Last season I took a decent sized buck, but lost my first ever deer (a young doe) using 165 Gamekings (hollow point boat tail) out of a .308 going about 2580 fps. I have been using this load for several years and until now have had nothing but 'bang-flops'. I never had one run let alone have to chase one down.
We'll, I had to hit the buck twice, even though the shot was textbook (60 yards, broad side, just behind the shoulder in the boiler room). He didn't even run... just paced around for a couple of minutes. I could see where I hit him and could not believe he was still standing! He dropped right after shot #2, almost in the same spot.
With the doe, again good shot placement at 110 yards. Unfortunately she ran up and over a ridge into a thick patch of underbrush. It was dark by the time I got over to the spot where I hit her. I tracked her into the brush but lost the blood trail and had to give up the search after about 40 minutes. Went back in the morning but never found her. First deer I have ever lost, and it was upsetting.
So, I would like to keep using the 165 GK, but my question is should I speed it up to over 2600 fps? My best accuracy was in the 2560-2580 range, but I'm willing to give up some MOA if a faster bullet will perform better.
Opinions???
We'll, I had to hit the buck twice, even though the shot was textbook (60 yards, broad side, just behind the shoulder in the boiler room). He didn't even run... just paced around for a couple of minutes. I could see where I hit him and could not believe he was still standing! He dropped right after shot #2, almost in the same spot.
With the doe, again good shot placement at 110 yards. Unfortunately she ran up and over a ridge into a thick patch of underbrush. It was dark by the time I got over to the spot where I hit her. I tracked her into the brush but lost the blood trail and had to give up the search after about 40 minutes. Went back in the morning but never found her. First deer I have ever lost, and it was upsetting.
So, I would like to keep using the 165 GK, but my question is should I speed it up to over 2600 fps? My best accuracy was in the 2560-2580 range, but I'm willing to give up some MOA if a faster bullet will perform better.
Opinions???