Hey Guys
What do they say? Get a shovel and dig yourself a hole?
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What I mean about instant drops is from guiding hunters. I've also shot a lot of animals with a number of bullets. I don't shoot for shoulders or bone. Its how I was raised. I don't waste meat. I depend on the lungs being destroyed with the bullet. The lungs are a quick kill and don't rely on secondary fragmentation to get to the vitals and destroy/bleed them out. I've seen way too many deer shot in shoulders and spine or neck area drop instantly also, but then remain alive for a lot longer than a rib shot. I owe more than that to the animal.
Anyway most all the shots I've seen others take(not meaning ya'll) when there is an instant drop its a bad thing. I've guided for a number of years on a ranch where we had to shoot over 300 deer a year to keep management up. Going through that you see a LOT of rounds and shots.
As to how far have I shot, I've noted I'm not a long range shooter comparatively. The longest two shots have been 802 and 854. Both through the lungs and both expanded. Caliber going in, 25-50cent piece going out. Inner organs damaged plenty along the way. Death was very quick, trails less than 50 yards. Both with X bullets.
The one expanding bullet I've fired at mid range was an amax and the shot was 546 yards. Caliber going in, caliber going out. Same bullet expands almost violently under 150 yards.
As to BC, I'm a target shooter out to 1000 yards. 50 points BC helps me win the match but it doesn't impress me on the target. But on the target an inch or three can win it for me. That is not much in the hunting world and I would not trade it in a heartbeat for real world bullet penetration and performance.
Where I will agree totally is that high speed light bullets almost always drop an animal right away. Severe internal damage along the way. But what do you get when the trophy of a lifetime walks out facing away from you and walks off? You have to stick in an angling shot and the high speed expanding bullet opens in the back half of the animal and never makes it past the diaphram? No exit wound, no penetration. Very sticky situation such that more than normal trailing skills will have to be put into use very carefully. These are not shots I prefer to take, but shots that I want to be able to make if I HAVE to.
Guess a lot of it boils down to your personal preference. I prefer the penetration and performance and see no need to knock an animal down instantly. IMHO you cannot reliably have both. Plus there's always Pops in the back of my head about not wasting any meat. Suppose its why I normally end up shooting most of my meat animals up top with a large enough gun. Those do drop right away though
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Have a great weekend!
Jeff
