In the late 80�s, in north Louisiana, I double-lunged a spike deer with a .243. It ran about 50 yards leaving a good trail of blood. When I got to it, there was some breath streaming from its nostrils. Being a city boy by birth, my backup gun that day was a relatively new Seecamp .32 ACP filled with the recommended 60 grain Winchester Silvertips. Rather than put a .243 through the neck, I decided to do a coup de grace with the Seecamp. I held the gun about 2 inches away from the neck and shot. It was instantaneously lights out for the deer. When I skinned the deer, I found a nice round lead-colored circle that matched precisely the mouth profile of the hollow point. There were pieces of metal on the outside of the spinal cord and embedded in the hide. The bullet did not penetrate the vertebrae at all. I guess a .243 to the lungs plus a non-penetrating .32 to the neck works. That day, I decided that the .32 ACP was not a viable solution to any self defense situation.
