70NBT meets crow

[1tonpower]

i will post a pic later. i hit a crow at 160yards with my 243 shooting factory 70g ballistic tips. the shot couldnt have been better. the bullet looks like it stuck the wing right at the joint, it tor the wing off and left a rather messy looking entrance hole. i checked it over and couldnt find an exit

i expected to to find the bird in two peaces being hit that range.

heres the question. is the 70gNBT that explosive that it would fully expand on the wing bone?

the day before i set up two half gallon juice cartons full of water and shot them at 300 yards with the same bullet. they completely blew apart. I'm baffled

 

[1tonpower]

here's one of the cartons

 

[1tonpower]

Nobody else has shot a crow with 243

 

[johnnyk]

I've shot plenty of them with the .243 in various bullet weights and that seem's about right for the 70gn Ballistic Tip. I never could find a really accurate load with that weight in my .243 (Win M70 HVB).
I shot the 65gn VMax a bit when I lived in Virginia and used it on crow and groundhogs. That was a explosive bullet inside 300yds but lacked the moxey for dealing with the wind when attempting longer shots. My hit to miss ratio improved when I went to the 80/85gn range and got even better with the 90/95gn bullets.
Those juice carton's are a little bit softer than those crows, especially in the long, tough feathers of the wings. Not that you need to worry about shot placement on a crow but that's not exactly apples to apples.
Killing crows is a hoot, especially when there's a murder of 15 or more on the ground. I like to set up on them, get the range of one bird, dial in and wait for another to walk behind him and then squeeze. They go crazy! Two birds with one shot, I smile everytime I re-live that.
If they haven't been hunted alot they usually fly around all crazy, and low, cawing at the flopping birds. I imagine their saying "get up Larry, get up Joe", "what's wrong?" My mind swings to Slyvester Stallone's twisted, crying face in the "First Blood" movie where he's setting in the sporting goods store telling Col. Troutman about his buddies getting shot in Vietman (no disrespect intended).
Sometimes a couple will actually land to get a closer look at their deceased partners. Bad on them, cause I'm usually waiting for that and another one get's dusted. After that they head for quieter fields! Hope you enjoyed that, I did. JohnnyK.

 

[Gary Kaney]

johnny k
A bit off topic, but what the heck.
I finally had to have mine rebarreled.( HBV) I went with an 8 twist. I loves the 105's.

 

[Rimfire]

Is it possible you hit it between the wing and body and clipped the wing off? when ever I hit them clean they explode at that distance

 

[1tonpower]

Im positive I had a full side shot on it.. That's the first one I shot with that bullet. I expected it look similar to the possum I shot at 150..I'll just have to get another bid in the glass and see what happens

 

[johnnyk]

Gary,
Hey man, howzit going? Haven't seen you on here much, where ya been? I hope mine never needs re-barreling cause it shoots like a dream. This rifle still amazes and thrills me with the accuracy it produces. If/when I have to spin another tube on, think I'll go .243 AI with 8 twist.

1tonpower,

"I'll just have to get another bid in the glass and see what happens"

That's the spirit! Let us know what happens please.

JohnnyK.

 

[Barry08]

The thread is an old,one, but I'm new here, so I colud not reply earlier.

I am usung a Sako 85 Varmint in 243 for crow shooting.
My average distance is around 200m (equals some 220 yards)
My best hit was 329m distance. My scope is a Swarovski Z5 in 5-25x52 with Ballistic tower. The presettings on the BT are 200, 250 and 300meters

I use 70g bullets (v-max) in handloaded cartriges. They are very accurate in my gun.
Vo is 1050m/ sec.

Crows do not look great after they are hit with that combination.
Depending where the bullet entes, they somerimes desinigrate in two pieces.

 

[1tonpower]

Thats what I'm looking for.. My next shot I'll try and take it center mass in the chest

 

[Barry08]

I use the ballistic calculator from Swarovski (internet version) to preset my BT on the scope.
Distance is measured with a laser range finder pre shooting.
Vo was measured 3 meters past the muzzle.
The rest was calculated according bullet weight and BC with the Swarovski ballistic calculator. The reality check on 300m distance showed an variance in real life with less than 1 inch in height.

The gun I use is a "out of the box" version. We were checking various bullets and powders to get best shooting results. 70 grain bullets provided best results.

Ths 243 is perfect for roe deer hunting as well, but for deer I use harder bullets than for varmints.

Previous to the 243 I used a 222rem for crows but that caliber is limited to appx. 200yards.

(I hope I use the right terms. I'm not a native speaker, so there may be some mistakes in my text)