Argument against small caliber? Blood trail/exit wounds?

[K9kodi]

Sure, bad shots happen. And they happen more often with a big cartridge that is less enjoyable to shoot and practice with. Less is sometimes more.

Well that’s all relative. I said that was my opinion and what worked for me. I enjoy the large calibers, I also enjoy shooting them. Large I mean 300wm and 338 win mag would be the larger ones. I don’t think I’d specify my 30-30s , 35 or 270 large. Not even sure I’d classify the 308 as one.

 

[Choupique]

already having a preconceived notion of the outcome

Based on using the same bullet in smaller calibers. Preconceived notions are also important and meaningful when they have the proper basis.

I also plan to cut a couple in halfand see if the construction varies any with caliber. Some bullets get more heavy duty as you go up in caliber. I believe sierra game kings are or were made that way.

 

[Jordan Smith]

Well that’s all relative. I said that was my opinion and what worked for me. I enjoy the large calibers, I also enjoy shooting them. Large I mean 300wm and 338 win mag would be the larger ones. I don’t think I’d specify my 30-30s , 35 or 270 large. Not even sure I’d classify the 308 as one.

It certainly is relative, with rifles and loads landing somewhere on the spectrum of recoil/noise/cost/etc.

Perhaps a good quantitative way to make the point is with round count. Higher reps tend to lead to better shot placement. How many rounds do you put through your big boomers each year compared to your small rifles?

 

[Formidilosus]

I agree, but I’ll take carnage over a loss of game or making suffering longer than it should be.

Heck ya. I want wounds like these when I make a bad shot- only big guns will do this.

 

[alexnelon]

Heck ya. I want wounds like these when I make a bad shot- only big guns will do this.

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How anyone can look at this and pretzel their mind to argue against it is beyond me.

 

[Ringbill27]

@huntsd Ok I’m a little late to this thread and I haven’t taken the time to go through the 3 pages of comments. But I have questions.

You had a pass through with no or little blood trail. My question that comes from experience is how high was the entrance and exit hole on the animal?

I’ve had to track many whitetail with were shot high lung that left little blood. Most of these went farther then 50 yard. The ones that died quickly had chest cavities full of blood. I’ve alway figured they can leave a blood trail until they fill up enough to come out. High shots take time.

 

[huntsd]

@huntsd Ok I’m a little late to this thread and I haven’t taken the time to go through the 3 pages of comments. But I have questions.

You had a pass through with no or little blood trail. My question that comes from experience is how high was the entrance and exit hole on the animal?

I’ve had to track many whitetail with were shot high lung that left little blood. Most of these went farther then 50 yard. The ones that died quickly had chest cavities full of blood. I’ve alway figured they can leave a blood trail until they fill up enough to come out. High shots take time.

Bullet didn’t pass through. From what I remember the shot was pretty perfect horizontally and vertically (maybe a smidge higher than I would have liked but not much). I should have took better pictures/notes. You can see the 3rd picture with blue circle on it in my original post. That had to be entrance wound as there was no exit

 

[S.Clancy]

Methinks most of this site could greatly benefit from spending a few seasons bowhunting. But then I suppose such understanding would make half the threads here unnecessary lol.

No shit. The number of dogshit blood trails on good shots in archery is wild. I had to grid up a cow I shot at 12 yards and I could hear her crash because there was no blood and so much blowdown.

Rifle is a freaking joy in comparison.

 

[fatlander]

The vast majority big game animals I’ve killed with a firearm didn’t bleed well. I’ve killed at-least 100 critters with my bow and at-least 50 with a firearm. The inside of animals is more often than not turned to jelly with a firearm, but they just don’t bleed. With archery equipment, the overwhelming majority of stuff I’ve killed bleeds great.

The issue that I think many forget is firearms do most their killing through transfer of energy which translates to internal trauma, and archery equipment does its killing by cutting and blood loss that leads to asphyxiation. The smallest cut on contact broadhead is going to cut significantly more than even a mushroomed out 50 caliber bullets. Bullets just don’t do much cutting so you don’t get much blood.


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[Ringbill27]

Bullet didn’t pass through. From what I remember the shot was pretty perfect horizontally and vertically (maybe a smidge higher than I would have liked but not much). I should have took better pictures/notes. You can see the 3rd picture with blue circle on it in my original post. That had to be entrance wound as there was no exit

Ope I apologize I misread your post. What I’ve previously said is still an observation/reasoning I’ve had on a high shot animal with two holes.

Now my next thought on your situation and something I’ve theorized but can’t prove with my limit first hand experience.

A small entrance with no exit hole probably isn’t big enough to let blood out and air in at the same time. Kinda like how a gas jug with a closed vent barely flows but as soon as the vent is opened does it flow well.

Again it’s an idea I’ve had. In my limited experience one hole doesn’t bleed much and two holes do, as long as they aren’t two high.

So I pick a bullet that’ll drop them quickly and/or one that’ll produce two holes.