Smaller blood trail with Hammer bullets?

[mn_hntr]

I started reloading HH this year for my 300wsm and my Dad's 7RM. Both loads have a kill each with the bullet passing through and causing a lot of lung damage. The buck I shot was at 40yards and ran 30yards in the swamp after the shot. I didn't find any blood from where the buck was shot to where it died. A small blood trail was also mentioned on a recent "Hunt Backcountry Podcast".


Had me wondering if the hammer bullets have less of a blood trail compared to other bullets?

I have no doubt of Hammer efficacy on game, but am wondering if I should tweak my tracking strategy when using these bullets.

 

[HARPERC]

So far blood loss has been very high for me. Also quite a few pictures of sites, show similar loss.

I have seen one or 2 similar posts, so experiences may vary a bit.

 

[Bucklowery]

I am 2 for 2 with hammers one DRT and one 40 yrd run with good blood trail. DRT was a 200 yrd shot and other was 75 yrds. When in questionable areas where it is steep or thick and don't want a deer to run. The high shoulder shot to anchor is a hard consideration

Thanks

Buck

 

[Jonoton]

Only shot one animal, a large cow elk, with a 143gr HH. Double lung - the blood loss, which I would refer to as 'arterial fan' in nature, was extreme. Blood spraying 3 feet from the exit wound with each heartbeat, though the cow did not run.
I once shot a very small doe through the lungs with a 6.5 Grendel ELDM bullet, which displayed similar blood loss on a smaller scale.

 

[Zen Archery]

As an archer you learn, shot placement determines blood trail. I ran the most lethal broadhead at the time 2.5" cutting diameter. Landed high on the hog tracked it for hours until I gave up. Same broadhead, same size hog snapped it's spine.

Entry wound + tissue damage with the hammers won't do you wrong. I just shot a coyote with the lightest .264 hammer bullet that literally blew its internal organs out so that wouldn't be a fair comparison.

 

[mn_hntr]

From what I am gathering it seems dependent on the shot placement. I shot my buck a bit higher than I would have preferred, was setup for a longer shot and this buck came out right in front of me. All the blood must have pooled in the bottom cavity, as the petals definitely did their job. Mostly curious cause the entrance and exit were roughly the same size, and that's different than the ELD-X bullets I had been using.

On a side note, my buddy was using a 30-06 with 150gr ELD-X bullets this weekend and neither his 70yd or 7yd passed through the deer.

 

[CMP70306]

I've killed 3 deer with the 123 AH and 124 HH .264 cal hammers, two dropped at the shot and the third ran 50 yards. The one that ran left little blood in the beginning as it ran up hill but I found that was due to one of the petals severing the top of the heart.

No pump plus double lung height hole leads to all the blood pooling in the chest with very little blood exiting.

I have 3 people hunting with them this year so I should have more terminal performance data after our rifle season in a few weeks.

 

[FEENIX]

I started reloading HH this year for my 300wsm and my Dad's 7RM. Both loads have a kill each with the bullet passing through and causing a lot of lung damage. The buck I shot was at 40yards and ran 30yards in the swamp after the shot. I didn't find any blood from where the buck was shot to where it died. A small blood trail was also mentioned on a recent "Hunt Backcountry Podcast".


Had me wondering if the hammer bullets have less of a blood trail compared to other bullets?

I have no doubt of Hammer efficacy on game, but am wondering if I should tweak my tracking strategy when using these bullets.

You might consider providing which bullet and velocity for Hammer bullet users to chime in and provide insight. Shot placement plays a significant role in your shot selection decision regardless of bullet manufacturer. I like the heart-lung shot when there is room to run and a high shoulder shot if I want DRT.



Below is my best blood trail to date (.270 AI 175 Matrix 2993 FPS) ...

No, it is not a gutshot but rather a heart shot. The 175 Matrix nearly field-dressed the WT doe.

 

[snox801]

Yep sometimes they just don't bleed but I've always had better luck with blood shooting the hammers because two holes one in one out.

 

[mn_hntr]

You might consider providing which bullet and velocity for Hammer bullet users to chime in and provide insight. Shot placement plays a significant role in your shot selection decision regardless of bullet manufacturer. I like the heart-lung shot when there is room to run and a high shoulder shot if I want DRT.



Below is my best blood trail to date (.270 AI 175 Matrix 2993 FPS) ...

View attachment 310611

View attachment 310610

No, it is not a gutshot but rather a heart shot. The 175 Matrix nearly field-dressed the WT doe.

That's a great blood trail and an interesting video. I am shooting the 160 HH at 3039fps out of my 300wsm.

 

[Josh06]

I am using hammers for the first time this year in 3 guns. I shot my first animal with a hammer on Sunday evening, a pretty big boar about 200ish lbs. I hit him low in the chest with a 140gr absolute hammer from a 280ai, impact velocity was about 3000. This produced the easiest to follow blood trail I have ever seen not in snow. He ran about 50-75 yards in a U shape, falling about 30 yards from where he was hit. Blood trail was about a foot wide the whole time....I was shocked there was enough blood in the thing to make the trail as long as it was. When I gutted him, the heart had several holes, assuming from petals and shank or maybe rib fragments. Not a very big sample but way more blood than I've seen from other copper solids. I've killed hogs with barnes and lehigh bullets but never got a blood trail like this from them.

 

[James DeTorre]

N of one. 7-08 HammerHunter, 121 I believe. Doe at 50 yards DRT in 20 yards but no blood trail. Mid chest shot . No exit wd.

 

[xsn10s]

You might consider providing which bullet and velocity for Hammer bullet users to chime in and provide insight. Shot placement plays a significant role in your shot selection decision regardless of bullet manufacturer. I like the heart-lung shot when there is room to run and a high shoulder shot if I want DRT.



Below is my best blood trail to date (.270 AI 175 Matrix 2993 FPS) ...

View attachment 310611

View attachment 310610

No, it is not a gutshot but rather a heart shot. The 175 Matrix nearly field-dressed the WT doe.

How did you ever find it?

 

[Thebear_78]

I've used the 124gr hammer hunter in my 6.5 PRC on 4 animals this year. Using re26 @ 3210fps.

2 caribou and 2 whitetails. All have had the same terminal performance. Caliber entrance hole, complete penetration, and 1.5" exit. Also complete lung destruction on all 4.

A small caribou bull thru the lungs at 80 yards, a good sized cow high shoulder down hill angle at 228 yards, whitetail doe at 75 yards. None took a step. The only one that traveled after the shot was a whitetail buck I shot friday. 170 yard shot thru the lungs, the buck traveled 30 yards after the shot with an easy to follow blood trail.