Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting What 'cartridge' have you had the MOST --DRTs?

Simple answer to a simple question: 300WM with 180gr NPs.

This...

Still, too many others with similar results to call any one combo a clear winner.

9.3x57 and 9.3x62 Bang-Flop and eat up to the hole. What is not to like?

I used to have a big pile of American Riflemen Magazines. I stumbled across a an article on this subject in an old one, maybe from the 30s. This study had the advantage of being conducted with a huge number of killed deer.

If anyone remembers this article and can reference the results that would be fun. I remember the 30-06 with 150 grain pill was the winner, but obviously the competition was very different back then.

Yes, agreed. When I started this thread, A single winner or so was NOT what I had in mind.

Having been blessed to have multiple rifles/cartridges over the yrs and been able to deer hunt w/them, I've seen the DRTs with TOO many different ones to think only 1-2 cartridges were reliable/repeatable.

Yes---I know that nearly every Center Fire WILL give DRT with a CNS hit. I've had way too many DRTs w/o hitting the cns to know it happens whether we expect it or not.

I've been only curious what others have experienced with their deer rifles.

Of ALL the cartridges named--I've been surprised by ONLY one. I would not have expected that combo to give DRT without a CNS hit.

7x57 with 140 NBT

I like to shoot through both lungs over the heart so to save the heart for table fare. During the decade plus when I was shooting a bunch of deer on annual kill permits, I used many different cartridge combinations culling deer. I've used several combinations with light for caliber bullets loaded to higher velocities which took down deer like a lightning bolt, but most of those combinations destroyed the heart. Using the heavier bullets of several different standard cartridges resulted in more saved hearts with lesser damage, but not quite the same level of DRT. I'm sure there are many outstanding combinations for maximizing meat yield, but the most effective combination I ever experienced during that decade plus culling deer, was from my bear rifle chambered in 375H&H shooting standard velocity 270 to 300gr bullets. I ran a long string of kills with this combination where I shot through both lungs over the heart making for impressive DRT kills while saving the heart for table fare. Most of the other combinations I used, which would equal the DRT performance, tended to destroy the heart causing a fair amount of blood shot meat. Some combinations were absolutely obnoxious in wanton waste. But, even though my bear rifle performed exceedingly well, I no longer use it for a regular deer rifle as it is a bunch of gun to handle day in and day out if you have no intention of shooting anything bigger than a deer.

Best

THNX - Gary AND the other responders who've killed MORE than the average hunter being able to do 'culling' etc on big scale.

Your responses give us an even broader understanding about DRTs and cartridges/bullets that do it frequently.

I appreciate it sincerely.

my 300 wby ,loaded with 200 grain speer bullets,pushed to about 2960fps with a stiff load of H4831 and a 215 fed primer, has up to now had an un blemished record of DRT kills but to be fair Ive used it mostly on mule deer, and rarely have taken shots at over 300 yards, and I doubt the total kill exceeded 12 mule deer that Ive used it on, over the last 45 years..btw its a browning 78 with a 26" length barrel similar to this picture


http://www.loaddata.com/members/sea...;header=.30%20Caliber%20Reloading%20Data

3 way Tie between 270 winchester,308 and 30-06.

Whatever cartridge I've hit shoulder or spine with.

Unless a bullet strikes one of these areas DRTs are quite unusual in my experience, regardless of cartridge.

Hunted a 243 exclusively my first 5-6 years, then a scattering of calibers and finally settled on a 270. Got in the Gun bidnizz as a street rep for a Dist'r working out side for 5 years & 2 years inside running 6 outside guys. Did a lot of horse trading with my dealers swapping guns and stuff back then. Moved to a 5 state Rgl Sales Rep deal for 6 years and swapped stuff with my dealers. Shot a lot of different guns & calibers in those days from Spring 1976 thru the end of 1988. Scored a huge buy from a dealer who was closing out all of his Speer bullets & bought 70-80+ little yellow box's at an average of 20- 25 cents on the 4 year old wholesale invoice dollar, mostly 270 150gr'ers. Killed a pile of WTails over a 10-15 year period all with that one bullet, head/neck shots, heart/lung shots, spine shots you name it, if I could see fur the critter was mine from any angle, from 10 feet to 400 yards....bang flop.
2nd runnerup would be from a NIB USRAC PF 257Rbts XTR M70 Fwt I bought at the Distr in Oct 1979 that would only shoot 100 gr'ers accurately. Quit using it 25-3000 rounds later after it almost got me killed by a 125lb hog that had been hit 3 times with well placed heart/lung & shouder shots at under 60 yards until a "facial" at a PB range of 20 feet did the final honors as he came for me the 2nd time in a deep briar patch dragging a leg ...and I went back to the 270 and cured that little problem.

Best DRT shooter I got right now is a 270gr Speer over 59gr's of RL15, WLR sparkplug in Privi brass called a 9.3x62. 1st WTail I hit was a 135lb'er with 9" tall spikes at 125+/- yards that was ejected "airborne" from the POI about 35 feet back up the trail he'd just exited.

Best DRT incident I ever had was at about 130-140 yards was with a T3 6.5x55 Swede 120gr Sierra ProHunter over 47gr's RL19, WLR, in Lapua brass that died mid stride and folded in half in place with a hit in the crease that broke the off shouders inside half of the joint, behind a mature dry doe's front shoulder like a busted bag pipe...the bullet did not exit but I didn't need to track her very far either.
Ron

257 Wby And 100 Gr Ttsx @~ 3500 From Near To 600

I am not the only one who has seen REPEATEDLY deer pole axed from a shot in the chest and NOT a CNS hit.

Correct or NOT this has been called the result of 'hydro static' shock. AFAIC - maybe so, maybe no.

In the OP I stated that I've had more DRTs with the 7 RM, 139 HBTSP than any other single cartridge.

After lunch I dug it out, knocked the dust of it, and checked it out. I still had a dozen loads ready for it. I set up a target to 'verify' sight in---BINGO! she's ready.

I intend to 'tote' it this last week of our MG season. Maybe changing rifles/cartridges will change my luck.

This may sound weird but my expereince is between a 12 gauge with buckshot and my 50 cal. muzzleloader. I typically shoot 250 gr. hollow points out of the muzzleloader and they ususlly just go right down. With the muzzleloader they may kick around a little but the deer tend to stay down. With the buckshot they just drop dead. I usually aim for the junction where the head ad neck meet with the shotgun.

+1, but in my favor, it was close to 400 yards off when I hit it, and it was a helluva shot, if I say so myself. Finally found the deer, and when I did find it, it was a short drag to a road. Can't fuss much.

By far the 22 LR. For the last 20 springs or so, it has accounted for several thousand ground squirrels. Nothing else in the safe even merits an honorable mention.

Brother and I would say the 7 STW loaded with the 140g Nosler/Win Combined Tec bullets at 3600 fps, or the old Nosler solid base lead tip at 3800 fps. I or brother have never had a deer take a step when shot with these loads!

30.06 with 150 grain Rem Core-Lokt. The 1st 5 bucks I killed were bang flop!!!!! anywhere from 20 to 200 yrds with an old savage 110, That's all I could afford at the time. I should have kept that old rifle.... Instead I spent 1000s of Dollars looking for that perfect deer rifle, Some look and feel better, but none kill any better....