Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting What bullets from which cartridges have you stopped in a deer?

In my case it was my first buck with a .30-30 170 grain Super-X soft point when I broke a far shoulder.
Stopping a 160 grain Nosler Partition from a 7mm RM was a surprise, but it was a lengthwise finisher on a wounded one.
A top down 139 grain older, softer SST from a 7mm-08 that broke the spine was the last one.
All were inside 50 yards where the velocity was higher.

I’ve had a deer stop bullets from: .223, .243, 25-06, 270, 280, 30-06, 30-30, 300 win mag, and 50 cal muzzleloader. Shoot enough deer with enough different calibers and sooner or later you will catch one. Doesn’t bother me one bit.

Craig

A 12 gauge Remington Foster slug stopped by the hide on the far shoulder, and a 30-06 Remington 150 grain Core Lokt stopped by the hide on the far side neck after a shoulder shot, both on larger 8 pointers, and both under 50 yards. .

308 Winchester (150 gr. Core-lokts)
30-06 (165 gr. Core-lokt)
50 cal. ML (250 gr. Shockwave)
250 Savage (100 gr. Speer Hot Cor)
20 ga (Can't remember)
.

.257 Roberts - 100gn Scirocco in a fallow buck at 20m (side on).

.35 Whelen - 225gn Accubond in a sambar hind at 45m (side on).

.280 Rem - 140gn Accubond in a chital (axis) stag at 167m (shot at sharp forward angle).

6.5x55 - 123gn SST in a fallow buck at 35m (side on).

It has been a long time, but a 150 grain Interlock out of a 308 didn't get all the way through a quartering away buck. He went down pretty quick anyway.

125 partition from a 264 about 200 yards. Mature buck facing almost straight at me. He went straight down. There was a small bulge in his hide on his ham, adjacent to his anus. The bullet looks like a Nosler ad.

Only one. And I'm not feeling the same about them anymore. Had a 150 ballistic tip from a 3006 stay in the ribcage of a buck. A big heavy buck,but I was surprised how poorly it performed. New stock too. Not old school fragile ballistic tip. The off side of the ribcage inside looked like to was peppered with led fragments. The jacket was, or at least what was left of it, was stuck on the tip of a rib. Found it while processing the deer. The shot angled down through the ribcage. Range was bout 18 yards. No interference from brush or other variables. Just an open gas well site. Im sure it was carrying the mail at that range. Still, this was ribs,not shoulders or spine. No more for me.

Yes The story I posted was the same. The buck dropped so fast it bounced. My daughter referrers to him as old bounce. Can't complain about the deers reaction to the shot,just disappointed in the lack of an exit.

Delete 280 and 300 WM ( i don't shoot ) but add 7-08.

Doesn't bother me either and used to prefer no exit and mostly still do.

I can't think of any bullets from any rifle that didn't to a pass through!

I was really surprised to recover a 180 grain Accubond from a 338 Federal from a whitetail. The distance was about 70 yards. The deer was angling away and somehow the bullet wound up under the hide on the same side as the entry. It was a picture perfect mushroom.

Windfall

I'm NOT being smart or sarcastic.

I've recovered SO FEW bullets as to be insignificant.

Many years ago I did recover a VERY few from 243 and 308 but it's been so long I don't remember WHICH bullets they were.


Jerry

140 Rem Accutip 7mm Rem Mag in a 60# doe @ 80 yards

I've had .308 150 gr corelokts stopped in large whitetails (180 to 215 lbs field dressed). I use 165 gr fusion loads in my .308 now. They haven't stopped yet.

A 410 slug....my first deer. 55 years later....none have been stopped! Of course, I quite using the 410 soon thereafter! memtb

I can’t believe I forgot this one.... broadside shot, just behind the ribs (running deer), 300 grain Sierra BTSP from a .375 H&H, failed to exit! After several tests I came to the conclusion that it was the most miserable excuse, of a modern (though this was 30 years ago), factory produced bullet that I have ever had the displeasure of using! They were regulated to shooting prairie dogs, until they were used up!


“IF” I recover a bullet from a deer.....I’m using the wrong bullet/cartridge or the deer was well beyond a mile away when the shot was taken! memtb

62 TSX from a .223 Rem
150 Speer Grand Slam from a .300 Sav
150 Powerpoint from a .303 Savage
110 accubond from a .25-06
160 Flex Tip from a .307 Win
140 AMAX from a 6.5x284 NORMA

Probably some others I am forgetting. There's also been some "explosions" to say the least in which I didn't find much more than shards, but nothing exited so I guess one could say they were stopped. Sierra Game Kings and SSTs at higher impact velocity come to mind.

If you want to include deer sized critters.....I have seen quite a few more. 260 grain .375" partitions, 55 grain .224" horn soft points and many in between.

My Browning .284 Win loves the long discontinued Winchester 125gr Power Point. They drop deer in their tracks and I have yet to have one exit.

120 ttsx from a 6.5x55 into a large russian hog
80 ttsx from a 243 into a large mature Missouri whitetail buck
130 winchester ballistic slivertips from a whitetail doe
100 winchester 243 power point medium Missouri whitetail buck

In all my years of deer hunting, I've had exactly one bullet recovered from a deer.

Back in 2004, I shot a doe with my 54 Hawken using a lead Powerbelt.



The whole story here:

First Blood with the Muzzleloader


Nearly 40 years of boiler room shots, mostly with 30-06, and mostly with 165-180 grainers have produced a lot of venison, but zero bullets. Back in 2001, I did manage a rather odd brisket shot on a buck. It entered on the right side in front of the shoulder, caromed off the opposing shoulder and lost itself somewhere south of the diaphragm. We couldn't find it, but there was no exit hole.