Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Observations of bullet performance

Are you saying that you dont like a bullet that penetrates two inches and then EXPLODES.

dave

BobinNH-

No arguments from me on your bullet choices. I simply posted to show that there are more factors to consider than just velocity. I guess I'll have to break it into multiple posts because I think the forum only allows 6 pics per entry, but here are a few bullets I've recovered over the years. And, for me, since Contenders cartridges with modest velocities are about all I shoot, standard bullets work just fine and often perform similarly to the premiums. In fact, some of the recovered Ballistic Tips look quite similar to the recovered Accubonds.

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/BobbyTomek/300yardrecovery-06-08-PB.jpg[/img]

And the last one: a discontinued Sierra 130 grain 7mm SSP taken from a buck killed at 108 yards using a 7mm Bullberry. Entered front of chest and penetrated to the hip. MV, if memory serves, was 2505 fps.

[quote=Mule Deer

Bullet rotation has an effect as well. That's slower at reduced muzzle velocities, but again, at ranges out to 200 yards (where 90% of big game is taken) a muzzle velocity 100-200 fps slower isn't going to have any meaningful effect. [/quote]


John, how can that be true ? All the 458 Lott fans swear it changes a bullet that almost bounces off of animals into a cannon.

That's been my experience also. The only factory ammo that always matches the box is Weatherby ammo in Weatherby rifles.

Ringman, that may be true today but it wasn't always so. It wasn't long ago that the quickest way to loose your Weatherby friends was to allow them to shoot over your chronograph.

Phil,

I always loved Finn's comments about what he "discovered" about the .458 Winchester after he moved to the U.S....

Me too and, as usual, he was right. A 500 gr bullet going 2000 fps does tend to make a big bloody hole through anything it hits.

I've killed a lot of deer. I've never had one go back to feeding after putting a bullet in it.

Not saying it couldn't happen but it defies my reality.




P

I sure had a cow elk at least look like it went back to feeding after it was hit by a Nosler 7mm Partition 160 started at 3,150 per second. It was the first animal I ever ranged. It ranged at exactly 400 yards. All the arteries attached at the top of the heart were destroyed.

Bobby I did not mean to make you work so hard....great thread and posts by you.

I was merely commenting on the bullet and not anything you had to say or observed.

I watched my nephew shoot a little mulie buck on opening day. 7mm-08, 140 VLD, my handloads, 2922 MV, 275 yards. Shot him broadside behind the shoulder. The buck kicked his hind legs and started trotting off, as if not hit. Not the desperation death run, but the "I need to leave now" trot. I thought my nephew hit him because of the kick, but started to doubt when he didn't go down. The buck actually ran parallel to us, getting closer. He stopped at around 150 yards away and hung his head. I thought gut shot. My nephew hit him again and the buck spun to face us, then staggered backwards and fell over.
Both bullets were chest shots, through and through. I wasn't impressed.




P

Pharm - don't discount the 7-08 OR the bullet. Sometimes for UNKNOWN reasons deer have a tenacity and will to live that defies explanation.

BTW - I'm not impress by VLDs either.


Jerry

I would never discount the Mighty -08, it's my cartridge of choice. I killed a buck with one this year at 541 yards. Last year's bull was 346 yards. I use Partitions.




P

Pharmseller where did you hit him and how far did he go?

I hit the buck through the lungs. Broke the right scapula going in, powdered the shoulder knuckle on the way out, exited. He went about 3 feet. Bullet velocity according to the ballistics program was 1926 fps.






P