143 ELD-X blew up on the shoulder?

[Ucsdryder]

I've been around here long enough to know that it's not wise to make uneducated bold claims, HOWEVEVER - this happened to be pretty well documented by a buddy of mine. I know "it just doesn't happen", but these photos and what he told me are extremely perplexing. @Formidilosus I'd love to hear your input or synopsis on the matter.

Shot situation - mature blacktail buck, broadside shot 140 yards, 6.5 Creedmoor, factory Precision Hunter 143 ELD-X. Knocked the buck down, buck got up at 30 yards and he shot him in the back of the head. He says absolutely no vegetation or anything the bullet could have contacted to start initiating expansion prior to impact, clear line of sight and the impact was at POA. He found the jacket/core fragments in the wound cavity on the shoulder, from his inspection nothing notably penetrated through the rib meat and into the cavity.

The bullet obviously hit something at adequate velocity to cause it to upset, but if it were in between him and the target it wasn't enough to cause it to deviate off course. What say you?

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I saw an antelope shot at 90 yards this year with a 6.5cm and 143eldx. I told my buddy when we walked up, “look at that exit”. He said, that’s the entrance! It absolutely exploded on the shoulder. This was in grasslands, nothing between the antelope and shooter. It made it into the cavity, but just a few pieces of shrapnel.

Nothing is for certain, but I’d bet on a MD and definitely an elk, the shrapnel wouldn’t have made it into the cavity. It was 3-4 pin holes. Buck was quartering toward the shooter.

 

[KenLee]

I saw an antelope shot at 90 yards this year with a 6.5cm and 143eldx. I told my buddy when we walked up, “look at that exit”. He said, that’s the entrance! It absolutely exploded on the shoulder. This was in grasslands, nothing between the antelope and shooter. It made it into the cavity, but just a few pieces of shrapnel.

Nothing is for certain, but I’d bet on a MD and definitely an elk, the shrapnel wouldn’t have made it into the cavity. It was 3-4 pin holes. Buck was quartering toward the shooter.

Just shoot em in the head or neck at 90 and stay off the quartering shoulder. Tipped soft bullet and big angle on the shoulder invites trouble. Tip likes to do the boot scoot boogie.
I did it at steep angle on a sternum 20 years ago with 270 sst 130 gr. Deer hopped up and ran like a scalded dog and I had to anchor him. Learned my lesson.

 

[Ucsdryder]

It wasn’t a point of shoulder shot. If it passed through, it would have hit on side shoulder and exited 4-5” behind shoulder on off side. Shot was straight up the leg.

Just shoot em in the head or neck at 90 and stay off the quartering shoulder. Tipped soft bullet and big angle on the shoulder invites trouble. Tip likes to do the boot scoot boogie.
I did it at steep angle on a sternum 20 years ago with 270 sst 130 gr. Deer hopped up and ran like a scalded dog and I had to anchor him. Learned my lesson.

 

[KenLee]

It wasn’t a point of shoulder shot. If it passed through, it would have hit on side shoulder and exited 4-5” behind shoulder on off side. Shot was straight up the leg.

Point of shoulder is usually better to keep tip from scooting, but yeah I was picturing more of an angle.

 

[waspocrew]

Forgetting to return to zero would’ve resulted in a miss high or spined animal, not a ricochet and hit (which seems extremely unlikely).

None of us were there, we don’t have video, so it’s all just speculation. But to say - “had to have hit another animal first”, “must have hit a branch to open”, or “hit low in dirt to ricochet” appears to be grasping at straws.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Forgetting to return to zero would’ve resulted in a miss high or spined animal, not a ricochet and hit (which seems extremely unlikely).

None of us were there, we don’t have video, so it’s all just speculation. But to say - “had to have hit another animal first”, “must have hit a branch to open”, or “hit low in dirt to ricochet” appears to be grasping at straws.

Not forgetting to return to zero, forgetting that it was returned to zero and returning it another full revolution (assuming no zero stop). So hitting low.

 

[5811]

I'm new to this, so I've never actually seen it and this might be a dumb question, but what about bullets coming apart in flight? Does anything make it to the target? Does it always happen at the muzzle or could it happen right before impact in some anomalous case?

 

[Ucsdryder]

Forgetting to return to zero would’ve resulted in a miss high or spined animal, not a ricochet and hit (which seems extremely unlikely).

None of us were there, we don’t have video, so it’s all just speculation. But to say - “had to have hit another animal first”, “must have hit a branch to open”, or “hit low in dirt to ricochet” appears to be grasping at straws.

I shoot target bullets and have for a while, so this doesn’t come from a hater… but I agree at the grasping at straws. This thread doesn’t fit the narrative currently being pushed on here.

On a side not my wife hammered a buck with “her” 7saum shooting 180 eldms. Like it always seems to do, the exit was a golf ball sized hole after punching a hole in the onside shoulder. Those 180s are bad medicine.

 

[Wyo_hntr]

I shoot target bullets and have for a while, so this doesn’t come from a hater… but I agree at the grasping at straws. This thread doesn’t fit the narrative currently being pushed on here.

I think people are just trying to make sense of this third party report of something that seems, on its face, almost impossible.

Let's just chalk it up to, bullets do weird things sometimes.