Bullet Choice to Save the most Meat

[jlphillips1]

I shot this 130 lb doe this morning at 403 yards with my 300 PRC with 245 Bergers. I wanted to see how much damage to the meat this would do compared to my 6.5 CM. Although most people would say this gun/bullet combo was overkill, it did minimal meat damage i would guess that this bullet had near 100% weight retention and I did not find any shrapnel. Most people would say that bigger bullets do more damage to the meat, but I have found that to be just the opposite. What are your thoughts on bullet size and saving meat?

 

[Buckleman]

Barnes

 

[memtb]

I shot this 130 lb doe this morning at 403 yards with my 300 PRC with 245 Bergers. I wanted to see how much damage to the meat this would do compared to my 6.5 CM. Although most people would say this gun/bullet combo was overkill, it did minimal meat damage i would guess that this bullet had near 100% weight retention and I did not find any shrapnel. Most people would say that bigger bullets do more damage to the meat, but I have found that to be just the opposite. What are your thoughts on bullet size and saving meat?View attachment 519291

You need to quit listening to "most people"!

High velocity impact with a highly frangible bullet in a small caliber will generally, with similar points of impact, will create far more tissue damage than a much larger bullet of stronger construction at a more modest velocity.

If shots are kept within the reliable expansion velocity of the bullet…..I highly recommend a mono bullet. They may be lacking a bit in BC vs some of the cup and cores…..their performance with a high velocity hit at near point blank shots on a steep raking shot cannot be matched by a cup and core bullet. Even the "bonded" cup and cores cannot perform as well as a mono in the previously mentioned scenario!

I would bet that my .375 AI pushing a 270 grain Barnes bullet near 3100 mv at a similar distance……would do less tissue damage than what you experienced!

To answer your question, we use Barnes as our hunting bullets. A satisfied consumer since the early '90's! memtb

 

[wvbearhunter]

Neck shots are how you save the most meat IMHO

 

[BillLarson]

I like the way it worked.... body shot,...2 holes.... musta been alot of blood.....

 

[Mark37082]

Big holes and pass through without fragmentation certainly work well at saving meat. My first buck was shot with a 12 ga slug at 30 yards many years ago. Complete pass through in the boiler room. Deer ran 60 yards before dropping though.

 

[sierracharlie338]

If you are strictly concerned about preservation of meat, Im a firm believer in the neck shot just forward of the shoulders. Ive killed a lot of deer that way since it was how I was raised and have never had one take a step. Caliber and bullet type are insignificant (mostly) in that scenario.

 

[choprzrul]

Last year I shot a buck at about 65 yards with my 6.5CM. 85gr Hammer Hunter with just over 3400 fps at the muzzle. Bullet was a pass through, going through the far side shoulder. Zero bloodshot meat on that far side shoulder when we deboned that deer the next day. Quite literally ate right up to the hole.

I've shot 5 deer with Hammers now. In general, in my experience, it seems that Hammers turn internals to jelly while leaving very little bloodshot meat. Meat loss is way less than any of the cup and core bullets I've used on deer since the late 70s

Just my $0.02....

 

[FEENIX]

I shot this 130 lb doe this morning at 403 yards with my 300 PRC with 245 Bergers. I wanted to see how much damage to the meat this would do compared to my 6.5 CM. Although most people would say this gun/bullet combo was overkill, it did minimal meat damage i would guess that this bullet had near 100% weight retention and I did not find any shrapnel. Most people would say that bigger bullets do more damage to the meat, but I have found that to be just the opposite. What are your thoughts on bullet size and saving meat?View attachment 519291

Excellent! Even if there's a basketball-sized exit hole in the rib cage area, there's not much meat wasted.

You have proven the point; stick with it and have fun.

 

[Rok1167]

Bergers aren't the answer if you want to save meat. I think it's more about bullet type and velocity than bullet size.

 

[Tiny Tim]

In general, I believe the monos are going to give the most consistent lack of meat damage under various shot angles and circumstances provided impact velocity is within manufacturers recommendations.

Impacting heavy bone with any cup and core bullet is likely to result in more bloodshot meat than a mono type, bonded or not.

Lastly, heavy for caliber and tougher jackets help in slightly less volatility. I believe this is why the 215 Target Hybrids are so successful. My limited experience shows the 215 to be far less volatile in expansion than the 210 HVLD. Shot a small 6 point this year with a 215 Hybrid in 300 RUM. Sharp downward and quartering away angle. Entered behind onside shoulder, exited just infront of offside shoulder near base of neck. Results almost identical to yours but exit was golfball sized instead of baseball. He was close, about 120-130 yards.

These are my experiences and opinions. YMMV

 

[WapitiBob]

Neck shots are how you save the most meat IMHO

Or 1/3 down and back, off the scapula.

 

[Reelamin]

Just shoot them with a standard FMJ/Solid SP without hitting any bone or in the neck. Will kill them very well with the least meat damage.

 

[338 dude]

Bergers aren't the answer if you want to save meat. I think it's more about bullet type and velocity than bullet size.

I like burgers for their accuracy, but I no longer use the hunting Vld I go with their target bullets, but I am a (bad boy)according to most people.