Close Range Whitetail Bullets

[Long Cut]

I see a lot of talk about long range ammunition, but what is your go to close range 0-100 yard Whitetail bullet?

Something that’s going to hold together but dump all of its energy with adequate penetration & weight retention.

This would be a bullet you’d use in Swamps or extremely thick areas where a DRT or good blood trail would be sought after.

 

[olemossyhorns]

Jacketed hollow points in a 44 mag caliber served me well as a youth. As I grew older my father moved me to several different calibers and Remington core lokt soft points did really well for me.

 

[Gsquared]

I see a lot of talk about long range ammunition, but what is your go to close range 0-100 yard Whitetail bullet?

Something that’s going to hold together but dump all of its energy with adequate penetration & weight retention.

This would be a bullet you’d use in Swamps or extremely thick areas where a DRT or good blood trail would be sought after.

35 Remington

 

[Fetty Wapiti]

Anything will do. Don't overthink it.

 

[LoggerDan]

Good old core loct or power point super x. I have never ever bought premium bullets for mule, whitetail, Sitka or Columbia black tail deer., nor have ever needed, or wished to. It’s just a deer.

 

[Long Cut]

Jacketed hollow points in a 44 mag caliber served me well as a youth. As I grew older my father moved me to several different calibers and Remington core lokt soft points did really well for me.

I shot a buck right at 120 yards broadside with a .308 using REM Soft Points.

That buck ran right at 100 yards and we found 0 blood.
We grid searched for 2 hours to no avail. Found him the next day by sheer luck. It took 4 people grid searching about 3 hours in total to find this deer.

That’s how thick the places we hunt can get. You physically have to be standing next to the deer to find them.

 

[Long Cut]

Anything will do. Don't overthink it.

I’m not looking for anything that will do.

I’m looking for a bullet that’s going to either DRT or dump a lot of blood on the ground for me to follow.

Shot placement is a big factor, as is bullet selection.

 

[LoggerDan]

@Long Cut

don’t overthink it. Animals are like people. Some are tougher than others. Lots of little factors. Your deer was dead.

 

[S-3 ranch]

30-30 170 Winchester silver tip or Remington 150 corlok
1 DRT
2 big o exit door

 

[TN2shot07]

Most of my hunting is what you describe, I grew up with nothing but corelokts and they will do that job just fine.

I really like ttsx’s too, I never have to worry about an odd angle shot.

This season I shot 3 with terminal ascents. The front is a regular bonded bullet but with a solid copper shank, good up close and will still push through them.

 

[olemossyhorns]

I shot a buck right at 120 yards broadside with a .308 using REM Soft Points.

That buck ran right at 100 yards and we found 0 blood.
We grid searched for 2 hours to no avail. Found him the next day by sheer luck. It took 4 people grid searching about 3 hours in total to find this deer.

That’s how thick the places we hunt can get. You physically have to be standing next to the deer to find them.

If it’s that thick, I’m shooting them directly in the shoulder with a corelokt. I use to go for neck shots in thick cover, but too much can go wrong with it imo. Last thing I want is a deer wounded running around unable to eat and drink or complications doing so.

 

[Long Cut]

With the ability to hand load, I’m going to try:

Nosler BT’s
Nosler Partitions
Barnes TTSX’s

Possibly:
Hammer Hunter/Absolute Hammer ?
Sierra TMK/GK

 

[olemossyhorns]

I have a hunting buddy of mine that has had great success with 20 gauge slug gun. He was using Barnes TTSX’s.

 

[rayporter]

12ga slug.

 

[long hunter]

Look at 450 bushmaster rounds.

 

[SirChooCH]

12ga Hornady SST sabot slug

 

[Rich M]

So you're shooting a 308.

You didn't say what bullet weight or the shot angle.

120 yards with 308 - couple of options:
destroyed heart (no pump, no flow),
went in rib and out paunch (guts plugged exit hole),
or it went in and stayed in, maybe up under skin on far side.
I doubt it was a ribs only dbl lung shot without full penetration and no blood.

Can only change a couple things - shot placement, bullet construction, bullet weight, bullet speed.

Shot placement - high shoulder shot or at least take out 1 shoulder. They don't go far like that - except if the gun is a 243 and 100 gr factory ammo. Don't ever shoot a deer in the shoulder with 243.

Bullet construction - Nosler partition is probably the best hunting bullet ever.
Coppers are possible but I'm old and don't need to go down that road.
My fav bullet is the Sierra Pro Hunter and it's a shame they aren't making them right now.
The Ballistic tip you mention is supposed to be a good deer dropper, never tried em.
Hornady Interlock is readily available and seems to be a relatively tough bullet.
There are plenty more. Core Lokt is a proven killer.

Bump up the bullet weight - a 165 or 180 gr will carry more energy than a 150.

Bump up the velocity if possible. Speed kills cause it disrupts more things upon impact.

 

[Maki35]

I see a lot of talk about long range ammunition, but what is your go to close range 0-100 yard Whitetail bullet?

Something that’s going to hold together but dump all of its energy with adequate penetration & weight retention.

This would be a bullet you’d use in Swamps or extremely thick areas where a DRT or good blood trail would be sought after.

For close range, extremely thick areas DRT my choice would be 45/70 or 20ga sabot.

 

[N2TRKYS]

125 grain NBT or Accubond

 

[Kenai_dtracker]

Remington Core Lokt 30-06 180gr softpoint. That's all I shoot out of my pump carbine and they have never failed me.