Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Blood trails and caliber

Thanks for the replies. Some of you said bullets make a bigger difference than calibers do for blood trails. I have to ask, which bullets do you prefer for good blood trails. I’ve used Core Locks, Power Points, Ballistic Tips, Accubonds, and Partitions.

Most impressive I’ve personally seen was with a 45/70 405gr hard cast at about 1500 FPS. Shot was about 25yds and the buck was standing on top of a hill. Buck rolled down the hill about 15yards and it looked like you had sloshed blood out of a bucket on your way down the sharp decline. I’ve only killed three deer with the 45/70 but it has had the best on game reactions.


The only one I’ve had very bad blood trail performance on was a 223. Bullet was a 75gr hpbt. Entered high shoulder went down a rib then exited out the opposite neck. Buck only made it 15 yards in open timber before crashing dead but there was zero blood trail.

The others have been mostly similar depending on shot Type/angle taken. .308 caliber 150 and 165 gamekings from 308 Winchester and 30-06 one sample with a 180gr partition from a 30-06. 270 Winchester 130gr ballistic tip and 130 Trophy bonded Tip.

All southern whitetail at spitting distance to 175yds most under 100yds.

My use of .30 caliber bullets in deer has mostly been limited to 150s in a 30-06. And I haven’t gotten any blood trails that I can remember. Of course, I haven’t had any kind of trails that I can remember. The deer has almost always been laying right there where he was hit.

The only "blood trails" (if you can call it that) we've gotten from 22 and 24 CFs have come from fine pink mist. Can't see it unless on snow. Even then my old eyes don't spot it well. My son has done so.

Just an impression: reliable blood trails start at around .308". Not saying 25s to 7s are no good. They are great killers, as are the 22s and 24s. But in thick cover (as here) a deer cartridge starts with a 3......or 7.62.

Mathman's point is valid. And mostly explains why arrows and large bore low-velocity rounds leave better blood trails than .300 Wins. It's a matter of time under pressure. At zero blood pressure there's not much leaking. Not much running, either. Not just external bleeding, also correlates with extravasated blood in tissues ("bloodshot").

Shot a few deer with sub/transonic .308" 170s. Blood trail was not great, but decidedly better than with full-speed 22s and 24s. Less mist. Longer avg runs. Low in the chest, more bleeding, high in the chest, less.

The 6.5 Swede leaves a nice trail and usually not that far.

I get good blood trails right where they hit the dirt. Unfortunately times where a blood trail was most needed we didn't find the deer until too late. The 375 H&H leaves a pretty good blood trail as do the 2" mechanical broad-heads.

Although I do think larger calibers help it is more where you hit them that determines how much of a blood trail you get, and almost always two holes are better than one. But I would say two bigger holes are better than two little holes.

I can't tell if I am getting good blood trails or not.

They always fall right on top of it.

The most "drop on the spot" kills I have observed have been with my kids shooting their 250-3000 with 100 gr Rem PSP bullets, all less than 100 yards. Enter that into the equation!

.243 rarely provides me a blood trail and they seem to run. I also have less exits using a .243. This is using 85-95 gr bullets. My .30-06 has always left a trail that is easy to see. My experience is that the .30 cals offer more consistent results.

I agree that slower impact velocities and larger bore diameters seem to leave better blood trails. My first 358 showed me this as soon as I started using it. That said I feel the Hornady Spire points and round noses with their pre skived jackets up front seem to leave more blood leaking than some other bullets I have used. Seems like it turns the front of the jacket into a bunch of little knives.

There is always a possiblity of a good shot and not DRT no matter how good the shot placement. Most of the time they drop, but sometimes they don't. Wild hogs in particular. It might not happen often, but when it does it is nice to have a nice & obvious blood trail. I switched to the 450 Bushmaster with the 250 gr FTX bullet 2 years ago. In that time of all the deer shot, one deer dropped, and then got up an took off into heavy brush. There was so much difference between a 30-06 and 450 Bushmaster when it comes to a bloodtrail it is no contest. No looking for drops, there is blood everywhere.

Here is a video showing what I am talking about:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLWxMdwRPP4

In my experience the bullet construction has more to do with blood trails than caliber. On deer softer bullets leave more blood on the ground than controlled expansion bullets.

GreggH

I don't worry about blood trails. I worry about well-placed shots, regardless of caliber, and I stay away from "hard" bullets, unless they are "hardcast". Blood trails, and the lack of them, have been interesting to observe, but they have never correlated with the rapidity of death of the animal in any way. Most of the animals that I've seen die within a handful of steps of being shot (non-CNS shots) have exhibited zero blood trail. Blood trails have been almost completely irrelevant to me. I know others have had different experiences.

I haven’t really noticed a particular caliber range that gives more blood. Most of our shots are drt,which is my preferred blood trail.
I have found that most deer shot in the lower 1/3 will bleed quicker and a lot more no matter the caliber or speed.
Guess that’s a simply answer but that’s what I’ve found in my 25 years of killing

Entry and exit locations have a play in this as well as caliber size.

I shot a med sized bull moose a couple weeks ago with a 7mm 160gr NP. Range was 250yds from a 275Rigby. Classic full side view at the shot on a standing animal. POI was a high double lung shot with entry and typical larger exit clipping ribs on both sides.. Moose did a run/flop over open ground. Saw the whole thing. Not a drop of blood was spilled as all the blood drained into the cavity and not out the high exit hole.

The 405 gr FP in a 45-70 seems to be magical. You won't need the blood trail that it gives very often. Just push it at medium to ho-hum speeds. The American Bison hate that load. Be Well, RZ.

I think the bigger diameter bullets make better blood trails. I use a 338 some, it makes big holes. I have a 358 Winchester. It made a big hole in a pig.

Most of my life I've hunted primarily with 7 mags with a few .270 kills, usually with bullets like Interlock, hotcor, fusion, etc. I wouldn't bet any money I could look at someone's deer exit hole and say which caliber caused it. Recently I've gotten into.308 and 30-06 and It seems to be more blood from the entries.

I'm remembering a .270 with a norma factory 150 gr. hit a mule deer standing broadside on a steep hill. It blew about 3"or 4" dia. hole thru the exit and a bunch of bone and lung tissue onto the grassy hillside. That would seem to have been a much bigger gun to cause that.

Agree with what a few have said here, .358's bleeds a lot, but all have been under the dead animal or at the end of a very short trail, great diameter for ALL game anywhere.