnum, 33 Nosler, .338 Lapua, 35 Whelen, 9.3x62mm Mauser, .375 Holland & Holland Magnum, and .416 Remington Magnum.

So, Nosler Trophy Grade ammunition is pretty darn versatile and is certainly worth considering if you’re pursuing game like pronghorn, black bear, deer, feral hogs, elk, or moose and don’t plan on taking shots past 300-400 yards or so.