Bullet Question
#11
#12
I started using Knight in-line muzzle loaders for all my hunting in 2007. My first WT was killed with a Barnes 250 gr Expander and the next with 1 250 gr TMZ. Both are great bullets and perform well on game, and retained 98% of their original weight. At that time BH 209 hadn't been introduced and I used Pyrodex and 777. The stock Barnes sabots were hard to load so when Hornady introduced their EZ load sabot I started using their SST in 300 gr. For the next 3 yrs. it killed everything I hit, but I wasn't satisfied. Some shots fragmented to the point that all that remained was the copper cup and others were through and through. Based on posted comments other hunters were concerned about the same problem. The WT's on our W.Texas lease aren't real large, but we have Aoudad, Axis, Fallow and some very large hogs, so at the start of the year I switched to Harvester's 300 gr. PT Gold bullet, a black crush rib sabot pushed by 110 gr of BH 209 and a Winchester regular 209 primer. I couldn't be more pleased with the results. It's a very accurate load and of the 8 animals I killed, 6 dropped where shot and neither of the other 2 made more than 10 yds. Terrific down range performance. Lots of internal damage, but no bullet break-up. I use the 300 over the 250 because it has a better ballistic coefficient and retains more down range energy. None of that matters however if you can't deliver the bullet at the right spot. Lots of Range time from various shooting positions with a steady rest will pay huge dividends. Good hunting.
#13
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 252
Sabotloader- thank you for the suggestion. I never heard of these bullets until you mentioned them. After doing research, I'm real curious and interested now. I saw another thread on this site saying that they come in XP and controlled fractioning. Do you use either? My concern with the controlled fractioning is the exit wound. I don't want any more Powerbelts situations. It seems reviews on this bullet are very good, I may have to see how they shoot for me.
#14
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 252
Pooldoc- thanks. I've been hearing more and more about those bullets as well and was seriously considering them for this season. I'm in MD and our deer aren't huge either. My biggest was just a freak and he dressed at 165 which is just enormous for my neck of the woods. I think they're on my final 3 list to sight in with and I'll go with whatever shoots the best.
#15
To your question regarding the 300 vs the 250 gr bullets. My answer is twofold in that it depends on the bullet. They would have to be the same manf. / design for an honest answer. IMO lets say a 240 gr and 300 gr .429" XTP I don't think you would notice a major difference on a deer size animal. So what my selection would boil down to is which one will give me the better accuracy.
#16
Sabotloader- thank you for the suggestion. I never heard of these bullets until you mentioned them. After doing research, I'm real curious and interested now. I saw another thread on this site saying that they come in XP and controlled fractioning. Do you use either? My concern with the controlled fractioning is the exit wound. I don't want any more Powerbelts situations. It seems reviews on this bullet are very good, I may have to see how they shoot for me.
I have in the past always used the CF bullets, but right now I have a better understanding of how the XP works and in Theory it could/should work very well but I have to shoot it more to verify.
This is a little buck that succumbed to my frustrations of not seeing an elk one day. It was only about a 60 yard shot and I was really worried the bullet might pencil right on through because the hide is so thin and the area for the bullet to work the fluid is so short - but work it did.
I was a little shocked when I opened him up and the large chunks of coagulated blood dropped out.
His chest cavity was nothing more than a thick liquid.
#17
Sometimes they just don't leave a blood trail. This doe was shot at a distance of about 80 yards. Despite the huge exit wound, no blood was found between the place where she was shot and where she expired, about 100 yards away. There was a huge pool of blood where she fell. The bullet was the 250 grain SST.
Entry wound:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...r/DSC01797.jpg
Exit wound:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...r/DSC01798.jpg
This buck was shot with a .54 patched round ball. There was a great blood trail for about 80 yards.
Exit hole:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...r/DSC01839.jpg
Entry wound:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...r/DSC01797.jpg
Exit wound:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...r/DSC01798.jpg
This buck was shot with a .54 patched round ball. There was a great blood trail for about 80 yards.
Exit hole:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...r/DSC01839.jpg
Last edited by falcon; 03-07-2015 at 02:23 PM.
#18
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 252
You are thinking correctly.. the exit hole is bullet size - it is not a big hole but it drains blood just fine... the real damage occurs inside the animal when the petals come off and puncture organs in a 360* arch + the tremendous amount of hydrostatic damage occurring as the bullet passes through and out. And then there is the permanent wound channel created by the bullet. MOST often the whole effect shocks the animal so much it over-rides the 'flight' response of the animal.
I have in the past always used the CF bullets, but right now I have a better understanding of how the XP works and in Theory it could/should work very well but I have to shoot it more to verify.
This is a little buck that succumbed to my frustrations of not seeing an elk one day. It was only about a 60 yard shot and I was really worried the bullet might pencil right on through because the hide is so thin and the area for the bullet to work the fluid is so short - but work it did.
I was a little shocked when I opened him up and the large chunks of coagulated blood dropped out.
His chest cavity was nothing more than a thick liquid.
I have in the past always used the CF bullets, but right now I have a better understanding of how the XP works and in Theory it could/should work very well but I have to shoot it more to verify.
This is a little buck that succumbed to my frustrations of not seeing an elk one day. It was only about a 60 yard shot and I was really worried the bullet might pencil right on through because the hide is so thin and the area for the bullet to work the fluid is so short - but work it did.
I was a little shocked when I opened him up and the large chunks of coagulated blood dropped out.
His chest cavity was nothing more than a thick liquid.
#19
GPMD.... I think you are overthinking it. You said you are 100% on recovery, and like the lungs. Keep doing what you are doing, and any quality bullet you do it with will be fine.
So many good bullets out there, and many mentioned here. Barnes, Lehigh, Speer DeepCurl, XTP... take your pic. They all work great.
I personally like the Deep Curl, awesome performing bullet. If I was really worried about bad shots...the Lehigh may be one I would consider as they do have the petals that peel off and one might just clip the vitals on an errant shot.
So many good bullets out there, and many mentioned here. Barnes, Lehigh, Speer DeepCurl, XTP... take your pic. They all work great.
I personally like the Deep Curl, awesome performing bullet. If I was really worried about bad shots...the Lehigh may be one I would consider as they do have the petals that peel off and one might just clip the vitals on an errant shot.
#20
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,922
So many good bullets out there, and many mentioned here. Barnes, Lehigh, Speer DeepCurl, XTP... take your pic. They all work great.
I personally like the Deep Curl, awesome performing bullet. If I was really worried about bad shots...the Lehigh may be one I would consider as they do have the petals that peel off and one might just clip the vitals on an errant shot.
I personally like the Deep Curl, awesome performing bullet. If I was really worried about bad shots...the Lehigh may be one I would consider as they do have the petals that peel off and one might just clip the vitals on an errant shot.