Hunting bullet performance - prefer through or a grenade inside?

[308ld]

Pass through.

 

[Ringbill27]

Edit - trying my hand at ttxs in 308 and will be switching to trophy copper slugs for next year.

If you haven’t tried the 130gr TTSX. I’ve been able to load it to 3150fps. Lightening to 300yds. I haven’t been able to tickle a deer with it yet. Because there doesn’t seem to be any in this state anymore, but it should be good.

 

[Formidilosus]

Finally, first bull elk down.

This fella made me work for it. I’ve been seeing red when it comes to a truly DIY general unit public land hunt. I’m a native Montanan, and have struck out time and time again trying to get a bull down. I never really had any interest in playing the private/public boundary game. Not saying...

rokslide.com

Nothing in that thread supports this statement-

The quartering shot taken with the 7 PRC and the poor performance of the factory load that was written up just a few weeks ago is a prime example - the mile the bull went after the shot would have been a monumental task to follow if it wasn’t for the snow. That would have been an easy killing shot with a bullet capable of better penetration and resulted in minimal tracking, but the bull made it a mile.

 

[TaperPin]

Nothing in that thread supports this statement-

That’s what I got out of it. A quartering bull was shot. The elk made it a mile. Every year these situations come up and I find it funny that so many jump on the bandwagon to defend the bullet. A lot of talk about how great bullets are, but a hit slightly off or a bad angle and all the sudden it’s not the bullet’s fault. Lol

You guys have to work pretty hard to defend all the bullets - nothing wrong with that, everyone needs a hobby, just seems weird.

 

[sndmn11]

That’s what I got out of it. A quartering bull was shot. The elk made it a mile. Every year these situations come up and I find it funny that so many jump on the bandwagon to defend the bullet. A lot of talk about how great bullets are, but a hit slightly off or a bad angle and all the sudden it’s not the bullet’s fault. Lol

You guys have to work pretty hard to defend all the bullets - nothing wrong with that, everyone needs a hobby, just seems weird.

What bullet was it?

 

[Article 4]

That’s what I got out of it. A quartering bull was shot. The elk made it a mile. Every year these situations come up and I find it funny that so many jump on the bandwagon to defend the bullet. A lot of talk about how great bullets are, but a hit slightly off or a bad angle and all the sudden it’s not the bullet’s fault. Lol

You guys have to work pretty hard to defend all the bullets - nothing wrong with that, everyone needs a hobby, just seems weird.

As good as manufacturing is these days, QC, materials etc...sometimes bullets fail. I have seen it happen to friends and it wont be the last time
Didn't listen to it so if this was answered, all good. My question is more about follow up. If the animal is still standing keep shooting!

 

[Formidilosus]

That’s what I got out of it. A quartering bull was shot. The elk made it a mile. Every year these situations come up and I find it funny that so many jump on the bandwagon to defend the bullet. A lot of talk about how great bullets are, but a hit slightly off or a bad angle and all the sudden it’s not the bullet’s fault. Lol

You guys have to work pretty hard to defend all the bullets - nothing wrong with that, everyone needs a hobby, just seems weird.

The dude didn’t respond with any details. He didn’t even look inside to see what happened. It wouldn’t matter what bullet it was- it could have been a mono and my response would still be the same. There is no information written at all to draw any conclusion from.

 

[roadrunner]

He didn’t even look inside to see what happened...There is no information written at all to draw any conclusion from.

And yet, you're drawing conclusions by making claims and assumptions with zero "evidence" to back it up.

You're simply guessing to support your opinion...

 

[Formidilosus]

And yet, you're drawing conclusions by making claims and assumptions with zero "evidence" to back it up.

You're simply guessing to support your opinion...

What? I made no statement about that elk or what happened.

The poster said “I shot elk, tracked it for a mile, shot it again. Didn’t open it up, look where I hit, or what happened”.

 

[35WhelenAI]

This has always been weird to me too.

It’s certainly a personal preference, but saying you want a blood trail for tracking when the other option doesn’t require tracking has never made sense.

Choosing a bullet for purposely shooting through shoulders or any shot angle, that makes some sense.

There is also a weird conflict with the idea of shooting non expanding bullets to reduce meat damage but then saying you don’t want to shoot grenades for ruining meat, when most of us choose to shoot them into the lungs.

Absolutely a pass through with a bullet that allows vital destruction. Bullets of sufficient weight, caliber and construction allow this, it's not rocket science. To limit one self to one or the other seems, well, limiting... Are we so far gone that it's full fragmentation inside the animal or bust based on what the preponderance of posts around here would argue? It seems like betting the farm on retirement with one strategy when there are other plans that cover more eventualities. Sure, go into retirement with the smallest nest egg you can and hope it works spectacularly...

Some grenade bullet animals as well as penetrating bullet animals don't just drop on the spot, and some do. This is reality in my experience.

Been reading of many fragmenting bullet kills and animals traveling a distance after the shot with no exit. The experiences about fragmenting bullets and animals traveling less on the whole are no more or no less than what I've had for 30+ years with penetrating bullets.

Meat destruction is horrible in the pictures folks are showing.

Typically there's a heart held up as a trophy of vital destruction, so it's all good, LOL... "Hey, look mom I'm on the internet, holding a heart".

Do you believe there is an option that doesn't require tracking? How many animals have you shot, as that comes across as an absolute statement I cannot concur with as to existing from experience.

Looking at grenade/fragment bullet pictures on this forum, one can make a point blank educated decision as to whether the majority ruin more meat than penetrating bullets or not. With proof being in the pudding, pictures show those animals are all very dead no matter what bullet.

Appreciate the post and sharing experiences. With that, how much of what you have shared is experience and how much of this is questioning in search of answers as you didn't share a personal experience.

 

[TaperPin]

The dude didn’t respond with any details. He didn’t even look inside to see what happened. It wouldn’t matter what bullet it was- it could have been a mono and my response would still be the same. There is no information written at all to draw any conclusion from.

That’s fare. However, I don’t have any problem with something strange like that being the reason someone changes bullet. I’ve stood next to someone and seen less than ideal performance and without even getting up to the animal, let alone looking inside, known I’m glad to not be shooting that bullet. Many of these stories don’t see the light of day because without snow on the ground they’re never found.