Thread: Projectile performance

Originally Posted by Magnetite

Where were you shooting, through the shoulder? And as for the contaminated meat do you give it a wide berth or just what looks damaged?

Not me, I wont use them myself. I have mates who were using them and I always end up skinning and butchering the animals, so I get to measure and compare

again,its all about shot placement Vs meat recovery Vs anchoring animal Vs what you have got on hand to use.
you can shoot deer with a .12ga shotgun and 36gr load of #4 birdshot if you really have to...and can get within 5 yards and can point it either just below chin or into lungs through ribs.......it WILL be very messy and you WILL have lead contamination.... that is one extreme and neither shot placement would loose much meat and neither will touch steak meat.
you could shoot deer wit h.50BMG with 750grn FMJ at 1500 yards,too and get no lead contamination and possibly stuff all bruising if your shot goes through ribs and out through ribs
deer will die,just maybe not in huge hurry,most big slow projectiles will do same...unless you hit big bones they wont break up.
I hate wastage as much as next fella but are starting to see in these times of higher numbers that maybe Im betterto take back wheels n backsteaks off anything further away and only take 100% of meat from close ones...I do recall a few times over the years when a long way from wagon deer being shot twice through shoulders (which may or may not have been necessary)so I didnt feel guilty leaving good meat behind.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

again,its all about shot placement Vs meat recovery Vs anchoring animal Vs what you have got on hand to use.
you can shoot deer with a .12ga shotgun and 36gr load of #4 birdshot if you really have to...and can get within 5 yards and can point it either just below chin or into lungs through ribs.......it WILL be very messy and you WILL have lead contamination.... that is one extreme and neither shot placement would loose much meat and neither will touch steak meat.
you could shoot deer wit h.50BMG with 750grn FMJ at 1500 yards,too and get no lead contamination and possibly stuff all bruising if your shot goes through ribs and out through ribs
deer will die,just maybe not in huge hurry,most big slow projectiles will do same...unless you hit big bones they wont break up.
I hate wastage as much as next fella but are starting to see in these times of higher numbers that maybe Im betterto take back wheels n backsteaks off anything further away and only take 100% of meat from close ones...I do recall a few times over the years when a long way from wagon deer being shot twice through shoulders (which may or may not have been necessary)so I didnt feel guilty leaving good meat behind.

Always remind people that meat damage is preferential to a runner you never recover, which is 100% meat loss!

Like you say, the proof is in the pudding so will look forward to seeing how they go for you.
Appreciate the comments though, I try to make the best projectiles I can.
Good luck!

Originally Posted by TARGEX

Like you say, the proof is in the pudding so will look forward to seeing how they go for you.
Appreciate the comments though, I try to make the best projectiles I can.
Good luck!

Yours are excellent. Have never let me down.

and you cant make an omlet without breaking eggs...a bullets JOB is to destroy stuff....how much stuff and what stuff is controlable by you.

No idea how refreshing it is to hear that a bullets job is to destroy & put an animal down as quickly as possible & if that's the case meat loss WILL happen.
Gets ridiculous as it's either a complaint about animals running off after being shot (Not good at all I agree!)
OR its complaining because of meat damage, I have noticed that if animals aren't killed quickly with a bit of meat loss it generally means the animal is still running & no meat at all is forthcoming. Then the poor thing dies slowly to know ones benefit.
It's impossible to make the perfect bullet to keep everyone happy
If you want absolute minimum meat loss though, its a case of go to big calibers, 44cal up & run heavy cast bullets in them at moderate velocities using soft bullet metal. They will give very good penetration & very little meat loss BUT forget about longer range flat trajectory.
Cant say I get excited about low meat loss if it means having to track wounded animals all through the bush before they go down.
Personally I like to hit them in the engine room & when picked up they make a sloshing noise like they are full of water as the bullet ruptures internally & turns heart & lungs into slush.
No tracking needed
I know there are always different opinions & that's fine but that is mine for what its worth.
Other BIG one is put the bullet where it should be put in the animal to start with.

Originally Posted by TARGEX

No idea how refreshing it is to hear that a bullets job is to destroy & put an animal down as quickly as possible & if that's the case meat loss WILL happen.
Gets ridiculous as it's either a complaint about animals running off after being shot (Not good at all I agree!)
OR its complaining because of meat damage, I have noticed that if animals aren't killed quickly with a bit of meat loss it generally means the animal is still running & no meat at all is forthcoming. Then the poor thing dies slowly to know ones benefit.
It's impossible to make the perfect bullet to keep everyone happy
If you want absolute minimum meat loss though, its a case of go to big calibers, 44cal up & run heavy cast bullets in them at moderate velocities using soft bullet metal. They will give very good penetration & very little meat loss BUT forget about longer range flat trajectory.
Cant say I get excited about low meat loss if it means having to track wounded animals all through the bush before they go down.
Personally I like to hit them in the engine room & when picked up they make a sloshing noise like they are full of water as the bullet ruptures internally & turns heart & lungs into slush.
No tracking needed
I know there are always different opinions & that's fine but that is mine for what its worth.
Other BIG one is put the bullet where it should be put in the animal to start with.

Like this

Meat loss is never high on my list if both shoulders are buggered and you want more meat then just shoot another one.

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Meat damage is not a concern for me. I still have plenty
of meat to carry out. And if I needed more, I would endeavor to shoot another one within a short space of time.
My main priority is to get it down as quickly and humanely as possible. If that means losing a little more meat through projectile choice, so be it.

There's plenty of deer around.

I believe that it is immoral to take an animals life and not utilize every part. I think it shows a general attitude of disrespect for the game animal. In fact I would rather see a clean shot deer under a helicopter and fully utilized than shot through the shoulders and half of it wasted on the hill by a junior woodchuck.
In the meat hunting days there were rows of deer in chillers all around the country 99% were clean shot in the head or neck with scopes that were nowhere as good as todays scopes, so why cant people clean shoot today Is it a lack of ability, muscle tone, practice, confidence or lazy. Or is it all of those plus people taking long shots instead of stalking closer ?

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

I believe that it is immoral to take an animals life and not utilize every part. I think it shows a general attitude of disrespect for the game animal. In fact I would rather see a clean shot deer under a helicopter and fully utilized than shot through the shoulders and half of it wasted on the hill by a junior woodchuck.
In the meat hunting days there were rows of deer in chillers all around the country 99% were clean shot in the head or neck with scopes that were nowhere as good as todays scopes, so why cant people clean shoot today Is it a lack of ability, muscle tone, practice, confidence or lazy. Or is it all of those plus people taking long shots instead of stalking closer ?

So a clean shot deer under a copter for pet food is ok for you woodchuck

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Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

I believe that it is immoral to take an animals life and not utilize every part. I think it shows a general attitude of disrespect for the game animal. In fact I would rather see a clean shot deer under a helicopter and fully utilized than shot through the shoulders and half of it wasted on the hill by a junior woodchuck.
In the meat hunting days there were rows of deer in chillers all around the country 99% were clean shot in the head or neck with scopes that were nowhere as good as todays scopes, so why cant people clean shoot today Is it a lack of ability, muscle tone, practice, confidence or lazy. Or is it all of those plus people taking long shots instead of stalking closer ?

Should we only head shoot everything from now on?

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

In the meat hunting days there were rows of deer in chillers all around the country 99% were clean shot in the head or neck with scopes that were nowhere as good as todays scopes, so why cant people clean shoot today Is it a lack of ability, muscle tone, practice, confidence or lazy. Or is it all of those plus people taking long shots instead of stalking closer ?

Money talks. Were those the £1 per l/b days?

Personally prefer to see the newbie/recreational hunter getting 'one for the pot' compared to a pro shooting hundreds if not thousands of deer a year.

I shoot deer for a living and have killed much more than I could possibly eat. Don't you wonder about what happens to the deer after putting it to the chiller and never seeing it again? Could land up as dog food!

Much more respect for my friend who shoots in his leisure time and shares the proceeds with friends and family. Although he has been known to stray from the path and sell one to the chiller on occasion! @takbok

I understand where you coming from moa hunter....... but this game is different for every player....I remember when folks frowned upon others who didnt catch n release every trout....well thats double edged sword,catch it,kill it and eat it is arguably better than stress it out with drawn out fight on light gear and possibly miss handle it on bank and release it hoping it will survive (yes I know lots of folks do it right)
if a fella cleanly kills a deer,they have shown it respect,if they take out decent amount of meat to eat,they have utilised the animal.... maybe it could have been utilised more..but its still a darn sight better than dying with its guts burning out with poison then rotting in a creek feeding nothing but maggots.