Round penetration

[Glockem]

What’s your thoughts on rounds penetration. Say within 100 yards. So you prefer two holes or one? Blowing through both sides or energy retained in the body.
Thanks

 

[TradLife406]

Kid shot a couple deer Sunday with a 77 grain TMK from her 22 Creedy. Impact velocity around 2923 fps. Ranges were 50 and about 75 yards. No exit. Massive hydrostatic shock. First doe went about 40-50 yards max. Textbook behind the shoulder hit.
Her buck was a great frontal shot at 50. Instant death.

My bull elk was at 905 yards with the 6 UM. 115 grain DTac. Perfect behind the shoulder impact. Ballet stopped on the offside shoulder. Instant death.

I've also shot deer with a 270 wby and a 140 accubond. The bullets blew through and the deer would run off with pencil holes in their lungs.

Definitely a bigger fan of fragmenting bullets. A bigger wound channel and more shock/tissue damage .

 

[Glockem]

Kid shot a couple deer Sunday with a 77 grain TMK from her 22 Creedy. Impact velocity around 2923 fps. Ranges were 50 and about 75 yards. No exit. Massive hydrostatic shock. First doe went about 40-50 yards max. Textbook behind the shoulder hit.
Her buck was a great frontal shot at 50. Instant death.

My bull elk was at 905 yards with the 6 UM. 115 grain DTac. Perfect behind the shoulder impact. Ballet stopped on the offside shoulder. Instant death.

I've also shot deer with a 270 wby and a 140 accubond. The bullets blew through and the deer would run off with pencil holes in their lungs.

Definitely a bigger fan of fragmenting bullets. A bigger wound channel and more shock/tissue damage .

Concur, just wanted a perspective from others

 

[Jpsmith1]

"Perfect" IMO would be a bullet the penetrates enough just to fall out the other side. I'd like 2 holes for better tracking and better leakage.

As much energy as possible dumping into the target.

 

[goalie]

For me it depends. I like a 5.56/223 with a good bullet for DRT high shoulder shots.

I shoot double lung, no bone behind the shoulder with powder-puff 300g 45/70 hand loads going 1500 fps for meat, and just follow the trail for 30-40 yards.

Both are easy to shoot well. I like blood or DRT at last light if possible though.

 

[Choupique]

For where I deer hunt, good blood trails are of paramount importance. If the deer runs 30 yards with no blood you might need a dog to find it. Ive been party to a lot of tracking jobs that were short but difficult due to lack of exit holes. My preference is for controlled expansion and straight line penetration for hopefully two broken legs and a very liberal and short blood trail if needed.

That said, I'm trying to get a deer with 77 tmk's now. Im hoping itll work well so I can hang up the howtizer for simple deer whacking.

 

[Anschutz]

I've not had to track many deer I've shot with a gun. Most have been DRT or I've watched them fall. If I'm going to lose sight of an animal, I want an exit. It doesn't have to be huge to let enough blood out to track.

 

[J.B.]

I dont get hung up on exit wounds. I also hunt relatively open country for the most part, so trailing is definitely not as critical as it is for some guys. All I want is enough penetration to hit both lungs from any reasonable angle, which is not as much as most guys think. Firmly on the match bullet train. Ive shot berger elite hunters for nearly a decade, with zero complaints, they would exit on about half of the animals taken. Tried 147 eldms this year, exit on 1 of 3 animals taken. All very short recovery distances and down in sight.

 

[RockAndSage]

good blood trails are of paramount importance. If the deer runs 30 yards with no blood you might need a dog to find it.

There's another situation where a DRT shot really matters, especially out west, and that's in really steep, sometimes short cliff-like topography where a few steps could send them into a really difficult place to retrieve from, or damage the animal unnecessarily. Not the same as you're describing, losing them in the brush, but they might have similar solutions. There are two shots that can be pretty successful in dropping them instantly - a high shoulder shot, and a hilar shot. Both are definitely worth googling around about. If for no other reason, it's another arrow in your quiver of options.

 

[43.6N]

There's another situation where a DRT shot really matters, especially out west, and that's in really steep, sometimes short cliff-like topography where a few steps could send them into a really difficult place to retrieve from, or damage the animal unnecessarily. Not the same as you're describing, losing them in the brush, but they might have similar solutions. There are two shots that can be pretty successful in dropping them instantly - a high shoulder shot, and a hilar shot. Both are definitely worth googling around about. If for no other reason, it's another arrow in your quiver of options.

For the sake of the discussion, there are a lot of terms that get used interchangeably.
So when @RockAndSage says hilar shot and high shoulder shot, these are the shot placements I associate.
From what I understand about safari guides and African animals, the hilar shot is their preferred shot for putting down animals quickly.

And big thumbs up to @RockAndSage for responses like his. We need to be talking more about having tools in our toolboxes rather then the “one best shot for all situations.

 

[RockAndSage]

For the sake of the discussion, there are a lot of terms that get used interchangeably.
So when @RockAndSage says hilar shot and high shoulder shot, these are the shot placements I associate. View attachment 974209
From what I understand about safari guides and African animals, the hilar shot is their preferred shot for putting down animals quickly.

And big thumbs up to @RockAndSage for responses like his. We need to be talking more about having tools in our toolboxes rather then the “one best shot for all situations.

Man, that is a great graphic, thanks for sharing.

 

[43.6N]

Man, that is a great graphic, thanks for sharing.

thanks. Straight from my daughters hunters ed class this last summer.

 

[Lou270]

Kid shot a couple deer Sunday with a 77 grain TMK from her 22 Creedy. Impact velocity around 2923 fps. Ranges were 50 and about 75 yards. No exit. Massive hydrostatic shock. First doe went about 40-50 yards max. Textbook behind the shoulder hit.
Her buck was a great frontal shot at 50. Instant death.

My bull elk was at 905 yards with the 6 UM. 115 grain DTac. Perfect behind the shoulder impact. Ballet stopped on the offside shoulder. Instant death.

I've also shot deer with a 270 wby and a 140 accubond. The bullets blew through and the deer would run off with pencil holes in their lungs.

Definitely a bigger fan of fragmenting bullets. A bigger wound channel and more shock/tissue damage .

Really? I have shot many deer with 140 AB out of 270 Win with much lower velocity than 270 wby and always had wide wounds and fast kills. I just shot a doe at 320 in WI and deer had fist size hole through lungs and about a quarter sized exit though deer dropped at the shot. Have also shot AB in several other calibers and never seen a pencil wound. Not saying as big a wound as say a Berger but definitely extensive and no pencils. Similar results with Sciroccos though the exits tend to be larger with Sciroccos

Lou

 

[Libtard McSocalist]

my bullet selection depends on location. Super thick eastern hunting I’m shooting something that will get me a drain hole. Out west for Mulies or on a more open farm for white tails etc I like the Berger EOLs, TMK, ELD in that order

 

[Libtard McSocalist]

Really? I have shot many deer with 140 AB out of 270 Win with much lower velocity than 270 wby and always had wide wounds. I just shot a doe at 320 in WI and deer had fist size hole through lungs and about a quarter sized exit though deer dropped at the shot. Have also shot AB in several other calibers and never seen a pencil wound. Not saying as big a wound as say a Berger but definitely extensive and no pencils. Similar results with Sciroccos though the exits tend to be larger with Sciroccos

Lou

+1 on his experience. AB have wide wound channels and typically stick together enough for an exit. If I could only hunt with one bullet it would be an accubond.

 

[HawkCreek]

165 grain NBT's out of my .30-06 has always given me a large exit wound on mule deer. Never had one take more than a few wobbly steps before expiring.
Ive always hunted here in Washington and always believed tracking should be done before I shoot.

 

[TaperPin]

I’ve never felt I needed a fragmenting bullet - animals don’t go far with a bullets that hold together in the cartridges I hunt with and they usually make an exit hole.

The OP was talking about close ranges and at least for me, better penetration is even more important because that would usually be elk in the timber. If I see the elk first it’s going to be any number of angles and if it sees me it’s usually hauling ass out of the country at a hard angle. The idea that animals are always broadside is anything but what I come across still hunting timber or even ridges. The largest mulie I’ve ever had in the crosshairs jumped out of a bed and was headed over the ridge going directly away. The second largest was pogo sticking away and paused to look back over his shoulder, but that angle wasn’t something I’d attempt with smaller cartridges.

It doesn’t matter what cartridge or bullet someone uses as long as they stay within its limitations. Larger controlled expansion bullets going fast seem to have the fewest limitations, so that’s my choice.

 

[Jpsmith1]

For the sake of the discussion, there are a lot of terms that get used interchangeably.
So when @RockAndSage says hilar shot and high shoulder shot, these are the shot placements I associate. View attachment 974209
From what I understand about safari guides and African animals, the hilar shot is their preferred shot for putting down animals quickly.

And big thumbs up to @RockAndSage for responses like his. We need to be talking more about having tools in our toolboxes rather then the “one best shot for all situations.

Today in $hit i didn't know before opening my browser...

The hilar shot....

Thank you

 

[S-3 ranch]

For the sake of the discussion, there are a lot of terms that get used interchangeably.
So when @RockAndSage says hilar shot and high shoulder shot, these are the shot placements I associate. View attachment 974209
From what I understand about safari guides and African animals, the hilar shot is their preferred shot for putting down animals quickly.

And big thumbs up to @RockAndSage for responses like his. We need to be talking more about having tools in our toolboxes rather then the “one best shot for all situations.

Yep the high shoulder and HILAR are definitely the most lethal/DRT and preferred shot for African game and mountain dwellers like sheep , goats, elk , aoudad ( that one step could mean a difficult recovery) or in Africa a dangerous follow-up on a buffalo or cat
this is where a good bonded or mono shines imo
Straight up the leg is where every professional hunter ask you to shoot