Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Deer kills and bullet holes...............

It may be too early to start this thread. Wouldn't mind even making it a sticky. But I thought it would be cool (and interesting and informative), to have an ongoing thread on bullet performance showing entrance/exit holes of various bullets/calibers.

Bow season opens Saturday here. Early youth deer hunt already over. But somebody has to be shooting whitetails, mule deer, or speed goats somewhere. I guess we could put up older pics also.

What do you guys think?

I've posted this before in another thread, but I shot a buck at about 35 yards with a Hornady 200 grain spire point interlock loaded over IMR 3031 from my BLR .358 Winchester. The buck started quartering away just as I pulled the trigger. Bullet entered towards the rear of his left rib cage, shattered his right shoulder and lodged in his ball socket. He ran about 40 yards after the shot. Retained weight was 149.4 grains. Pics below. It did the job, but I was disappointed it didn't exit. That was a tough buck to run as far as he did with a shattered scapula and a bullet wedged in his ball socket. His lungs were soup, but no blood trail since no exit. His right leg flailed upward as he fell out of sight in a slight depression. This did leave me wondering had I hit him in the left shoulder first instead of the rib cage whether it would have penetrated that first shoulder to reach his vitals. Perhaps the bullet would have penetrated further at a slower velocity with less rapid expansion. Likewise, a step up to a 225 or 250 grain cup and core probably would have punched through as well. Having said that, he fell in sight and sometimes they are just going to run, so I certainly wouldn't claim the 200 gr interlock isn't up to the task.

Entrance wound to ribcage circled

Offside wound to shoulder/scapula

223 grain PowerBelt Aerotip backed by 70gr (volume) of BH209 for approximately 1750fps. 50 yards, base of the neck. Exit was about 1" diameter....

A girl and her first deer....

Nice buck. I have not used that bullet, but have used the RN version in 35 Rem on a few deer. What yours did is about what I would expect the RN to do at 35 Rem velocities. I really wish I had pics of all my deer with various chamberings/bullets. I made it a point to skip around and use different rifles. Was a guy shooting a BLR 358 stainless/laminate at club Monday.

Dogshooter---Very nice. Love seeing a kid with their first deer. Looks like she is a natural. Musta got that from the wife.....Lol.
I need to try the BH 209. I haven't simply because I had so much T7 on hand. Looks like very respectable velocities even though it is a lighter bullet. Seems like a good load for her. Well done.

I will admit, I don't like PB bullets, but won't get into that here. They did the job, and that is all that matters. I just shot the last of my Win Supreme 250 Silvertips. They were great deer bullets IME, and I klled a lot of deer with them. Cannot believe they quit making them. Last 3 muzzleloader kills were with Barnes 250s, which have also been excellent, but at twice the price. Next year I just may buy some sabots and try some of the Hornady 250 FTXs (that I load in my 450 Bushmaster) in the muzzy. Maybe with some BH209......

Here is an interesting one:

This buck was taken offhand at 100ish yds. via 7-08 120TSX. As often happens to me, I was walking to my tree stand, and he was already past it and on his way out of the cedar swamp. He saw me first, turned and ran back into woods a little ways. Stopped, turned, and looked back. That is exactly when bullet impacted. Went through the neck, and also through under the spine. 4 holes. DRT.......

2 examples of a 250 XTP (.452) from a smokeless ML at bow range. These are entrance pics, no exit on either. It be vicious at close range...

Rage 2 broad head

The guy that cuts up my older son's deer complains about those rage holes all the time. Nasty.

376 Steyr 270gr Hornady SP


308WIN 168 AMAX


300BO 110 Sierra HP

Heck of a hole that 376 makes......

Last years buck shot with a 7x57 and a 160 gr SGK at @ 110 yds.



Exit...

My son who is 10 just shot a mule deer buck 2 weeks ago. The buck was bedded directly away from us at 275 yds. My boy was laying prone. I had him hold about 8" behind the bucks shoulders.He was shooting my 243 with 105 berger hybrids. The shot broke the bucks back,continued into the chest, and destroyed the lungs. I found the bottom piece of the bullets jacket under the hide of the brisket. The bullet began rapid expansion upon hitting the spine,but continued downward through the chest. The buck absorbed all of the bullets energy. At the shot, the buck simply rolled over. The buck grossed 172, was 5 1/2 and really big bodied. Not sure of the weight. We have shot 3 big bucks with this bullet, all with excellent results.

Very nice. Great shot for a 10 year old. Love it....

He shoots very well. Lots of practice. Sorry no pics.

makes tracking easy.

What rifle?

Yearling buck shot quartering away from 40yds with a 358 win and the Winchester 200gr Silvertip Factory load. Pic was taken as it lay. The shoulder was broken on the way out, evident by the dangling front leg. Note the perfectly intact, but detached stomach in the background were it fell out during the death run.




Whitetail doe shot with a 308 win at 300 yes with a Winchester XP Deer Season 150gr factory load. The shot was quartering too the rifle.

Entrance


Shoulder was obviously busted and a huge cavity created on impact


Punched through the offside ribcage and stopped under the hide

I kinda miss my M70 classic fwt. Mine was a 7 mag though, and it sat while my 7-08s went hunting.

Nice pic....

I was thinking the other day that if they sold that Win bullet as a component bullet that I would try it....

That one was fired from an 18" barrel and clocked 2650fps at the muzzle.