Well odd things do happen. Apparently the bullet hit the ribs at just the right angle to deflect. But boy that was bad luck. I have been using a 180 Nosier partion in a 30-06 for ever on moose and caribou and it's money in the bank.Jim,
The round I use is a Federal Premium 165 grain Nosier Partition. I have used this round for several years and killed quite a few deer with it and never had an issue so I don't know why this particular animal was different. It was a shot I am comfortable making, especially at that distance, and I have dropped several bucks within ten yards of this spot as they always have scrapes and rubs in the area. He was working a scrape when I shot him. The entry wound was exactly where I expected but the bullet did not continue straight into the vitals rather it appeared to be deflected downward. The hair at the spot was white and it was a severe gut shot.
True. I have seen deer with there lower jaws shot off. Can't imagine doing a more horrible thing to a animal. Quit playing GI Joe with your AR15's and shoot a gun that can break bones.Nothing is 100%. The brain and heart are comparable in size. The vital zone, broad side, is fairly large being several times larger than the brain.
Botched head shots have crippled or starved many deer to death.
I noticed the same thing several years ago, i.e. that the path of the bullet once it entered the deer did not always continue on the same line based upon the path of bullet before hitting. This was true for .243 and .30-06. It never caused me to loose a deer, but was obvious while cleaning it, and some path changes were even at right angles!.The entry wound was exactly where I expected but the bullet did not continue straight into the vitals rather it appeared to be deflected downward.
Quit playing GI Joe with your AR15's and shoot a gun that can break bones.
Looks like you're not the only one getting .5 MOA out of a M&P 10. I agree 100% with you if you want a AR for BG get a M&P 10. Why fool around with popguns when you can shoot a .308.I absolutely agree. If you want to use an AR platform for hunting get an AR-10. I just played with a new Smith & Wesson M&P-10 that weighs 7.7 lbs and shoots .5 MOA out of the box. All of the AR cool factor, very limited recoil, accurate and as light or lighter than many AR-15's on the market. And it shots a no kidding big game capable .308 with any kind of hunting bullets you want to use. If I was going to choose to hunt big game with an AR that would be my rig, no two ways about it.