I run a hunting ranch in South Texas. One of our big trophies people can shoot are scimitar horned oryx. It has taken me 2 years, but I've finally convinced my boss and all of my guides the smallest rifle we should be using is my Weatherby .300 Win Mag. Obviously smaller cartridges can, and have been used successfully to put one down. Unfortunately, most of our "hunters" are not great shots. Most of them only hunt 1-3 times a year.
The problem I'm having is with penetration. For us, the best option is to shoot the animal right in the shoulder, breaking both, and leaving an exit wound. We shoot these with the intention of getting them mounted. That leaves neck shots out. I'm having trouble finding a cartridge capable of going through both shoulders and leaving an exit wound.
The best I have found, so far, are the Barnes Vor-tx in a 180 grain. They will break both shoulders. So far, none have left an exit wound. All have been stopped by the skin on the other side. I need some advice on what bullets I should look into.
Before you start making suggestions, please read this part carefully. We obviously could go to a much larger caliber. The problem is people who only shoot a rife a couple times a year are afraid of my .300. If I go larger, shot placement will go down, and it's already bad enough. I will not put a muzzle break on my rifle. I hate those things. I don't even like being within 20 feet of some one shooting a .223 with one. I won't be reloading these myself. I don't have the knowledge, equipment, or time to hand load. For us, the best shot is in the middle of the shoulder, breaking both. The brush here is extremely thick and every plant has thorns. I want to break both shoulders minimizing how far the animal will run. On top of that, a shoulder is a nice large target for an inexperienced hunter. With an exit wound there is more blood left on the ground, making my job as a tracker easier. Neck shots will obviously bleed out pretty quickly. However, we want to minimize damage to the hide on the neck for taxidermy reasons.
The largest Vor-tx I've been able to find is the 180 grain. Are there 200 or 220 grain bullets with as much or more penetration than the 180 Vor-tx? Is there a 180 grain option that will do this? Or, are the Vor-tx 180's the way to go?
The problem I'm having is with penetration. For us, the best option is to shoot the animal right in the shoulder, breaking both, and leaving an exit wound. We shoot these with the intention of getting them mounted. That leaves neck shots out. I'm having trouble finding a cartridge capable of going through both shoulders and leaving an exit wound.
The best I have found, so far, are the Barnes Vor-tx in a 180 grain. They will break both shoulders. So far, none have left an exit wound. All have been stopped by the skin on the other side. I need some advice on what bullets I should look into.
Before you start making suggestions, please read this part carefully. We obviously could go to a much larger caliber. The problem is people who only shoot a rife a couple times a year are afraid of my .300. If I go larger, shot placement will go down, and it's already bad enough. I will not put a muzzle break on my rifle. I hate those things. I don't even like being within 20 feet of some one shooting a .223 with one. I won't be reloading these myself. I don't have the knowledge, equipment, or time to hand load. For us, the best shot is in the middle of the shoulder, breaking both. The brush here is extremely thick and every plant has thorns. I want to break both shoulders minimizing how far the animal will run. On top of that, a shoulder is a nice large target for an inexperienced hunter. With an exit wound there is more blood left on the ground, making my job as a tracker easier. Neck shots will obviously bleed out pretty quickly. However, we want to minimize damage to the hide on the neck for taxidermy reasons.
The largest Vor-tx I've been able to find is the 180 grain. Are there 200 or 220 grain bullets with as much or more penetration than the 180 Vor-tx? Is there a 180 grain option that will do this? Or, are the Vor-tx 180's the way to go?
