Bullet Placement, where is your sweet spot?

I dropped a yearling hind this morning and started thinking about bullet placement, most of the deer I shoot are a reasonably long walk into the bush, so therefore I just aim for the front shoulder as I’m to far in to carry the whole animal back to the vehicle anyway, for this reason I find myself just automatically lining up on the shoulder every time out of habit, the times I have shot a deer in the neck or head they have been facing me, or watching me from behind a tree so only presenting their head or neck.
I like to recover the projectiles and 7-8 times out of 10 when I shoot them through the shoulder I will find the projectile just under the skin on the opposite side, I consider this a good thing as it shows that all of the bullets energy is being used where it is supposed to be, which is in the middle of the animals chest doing all the damage to the vital organs.
This morning’s yearling red had two holes, entry and exit on its shoulders, I was a bit surprised to see that the bullet had gone right through after hitting bone and organs. But on skinning the deer I found the bullet just under the skin and off to the side, I can only assume that the travelling bullet carried a plug of bone and snot with it that then punch through the skin, why the bullet didn’t come out as well I don’t know, deflection possibly from pushing an object in front of it, or the lead coming away from the brass jacket, although the lead tip is usually mashed back inside the brass jacket.

Entry hole right shoulder centre
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Exit hole from something
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Found yah!
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Looks like the lead from inside is missing? Probably kept going through

As for me I almost never find projectiles in animals

Part of it was mashed back inside the brass, how much of it I don't know.

Happens quite often the exit hole but bullet under the skin as I said in one of your other threads?

Yet to recover a Barnes 130ttsx 30 cal they will penetrate the full length of a big animal.

Neck if easy and feeling confident, lungs if wanting a bigger target.

Yeah I saw that comment, I use the cheaper end of the scale factory ammo so it wouldn't have the punch of hand loads to keep on travelling

that sweet spot haha



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Originally Posted by oneshot

Yeah I saw that comment, I use the cheaper end of the scale factory ammo so it wouldn't have the punch of hand loads to keep on travelling

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With the exception of the solid copper bullets the slower they go the more they will penetrate the faster they go the less they will penetrate, this is because the faster they go the more violently they expand and fragment losing most or in some cases all of their weight into little fragments.

I never thought of it like that, I use Remington Core lockt which usually mushroom really well (most of the time)

Looks to be good performance to me :thumbsup:

This vid is quite neat and shows where all that bruising comes from with frangible projectiles ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKedGBIjDfg

Rather mesmerising

Oneshot I shot a sheep a while ago for a farmer in the same place as you which didnt exit either but had 2 clean holes in each shoulder blade, was with an amax.

All deer ive shot bar 1 with berger vlds ive had bullet exit on and sometimes leave a hole of around 2 inches, one time it even pulled some innards out with it. All my shots behind the shoulder or on it.

Man, that photographer makes that an art doesn't he.. very cool.

I always go for the middle of the shoulder with the 243. Its a proven fact that the best perforance out of a 243 round is where you hit bone.
Never lost one animal yet after being hit with the 243 so esp in the bush its a great killing round on deer, pigs and bigger animals like stags.
In saying that ive still shot a few in the neck and behind the shoulder when i started out.
Sometimes behind the shoulder the deer will run a few yards, sometimes 50 and fall over dead. Not one has got more than 10 yards with a shot in the shoulder thou . Last two deer ive shot have been neck shots but the biggest percentage of shots are shoulder shots.
Not only does it work, but most shots are free standing and miles from car so not carriying the whole anaimal out and in the bush you like them to bang drop and shoulder shots do that.
Fed powershoks are awesome (100gr). Using the Rem corelolts in the 308 thou

Aim big, miss small. I almost always aim for the shoulder.

I always go for the crease just behind the shoulder. Lob a 308 in there and it's good night
Never been keen to try a head/neck shot in fear of wounding and losing it

Reading this thread with great interest, still inexperienced, so will go for the shoulder shot as i was taught.......neck if a broadside shot does not present itself......:thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by sako75

I always go for the crease just behind the shoulder. Lob a 308 in there and it's good night
Never been keen to try a head/neck shot in fear of wounding and losing it

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Yeah im the same as @sako75 , just slightly in behind the front should for entry, smashes through the vitals, (heart lungs ) biggest area to aim for with biggest target to hit. Havent lost an animal to date, never dropped one on the spot but a quick scout on the blood trail leaves usually only a 30 meter walk to the animal. I feel confident shooting my rifle and could most likely make the neck head shots if I was forced too but prefer to whistle or bark at the deer to pull them up or make them move a little on the spot for a shot. Hunting for meat so in behind the shoulder usually allows at least one front shoulder to still be able to be quickly boned for sausages patties salami's etc.

Just take the opportunities as they present themselves. The key to a clean kill is understanding the anatomy of a deer and being able to assess the angle of where the bullet will go after it hits. The angles and anatomy are very important.

If you become a slave to a particular aiming point, you are going to miss out on a few.
I prefer the bullet to go right through, but that's a personal thing. Two busted shoulders are better than one, just as a decent blood trail is better than none.

And if you keep hunting long enough, you will all have the odd one get away, and have the odd fail no matter what.

No one learns anything by looking at a pic of a deer with its head blown off. But like Oneshot did, you learn a lot by fishing around inside and seeing the bullets path and what organs are damaged.

I shot a hind with a 308 125gn just behind the shoulder. She took off and all I could think was 'oh fuk' fortunately my brother was higher up from me and saw her when she came to a stop. He was about to shoot it when she jelled over dead. Where she dropped the ground was literally sprayed in blood.
I have gone back to 168gn SGK and drop them on the spot.
As Tahr said, as long as it is a humane shot and causes them no suffering then it is a good shot

sako75 Interesting you say that i've just watched a dvd and thats where they aim, there reason is 100% kill and less meat loss, my hot spot has now changed from the shoulder to the crease.