Recent content by jrham55

I think with perfect shot placement, all bullets will do the job just fine. The harder question to answer, if the shot placement is marginal (like in my case), would the same hold and bullet impact location had a different result with something like a partition or Barnes bullet? If I would...

Don’t disagree. Just trying to determine what caused the failure. Me, equipment, or combination of the two.

Thanks for sharing! It’s possible that the bullet did find its way through the animal, but missed any vitals. I do believe that I hit where I was aiming, but I might have been aiming in the wrong location in the heat of moment. Lesson learned for sure

Thanks for sharing your story. Those elk are tough animals for sure! Hard to believe just how tough really.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Sounds like those Bergers performed really really well. I’ll be adjusting my shot placement next time for sure. I probably won’t be using those Bergers, but that’s just a psychological decision moving forward.

Thanks for the reply. I do agree that my hold was too high and too far forward. Lesson learned for sure.

Never thought about the spine dipping in this area. (Actually had to google the image that shows this dip). Given the uphill trajectory of the bullet, I could see this as a real possibility.

So you’re saying you can’t shoot under the spine and miss the lungs? I’m guessing the bullet never made it past the front side shoulder then in my case…

I’ve wondered about this “no man’s land” as well. Is it even possible to go over the lung and miss the bottom of the spine? At the up hill angle I was shooting, I figured it would be possible to go under the spine and over the backside lung, but figured it would have to hit the front side...

Yep - to do over again, I would have held further back and lower. Would have missed all, or some, of the heavy bone structure.

I guess “long” is all relative. I shoot long range rifle competitions every weekend, so 375 yards feels close to me, but fully understand that others may consider that to be a long shot. Hitting where I was aiming was not an issue.

I dialed the scope for the exact distance and inclination (and temp/density altitude/humidity).

Dang! That’s a bummer

Penetration issue is the most logical imo as well. The bullet simply never made it past the front side shoulder. This really opened my eyes too. Given my shoots will be within 600 yards, I’ll be changing to a bullet like partition or Barnes in the future. Something that can handle heavy...

Don’t disagree a bit. Like the old saying. “There’s no replacement for displacement.” Bigger bore = more forgiving