Small caliber regret

Does it though? I have never shot an animal up its ass, but seeing the carnage a 130TMK does for example on multiple animals, I’m curious to what would happen. I would guess the absolute destruction of the guts would not feel too good and may even result in some spine damage allowing for a follow up shot.
I would have to agree. I have no experience with Texas heart shots, but having seen wound channels from both fragmenting bullets and bonded or mono bullets, I would hazard a guess that a eldm or tmk up the butt would get the job done just as fast or faster.
 
Does it though? I have never shot an animal up its ass, but seeing the carnage a 130TMK does for example on multiple animals, I’m curious to what would happen. I would guess the absolute destruction of the guts would not feel too good and may even result in some spine damage allowing for a follow up shot.

It makes an utter mess of the hind quarters, the femurs and hip are usually in dozens of pieces.

People that think deep penetrating, hard bullets are the way for shooting animals heading straight away from them- haven’t tried it very much. The general response from the animal is to sprint away. Lots of times the bullet gets stuck in the stomach when full of grass- even large 338’s. Most of the time you do not get an exit out of the chest, and there is often not a good blood trail. Due to narrow wounding, the femur, hip, and spine are usually unaffected unless directly hit.
Conversely, people that have done it much understand that bullets that penetrate a minimum 12’ish inches and create very wide wounds are much more effective. Put an 130gr TMK into the rear end it basically any animal and it’s utterly destroys the use of their back legs. Animals drop immediately and tend to turn sideways allowing an immediate follow up chest shot.
 
I wonder if anyone would (or has) gone to Africa in a dangerous game situation and taken a .223 with 77tmk. (Other than I don’t think it’s legal in Africa lol)

But I wonder if they seriously would..


I’m picturing a fancy English double rifle chambered in .223 lol

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Does it though? I have never shot an animal up its ass, but seeing the carnage a 130TMK does for example on multiple animals, I’m curious to what would happen. I would guess the absolute destruction of the guts would not feel too good and may even result in some spine damage allowing for a follow up shot.
I saw another hunter hit a deer in the hindquarter not too long ago with a fairly small caliber and the animal dropped dead. Never moved. Later on we saw that apparently - best I could tell - they'd shattered the femur then what was left of the bullet angled forward and got into the aortic artery and I think the hip-shot sort of stunned it for a minute while it bled out from the artery. The shot was a mistake made in a hurry, not intentional, but it certainly paid off. Some times things just work out.
 
It makes an utter mess of the hind quarters, the femurs and hip are usually in dozens of pieces.

People that think deep penetrating, hard bullets are the way for shooting animals heading straight away from them- haven’t tried it very much. The general response from the animal to sprint away. Lots of times the bullet gets stuck in the stomach when full of grass- even large 338’s.
Conversely, if you’ve done it much, you understand that bullets that penetrate 12’ish inches and create very wide wounds are much more effective. Put an 130gr TMK into the rear end it basically any animal and it’s utterly destroys the use of their back legs. Animals drop immediately and tend to turn sideways allowing an immediate follow up chest shot.
That’s what I figured. Then with the ability to stay in the scope, boom - quick follow up shot.
 
That’s what I figured. Then with the ability to stay in the scope, boom - quick follow up shot.

Correct. Usually for me it’s about 3-4 seconds from first shot in the hips, to the chest shot.

I/we see lots of shots through the rear end- most of them are follow-up shots after the chest shot when the animal is facing away.
 
I saw another hunter hit a deer in the hindquarter not too long ago with a fairly small caliber and the animal dropped dead. Never moved. Later on we saw that apparently - best I could tell - they'd shattered the femur then what was left of the bullet angled forward and got into the aortic artery and I think the hip-shot sort of stunned it for a minute while it bled out from the artery. The shot was a mistake made in a hurry, not intentional, but it certainly paid off. Some times things just work out.
I have seen hips shots from the side (and have done one on the mtn lion in my avatar, which has its own story) but never straight up the butt.

The hipshot deer I witnessed was crippled and allowed for a lethal follow up.

If your guy shattered the femur he likely destroyed the femoral artery which could cause very rapid blood pressure loss, leading to incapacitation, then death.
 
I have seen hips shots from the side (and have done one on the mtn lion in my avatar, which has its own story) but never straight up the butt.

The hipshot deer I witnessed was crippled and allowed for a lethal follow up.

If your guy shattered the femur he likely destroyed the femoral artery which could cause very rapid blood pressure loss, leading to incapacitation, then death.
That's entirely possible. It was a quartering-away shot. Either way I'm pretty sure an artery (or two) were compromised, but it made a mess of a lot of hindquarter meat.


I shot a deer that way 30+ years ago with a bow, and a punchcutter broadhead of all things. She made it 100 yards. Arteries are important, yo.
 
That's entirely possible. It was a quartering-away shot. Either way I'm pretty sure an artery (or two) were compromised, but it made a mess of a lot of hindquarter meat.


I shot a deer that way 30+ years ago with a bow, and a punchcutter broadhead of all things. She made it 100 yards. Arteries are important, yo.
I’ve shot hogs this way a few times. Mainly after you shot the first one then the others started running away. They have dropped in there tracks as the impact from 223 to 45/70 destroyed the rear
Mechanisms that allows them to run. When you blow out the pelvis the legs can’t propel them forward. It is a fatal shot, but generally not a quick one. Most require a follow up in the heart or head.
You really only need 6” ish of penetration to destroy the pelvis if you enter between the cheeks.
 
Only because the BCs can be worse…I love my 6 creed and 6 arc, but glad I have some bigger rifles that launch some really high BC bullets.
Velocity trumps BC out to most realistic hunting yardages within the chambering. Food for thought.
We're seriously missing out in not rebranding it as 556 Nitro Express.
One of my 22CM barrels is stamped…

6.5x224 Magnum
 
I may have to add “Nitro Express” to all my cartridge names whenever an older gentleman asks me what I am shooting. “Hey dad, check out this new 264 Nitro Express! It fires Extremely Lethal Death Murder bullets!”
 
Man, to think I didn't even have "Ass-shooting Deer" on my 2025 bingo card...

Folks might have heard "rage in the cage" is all ya need for a dead deer.. But did they know that the new "Anchor 'em shot" is a pea shooter powered TMK to the hips?
 
I saw another hunter hit a deer in the hindquarter not too long ago with a fairly small caliber and the animal dropped dead. Never moved. Later on we saw that apparently - best I could tell - they'd shattered the femur then what was left of the bullet angled forward and got into the aortic artery and I think the hip-shot sort of stunned it for a minute while it bled out from the artery. The shot was a mistake made in a hurry, not intentional, but it certainly paid off. Some times things just work out.
This JUST happened to a friend. Hit square in the back hips, broadside, never moved. DRT. Best I can guess it shocked the nerves and then proceeded to bleed out extremely fast.
 
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