Headed to Quebec

[SHOOTINGSTIX]

Just booked my trip back to Quebec for next year, and on top of it im going back next fall for carabue. the sharps in on a roll. My quest is to see how many different game animals I can take with my 45-90. the quest goes on.

[Brent]

Who has had bad experiences with a govt bullet? I can't imagine any of those making a dimes worth of difference. A good blunt bullet has always done the job and will continue to always do the job. Don't over think this stuff.

Brent

[pete]

Brent;
In looking back through the forum history I found a couple of people preferring flat points to round noses. I guess I'm thinking about this because it's a pretty serious issue when it comes to trying to kill an animal as humanely as possible. If my target bullet's not up to the task it's not fun but I don't have a guilty conscience either. I appreciate your response thanks.

[Brent]

I am all for humane bullets, but the Govt bullet is essentially a flat nose. Both work great. Lots of bullets do. Look back at some of those and see a post on a deer I shot with a 475 gr flatnose at 200 yds. Look at the effect in the photo, the bullet placement and that it ran several hundred yards. Explaining that variance is darn near impossible and I can show you a stack of animals, much bigger (10x!) and they died much faster when shot with the same bullet. That is why I say there is not a magic bullet.

[SHOOTINGSTIX]

I think it boils down to the gun. I have seen people shoot guns that they are not use to handling. they miss time and time again. you need to know your gun and the ammo it shoots. I can tag a two foot buffalo steel target at 250 with my set up so I can hit the mark. If I hit a sholder I want to know the bullet is going to drive straight threw. and that is where I like to aim . my gun likes the gov bullet I feed it. Im not looking for target accuracy. just be able to hit a baseball at 100. I know the drop at different ranges and can get it there. No animal is going to run more than 100 yards with no lungs. Just isn't going to happen. take out the lungs with an arrow and its done. there is know shocking power it just cuts threw. hit one lung and that animal will run alot farther and may even live for another day. You need to know your gun, your ammo and the vitals of the animal you are shooting at. thats my take on it all but heck I could be rong. I have tracked hit deer for people that say I went right threw the lungs and after 300 yards I tell them now way. after we do recover the game , and under further inspection , wow liver and one lung, or gut and liver . and a there are alot of animals that can be real tough. bad hit long blood trail lung hit and there down . high hit and it takes time for the lungs to fill before they go down, but they do.
My bear was a quarting away shot . took out both lungs It ran 30 to 40 yards . and was piled up and Im not sure it went that far. vary little blood.
lost sight of him in fact with the smoke wasn't even sure I had hit the darn thing. It ran off like it wasn't even hit. Bad hit on a bear can make for a vary scary tracking job at sunset.
I saw one of the posts that one of the fine men of this page had posted on practicing for hunting. he took different size plates and placed them at different ranges and shot them for real time parctice. Try it some time , You might be surprized on how you do and your hits. practice practice practice. thats what I tell myself.
I shoot target at my club and have learned alot about all of this from the fine men on this forum..
I work for home depot . but im also a pro staff member for skyline camo yep , Im a pro hunter. Like it was said just about any bullet will work. but make it one you know how to shoot. thats the trick. if other bullets shot out of my gun like the gov dose i would shoot them . Its just I have practiced with this one and it works for me . shoot the one that works for you. thats the Key.

[rdnck]

STIX--Good post. Shoot straight, rdnck.

[hotshoe]

Amen ,,,,too many hunters think they can shoot... Talking big at the bar don't get it done! I worked at a gun shop and one of my jobs was to sight in guns for "hunters" ..Go to the range with a truck load of slug guns and ammo and sight them in. the dudes would take the guns out opening day with never firing a shot. I can still get a gun sighted in in under five rounds.(Slug gun)

[pete]

SHOOTINGSTIX;
You're absolutely right, shot placement is critical and there are too many people that don't care enough to practice and your tips are good.
On the other hand marginal hits are a fact even by experienced hunters that do all the necessary practice and a good bullet choice can make the difference between finding an animal and not. Even good hits with bad bullet choices can result in lost animals.
Well the wind's blowing pretty good again today and I'm taking your guys suggestion and going with the govt. bullet...not that I'd try a 200 yd. shot in these conditions with it either.
Thanks to everybody.

[mannyspd1]

While shot placement is the most important thing, I do believe that the nose shape of the bullet is also important. I do not believe that sharper profile nose shapes like a spitzer or even a postell is as effective as a blunt nose profile. The reason for this is the elastic tissue will stretch before it is torn, and then pop back into its original configuration, leaving a smaller than caliber hole in elastic tissue with a sharp nosed bullet. Less stretch occurs with a blunt nosed bullet, leaving a bigger hole. Non-elastic tissue like liver will react differently.

A blunt nose projectile will leave a bigger hole than a sharp nose profile bullet, thus causing more tissue damage. More tissue damage is good, if penetration is sufficient.

The govt. bullet, with its round nose blunt nose, along with its ample of penetration, makes it a very good hunting bullet.

Manny

[Brent]

A guy that used to write a lot for the Singleshot Exchange put together an article about shooting big game with a target bullet and a BPCR. It did not go well. I didn't need any convincing before that article but that certainly confirmed my hypothesis. Blunt is good. Blunt roundnoses like the .45 govt bullet or flat noses. Why mess with anything else?

Brent

[pete]

Hopefully I'll be able to do my own test with the govt. bullet this fall and if so it works out fine. Like I said earlier the expansion on a buffalo was less than with a flat point but that might be like comparing apples to oranges when it comes to deer/antelope size animals. I thought about ordering a Saeco 1881 even though I have a Lyman 457125 but the extra .070 of case room with the Saeco (Amounting to about 4 gr. of powder) doesn't seem like it's worth the extra cost.

[SHOOTINGSTIX]

With my 45-90 im getting 92gr of goax cartridge. and that works well and will go threw a buffalo. Goes threw deer no problem. makes a nice hole also. no problems with finding blood in the leaves.

[Clarence]

I recall a shooter from IN/OH area saying that he had used a Postell or something similar on a kudu in South Africa, and that he had a very long chase to finally get the animal...

Clarence

[mdeland]

The bullet on the right is one I cut a couple of years ago when the mono groove was all the rage. It weighs 630 grains. The bands are .458 and the shank is .450. It has a pretty flat nose as you can see.
I gave half a box to Mike Millholland to test but have not heard back from him yet .
I think my 1-18 might be a bit slow to stabilize this bugger but have not got around to testing it yet.
I have no doubts about it's being able to penetrate.
Next to it is the PJ 530 grn, one of the many renditions of the gov't bullet and the Lyman Schmittzer. MD

[mdeland]

The nose shape of that bullet reminded me of another common bullet profile and it took me a bit to place it.
It looks a lot like the 45 ACP ball shape to me.
Not much chance of any nose slumping as the shank is cylindrical to the short ogive and it is bore diameter.
I wonder what the BC would be? Anyone hazard a guess?
I actually had an idea to use it at 600 yards while making it but when I weighted it I felt my shoulder groan and decided against it.
I bet it would pole axe a buffalo or moose! MD