Powerbelt Success / Powerbelt Failure ???

[Semisane]

Saturday morning one of the guys in my hunting club shot a 82 lb. doe at somewhere between 90 - 110 yards.

He used a 245 grain hollowpoint copper clad bullet over 70 grains of Triple 7 FFG.

The hit was high chest, right at the rear of the shoulder. The doe dropped at the shot. The bullet took out a small portion of the bottom of the spinal vertebrae and stopped under the skin of the off side. The plastic base was under the skin on the off side also, having traveled through the chest with the bullet.

Here's the bullet - success or failure?

[LaneNebraska]

Dead Deer---No Tracking Needed = Success

Advice: If he must use Powerbelts, Then Next time use 348g PB and same 70g powder charge, with better shot placement

Or

Switch to the 250g THOR, with 80g powder charge, with better shot placement

.

[TNHagies]

I suppose it depends on how you measure sucess. It for sure killed the deer which is good. However, that's hardly what you want a bullet to look like after recovery.

[cayugad]

As they said, a dead deer is a dead deer. But seeing that in the deer would sure make me not want to load it again. I shoot that same power belt, but never had a chance to shoot a deer with it. I would call it a successful hunt with a failing bullet.

[Semisane]

I would call it a successful hunt with a failing bullet.

I think you nailed it Cayugad. That's what I would call it too.

However, that's hardly what you want a bullet to look like after recovery.

I agree TN. I know I'll never use them. As far as I'm concerned, I don't want or expect to be able to recover the bullet from a broadside shot on an 80 lb. doe.

Advice: If he must use Powerbelts, Then Next time use 348g PB and same 70g powder charge, with better shot placement Or Switch to the 250g THOR, with 80g powder charge, with better shot placement.

Well that's good advice Lane. But you know me - I've already told him that next week we're going to see how 300 grain Gold Dots shoot from his gun.

[gregrn43]

Oh well at least he got the deer

[SteveBNy]

What Dave said.
Failure with a fortunate outcome.

[Breechplug]

I guess this would be a personal preferance, as some people like a bullet that (fragments) as it has the chance to take out more vital organs. As in your Friends case as the bullet entered and hit the spine causing it to fragment thus causing more damage elsewhere. Where were the (different) parts of the bullet found inside the Deer, what other organs if any were destroyed?
(BP)

[stretch56]

I would call it failure with a lot of luck

[MountainDevil54]

with the 245 Powerbelt and with clipping shoulder and hitting the spine, i call is success. You should see what happened with saxmans deer with 2 pellets and a lung shot. Maybe 25-30 grains of bullet was all he found.

Thats funny how the base stayed on. Have him pop in on and off a few times and spin them around.

Another thing though, i think that HP held up a lot better than what the aerotip would have. The Aerotips have a bad habbit of pushing through the center of the bullet, weakening it.