I wanted to start this thread so I didn't hijack a similar thread currently running that had a more specific aim. Over the years I've shot over 100 whitetail with bullets ranging anywhere from ballistic tips, to accubonds, fail safes, partitions, silver tips, all kids of stuff.
I shoot a Rem 7mm Mag, and I'm mostly shooting southern whitetail that range in weight from 90 lb doe, to 250 lb + bucks. I'd say the average weight of the deer killed is in the 120 to 130 lb range. Most of my shots are double lung, but there are a few neck shots and shoulder shots as well depending on what was presented. Shot distances range from 5 yards to 300 yards, with an average range probably falling in the 120 to 150 range.
The Ballistic Tips basically come apart before they have a chance to exit. Many times I'd find what I'd refer to as a "base plate" under the skin on the far side; just a small tab of thin metal was all that remained. It had shed so much weight it no longer had the momentum to push through the hide, and there was hardly an identifiable piece remaining. They turn the lungs to jelly and leave a trail of small lead fragments wherever they go as the core strips apart. To me that's not a negative, every one of those deer piled up dead, generally within 40 yards of where they stood when shot. It's effective, but doesn't always leave a strong blood trail. The blood you do get tends to come from the blood spraying and dripping from the mouth, more than from the entry hole.
If you're a fan of a strong blood trail, or if you prefer shoulder shots, it's probably not the bullet for you. The shoulders will have severe trauma and metal fragments in them when hit with that bullet. Shoulders are generally covered with a frothy bloody mix that has the consistency of mucus, and it's a real mess.
The other bullets all did like they were advertised. They'd mushroom, with the core stripping away, but that stopped when it peeled back to the partition. Much of that is evident in the pics below.
I even dug a solid copper 50 cal slug out of the mud one day to see how it fared. It looked exactly like in the advertisements. It was just a beautiful sight with the petals all bent back perfectly. I once pulled the lungs from a buck that I'd shot with that very 50 cal bullet and I found the most perfectly concentric circular hole I've ever seen in a gunshot wound. It look as if someone had taken a cookie cutter and just cut a circle out.
Of the 7 mag bullets I recovered (partitions, fail safes, etc) the average weight retention was just over 30%. This doesn't include the Ballistic Tips because I never recovered enough to weigh them.
Below is a link to an album of pics from some of those old bullets. I already have the pics loaded there, and it's just easier to link to it than to upload them all here.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/145495019@N02/albums/72157676235475225/with/30190234943/
So there you have it, some recovered bullet pics. Post 'em if you got 'em.
I shoot a Rem 7mm Mag, and I'm mostly shooting southern whitetail that range in weight from 90 lb doe, to 250 lb + bucks. I'd say the average weight of the deer killed is in the 120 to 130 lb range. Most of my shots are double lung, but there are a few neck shots and shoulder shots as well depending on what was presented. Shot distances range from 5 yards to 300 yards, with an average range probably falling in the 120 to 150 range.
The Ballistic Tips basically come apart before they have a chance to exit. Many times I'd find what I'd refer to as a "base plate" under the skin on the far side; just a small tab of thin metal was all that remained. It had shed so much weight it no longer had the momentum to push through the hide, and there was hardly an identifiable piece remaining. They turn the lungs to jelly and leave a trail of small lead fragments wherever they go as the core strips apart. To me that's not a negative, every one of those deer piled up dead, generally within 40 yards of where they stood when shot. It's effective, but doesn't always leave a strong blood trail. The blood you do get tends to come from the blood spraying and dripping from the mouth, more than from the entry hole.
If you're a fan of a strong blood trail, or if you prefer shoulder shots, it's probably not the bullet for you. The shoulders will have severe trauma and metal fragments in them when hit with that bullet. Shoulders are generally covered with a frothy bloody mix that has the consistency of mucus, and it's a real mess.
The other bullets all did like they were advertised. They'd mushroom, with the core stripping away, but that stopped when it peeled back to the partition. Much of that is evident in the pics below.
I even dug a solid copper 50 cal slug out of the mud one day to see how it fared. It looked exactly like in the advertisements. It was just a beautiful sight with the petals all bent back perfectly. I once pulled the lungs from a buck that I'd shot with that very 50 cal bullet and I found the most perfectly concentric circular hole I've ever seen in a gunshot wound. It look as if someone had taken a cookie cutter and just cut a circle out.
Of the 7 mag bullets I recovered (partitions, fail safes, etc) the average weight retention was just over 30%. This doesn't include the Ballistic Tips because I never recovered enough to weigh them.
Below is a link to an album of pics from some of those old bullets. I already have the pics loaded there, and it's just easier to link to it than to upload them all here.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/145495019@N02/albums/72157676235475225/with/30190234943/
So there you have it, some recovered bullet pics. Post 'em if you got 'em.
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