Thread: 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


Exit hole from something


Found yah!