What bullet did you use this year?

[SBR Sarge]

Three whitetails so far this year with 350 Legend.

Bear Creek Ballistics 140gr solid copper.

Most times they pass through. The two or three I have recovered over the last few years expanded quite nicely.

 

[nmarchr]

156 Berger from a 6.5 PRC
NM mule deer 477 yards, broadside through the shoulder, dead on impact.
Colorado mule deer, 177 yards, through the shoulder, quartering to, dead on impact

 

[JF_Idaho]

Both mule deer with 147eldm out of a 6.5prc. One a slightly angled frontal at 75 yards. Left shoulder obliterated on exit, total loss. Another, 150 yards quartering to. Purposeful shot to right front shoulder as he was in thick sage and I was by myself and didn't want to lose him or have a brutal tracking. Shoulder was a muscle and bone milkshake. Quite a destructive bullet.

 

[jkoehle1]

175 smk (non "x" ) on bull elk and mule deer at around 400.

No exit on elk. Golfball exit on deer. Both dead right there with an impact at around 1900 fps.

Hard to change when m118lr shoots so well and is so cheap.

 

[Bissmatt87]

Elk -200 grain terminal ascent out of a 300 win mag

Whitetail Deer- 150 grain federal fusion out of a 308

 

[MCS]

Mule deer 225 eldm at 626 yards
Whitetail 215 berger at 400 yards
Dropped in place

 

[JakeSCH]

First time using match bullet, ~200 yards with a 180 ELDM out of a 7 PRC on a good sized buck. He was hot on a doe, shot was double lung, woozy for about 30 as he walked in a 5 yard circle before tipping over.

1" entrance hole with a tiny fragment exiting far size (maybe 1/8") and hardly any blood. I really had to resist the urge of putting 2 more in him, but I knew he was toast and wanted to get a better understanding of a single bullet.

Obviously not a real sample size, but I did not see terminal performance advantage over a hammer. BC / Wind advantage is another story.

 

[The Harbor Master]

I'll play... nothing impressive this year unfortunately. Mule deer doe @ 80yds. 168gr Berger, impact velocity 2611fps. Slight quartering away, hit in the crease behind right shoulder, exited through left shoulder. Took the top of the heart off and threw some pieces of lung on the ground. Ran <10yds. Unfortunately lost most of the meat from left shoulder.

 

[Choupique]

lost most of the meat from left shoulder.

Ive started caring less about this. There isnt much there to start with and I've about had enough of tracking deer through horrible terrain.

 

[Chughes]

Why are posters mentioning being surprised bullets expanded on close range shots?
The higher the velocity at impact the faster and wider a bullet will expand. No such thing as “going so fast it zipped right through”, that’s not how hydraulics work.

I was nervous because I have not used copped bullets in the past and have heard a lot of stories about the barnes tsx not expanding. But yeah, the logic of it not expanding at close range vs long range doesn't really work if a person thinks about it.

 

[The Harbor Master]

Fair point. I'd rather lose 80% of the shoulder than miss an opportunity by waiting for perfect broadside.

Ive started caring less about this. There isnt much there to start with and I've about had enough of tracking deer through horrible terrain.

 

[Djacker]

NM oryx 150 yards, 145 grain Hammer HHT.
1 whitetail doe. 60 yards. 145 grain Hammer HHT
3 whitetail does. All around 100 yards. 124 grain Hammer Hunter.
1 Whitatil buck and doe, 50 yards 20 gauge. 260 grain accutip.

All the Hammer bullet kills were bang flops.

 

[rileybassman]

175 ELD-X for elk
170 Terminal Ascent for 1 deer
130 Terminal Ascent for my buck and wife's deer/antelope.

All were 1 shot kills. All critters went less then 50 yards.

 

[OneShot]

130 TMK, impact velocity 2440. Shoulder shot on mature buck. Dropped. Entrance left shoulder, exited opposite shoulder and found bullet under hide.

6 arc 108 ELDM impact velocity 2400. Entrance just behind shoulder and exited through ribs with golf ball size hole. Dropped