Business rifled Buck
Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 3:34 pm
Well, the business rifle got its cherry popped on its first buck yesterday morning.
It's not a big buck, but as we all know - any buck killed with an open sighted rifle shooting cast lead bullets with straight black powder in cartridges that we work up loads for is a trophy in the greatest sense and a truly a rewarding experience.
My shot was a lasered 80 yards and I'm shooting a 525 grain flatnose bullet in 30/1 with a .310" meplat driven by 70.0 grains of Goex express compressed .380"
The shot was broadside and if you look carefully you can faintly see a white mark in the lower left shoulder area where the bullet entered. Surprisingly, the bullet exited the neck.
Now, I do know that the buck had his head down feeding right before I dropped the hammer. But, I'm not sure if he was slightly quartering away to where the shotpath would enter that point of the shoulder and exit the neck. OR, could it be that the flatnose bullet might have a tendency to deflect or veer on certain impact angles?
To sum it up, this buck dropped like it was hit by a lightning bolt because the spine got broken as the bullet passed through the neck and exited. The deer did not wiggle, kick, attempt to get up, wag it's tail - nothing, nada, DRT (Dead right there). That was the weirdest and most instantaneous kill that I have ever made or ever witnessed on an animal. I watched through binoculars for 5 minutes immediately after the shot, and to reiterate again - it did not move A BIT.
I'm hoping this was just a fluke shotpath caused by the animal being slightly turned and I just didn't notice it before I squeezed off. I can imagine how the bullet could exit the neck if it's head was turned to the right before the shot - providing he was also slightly quartering away also.
However, If he was indeed perpindicular to me - and the shotpath was truly on a perfectly broadside presentation - Then I'm a little concerned about the flatnose design giving straightline penetration.
I haven't talked to RDNCK yet about what happened, but I intend to because he had virtually identical experience on a much larger animal in Africa with a flatnose bullet. What gets me, is this was a Texas Whitetail? Our deer down here are nothing more than big varmints.
Here are the pics. (By the way, you either have a business rifle in 45/70, or you need one)
It's not a big buck, but as we all know - any buck killed with an open sighted rifle shooting cast lead bullets with straight black powder in cartridges that we work up loads for is a trophy in the greatest sense and a truly a rewarding experience.
My shot was a lasered 80 yards and I'm shooting a 525 grain flatnose bullet in 30/1 with a .310" meplat driven by 70.0 grains of Goex express compressed .380"
The shot was broadside and if you look carefully you can faintly see a white mark in the lower left shoulder area where the bullet entered. Surprisingly, the bullet exited the neck.
Now, I do know that the buck had his head down feeding right before I dropped the hammer. But, I'm not sure if he was slightly quartering away to where the shotpath would enter that point of the shoulder and exit the neck. OR, could it be that the flatnose bullet might have a tendency to deflect or veer on certain impact angles?
To sum it up, this buck dropped like it was hit by a lightning bolt because the spine got broken as the bullet passed through the neck and exited. The deer did not wiggle, kick, attempt to get up, wag it's tail - nothing, nada, DRT (Dead right there). That was the weirdest and most instantaneous kill that I have ever made or ever witnessed on an animal. I watched through binoculars for 5 minutes immediately after the shot, and to reiterate again - it did not move A BIT.
I'm hoping this was just a fluke shotpath caused by the animal being slightly turned and I just didn't notice it before I squeezed off. I can imagine how the bullet could exit the neck if it's head was turned to the right before the shot - providing he was also slightly quartering away also.
However, If he was indeed perpindicular to me - and the shotpath was truly on a perfectly broadside presentation - Then I'm a little concerned about the flatnose design giving straightline penetration.
I haven't talked to RDNCK yet about what happened, but I intend to because he had virtually identical experience on a much larger animal in Africa with a flatnose bullet. What gets me, is this was a Texas Whitetail? Our deer down here are nothing more than big varmints.
Here are the pics. (By the way, you either have a business rifle in 45/70, or you need one)