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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 19,233
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 19,233 |
I loaded some 125 grain Partitions for a Rem M7 in 260 that a friend used for a few years. Blood trails were not a problem with that combination.
I've had pretty good results with 129/130gr Accubonds in the 6.5's and never lost a game animal (out of maybe 20 animals), but also don't recall walking up on a hellacious blood trail like I've done with the .308/30-06/338-06, etc. Performance was always adequate and stuff died not too terribly far away, but the average sign/spoor was generally not as impressive. I suppose there are times when "impressive" helps (in my mind), and times when it doesn't really factor in. Weather and cover are on my mind when making that decision, and I was curious if others thought that way too. So far I've only killed two with my new 6.5 Creedmoor but blood trails were profuse and short for both. Load used was the Hornady American Whitetail with 129 gr. interlock.
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 44,820
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 44,820 |
The 129 Interlock out of my 260 Rem handloads is a surefire deer/pig killer, so it would have to be out of its ballistic twin too.
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 5,735
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 5,735 |
I have never thought much of that theory. I have seen poor blood trails out of 50 caliber bullets that turned everything in the chest into red soup and I have seen 22 and 24 caliber bullets really make a mess of a deer. Take the blood pressure to zero with the shot and Bambi is almost always inside of 60 yards from where it was shot. That does not mean that you get a nice blood trail to the dead deer because sometimes even horrific holes do not produce a decent blood trail and there just isn't a good way to predict whether you get a good blood trail or not. If I can't risk a deer running even 100 yards I shoot to drop them where they stand, which pretty much works the same with anything I use for deer. I would venture to say that my arrows produce dead deer close to where they stood when shot at least as predictably as any rifle I have used and they have a needle thin point on them for the most part. They also tend to produce a blood trail at least as well as bullets do. If you do a decent job of shooting them in the parts that they need to stay alive you have 95% of the problem solved, and that hold more universally true than anything else regardless of what you shoot them with.
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Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 5,010
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 5,010 |
I started hunting with a 243. Got tired of shooting deer and having them run off out of sight with a lame blood trail. It did kill them I just had to go find them.. I shoot a 30 or 35 now and see better results, less tracking better shorter blood trails. Most now drop out of the scope when I shoot. And I am shooting bigger older deer now than when I started. Others may have different results. Those are the results I have seen from my own shooting and the many many other people I have hunted with.
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 7,348
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 7,348 |
No, never had to, I shoot a 270.
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." Hunter S. Thompson
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 13,606
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 13,606 |
For 99% of my killin I consider velocity, cause that's how I hunt. Last thing I wanna do is skin a lrf, look at a chart, look at my dial, and dial.... I've found my 6ai the perfect run and gun to 450 or so, no guess work, just notch tags... Speed hurts shiit...
interesting take. I cannot refute your logic on why you like the flat fast bullets, however I do disagree respectively with your regard to ranging and dialing. now I would bet my rifle against yours that at the ranges you suggested I could hit more consistently in the "ten ring" with no more than a few seconds worth of difference of reaction time. infact there are a couple respected members of this forum who have seen me guestimate the range on a loping coyote, exit the vehicle, dial the range, deploy bipod and put a round in about a second +/- a few tenths. all this is estimated of course because we weren't running a stopwatch, however I believe it was Bob cape or EH76 who said he spotted the yote, looked back at me, saw I had seen it and stop, when he swung his binos back to the coyote he saw it drop. I'm not one to boast my point is dialing isn't necessarily slow, especially when ranges are moderate like you describe. Kamo Gari was sitting next to me and can attest to the shot as well.
Beware of any old man in a profession where one usually dies young.
Calm seas don't make sailors.
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 15,884
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 15,884 |
To answer your question in the last sentence of the first paragraph, the answer is a loud YES. Especially under those conditions, the larger the exit hole, the better. This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Old Turd- Deplorable- Unrepentant Murderer- Domestic Violent Extremist
Just "Campfire Riffraff and Trash"
This will be my last post! Flave 1/3/21
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 19,179
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 19,179 |
For 99% of my killin I consider velocity, cause that's how I hunt. Last thing I wanna do is skin a lrf, look at a chart, look at my dial, and dial.... I've found my 6ai the perfect run and gun to 450 or so, no guess work, just notch tags... Speed hurts shiit...
It's rare that I 'would' have time to LRF + check chart + twist turrets BEFORE aim+shoot. Out to 400 yds I DON'T hold OVER hair. Fast, Flat, Good Bullet. For the record I M E --- 270 (280), 284 W handload, 7mm RM, 30-06 handload, 300 WM Jerry
jwall- *** 3100 guy***
A Flat Trajectory is Never a Handicap
Speed is Trajectory's Friend !!
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21,167
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21,167 |
For 99% of my killin I consider velocity, cause that's how I hunt. Last thing I wanna do is skin a lrf, look at a chart, look at my dial, and dial.... I've found my 6ai the perfect run and gun to 450 or so, no guess work, just notch tags... Speed hurts shiit...
interesting take. I cannot refute your logic on why you like the flat fast bullets, however I do disagree respectively with your regard to ranging and dialing. now I would bet my rifle against yours that at the ranges you suggested I could hit more consistently in the "ten ring" with no more than a few seconds worth of difference of reaction time. infact there are a couple respected members of this forum who have seen me guestimate the range on a loping coyote, exit the vehicle, dial the range, deploy bipod and put a round in about a second +/- a few tenths. all this is estimated of course because we weren't running a stopwatch, however I believe it was Bob cape or EH76 who said he spotted the yote, looked back at me, saw I had seen it and stop, when he swung his binos back to the coyote he saw it drop. I'm not one to boast my point is dialing isn't necessarily slow, especially when ranges are moderate like you describe. Kamo Gari was sitting next to me and can attest to the shot as well. I’ve been known to be a stunt shooter too.
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.
Ain’t easy havin pals.
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21,167
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21,167 |
For 99% of my killin I consider velocity, cause that's how I hunt. Last thing I wanna do is skin a lrf, look at a chart, look at my dial, and dial.... I've found my 6ai the perfect run and gun to 450 or so, no guess work, just notch tags... Speed hurts shiit...
It's rare that I 'would' have time to LRF + check chart + twist turrets BEFORE aim+shoot. Out to 400 yds I DON'T hold OVER hair. Fast, Flat, Good Bullet. For the record I M E --- 270 (280), 284 W handload, 7mm RM, 30-06 handload, 300 WM Jerry We’re just too slow Jerry!!! 🤣
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.
Ain’t easy havin pals.
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Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 17,818
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 17,818 |
Like .35 Remington just fine.
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,208
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,208 |
Never concerned about it as long as it is a .284 or larger Especially partial to short action cartridges that start with a "3".
Last edited by MikeL2; 05/01/19.
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Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 3,734
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 3,734 |
If you were gonna get shot at equal velocity square in the chest would you choose a bb or a baseball. Say 2700 FPS. Ed k
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,241
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,241 |
Like .35 Remington just fine. I used to look at that chambering as an antique, but realized a few years ago that my assumptions were wrong. I've also seen the effects of .35cal spitzers at .358win speeds. Most everything that leaves the scene of a solid hit is easy to trail up. Same goes for .338 bullets loaded at .338-06 speeds. We have a primitive weapons season down here that allows for use of single-shot rifles in chamberings above .35cal. I've carried a single shot CVA Whelen (loaded down) and a .444 Marlin Handi-rifle on nasty days, even during regular season. Both were reliable when it came to good blood trails. In my teens and twenties I'd have laughed at the notion of anything under 3,000fps being such a good killer.
Now with even more aplomb
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 44,820
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 44,820 |
If you were gonna get shot at equal velocity square in the chest would you choose a bb or a baseball. Say 2700 FPS. Ed k You eventually get to a point where it doesn't matter, say a baseball or a softball at 2700 fps.
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 19,179
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 19,179 |
It's rare that I 'would' have time to LRF + check chart + twist turrets BEFORE aim+shoot.
Out to 400 yds I DON'T hold OVER hair. Fast, Flat, Good Bullet. For the record I M E --- 270 (280), 284 W handload, 7mm RM, 30-06 handload, 300 WM
Jerry
We’re just too slow Jerry!!! 🤣 Maybe so .. ATST, over the years I've had instanceS where there was NOT time to aim & shoot ! ! ! I will NOT hamstring myself by having to take UNnecessary steps. * NOTE * I don't hunt wide open territory where game may be seen/shot 400 +++++ yds. Jerry
jwall- *** 3100 guy***
A Flat Trajectory is Never a Handicap
Speed is Trajectory's Friend !!
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 13,606
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 13,606 |
For 99% of my killin I consider velocity, cause that's how I hunt. Last thing I wanna do is skin a lrf, look at a chart, look at my dial, and dial.... I've found my 6ai the perfect run and gun to 450 or so, no guess work, just notch tags... Speed hurts shiit...
interesting take. I cannot refute your logic on why you like the flat fast bullets, however I do disagree respectively with your regard to ranging and dialing. now I would bet my rifle against yours that at the ranges you suggested I could hit more consistently in the "ten ring" with no more than a few seconds worth of difference of reaction time. infact there are a couple respected members of this forum who have seen me guestimate the range on a loping coyote, exit the vehicle, dial the range, deploy bipod and put a round in about a second +/- a few tenths. all this is estimated of course because we weren't running a stopwatch, however I believe it was Bob cape or EH76 who said he spotted the yote, looked back at me, saw I had seen it and stop, when he swung his binos back to the coyote he saw it drop. I'm not one to boast my point is dialing isn't necessarily slow, especially when ranges are moderate like you describe. Kamo Gari was sitting next to me and can attest to the shot as well. I’ve been known to be a stunt shooter too. no doubt! depending on your equipment so heavily I bet a lot of shots seem like stunts.
Beware of any old man in a profession where one usually dies young.
Calm seas don't make sailors.
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 957
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 957 |
Been using 7mm 140 grain ABs exclusively for a few years now - they kill fine, but they seem to have a narrow mushroom, and don't leave nearly as reliable blood train as the 30 cal 180 Corelokts I grew up using on deer. Also used 6mm 95 grain BTs a lot, and they normally left a good blood trail.
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 8,642
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 8,642 |
Some of the areas I hunt are the same swampy/thicket junk that Jpro mentions. A full grown Brangus bull could lay down and go unseen at 20 feet. A broadside high shoulder or CNS shot isn’t always in the cards. I like a “tennis ball” size exit hole.
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Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 1,326
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 1,326 |
I hunt very thick cedar swamp in Michigan. We've had a few nightmare tracking cases over a lifetime, and I've opted now more for my 303, 338 Fed., or 358 Win. A local up there saw one deer shot I took using the 303. His comment was, "that gun doesn't knock them over, it picks them up and throws them down!" I thought that was pretty funny, but since the switch nothing has managed to scramble out of sight.
And big fat round noses that open about as easy as a banana, and cheap to boot.
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