150 grain bullet. Before and after.

[straightshooter]

Did you recover the bullet after the hunt?

While skinning my deer this year, I came across the remnants of the bullet lodged just under the hide on the far side from the entry wound. I hit the deer in the left shoulder and, as far as I can tell, it continued through the lungs and bounced off the right shoulder before coming to a stop just inside the hide.

There were probably some small fagments, but nothing big enough to find. The bullet started off at 150 grains. 51.2 grains was all that was left of it by the time it came to a stop.

The following is an image of another cartridge of the same make/spec. next to what was left:

 

[kastles]

what are the manufature, caliber, ect?

 

[bruteman]

I've found 2 over the years.

A 150 gr Imperial in an 8 pointer back in 87,and a 180 gr Accubond this year in my moose.

Both are on the gun rack at the camp.

 

[220Swifty]

The bullet recovery stopped when i stopped using my 243. I have the 100 gr power point plus kicking around somewhere that came out of my first whitetail.

 

[straightshooter]

what are the manufature, caliber, ect?

I tried a variety of cartridges by different manufacturers this summer while I was sighting in my rifle. The round that gave me the best performance in my rifle was the Federal Power Shok 150 grain in .308 (pictured here). Muzzle velocity is rated at 2820 fps.

I know you weren't implying anything by your question but, just in case someone jumps to any conclusions, this may not be the best for other rifles. I shoot a Steyr Mauser.

 

[sheephunter]

Power Shocks would not be at the top of my list for quality big game bullets but obviously it did the job just fine. Often, recovering a bullet is more a function of the path the bullet took through the body than the actual performance of the bullet and hitting bone can cause a bullet to do some very strange things. I've recovered a number of bullets from moose and elk over the years as you'd expect, but this year I recovered what I consider a very high quality bullet from a bighorn ram shot at 59 yards. The shot actually took a sizeable piece of rib and blew it out the far side of the ram but the bullet stayed on the edge of the exit hole. Like I said, bullets can do some strange things and one recovered bullet is certainly not indicitive of average performance.

I'm not certain of the intent of your original post. Were you asking for opinions on the performance of the bullet or were you wondering if recovering a bullet was unusual? I've found that understanding the intent of the original post is important in offering up constructive comment and keeping within the context of the original post.......

 

[saskgunowner101]

Same ammo I used this year. I clipped the shoulder on one side, shredded part of the heart, and blew up the lungs. It was trapped on the way out the other side of the hide.

I threw it on the scale, it's a cheapo Lee, but its over 110 grains (high as the scale goes). Mine retained the jacket though.

Did it drop your deer well?

 

[straightshooter]

Power Shocks would not be at the top of my list for quality big game bullets but obviously it did the job just fine. Often, recovering a bullet is more a function of the path the bullet took through the body than the actual performance of the bullet and hitting bone can cause a bullet to do some very strange things. I've recovered a number of bullets from moose and elk over the years as you'd expect, but this year I recovered what I consider a very high quality bullet from a bighorn ram shot at 59 yards. The shot actually took a sizeable piece of rib and blew it out the far side of the ram but the bullet stayed on the edge of the exit hole. Like I said, bullets can do some strange things and one recovered bullet is certainly not indicitive of average performance.

Agreed

I'm not certain of the intent of your original post.

Not related to bullet performance. I thought it was interesting that almost 2/3rds of the mass "scrubbed off" from bouncing off both shoulders. I'm assuming that most of the mass made it through the first shoulder, or I'd expect the trajectory to change more drasticly, at least to the extent of deflecting the path away from the far shoulder. If this is true, more material was likely scrubbed off by the second shoulder due to (perhaps) less bullet rotation and less energy? All speculation, but it makes me think some experimentation might be fun.

Were you asking for opinions on the performance of the bullet or were you wondering if recovering a bullet was unusual?

Neither, really. More of a "Say, look what I found" post.

I've found that understanding the intent of the original post is important in offering up constructive comment and keeping within the context of the original post.......

Good One!! I've noticed that, too.

 

[straightshooter]

Same ammo I used this year. I clipped the shoulder on one side, shredded part of the heart, and blew up the lungs. It was trapped on the way out the other side of the hide.

I threw it on the scale, it's a cheapo Lee, but its over 110 grains (high as the scale goes). Mine retained the jacket though.

Did it drop your deer well?

VERY well, indeed. He was an 8-pointer in good shape. When hit, he startled momentarily and then decided to get the h*ll outta there. But, with both shoulders either blown out or damaged, he couldn't manage well at all. He tried to reach the closest woods, about 50 yards to the east, but only made it perhaps 25 yards before the blood that was filling his lungs forced him down. He lasted about 2 minutes on the ground before he was dead.

The whole time, he couldn't move any faster than I can walk. While he was trying to make it to the trees, I walked around him and stood in his path to make sure he didn't get into the bush.

Another buck came walking up behind him and saw him struggling. It was interesting to watch the second buck trying to understand the strange behavior he was seeing in the first buck. He was so transfixed, that he didn't even see me standing there in full view. He would have been an easy shot, had I had another tag.

 

[sheephunter]

You might find this interesting....it sheds some light on bullet performance and there is a section on bullet performance when it strikes bone. Lots of debate over the effects of lead in meat and I wouldn't get bogged down in that but this study definitely delves deep into bullet performance. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/lead/index.html

He was an 8-pointer in good shape.

Unless he had eight points on one side he was a four-pointer. This is Alberta after all

 

[straightshooter]

Unless he had eight points on one side he was a four-pointer. This is Alberta after all

I stand corrected. He was a 4-pointer, then.

Is the scoring system different elsewhere?

 

[sheephunter]

I stand corrected. He was a 4-pointer, then.

Is the scoring system different elsewhere?

Not scoring system but point count varies geographically from east to west, both in the U.S. and Canada with most eastern provinces and states using total point count when describing a buck and most westerners using only one side such as in the case of your buck or if the buck was uneven from side to side, both antlers are used independantly......such as an eastern count 7-pointer would be a 4x3 here. Rarely do westerners include brow tines in the count on mulies either but do on whitetails. A 4x4 mule deer with brows would be described as a 4-poiner with brows or a 4x4 with brows.

Easterners typically count all points as well....including non-typical ones whereas westerners usually only count typical points with the non-typicals as an adendum. A 21 pointer in the east could be a 5x5 with junk here!

 

[straightshooter]

Not scoring system but point count varies geographically from east to west, both in the U.S. and Canada with most eastern provinces and states using total point count when describing a buck and most westerners using only one side such as in the case of your buck or if the buck was uneven from side to side, both antlers are used independantly......such as an eastern count 7-pointer would be a 4x3 here. Rarely do westerners include brow tines in the count on mulies either but do on whitetails. A 4x4 mule deer with brows would be described as a 4-poiner with brows or a 4x4 with brows.

Easterners typically count all points as well....including non-typical ones whereas westerners usually only count typical points with the non-typicals as an adendum. A 21 pointer in the east could be a 5x5 with junk here!

Good to know. Thanks, Sheephunter.

That explains why every time I thought I understood, it seemed to change.

 

[luftmech]

Since I have dropped down to 155 Nosler in my .308 from 180 gr I have been recovering the bullets. I feel that if your bullet can go through all of the bones required to penetrate into the lung area, but can't make it out the other side of the hide, then you have the best bullet as ALL of the energy is transferred into the animal at the time of kill. With the 180's I was always getting a 3 - 4 inch exit wound, that worked quite well but the animals ran further as I don't think the bullet was expanding in time. With the 155's they have all dropped on the spot without even a twitch. All shots have been in well under 100 yards, in fact probably under 50 yards for my last five deer.

 

[John Y Cannuck]

Close range shooting in Ontario bush means few recovered bullets.
I have found a 243 Bullet (Nosler partition) from a less than 50 yard shot however. Performed as it was supposed to, just didn't exit.
I've never recovered an intact 30-30 170 grain, or a 45-70, or any from 308, 30-06, 303.
I did find petals from a Barnes once, but that was an early product of theirs, and it's been changed since.
Some years back, one of the guys shot through a 5" maple tree at 20 feet, with a Remington Bronze point 180 grain in a 300 savage. (Early Remington bronze points were way too hard) He recovered the jacket of that bullet on the entrance side of the deer that was standing behind that tree, and the core, from the off side under the hide. a perfect heart/lung shot. Phony as hell, and he still carries that bullet for luck.

 

[Andrzej]

You might find this interesting....it sheds some light on bullet performance and there is a section on bullet performance when it strikes bone. Lots of debate over the effects of lead in meat and I wouldn't get bogged down in that but this study definitely delves deep into bullet performance. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/lead/index.html

Good on line presentation. Interesting how far from wound channel are those lead fragments.
I am glad that my bullets to hunt are copper....for last 8-9 years
and steel broadheads

Marry Christmas Everyone

Andrew

 

[Eagleye]

I have recovered a lot of bullets over the years, but not anywhere near the number that have passed clear through. For example, only about 20% of the Nosler Partitions I have shot at game have been recovered. Here's a couple of pics of the recovered bullets. Top frame is conventional bullets, Bottom is Partitions. Regards, Eagleye.

 

[Gatehouse]

Easterners typically count all points as well....including non-typical ones whereas westerners usually only count typical points with the non-typicals as an adendum. A 21 pointer in the east could be a 5x5 with junk here!

Yup, deer I shot last year would be a 4point wiht a sticker and brow tines here...

In the East, it's an 11 point!

 

[John Y Cannuck]

Yup, deer I shot last year would be a 4point wiht a sticker and brow tines here...

In the East, it's an 11 point!

Move East

 

[John Y Cannuck]

I have recovered a lot of bullets over the years, but not anywhere near the number that have passed clear through. For example, only about 20% of the Nosler Partitions I have shot at game have been recovered. Here's a couple of pics of the recovered bullets. Top frame is conventional bullets, Bottom is Partitions. Regards, Eagleye.

One thing you can say about Partitions, judging from those pics, is that they are consistent.