Dead deer but without an exit wound.

[R.W.Dale]

I was rather suprized by this as I was shooting the Nosler 180grn balistic tips in my 300 wby. It was a perfect broadside shot at a range of 145yds impact velocity of appx 2800 FPS. Textbook shoulder heart lung shot on about a 150lb doe. Luckily this deer dropped dead on the spot because there would have been NO blood trail to follow.

The bullet went through one shoulder and appearnetly disintigrated in the chest cavity, There was nothing that even resembled a heart or lungs in the chest.

While I like the way the B-tips anchor whitetail I'm just not comfortable relying aboun this happening every time. Last year I shot a buck with the 168grn B-tip with the same results as above, so this year I stepped up to the elligedly tougher 180grn projectile. But got the same result as before

I'm now of the opinion that the ballistic tips are fine for STD non magnum chamberings but in the big boomers they are best reguarded as varmint bullets.

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

Try shooting them behind the shoulder instead of in it.

 

[Grumulkin]

What exactly do you want to happen? The deer died fast didn't they?

It's all in bullet construction. I've shot deer with a 308, 30/06 and a 270 from ranges of about 15 yards up to a bit over 100 yards in which the bullet didn't pass through but they all died. I've shot other deer with a 222 and 22-250 with complete bullet pass through and they died fast as well.

Decide what you want. If you want a good blood trail and complete bullet pass through try something like Barnes bullets or bullets of a larger more heavily constructed type (say a 375 H&H Mag.). Since they seem to be working for you, I'd probably just keep using what you have.

 

[Hammerxc]

Try shooting them behind the shoulder instead of in it.

Exactly. The ballistic tip works well, for what it was intended for. It's not a bullet designed for shoulder shooting or quartering shots thru a shoulder. It's designed to have very rapid expansion and thus is meant for pure heart/lung shots (no traveling through shoulders to get there).
If you want a bullet that will go through a shoulder, the body, and then exit on the far side, you will need to sellect a different one.

 

[dfaugh]

I dunno, sounds like the performance is pretty much what it shoutd be...ALL of the bullets energy is being expended, to the point of maximizing the internal damage.

Personally, I'D much rathe have this happen (since the deer dropped right there) than to have to follow a blood trail of a wounded deer.

 

[waffentomas]

Don't have a lot to add...only this - if the bullet went through the shoulder and turned the heart and lungs into scrambled eggs, where did you think that deer might go??

You could switch to a Barnes if you are really concerned about it, but that's a lot of gun and bullet for whitetail. I think your set up is pretty good as is.

Tom

 

[sixgunner455]

Nosler Ballistic tip, I've never used. Nosler Partition, now that's the bomb. Expands like a soft point, penetrates like a solid. Makes a heck of a lot of sense to me.

 

[LBTRS]

Shooting a .300 Weatherby I would not use a ballistic tip. You would get better bullet performance in this caliber with a good controlled expansion bullet. If you like Nosler then try the partition. There are much better bullets in this caliber than ballistic tips in my opinion.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Don't have a lot to add...only this - if the bullet went through the shoulder and turned the heart and lungs into scrambled eggs, where did you think that deer might go??

You'ed be rather suprized at just how far an aminal wounded in such a manner can go if it takes it into it's head to do so. I just got lucky this time that it fell over like a ram in a smallbore shilouette match.

 

[cottonmouth]

45-70

I recovered this Sierra 300 grain holow point from a 45-70 yesterday from a 205 pound 10 point. I hit him just behind the right shoulder and the bullet exited the rib cage on the left side but did not exit the skin. I guess it didn't matter, he only went 15 or 20 yards. My brother shoots the same load in his 45-70 and usually doesn't recover the projectile due to it hitting a bone and coming apart. I think it has more to do with shot placement, but when it's a big caliber rifle that just devistates the internals like you described, lung/heart, it doesn't matter.

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

Shoot a deer through the lungs with a ballistic tip and it will not go far. This bullet is not the best if you like shoulder shots.

 

[Greybeard]

"You'ed be rather suprized at just how far an aminal wounded in such a manner can go if it takes it into it's head to do so."

Yep, ' hit a big cow elk last month at about 80 yards with 165g Hornady Interbond "Light Magnum" from '06. She bolted and ran back in the direction from which she'd came (with whole herd following) before going down - a good 100 yards from where broadside shot high-lunged her.

It got dark quickly thereafter with cold-wet-bona-fide-miserable conditions getting her out of spring-fed meadow and field dressed, so I did not have opportunity for a more complete "autopsy". But I don't think that bullet exited either. No blood or hole in offside hide. Chunk of meat about the size of half dollar found buggered up on offside rib cage, but never did locate bullet ...

 

[litman252]

If you break a shoulder and destroy the internalls I think you need to be happy. Punching holes and not destroying much leads to long trails and possibly no deer. I'd stay where you are. Then again I'm a wuss and need a bag of ice with that monster caliber.

Tony

 

[R.W.Dale]

Then again I'm a wuss and need a bag of ice with that monster caliber.

NAH! You just need to spring for a brake like I did, My 300 wby now kicks about like my .243

 

[GooseGestapo]

For shorter range shots (Under 300yds) try the Remington 180gr Cor-lokts. They may not be quite as accurate, or flat shooting, but I've found that from my .300 RemUltraMag. that at 3300fps, they WILL exit out the far side with a similar shot you describe. (Shot a doe at 45yds this evening- entered the left rear rib- exited behind right shoulder). Entry wound was ~1" in dia. exit wound was ~1/2". Secondary exit wound at base of neck was probably a fragment of the jacket.

Still expect considerable internal damage, and entrance wounds larger than the exit wounds !!!

Try these for the closer shots. They actually are more accurate at 100yds from my Savage M110 than the Noslers. (GO FIGURE !!)

They are certainly less expensive and allow more practice.

I plan on switching to surplus .50BMG powders to cut my expense to less than a .308 with new production powders.

16lbs of Wideners SMP860 ordered ! $25.00 for 8lbs. 500 Rem. 180's for ~55.00.

However, for the limited number of shots per year after initial load developement, RL-25 has been superlatively, and Retumbo very close- higher velocity but slight less efficient. Accuracy is about equal.

RL-25 @ 93.0gr for 3,300fps (26"bbl)
Retumbo @ 100.0gr 3,400fps
180gr Remington Corlokt @ 3.600" oal.

 

[redneck2]

It's easier to find an animal when they leak from both sides. The blood trail from the exit would is typically much more than the entry side.

If you have a bullet that blows up and you catch a heavy bone, you may end up with a wounded animal that's lost

"If" you get a perfect hit, you're fine. If not, it goes downhill fast.

My son-in-law got an 8 point buck yesterday. 12 gauge copper solid thru the lungs. Pretty much made a mess of the lungs and obviously had total pass thru. Deer still went 80 yards.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

The 180gr .308 dia nosler ballistic tip is not going to be any "tougher" than a 165 or 150. The jacket thickness is the same in 30 cal regardless if it is loaded into a 308 win casing or .308 Warbird casing. If you want you bullet to come out the other side I would try a bullet with a thicker jacket ie Nosler trophy bonded bear claw, or a solid copper barnes bullet. But why change if your killing deer? I use the 165 NBT in my 06' and it has performed flawlessly, however rarely exits.

 

[Trip20]

I've always used Winchester Ballistic Silvertips (WBS) in my Remington 700 chambered in .270win with great results.

This year when I went to pick up a couple boxes to sight in the rifle and prepare for gun deer season, they were out of WBS in the 130gr I use each year. So I ended up purchasing some Federal Fusion. Its performed well on deer so far. It's cheaper than WBS's, and it's a good penetrator. I'll probably use it from now on, but only because it's cheaper.

Personally, I think people worry too much about how their round will perform on deer. If the subject were cape buffalo - well then I could understand some himming and hawing.

Through all my relatives, and all my friends, there is a pretty wide selection of caliber, bullet weight, and brand of ammuntion. Considering this range of experience, it is apparent to me that when shooters make good shots in the vitals or neck, deer are recovered 100% of the time with minimal effort.