Please find below photos and comments on bullets that I recovered from game between 1996 and 2009. Bullets recovered from game are shown with a red background, if I had an unfired version of the recovered bullet or one which was recovered from test media they are shown with a blue background.

1996 12 gauge Winchester factory .50 cal sabot slug. The slug was recovered from a large mule deer doe shot at about 100 yards. The slug entered +-8 inches behind the left shoulder area crossed through both lungs, lodged beneath the skin near the scapular humerus joint on the right shoulder. There was little or no reaction to the shot, the deer walked about 40 yards and dropped.

1996 .338 win mag 200g Nosler Ballistic Tip. the bullet was recovered from a large mule deer buck shot at about 80 yards, the deer was 3/4 facing toward me. The bullet entered the left side of the neck, clipped the spine, passed through lungs and lodged behind the right shoulder, +/- 28 inches of penetration. Instant kill.

1997 .338 win mag 200 grain Nosler ballistic Tip. Medium size mule deer buck at +/- 90 yards full broadside, bullet entered low through the right shoulder area travelling through the heart and both lungs, lodged just behind the left shoulder area. Penetration was about 12 inches, the deer ran about 60 yards before dropping.

1997 7mm Rem mag 160g Seirra Gameking HP. Large mule deer doe at 40 yards head on, bullet entered chest left of centre ruptured top of the heart through one lung broke 9 ribs, bullet recovered under the hide right side near last rib.Core still in jacket, losing core faster than jacket, 77g remaining just <50%, +/- 30 inches of penetration. Deer ran 45 yards before dropping.

1998 7mm Rem mag 160g Seirra gameking HP, small mule deer doe at about 30 yards facing straight on. The bullet enters the neck follows about 16 inches of spine, jacket and core seperate, jacket travelled additional 3 inches of muscle, core 2 inches past that. Total penetration was 24 inches, 16 inches of which was in the spine.60.9g remaining.


7mm Rem mag 140 g Nosler Solid Base, Large caribou bull quartering toward at about 30 yards, shot entered the near scapula breaking it into 3 pieces, bullet then crossed through both lungs coming to rest under the hide near the 3rd last rib. caribou fell at the shot, very soon thereafter got up reversed direction ran 12 yards and collapsed. 87.8 grains remaining 62.6% of original weight.

2001.25-06 Winchester factory ammo, 115 g combined technologies ballistic tip. Small whitetail buck (size of a doe with tiny pencil thin antlers, very glad it was an either or WMU)the bullet entered high in the left shoulder, broke the top of the scapula, cut through the spine and top of right should flesh, lodging beneath the hide. Pieces of jacket and core found along passage of the bullet. The core was found separate from the jacket about 1/8 inch away. about 8 inches of penetration, 47grains remaining, 41% of bullet weight. deer dropped at the shot and never moved. the entire left should was ruined.

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2003 .25-06 Barnes 115g X mature whitetail buck bedded at about 30 yards the bullet entered on the near hip (I rather badly misjudged the angle)missed the hip bone, through the body, through the far scapula, lodged under the skin a few inches ahead of the hole in the scapula. 40+ inches of penetration, all petals were lost,one found near the bullet, 90.6g remaining, metplat was about .4 inch.

2004 .25-06 120g Seirra gameking HP, whitetail doe which had been wounded the evening before, bumped while I was tracking it, running straight away, the bullet entered rear right leg near the pelvis well above the site of the original wound, travelled through about 16 inches of muscle, part of the jacket found near the 3 exit wounds; I assume core and jacket seperated leaving part behind and making the 3 exit wounds. This shot dropped the deer and my daughter was able to get up to the deer and finish it . This was a hard experience for my daughter as this was her fist deer. She showed great effort in assisting with the tracking Once finding a tiny fragment of bone in deep brown grass when I had lost the trail. In her next hunting experiences she was much concerned with a clean kill than antler size.

2004 .25-06 120g Seirra Gameking HP, large whitetail doe quartering away, bullet entered body about 3 inches back of the last rib, travelled through about 14 inches passed between ribs and was found in the should area under the hide.


I will post the remaining bullets later, perhaps as late as Sunday or Monday. To folow are 3 .257 110g Nosler Accubonds, 1 8mm 195g Hornady Interlock, and 4 8mm 200g swift Aframes.

Thanks for having a look. GRF

Interesting, here's a few I got from a couple of years ago

85gr from a WT at 300 yds


69gr SMK from a WT at 70 yds


A pair of 139gr SST from a deer double at 100 yds.

This is the only bullet i've ever recovered, a 140 gr. Swift A-Frame @ 2950 fps from my .270 Win. The bullet entered a mule deer buck bedded below and facing me, in the neck breaking the spine, re-entering between the shoulder blades smashing 8 inches of spine, passed through liver and came to rest under the skin on the inside of a hind leg. I believe the retained weight was about 93% and the shot was about 100 yards.

Richard

Left to right:
350g North Fork, .45-70, 6x6 elk
160g Grand Slam, 7mm Rem Mag, 5x5 elk
162g Hornady BTSP, spike elk
180g North Fork, .300 Win Mag, 200-yard steel





Left to right:
30-06, 165 grain North Fork @ 2800fps, recovered from dirt
(500 yards, 145.0 grains retained weight)


.30-06, 165 grain North Fork @ 2800fps, recovered from cow elk
(~25 yards, 133.2 grains retained weight)


7mm 140 grain North Fork @ 3200fps, recovered from buck mule deer
(~150 yards, right ham to sternum, 131.2 grains retained weight)

Which proves that bullets use outside thier designed capabilities usually come apart.

2009 .325 wsm, 200g Swift A-Frame, bullet 1; large Red Hartebeest quartering away at last light, I miss-judged the angle (do you see a commom theme so far :)) the bullet entered the abdomen on left side and lodged in the centre of the right shoulder; what Robertson refers to as the vital triangle in his perfect shot book. The bull ran off with the herd; it covered 150 yards. About 22 inches of penetration, recovered bullet weighed 195.9g, 97.95%, metplat .590 inch.

Bullet 2 large Eland bull almost full broadside at about 100 yards, bullet entered dead centre in the "vital triangle" and stopped behind the left shoulder. At the shot the bull headed straight out at a full run for about 20 yards, made a hard right turn and piled up about 90 yards further out. The bullet penetrated 27 inches, 197.6g 98.8% metplat about .64 inch. Bullets on the blue background were recovered from mixed wet paper.

Bullet 3 Large Kudu bull at about 125 yards moving in and out of heavy cover, quartering sharply away (sharper than I thought, a continuing theme ) the bullet entered the back of the left scapula travelled through the spine and lodged in the right side of the neck.

Bullet 4 same Kudu bull still alive when we approached, shot at about 3 yards bullet entered the sterum through the chest and the spine recovered under the hide.

The bullets on the blue background were recovered form wet tightly bound glossy magazines.

2005 .25-06 110g Nosler Accubond large mule deer buck running away at about 160 yards bullet entered the 3rd from last rib and travelled about 16 inches and lodged in the spine. Large entrance wound, bullet weighed about 62g 56% with a .50 metplat

2006 .325 wsm 195g Hornday interlock, large whitetail at about 230 yards bullet entered behind left shoulder and exited just in front of the right sirloin jcket broke off about .3 inch from the base of the bullet


2008 .25-06 110g Nosler accubond large Axis deer at 250 yards, bullet 1 entered the left shoulder and lodged under the hide in the centre of the right shoulder. The deer went down not out, and I was told to shoot again. Bullet 2 entered at the base of the neck on the right side and lodged in the far left shoulder.

Bullet 1 20 inches penetration, 71.8g 65.3% .46 metplat
Bullet 2 16 inches penetration, 58.6g 53.3% .47 metplat


That's all folks,thanks for having a look. GRF

250 Speer Grand Slam, 340 Wtby, 2990 fps @ 200 yards, moose shoulder

225 XFB, 340 Wtby @ 175 yards, moose shoulder; broke upper ends, both humerus

170 Core-Lokt; 30-30 @ 90 yards, moose shoulder

160 FailSafe @ 275 yards, 7mm-08, moose shoulder, lodged against spine

200 BT @ 200 yards, 340 Wtby, moose, broadside through chest



235 grain .375 TSX - moose 150 yards




Pic tells detail - young grizzy through shoulder area; no major bones broken - 30 yards



140 Partition - 6.5 Swede @ 150 yards, moose, just below shoulder




100 XFB @ 200 yards, 7mm-08, second of two caribou



160 Interlock - 6.5 Swede @ 100 yards, caribou frontal shot, aft recovery

[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/556/6772Ballistictipbullets.jpg[/img]


[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/556/medium/120TSX.jpg[/img]

120 TSX - 7mm-08 at 200 yards, caribou shoulder

[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/544/medium/IMG_01067.JPG[/img]

140 A-frame, 270 Win (downloaded a bit for 10 year-old), moose scapula @ 225 yards

Klikitarik, have you ever used the 125g partition in the 6.5 swede? GRF

145 Speer Grand Slam, 7mm-08 @ 175 yards, caribou onside shoulder



85 XBT, 6mm @ 400, caribou low head shot from behind (broke femoral artery, lodged in stomach )



225 XFB. 340 @ 495 meters, moose



350 Hornady FN, 450 Marlin, ported Guide Gun @ 1 yard, 14 foot beluga, chest




180 Woodleigh, 30-06 @ 40 yards, moose scapula, both



300 Speer Uni-Cor, 45-70 @ 45 yards, moose scapula, both

Have a few; haven't used them. They aren't needed for lighter animals like caribou. (I use 120 NBT or other C&C.) For moose, I loaded the 140 for added oomph. I had the mad loaded alternately with A-Frames (140) and Partitions. I fired all four rounds into the same moose. The shots were spaced out due to the fact that other moose in the same general area were mingling with the one we were "killing". Therefore, the animal had to be positively re-identified each time. The Partitions stopped against the hide; the A-frames stuck in the meat before getting all the way through. That leg was shared with others so bullets were not recovered.

Bottom line for my use is the Swede is a fine ordinary bullet cartridge. The best bullets are useful when you push it to make it do heavy duty chores that are almost above it's ideal use. Then it makes sense to me to use heavier bullets anyway.

GRF your use and results with the 120 Sierra game king parallel the results I've had with the older Sierra 120 gr HollowPoint Boat tail from the 25-06. They work fine on ribcage shots broadside on deer and antelope, quartering or having to stay together after big bones they aren't good at. Light duty for sure. Thanks for the pics I can see some 110 Accubonds coming my way now in 25. Magnum Man

Klikitarik, Thanks so much for sharing your photos. I run the 125g partition in my son's 6.5x55 great success on whitetail and mule deer. Your recovered X bullets confirm my concerns after media testing regarding the X not expanding at lower velocity or greater distance.

Magnum Man; I do not think that I will use any other bullet than the 110g Accubond in my .25-06 from here on in. Accurate and deadly, I once put one through a whitetail buck at 18 yards whilst still hunting, broke bone and went right on through. GRF

Good thread!

I haven't recovered many, especially since switching to Barnes but here's my contribution.

140gr PMC factory 6.5x55 on a whitetail buck quartering away at a steep angle at about 25 yards. Behind the last rib on one side and recovered under the shoulder blade ont he other side.


160gr TSX Federal Premium factory 7mm Rem Mag on a bull moose at 100 yards. Quartering towards, bullet entered between the on shoulder and the neck. The bullet was recovered in the kidney area on the other side. A second one broke it's neck as it was still standing but passed through after breaking the spine.


225gr TSX handload at 2700 fps from my .35 Whelen on a bull moose from 10 yards. Finishing shot to the forehead. First shot from 100 yard pass through on a high shoulder shot a little too far back. When I got closer, the bull got up on its front leg trying to charge but the rear end was disabled. Recovered the bullet in the neck after smashing through several inches of spine.

Have a few recovered bullets here, but only pics of these 2.

243 90gr SciroccoII from a whitetail. It entered the right rear leg and I found it up in the left shoulder.



Barnes 250gr Muzzleloader bullet.



We have quite a few .44 240gr XTP's that we recovered from deer before we switched to the Barnes MZ bullet ~10 years ago. I, my brother, mother, father, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law all use the Barnes and I honestly don't know how many deer we've shot with them. The one above is the only one that has ever stayed in a whitetail for any of us.

I've never recovered a TSX or X yet, but I do know where there are 3 of them in trees after they exited deer. Thought about cutting them out but never went back to do it.

This is an interesting thread. I don't understand the fascination with HP bullets for big game (no offense), but I'd run away as fast as I could. The Barnes/Failsafe, etc not included. I've had very similar performance with the sst's as in the pictures.

Depends on the bullet design, not the point design, IMO. For example, the 257 120gr Hornady HP is a great deer bullet, in spite of being a HP.

.243 win 100g Partition. Thru the shoulders then thru 3" of pine



.257 wby 115g TBBC. Shot was head on in the chest stopped by the tail.

7mmRM 160gr TSX
Large WT buck, 105 yards, hit a few inches to the right of the tail, broke the femur, penetrated through abdominal cavity, through thoracic cavity, through offside front shoulder, broke humorus, and was found under the hide at the front point of the shoulder.

.280 130gr GS Custom HV
Large WT buck quartering away, 110 yards, bullet entered a few inches behind the last rib, penetrated the paunch, penetrated the thoracic cavity, broke a few ribs going out, was found in a lump under the hide directly behind the offside shoulder.

Where are the recovered VLD's ????

.243 Win 85gr Barnes XBT
Average WT doe quartering towards, 230 yards, bullet entered directly behind front shoulder, penetrated thoracic and abdominal cavities, broke offside femur, and lodged into the outside round roast just under the skin.

7mmRM 160gr Barnes X
Average WT doe, 2 yards, this was a finishing shot, bullet entered neck, broke spine, exited, and was dug out of the dirt underneath the doe's neck.

these two .375 Barnes TSX 270 gr went thru about 2 feet of gemsbok 100yds, then 50 yds..

JGRAIDER

In my experience the 160g Seirra GK HP was a bullet that held together very well and penetrated deeply; I used this bullet exclusively in my 7mm mag for about 5 years. If I recall correctly it was a tougher bullet than the 160g Seirra GK spitzer. I believe this is stated in the Seirra manual; something about a thick jacket and a hard core, intended as a hunting bullet for those who like the MK shape. The .257 120g Seirra GK HP did not impress me at all and was only used for the one year. As stated previously in this thread I do not envision using any other .257 bullet other than the 110g Nosler accubond.

Thanks to everyone for sharing their pictures and comments. GRF

[quote=GRF]1998 7mm Rem mag 160g Seirra gameking HP



Again, no offense, but this is exactly why I wouldn't chance any hunt of mine to a HP bullet out of my 7mag, no matter the design (again, X/Failsafe not included). This isn't my idea of a good performing bullet. I do realize dead is dead, however. I had one instance of bullet performance like that 20 years ago with an early Nosler Ballistic Tip in 7mag. I haven't used one since.

This is a great post an reinforces why I dont use the standard cup and core bullet to hunt with. I have seen and been involved in the taking of well over 100 head of big game with the Nosler Partition. At last count I had 6 recovered bullets, all but a couple (lead and front end seperation)were intact. I see way too many bullets here that should "not" be used for hunting especially heavy game like elk. Premimum bullets such as the PT, the Swift A frame, the Accubond and numerous others will get the job done right. Most anything including a large rock launched at moderate velocities will "kill" game. But the real object is not to "kill" it. The object is to kill it cleanly and recover the animal in time to utilize the meat. I want a hole in both sides and blood pouring out of the back side, not mush and bullet fragments in the middle. My .02

from left to right:
a) Hornady.45 300gr (bison), Swift A-frame .45 300gr (bison) x2
b) Hornady SP .270 130gr (elk)TBBC .270 130gr (antelope)x2
c) Hornady SP .375 270 gr (elk), .375 TSX (moose) x2



different presentation of some of the above:



below: .375 300 TSX (elk)



same:

Interesting to see all of these pics as in the 30or 40 deer my buddy and I have claimed over the past 30 years we have recovered two bullets. Both were mine. One was a saboted 45 cal pistol bullet shot out of a muzzle loader that fragmented when it hit bone ( the deer DRT). The second was a 243 100gr.core-loc that was found perfectly mushroomed under the far side hide of a doe shot thru the shoulders at about 200yds (again drt). None of the rest of our bullets have ever been recovered and we have used about all of the medium bore caliber from 24 thru 30 and then some real odd balls like his old 577-450, stc. Actually I'll add we pretty much use regular cup & core bullets or cast in the case of the 577-450. No premium bullets at all.

And that probably says a lot about the difference between deer and deer-sized game and bigger, tougher animals. IME it's more common to recover bullets than not when killing moose.

My experience with moose is the same.

It's muhc less common to recover any kind of bullet from deer, unless the angle is extreme, quite a bit of bone is hit, or the deer are REALLY big.

JGRaider, that particular image of the Seirra was a bullet that travelled 16 inches of spine with an impact distance of 30 yards from a 7mm Rem mag, how much more do you want from a bullet? That said, after what I considered poor performance of the .257 Seirra GKHP in the .25-06 I stopped using the GKHP bullets, I now run 160g Nosler Accubonds in my .280AI, the 7mm RM was sold several years ago.

The recovered Nosler BTs in the .338 pictured above have turned me off BTs completely; conversely my brother used the 180 BT in his .30-06 for years without any concerns or problems. I do not recall if he recovered any BT bullets.

Based upon my experiences, and those of whom I have hunted with or guided I have settled my bullet choices for hunting to Nosler Partition or Accubond, Swift A-Frame or the Barnes TSX or TTSX. I have a friend who will not use Nosler Partitions after having a bulkhead split when running 180g partitions out of a .300 RUM; he now only runs Barnes. I have another friend who after claiming Barnes bullets "pencilling through" game only uses Nolser Partitions or Accubonds. I know others who only use the Core Lokt. All are entrenched in their positions, I think this is one of the things which makes this such an interesting hobby.

Elkmen, between myself and my kids we have used a lot of partitions on game and have never recovered one. I think of the Partition as the gold standard as to how I judge all other bullets.

Bangeye, the bullet pictures I posted are from; I believe, 124 head of game, a good number of the bullets recovered involved steep angles therefore a substantial amount of tissue and bone to penetrate (often due to my errors in judging depth of angles whilst still hunting), or ones which have hit a good amount of bone (see JB's comments above).

Thanks to all for sharing your photos, experiences and perspectives. GRF

]
And that probably says a lot about the difference between deer and deer-sized game and bigger, tougher animals. IME it's more common to recover bullets than not when killing moose. [/quote]

Precisely my point, I'm not so much surprised by the bullets from truly large game but 2/3 of the bullets pictured are from deer taken at normal ranges with normal calibers even some of the premium bullets which given their penchant for deeper penetration I would expect full penetration per my experiences. I have always been sort of interested in bullet performance but frankly I can never recover any to look at. That's the reason these pics are interesting.