HuntAway

sabotloader,

What would cause those FTX bullets to tumble so close?

HA

spaniel

Are you sure they were actually tumbling, and didn't just tear the paper away between the two hits? When I've seen obvious tumbles before, you could see a better profile of the bullet in the target.

The result is very backer-dependent, however.

Nice shooting. I did mow my range today, though I am not sure I'll get much of any shooting in between now and the season. I have a backlog of bullet testing (Leighs and Noslers) to do still...I'm terrible this year.

I'm going to be a guinea pig with the 325gr FTX this year, see how it goes. I'm going to try to use it for antelope out west and also whitetails here....shots where I hunt now average 200-300 yards.

From my seat to the bedding area on the ditch far out in the middle of the field where I hunt, where the smart bucks hide, is about 400 yards. I try to cut the range but odds are I'll get to try a long shot or two, and report back with an honest report on them. if they don't work I go back to the 200SW I guess.

tjj

I witnessed a deer shot today @ 50 yds. 250gr ftx 110gr-T7 and a harvester short black. Bang-flopped him. I bought these bullets strictly for punching paper. They were on sale and fly like the sst/shockwaves so I figured I had some good range bullets. Took a youngster hunting today and honestly didn't expect to have a whole lot of luck. Figured I'd try an FTX load. Boy was I mistaken. A high shoulder shot did the trick. The bullet was not recovered(pass through). I don't believe they are the best performing bullet out there by a long stretch. It just makes me wonder how so many guys can make these "well placed" shots with a .45 caliber projectile and blame poor bullet performance for a lost or wounded animal???

spaniel

Anybody who claims the shot was "well placed" but the animal is not recovered, is probably a bit mistaken about how well-placed the shot was.

Archery is one story; with a gun, however, I've never shot a deer through both lungs or the heart and not recovered it.

I HAVE made a couple shots I thought were perfect, the found upon recovering the animal that my shot was NOT what I thought it was.

If the shot is claimed to be perfect, but the animal runs far enough not to be recovered, I assume the shot was poorly placed unless proven otherwise.

Story: Several years ago I was having a slow morning and gave up. I was carrying my Traditions Lighting LD ML and a Rem 11-87 belonging to a friend. I started walking in when someone started shooting in a woods 1/2 mile away. I stopped on my ditch and watched to see if they spooked any deer. Sure enough, 3 does started straight for me.
I dropped prone, getting the ML up on its bipod. The does stopped 75 yds down the ditch; the first one walked across and stopped broadside, and looked in my general direction (not AT me). I aimed carefully, prone on a bipod, and squeezed off the .357 Duplex Dead Center.
When the smoke cleared, the deer was FACING me, standing straight up on its back legs, and toppled over backward DRT. The other two bolted across the field, I switched to the 11-87 and emptied it dropping a second deer (kill shot was 1st shot of course, having more than 1 shot is over-rated!!).
I was shocked upon examining the first doe. I had NOT hit her broadside, but straight in the front of the chest!! I recovered the bullet flattened against her stomach. Somehow, between when the recoil ruined my sight picture and the bullet arrived, that doe turned 90 degrees. Had she turned 90 degrees the other way I would have shot her in the butt but sworn I had a perfect chest shot.

Only recovery tells the true story.

spaniel

What did the entrance/exit/internal damage look like?

sabotloader

spaniel

When I first read the question as posed in your post - I gotta say: ->look at the paper it ripped it sideways. Then I thought you know you really never went and looked - you just looked at through the scope. Then after the second shot it was bigger and I was more convinced.

But, I thought what the heck - so I went out to the truck and looked at the target board. It is really to bad that there were other shots right in that area, but still it is pretty obvious your assesment is correct.

I need to appologize to the FTX - but I still do not like them for hunting, them not even the SST or SW.... how is that for being stubborn? Well maybe if I were antelope hunting or hunting really long distant shots.

tjj

Geez, did the FTX get it's feelings hurt? Not likely. They are accurate, no question. The only problem is they're not really designed for max expansion at MZ velocity's.
The deer shot with the FTX had a broken shoulder and both lungs taken out. The exit wound showed minimal expansion. Everyone likes the term "penciled", so thats what I'll call it. It also broke a rib on exit. My bullet choice could have been better, but it got the job done. Quickly and humanely. There's just no substitution for range time.

Underclocked

Mike, I've been wondering all day how many FEET you were from those boots. I would guess two.

Were you giving those bullets the boot since you were so far from that clump?

Thinking of naming that place boot hill?

ok, I'm done, strawfoot.

sabotloader

UC

I am certainly glad I re-read you post a couple of times... i almost posted back about 4 feet from the ..... cuase I thought you were doing your pixel thing...

From now on shooting a the Dinger Farm will not be same as i have to shoot in 'Boot Hill Draw' but them were my 'sneakers'...

spaniel

Things I learned from my years of shooting at targets on crappy backers ;D

Don't worry, I have no love or hate for the FTX other than they are accurate and the 325 has excellent ballistics and wind-bucking ability. I may be on here Nov 15th-16th cursing them, only time will tell.