James R. Burke
New member
I just keep getting in deeper. The one post is correct. Who care, just get the deer humanly.
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Prefer bullet to fully penetrate or not?
- Thread starter Northslope Nimrod
- Start date
A lung shot elk might go a mile.
Hmm, after seeing probably 50 elk die, I have never seen this happen w/ a double lung shot. I guess this would be justification for a magnum, eh..?
I've seen poorly hit elk go 5 miles. Even a double lung shot w/ a bow produces excellent results w/o the animal going more than a few hundred yards. elkman06
Good debate all round and points well taken.
You really have to match your bullets to what you want or need most.
Lightly constructed rapid expanders like ballistic tips or Hornady SST's will definately do more internal damage. Of course the trade off can be decreased penetration and no exit hole. At very close range (like most of the shots here in Alabama) the things can literally seem to explode. And I have never cared for them for this reason. At long range is where they really shine becuase they do tend to be accurate and will still expand at extreme ranges. I can see why some out west would like them for this reason.
The tougher bullets like the TSX's will definately exit but are only gonna expand so much. IMHO they are a little too tough for our whitetails here in the south. Had a buddy using them out of his 7 mag for a while but he quit them after one season. Said he never had some many well hit deer run so far after the shot. Said it was like using a FMJ. He found them but it was a pain in the @$$. You shoot a deer right at the edge of nightfall here in Alabama and it runs even a mere 100 yards back into one of our all too common and rather impressive briar thickets and you have a nasty little search and recovery party on your hands. Especially in the dark with a flashlight. I think these things are better suited for the big stuff like Elk or Moose.
For all the fancy new stuff that's out there these days, to me the best all around bullet is still a simple lead tipped cup and core design. There may be bullets that beat it at certain ranges or in certain applications but from zero to 400 yards no other bullet performs as well over the whole range. They will get through a shoulder better than a ballistic tip and yet expand better on a rib cage shot than the tougher bullets.
A man could take a 30-06 with some Hornady interlocks; shoot deer with the 150gr version; Elk and Moose with the 180gr version; and not be a bit handicapped verses somebody using the latest whiz bang magnum and some 50 dollar box of depleted uranium penetrators or whatever they are selling these days. LOL!
You really have to match your bullets to what you want or need most.
Lightly constructed rapid expanders like ballistic tips or Hornady SST's will definately do more internal damage. Of course the trade off can be decreased penetration and no exit hole. At very close range (like most of the shots here in Alabama) the things can literally seem to explode. And I have never cared for them for this reason. At long range is where they really shine becuase they do tend to be accurate and will still expand at extreme ranges. I can see why some out west would like them for this reason.
The tougher bullets like the TSX's will definately exit but are only gonna expand so much. IMHO they are a little too tough for our whitetails here in the south. Had a buddy using them out of his 7 mag for a while but he quit them after one season. Said he never had some many well hit deer run so far after the shot. Said it was like using a FMJ. He found them but it was a pain in the @$$. You shoot a deer right at the edge of nightfall here in Alabama and it runs even a mere 100 yards back into one of our all too common and rather impressive briar thickets and you have a nasty little search and recovery party on your hands. Especially in the dark with a flashlight. I think these things are better suited for the big stuff like Elk or Moose.
For all the fancy new stuff that's out there these days, to me the best all around bullet is still a simple lead tipped cup and core design. There may be bullets that beat it at certain ranges or in certain applications but from zero to 400 yards no other bullet performs as well over the whole range. They will get through a shoulder better than a ballistic tip and yet expand better on a rib cage shot than the tougher bullets.
A man could take a 30-06 with some Hornady interlocks; shoot deer with the 150gr version; Elk and Moose with the 180gr version; and not be a bit handicapped verses somebody using the latest whiz bang magnum and some 50 dollar box of depleted uranium penetrators or whatever they are selling these days. LOL!
trooper3385
New member
I prefer the bullet to fully penetrate and exit. From my experience you get much better blood trails from exit wounds than entrance wounds. I've shot a couple of deer with well placed shots that ran 30, 40, 50 yds and no exit wound. There was little or no blood trail. Not that I needed one on those instance, but if it was a poorer place shot or ran a long ways, it would be much easier with a good blood trail. Animals I've shot that had exit wounds tended to have much better blood trails. I don't believe an exit wound is going to make an animal dead quicker, just easier to find because of better blood trails
Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
From my experience you get much better blood trails from exit wounds than entrance wounds.
That is especially true for those of us who spend a lot of time in tree stands, or other elevated shooting platforms. Quite often, the entrance wound will be 3/4 of the way up the side of the animal and may not bleed any significant amount, sometimes not even enough to reach the ground. The exit wound from the same shot will be almost on the very bottom of the animal and makes for a very effective "drain".
James R. Burke
New member
You do get a better trail on a exit wound, and that deer probalby is not very far away. I try for the base of the neck, if it is the biggest deer I have ever seen I would probably try a ares that is alittle more forgiving, if you should be off a inch or two.
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The bottom line is where the round hit and what damage it does within the rib cage, not how much blood it leaves on the ground. I've shot a couple dozen deer over the last 20 years and have had deer shot through and through go over 150 yards. In most cases I've used Nosler Ballistic Tips, this year was no exception. The spike I shot this year had the round enter the last rib on the near side and stopped just under the skin on the off side, he dropped dead on the spot, 300 yards away. Last year I killed a spike at about 10 yards with my .45 ACP, the Federal 230 grain Hydrashok punched a hole in the ribs and stopped in the off shoulder, it went down in two steps. One year a friend of mine blew out the side of a buck with his 7 Mag, that animal went a mile with half his guts dragging along the track. Another friend once shot a fork with his 06 using a 165 grain Ballistic Tip, hit too far back, we tracked it through my swamp until I was able to wingshoot it at about 40 yards through the neck.
I generally shoot a 7 mm Rem Mag, 150 grain Ballistic Tip at 3000 fps out of the muzzle. After a couple of ruined shoulders, wherein the shock of the bullet blood shot the meat on entry and didn't fully penetrate, I switched to Partitions of the same weight. I then shot a buck in the lungs at 100 yards, punched a hole clean through, the deer, stopped, snorted, ran about 20 yards and died just inside a line of pine trees. Lungs trashed, dead deer. I eventually realized that at no time, when I did my job, did the bullet actually fail. You put a decently constructed projectile into the heart/lungs of any deer and its going to die. If you don't take care to do that no matter how big a hole you put into the thing you've got a nasty wound and a tough tracking job.
I generally shoot a 7 mm Rem Mag, 150 grain Ballistic Tip at 3000 fps out of the muzzle. After a couple of ruined shoulders, wherein the shock of the bullet blood shot the meat on entry and didn't fully penetrate, I switched to Partitions of the same weight. I then shot a buck in the lungs at 100 yards, punched a hole clean through, the deer, stopped, snorted, ran about 20 yards and died just inside a line of pine trees. Lungs trashed, dead deer. I eventually realized that at no time, when I did my job, did the bullet actually fail. You put a decently constructed projectile into the heart/lungs of any deer and its going to die. If you don't take care to do that no matter how big a hole you put into the thing you've got a nasty wound and a tough tracking job.
N.H. Yankee
New member
I have never lost a whitetail using ballistic tips in 270, 308, 30-06, and some ran over 200lbs field dressed. Matter of fact I haven't worried about blood trails, those that didn't drop in site ( about 30 yards in the thick N.H. woods ) left such a blood, trail Ray Charles could have followed it. I have found these to be very accurate in my rifles as well. I do use the partition in my grandsons 243 and the deer he has shot have never gone more than 75 yards.
I have used Speer 130gr FN in my 30-30 exclusively and have had excellent results and hand loaded with WW748 I chrono them at 2575 fps. These will group 1 1/2 inch for 5 shots at 100yards in my Marlin.
I have never shot an Elk, not many roaming N.H. lol. Then again we do have moose and the load I use is the Federal trophy bonded bear claw 150gr in my 270. I think matching proper bullet weight and caliber to game is every bit as important as bullet design.
I have used Speer 130gr FN in my 30-30 exclusively and have had excellent results and hand loaded with WW748 I chrono them at 2575 fps. These will group 1 1/2 inch for 5 shots at 100yards in my Marlin.
I have never shot an Elk, not many roaming N.H. lol. Then again we do have moose and the load I use is the Federal trophy bonded bear claw 150gr in my 270. I think matching proper bullet weight and caliber to game is every bit as important as bullet design.
James R. Burke
New member
This just keeps getting better!