bugs11

Dropped the hammer on a big 9 pointer last Thursday evening. I was shooting my T/C Omega topped with a 1.5-4.5 Bushnell 3200. Currently I'm getting the best accuracy from 80 grains of 777 under a .451 260 grain Nosler Partition HG. The buck was broadside at about fifty yards in picked corn field. Bullet placement was about perfect, both lungs and the top of the heart. The entry wound was impressive, about 4" across; the exit wound was much smaller, but still a complete pass through. The entry and exit wounds looked opposite of what one would expect. The buck ran about 60 yards before going down.

For comparison, I've shot quite a few deer with .50 round ball out of GPR and I think the results would of been pretty much the same, except the round ball would of flattened out and been under the skin on the far side.

Also, FWIW, .452 bullets load hard, Power Belts load real easy, .451 bullets load just right; not too hard, not too easy.

bugs11

Oh yeah, almost forgot... the Noslers aren't cheap, but I was able to pick up a couple boxes at a local sporting goods store. At the end of the year they have a clearance sale, so I got them for about half price.

cayugad

Congratulations on your black powder buck. It always amazes me how tuff a whitetail deer is to bring down. Through the lungs and heart and they still manage to run off 60 yards before they go down. Some years I have had them drop in their tracks and other years even a well placed shot seems to put them on that last death run.

Congratulations again....

bugs11

The larger bucks are indeed tough this time of year. He was a healthy critter, lots of fat in the body cavity. When I got to him he was laying exit wound down and there was considerable blood and lung tissue on the up side hide. Looked like blood and tissue geyser-ed out of the entry wound after he went down. I don't have a scale, but he had to weigh over 200 lbs. The rump roasts weighed 3.5 lbs. a piece.

I've dropped deer in their tracks with spine shots, but never with a broadside shot. I did pop a broadside doe with a .490 round ball at about 60 yards once and she just stood there until she fell over. That shot was a double lunger with complete pass through.

lonewolf5347

bugs11 I use the 300 grain nosler in my 54 cal. thunderhawk man, I can say they are the smoothest sabot and easy to load in my thunderhawk.My powder charge is 90 grains of pyrodex select ,I pick them up from MidSouth last year at the end of the season a card of 10 were $4.99 I know they sell for big buck's regular price.

bugs11

I bought a 50 count box of 260 grain and 50 count box of the 300 grain bullets. I want to say the total was about $35. The Noslers are not cheap, but then quality rarely is.

I call it the "economy of quality"; spent what it takes to get a tool to get the job done efficiently. Otherwise you waste your time monkey-ing around trying to get an inferior product to perform. Better to spent the extra $’s and be satisfied, rather than save a buck or two and be frustrated.

sabotloader

bugs11
Excellent statement, I have been using Noslers for so many years I can not even count the years. Reliability, penetration, Hydrostratic shock, and accuracy. When I made the jump to muzzleloading, the first thing I did was find a compatible Nosler. For years I have been using the 300 grain Nosler PP .451 pistol bullets, but this season I have switched the the .458 (45/70) rifle bullet in a MMP .458 Orange sabot. I really think this is an excellent combination on Elk - I am hoping to be able to prove it this season. This might be a little heavy for whitetail I usually bump down to a 260 grain Nosler Partitian.

Excellent job - had to be fun....