I have been very fortunate to grow up here in southwest Virginia in a hunting family. My father started me hunting at 8 years old with a winchester single shot .410. I'm 37 now and still get goosebumps at the sight of a deer. I am not as you would say a trophy hunter but more of a meat hunter. Over the years I have harvested many whitetail for the family freezer and have made some observations some of you may find interesting. I have had the opportunity to hunt with many different calibers of guns. I have used the .243win,30-30,45-70govt.,.35rem,7mm Rem. Mag., and my current toy .300 Weatherby. I may not make many friends with this next statement but here it goes. In my opinion there is no such thing as knock down power. I have witnessed the .243 drop deer without so much as a twitch at 200 yards and have witnessed a nice buck take a 300gr. partition through both shoulders,heart and lungs at 40 yards but still run nearly a quarter mile before collapsing. This year alone I have taken two deer with the .300Wby. The first one was broadside at 130yds. The 180gr. Nosler Accubond entered the right shoulder gelatinizing the heart and lungs and exited behind the left shoulder. This deer still managed to jump a fence and run 50 yards before giving up the ghost. The second deer was 330 yards quartering away. Once again the Accubond entered near the last rib and traveled through the heart and lungs before coming to a stop in the far shoulder after shattering the bone. This deer went about thirty yards before succumbing. Now my brother is a .243 man all the way. Saturday I watched as he harvested a doe at 215yards on the dot. The shot was a little back but guess what. That deer never twitched. Dropped on the spot with barely taking out the back edge of the lungs. How's that for knockdown power.
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Rifle and bullet observations
- Thread starter Natman
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hi, i use a blaser r93 in 243 for fallow deer here in my part of the world,i shoot federal power.shok 100 grain soft point they do nock them down good but i can only group them at 1 inch at 100 yards,gun)is there bullet that might do a bit better then that any help would be great
. thanks.lightbulb
. thanks.lightbulbHi,Might want to try a box of Federal Premium with the 85 Grain Sierra ,the The 95 grain Ballistic Silvertip from Winchester or Federal premium with Ballistic tip 95 grain or even Some barnes 80 Grain TTSX (Called Vortex) All thesed shoot 3 shots of less than an inch at 100 yards out of my Remington 7600 Pump rifle of all things !
But to tell you the truth any rifle that will shoot them into an inch as you say your does will be accurate enough .
Consider this ,if your rifle is shooting into an inch at a hundred that means it is putting them within 1/2 of your point of aim at a hundred !! Probably not good enough for 1000 yard shooting but for 2-300 yards it will be Plenty fine.
Now I am all for an accurate combo as I can find as most are but that is pretty good !
Craig
But to tell you the truth any rifle that will shoot them into an inch as you say your does will be accurate enough .
Consider this ,if your rifle is shooting into an inch at a hundred that means it is putting them within 1/2 of your point of aim at a hundred !! Probably not good enough for 1000 yard shooting but for 2-300 yards it will be Plenty fine.
Now I am all for an accurate combo as I can find as most are but that is pretty good !
Craig
Last edited:
FAL Shot
Well-Known Member
Hydrostatic shock and actual death are two very different things. The former knocks out the animal until the latter takes effect.
In the case of dangerous game, if hydrostatic shock wears off before actual death takes place, then you may get charged.
Hydrostatic shock is uncertain, but boiler room shots ARE certain, just not immediate.
Those who hunt dangerous game generally go for the surest thing.
Those who hunt deer can play around with hydrostatic shock.
The bullet I use on deer is the Hornady 7mm 162 grain A-Max. It is as accurate as a Ballistic Tip but the rear section punches through like a Partition. I have not had complete blowup like I have experienced from Ballistic Tip, even when blowing a spine apart. You have the nose blow off, then it either punches through or the bullet is recovered under the offside skin. You need a barrel twist of around 8", which no magnums I know of possess in a factory rifle. That's why I use a 7x57mm Mauser CZ 550 American. 6.5mm Swede and 7mm Mausers can use these long high sectional density soft bullets much better than any magnum.
The 162 A-Max has a huge following in New Zealand, which is where I got the 7x57mm + 162 A-Max tip from a pro guide that has seen it work its magic at long range. The Hornady A-Max delivers what the Berger VLD promised....for less money.
A long high sectional density soft bullet will take a broader range of game weights across a wider range spectrum than any other bullet type. They do not need magnum speed to work their magic, they conserve energy due to high BC, and they are best launched at moderate speeds. They are also cheaper than the tougher controlled expansion latest wonder bullet, which means you can practice more with them.
www.ballisticstudies.com gets you the info in the knowledge base, written by a pro guide under actual shots taken on real game, no armchair ballistic chart studies.
In the case of dangerous game, if hydrostatic shock wears off before actual death takes place, then you may get charged.
Hydrostatic shock is uncertain, but boiler room shots ARE certain, just not immediate.
Those who hunt dangerous game generally go for the surest thing.
Those who hunt deer can play around with hydrostatic shock.
The bullet I use on deer is the Hornady 7mm 162 grain A-Max. It is as accurate as a Ballistic Tip but the rear section punches through like a Partition. I have not had complete blowup like I have experienced from Ballistic Tip, even when blowing a spine apart. You have the nose blow off, then it either punches through or the bullet is recovered under the offside skin. You need a barrel twist of around 8", which no magnums I know of possess in a factory rifle. That's why I use a 7x57mm Mauser CZ 550 American. 6.5mm Swede and 7mm Mausers can use these long high sectional density soft bullets much better than any magnum.
The 162 A-Max has a huge following in New Zealand, which is where I got the 7x57mm + 162 A-Max tip from a pro guide that has seen it work its magic at long range. The Hornady A-Max delivers what the Berger VLD promised....for less money.
A long high sectional density soft bullet will take a broader range of game weights across a wider range spectrum than any other bullet type. They do not need magnum speed to work their magic, they conserve energy due to high BC, and they are best launched at moderate speeds. They are also cheaper than the tougher controlled expansion latest wonder bullet, which means you can practice more with them.
www.ballisticstudies.com gets you the info in the knowledge base, written by a pro guide under actual shots taken on real game, no armchair ballistic chart studies.
