Fragments in Meat?

[Chris_in_Idaho]

Quick simple question: Who's bitten into or otherwise found a bullet fragment in their game meat?

If so, can you tell me the shot placement, which cut of meat, and what type of bullet?

TIA

 

[SloppyJ]

Found some on the underside of the front of my elk backstrap along with the rest of the jacket. I had a quartering shot through the back of the ribs and out towards the point of the opposite shoulder. Wiped it off and ate it up.

Plenty of pellets spit out of dove meat too. You'll be alright.

 

[Jpsmith1]

I found a full bullet. 6mm Remington, maybe 45-50 yard shot that I believe impacted something before the deer. Hit front ribcage pocket and angled back and was found just under the hide in front of the rear ham. Hornady SST

Couple years later shot one with 7mm RM and found a fragment in the front shoulder with a high, quartered away shot entry. Caught backstrap and high chest coming in.

 

[AnnualRye]

Any high shoulder or square rib contact with gameking soft points I'll have lead in meat despite judicious trimming around entry and exit. If it goes through the grinder you may as well throw out your burger or sausage. This is why I'm phasing out lead in my rifles and going strictly copper. Copper bullets and rifles are good enough these days that I don't feel I'm sacrificing anything by giving up lead. Got a 3 year old and 3 month old who nurses. Ain't going to risk it anymore.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Have had to pick a lil bit out here and there. Not a big deal IMO. Used to pick out a lot of shot from birds as well. Least till I bumped up to #6

 

[JPeters218]

If you don’t shoot shoulders this in an incredibly overblown “issue”. Never bitten into a fragment, found a bullet shank trimming steaks before cooking once. Otherwise they all get found during butchering.

 

[Hoosker Doo]

The only time I've found fragments after butchering was with a mule deer buck I spine shot right behind the shoulder offhand at 70-80 yards. 7mm Rem Mag shooting 154 gr SST at 3,000 fps. Blew a football sized hole in the backstrap on entry and shrapnelled. I picked quite a few fragments out when slicing the back strap into steaks. I didn't feed my wife or kid those ones, but did end up picking one fragment out while chewing.

That's when I switched from the SST, but landed on ELD-X, so probably not much difference, but I did go up in bullet weight and try not to shoot heavy bones at point blank, so haven’t had any others blow up like that.

 

[AnnualRye]

If you don’t shoot shoulders this in an incredibly overblown “issue”. Never bitten into a fragment, found a bullet shank trimming steaks before cooking once. Otherwise they all get found during butchering.

 

[Beendare]

Another positive to bowhunting- grin

 

[IronNoggin]

This is why I'm phasing out lead in my rifles and going strictly copper.

When guiding in Alberta, I had more than a few occasions to witness mono bullets performance on game.
Pencil holing both sides doesn't cut it in my world.
Had to track many an animal shot with them, some miles, some never recovered.
The Outfitter I worked with these days refers you to another Outfitter should you insist on using them.
I am in the same camp.

As for the original question - No.
Recovered during butchering.
Only once did my partner miss one and sent it into the grinder.
New grinder the next day...

Cheers

 

[mt terry d]

Have butchered and packaged my own since a kid
Never found anything.
If there's bone fragments, which often happens when a shoulder is accidentally hit,
I cut around it and toss it before grinding and packaging.

 

[HunterGatherer]

This fragment was a long ways away from any entry or exit hole only hit ribs, no major bones hit. You won’t find all the lead in your meat. Shot lead this year only because I didn’t have enough time to work up a mono load. Working up a copper load for this gun as we speak.