.223, 6mm, and 6.5 failures on big game

[teamsprock]

Here is an interesting one from tonight. I am new to the 223 game, and so far have been extremely impressed. My gun has killed 3 whitetail bucks and a bull elk. 16” tikka roughtech.

Deer have been with 73gr eldm. Elk was with a 77tmk. First two deer were 150 yards and 300, both died quickly, lungs heart exploded. Elk was 150 yards, heart lungs destroyed.

Tonight I shot a buck at 200 yards (73gr eldm). I could tell his leg was broke, and I watched him hop off, hoping he would die. He finally stopped at 400 yards, hard quartering away shot. I slipped it behind the ribs and he dropped dead.

Upon inspection, the first shot blew up on his lower “elbow” and did not penetrate the rib cage.

Here are some photos, I will try to get more.

Right shoulder, I am holding the leg up, I skinned back the armpit to see if it penetrated. You can see the bullet hole through the leg and then the flesh wound to his chest. Chest photos show no internal damage.

Red area shows approximately where the bullet impacted.

 

[Formidilosus]

Here is an interesting one from tonight. I am new to the 223 game, and so far have been extremely impressed. My gun has killed 3 whitetail bucks and a bull elk. 16” tikka roughtech.

Deer have been with 73gr eldm. Elk was with a 77tmk. First two deer were 150 yards and 300, both died quickly, lungs heart exploded. Elk was 150 yards, heart lungs destroyed.

Tonight I shot a buck at 200 yards (73gr eldm). I could tell his leg was broke, and I watched him hop off, hoping he would die. He finally stopped at 400 yards, hard quartering away shot. I slipped it behind the ribs and he dropped dead.

Upon inspection, the first shot blew up on his lower “elbow” and did not penetrate the rib cage.

Here are some photos, I will try to get more.

Right shoulder, I am holding the leg up, I skinned back the armpit to see if it penetrated. You can see the bullet hole through the leg and then the flesh wound to his chest. Chest photos show no internal damage.

Red area shows approximately where the bullet impacted.

Your red mark and the elbow wouldn’t be “in” the chest cavity, it’s below it. It hard to tell from the photos, however it looks like it skirted the brisket?

 

[The Guide]

Here is an interesting one from tonight. I am new to the 223 game, and so far have been extremely impressed. My gun has killed 3 whitetail bucks and a bull elk. 16” tikka roughtech.

Deer have been with 73gr eldm. Elk was with a 77tmk. First two deer were 150 yards and 300, both died quickly, lungs heart exploded. Elk was 150 yards, heart lungs destroyed.

Tonight I shot a buck at 200 yards (73gr eldm). I could tell his leg was broke, and I watched him hop off, hoping he would die. He finally stopped at 400 yards, hard quartering away shot. I slipped it behind the ribs and he dropped dead.

Upon inspection, the first shot blew up on his lower “elbow” and did not penetrate the rib cage.

Here are some photos, I will try to get more.

Right shoulder, I am holding the leg up, I skinned back the armpit to see if it penetrated. You can see the bullet hole through the leg and then the flesh wound to his chest. Chest photos show no internal damage.

Red area shows approximately where the bullet impacted.

My daughter hit a doe at the other end of the humerus bone where it attaches to the scapula with the same bullet (factory Hornady ELDM ammo) from a 16" Ruger American Ranch 5.56 at 220 yards. Blew up the ball end of the bone and still penetrated the chest (very low) and into heart where it stopped. The area you indicated would suggest to me that even though you hit bone, you were below the chest cavity and possibly below the sternum bone. Tough shot for anything regardless of the caliber.

Jay