Found a new clear cut to hunt

[BBBruce]

Some years ago I shot griz with a 200 grain target bullet out of a .300 WM. I tested it first in metal washing machine drums, then in some abandoned buses deep the bush (nothing illegal). Everything looked ok.

Disaster. The first shot flipped the griz straight over on to his back. Second into him on the ground and he stopped moving. Shook my buddy's hand and looked back and, as the Newfy said, "Dere she was b'y, gone."

The bear was shot by somebody else a week later a km down the road. First bullet hit a rib dead on and flattened out. Second hit the shoulder level with the mid-chest and never got through. I had chronographed the load at 2800 fps. [img]images/icons/blush.gif[/img]

Very embarrassed. And will never do that again.

[Dave King]

BBBruce

You've a point that some may not have wondered about. I use Matchkings on game animals and have never had a problem BUT this Spring on my Black Bear hunt I used Nosler Partitions. If I'm hunting something dangerous (large predator) I'll be using a heavily contructed hunting bullet. For the MatchKings, I plan the shot and take shots to avoid large bones on large animals. When hunting predators (ones above us in the food chain by thier thinking) there's no telling what the shot angle and presentation may be, best to be very prepared.

BTW, how far did the Bus go after being hit? I once tried a double lung shot on a 53 Chevy abondoned in the farm country, it didn't even flinch on impact. There was a little cloud of dust knocked loose by the round but the Chev just lay there with thoses glassy eyes stareing at me. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[ 11-16-2001: Message edited by: Dave King ]

[Steve in Mi]

Well the results on the 178 for whitetail are in. I shot my first buck on the morning at approx (ranged a tree, would not pick the deer up) at 386 yrds. he was quarting away, just as I fired he took one more step quarting even more. The bullet caught him in the rear quarter. VERY MESSY it blew the rear leg and hip almost off and blew the insides out on to the ground. He weighed about 125 minus the rear leg part. nice 6 pt. The second one came to within 265 yrds broadside shot . The A-maxs seem to explode inside they make a mess out of efverything that I shot. Blew a hole out the other side big enough to put a softball through. Very dead deer. I also shot a doe at less than 100 yards same thing big hole. I think the bullet is ok for thin skinned game but is a destoryer of meat if taking a quarting shot. I had to thread both of the longer shots through many small saplings on the clear cut accuracy was king out there. If the bullet would not have kept good tight groups the shots would not have been able to connect. All went well on the trip a fair amount of vension for the freezer.

[p dog shooter]

Up in the great north woods finding a proper place to shoot long range can be a problem clear cuts are nice. The last few years I 've been hunting a island in a river 735 yards could be the longest shot the only trouble is the last two bucks came out at 102 and 135 both dead. But when you are set to make something long seems like kind of a waste.