tcl632

Alright I have a browning A bolt and I have shot several deer with it either heart or lung shots from 20 yards to 185 all have run about 40 yards. I have used everything from BT to soft points. What am I doing wrong I don't like high shoulder shots do to meat damage is the gun to fast or am I not doing something right. I am not real impressed with the 270wsm but wife got it for me so selling is not an option i have a lot of times took the wifes 7mm08 and all that where shot fell right there. What do y'all think or am I fighting a loosing battle with the wsm? Thanks

Big Uncle

The .270 WSM is not one of my favorite cartridges, but there is nothing wrong with it. Having deer run 40 yards is fairly normal with almost any cartridge unless you break shoulder bones or spine. Don't worry!

tcl632

I was the same way with the reg 270 shoot and drop. I guess I was thinking that a pass through was better.

bigbulls

So the deer ran 40 yards. What's the problem?

If you want the deer to drop in their tracks then either shoot them in the spine or through the high shoulder. If you don't want to do this then expect the deer to run off a short distance.

I guess we can thank the hunting shows for the general hunting public expecting that their bullets should be some kind of magical lightning strike where the animal just gives up the ghost right there. The fact is most animals run a short distance.

homers brother

I generally agree with RR. I'm not sure when everyone started thinking that a pass-through was best, but my experience has been the opposite. Maybe some guys are forgetting that they put the bow up for the season and picked up their rifles? While you want an animal to bleed out quickly when hit with a broadhead, a bullet that completely expends its stored energy inside an animal almost always has greater effect than one which passes through and expends what's left of it somewhere in the dirt on the other side.

Most of my shots are under 200 yards. Given than, I generally see the best performance on deer and pronghorn with a bullet of 100-150 grains (regardless of caliber), driven somewhere between 2600 and 2800 fps at the muzzle. I know a lot of guys swear by partitions and more "premium" bullets, as well as "magnums", but I haven't experienced the need. For elk and caribou, I've used from 140-190 grain bullets, driven at about the same velocities as I load deer rounds at.

tcl632

I'm shooting a 150gr fusion right now what would y'all suggest for Texas whitetail?

VAhuntr

I'd drop to a 130 grain for whitetails.

Pawildman

If you want DRT, shoot them in the neck, if possible. I try to wait for a neck shot if I can. Ruins little or no edible meat, and your tracking skills will be left untested. Ahhh... to the naysayers... most of my hunting shots are between 50-100 yds.

Duckbutter48

Its a valid argument that you want a bullet that holds together and passes through on deer sized game. Personally Im more of a Nostler BT fan. I'd rather the deer take all of the energy of the bullet. Not that a BT never has and exit hole but I've had more deer just drop shooting them behind the sholder then any of the other bullets I've tried. I used some of the accu-tips inmy 270wsm last year and they held together and passed thru just fine but I had to track the deer a few yards so there are plus' and minus' to a bullet that fragments really bad or one that holds together really good. If you have good shot placement it really doesn't matter what type of bullet you use.

Bascially for me anyway in my deer hunting situations I really like my reloads with the 130grn Nosler BT's out of the stand where I rarely shoot at a running deer and usually get to pick the exact bullet placement before the shot. When I switch over to driving(usually 2nd week of season) and Im shooting at prob 80% running deer I like to have something that will pass thru and give me a blood trail so I usually switch over to another firearm and use a bullet a bit tougher then a BT.(that and I don't like dragging my Medallion thru thickets from daylight til dark)

I really went extreme a few years back and loaded a 110grn HP in my 300Wthby. I had it screeming close to 4000fps. Everything about this load was prob not the best for what you read in books for whitetails but out of the stand with a good placed shot they were 100% drops, no tracking no nothing.

skeeter 7MM

First off I see nothing wrong with 40 yards after the shot scamper but I agree with the notion of dropping down from the 150's. I have long been a fan of the nosler bt, for me no other bullet has put the spins on deer like it with a rib/lung shot location. When I used a 270win 130gr BT's were my choice, not the best choice for a flush shoulder shot in tight as i found out but behind the shoulder dynamo!

Or another option is stick with 150's and try taking 1/4 away shots - punch ribs, vitals and opposite leg/shoulder. My personal favorite shot angle on any game.