2019 Recovered Hunting Bullets

[ndallyn]

I thought it might be interesting to start a thread posting photos of recovered bullets from this years rifle season - there’s lots of threads on bullet expansion in test media. Let’s see some bullets recovered in hunting situations! Post caliber, bullet, rifle used, etc.

My submission:

I took three deer this year with a Ruger Hawkeye in .257 Roberts loaded with 117 gr Hornady SST’s over IMR 4831. Picked up the rifle this year off the EE - was bedded and free-floated but it shot very well with the first load I tried in it - so I put a couple hundred rounds through it in various conditions/shooting positions and took it hunting. I took a three point whitetail, a big spike mule buck, and a mule doe. Whitetail and doe were pass-through shots (single shot on both). The recovered bullet comes from the mule buck. I surprised him at the top of a cutline, he came up the cutline and i took the shot at 40 yds with him quartering towards me at an uphill angle (deer’s right front shoulder toward me). Bullet went through the front right leg, through the lungs and body - and ended up under the hide at the back left ham just in front of the hip. Because of the uphill angle it missed all of the guts, only hitting the front leg, lungs and diaphragm on it’s way through.

View attachment 327509View attachment 327510View attachment 327508

 

[IvoB]

nice

 

[350 Mag]

Nice looking mushroom...held together perfect.

 

[HChammer]

I have a BLR in .257 bob and the only deer I shot with it was a heart shot at 80yards and i have never seen so much blood pump out that fast! not sure why I don’t hunt with it more often.

 

[hoytcanon]

I saved a 140 Accubond from a Mountain goat, taken at 430 yards and found under the offside hide... all the others were .358 Winchester pass-throughs.

 

[bbobie]

That sst expanded perfectly from what I have read and heard on this site , the sst is very explosive at close range
Congrats on the deer also

 

[257Roberts]

Nice job ndallyn, the 257 is a great cartridge.

I have a BLR in .257 bob and the only deer I shot with it was a heart shot at 80yards and i have never seen so much blood pump out that fast! not sure why I don’t hunt with it more often.

HChammer I have one of those BLR's to. Taken 2 deer, the last was hit perfectly through the top of the heart and both lungs and out the other side. Load was 117gr. Hornady round nose pushes by IMR 4350. The first was quartering away and opened up the whole side, easy gutting.

David

 

[ndallyn]

That sst expanded perfectly from what I have read and heard on this site , the sst is very explosive at close range
Congrats on the deer also

This was from a shot taken at 40 yds, whitetail was at 50yds, mule doe was at about 115-120 yds. Both of the pass-throughs were a small hole going in and a loonie sized hole going out. I have heard that the sst is “explosive” as well but i wonder if that is due to jacket thickness differences at different bore diameters (or thickness relative to the cross sectional area of the bullet - more lead expanding against the jacket in larger bore diameters) or from being pushed at high velocity. In the bob at about 27-2800fps this bullet seems to work very well - at .257 Weatherby velocities it may very well come apart.

 

[ndallyn]

Retained weight on that bullet was 90.7gr (77.5% retained weight). Considering it smashed through the front leg bone and travelled the length of the bucks body i am pretty happy with that.

 

[flyinlead]

That’s excellent performance and very efficient. One certainly doesn’t need a big 300 magnum to kill deer.

 

[Eagleye]

I've been picking bullets out of game since practically day 1. Many are lost due to passthroughs,
but even those are recovered occasionally. [I have found 3 of these bullets]

Of cup and core, about 50% of mine have been lost, of premiums [mostly Partitions] 80% have
been lost. Below are some pictures of my recovered bullets.

Cup and core of various persuasions. Bottom row is the row of shame, lol.

Premiums, mostly Partitions, but a few bonded. [Left arrow..now obsolete 190 grain Blue Point Bonded, made in Ontario, Right arrow, original 180 Swift Scirocco from a moose with a 30-06]

180 Swift Scirocco II from moose with 308 Norma Mag.

200 Swift A-Frame from Elk with 308 Norma Mag

220 Swift A-Frame from Elk with 8mm Rem Mag
Dave.

 

[ndallyn]

That is a very impressive collection!

 

[brybenn]

Ive had great success with the sst in 2506. Above 3000fps they cone apart. Under that they seem to hold together well. I started annealing them and have gotten much more predictable results

180gr in my 300wm explode in sand but i havent tried them on game or any other media. Just punching paper so far

 

[mosinmaster]

I guess this is 1 oz .729 caliber "bullet"

 

[tilo]

That’s a nice bullet collection Eagleye, do you recall the distance of the swift bullets?

Thanks

 

[MartyT]

Roughly 100 to 150 yard shot on red stag, broadside boiler room shot, bullet on offside hide. 270 win, 140gr sierra tipped gameking

 

[Eagleye]

That’s a nice bullet collection Eagleye, do you recall the distance of the swift bullets?

Thanks

The earlier One was the original 180 Scirocco [not the Scirocco II] and the shot was
a Young Bull Moose at just under 200 meters. He was quartering towards me, and
that bullet broke the onside shoulder and was recovered in the liver. [30-06]

The other one, with the loaded round was also a young Bull moose, just around 90
meters. Broadside shot, 308 Norma Magnum [MV 3100 fps] Found under hide on off-
side. This was the improved Scirocco II, which is a very good bonded bullet, IMHO.
Dave.

 

[The Flint&Fly Guy]

Since I started using the 9.3x62 on deer I havnt recovered a single bullet. Been thinking about getting a 257 Roberts for when I take new hunters out, good to see it gets the job done!

 

[SJAR]

I'll play.

140gr Accu-bond from my 7-08 at about 2500fps if I recall correctly. I believe 105 grains was the retained weight but I will weigh it again and update the post.

Calf moose at 160 yards quartering away on the trot. Found it in the offside hide. Moose went about 60 yards.View attachment 327993

 

[a j cave]

Only thing I had a chance to recover was shot pellets in ducks and geese. Easy to tell who was using blind side. Some 4s and 2s helped I’d birds as well.