bullet penetration

[dkhamner]

i wanted to get your views on bullet penetration. a fellow i know stated that he prefers to have his bullet go completely through the game he's shooting, kinda like the arrow effect. i know he uses a .300 wsm on most of his hunts. my opinion on this is that i DO NOT want my bullet to pass all the way through the animal. i would think that its a waste of bullet energy if it does pass through. i would want complete energy absorption in the animal. whats your opinion? do you want your bullet to go through the game or have the game absorb the energy? if i'm wrong let me know. thanks.

[NO_GILLS]

I've shot alot of deer with '06 and .300 WSM. 95%of the time its a pass through. These are mostly broadside and quarering away shots though. I have neck shot a couple that didnt pass though, they just pole axe.Two holes equal more blood on the ground. If there hit right, dead is dead whether its a pass through or not. MHO

[oldelkhunter]

A Quality properly designed bullet should both expand well inside the animal and blow thru the other side. Most animals don't drop at the shot and it sure helps having a good bloodtrail even if it only goes 100 yards. Example I can give of this is a 6pt buck I took last year in Alabama with a 150 grain powerpoint out of a 7 WSM. I hit the buck and he showed absolutely no signs of a hit in fact he ran out into a green field and just stood there for a few moments wondering what all the commotion was and then ran straight back at my tree and into the woods. He ran 1/4 mile onto the adjacent landowners property and died. If there hadn't been a bloodtrail He would have been extremely hard to find. We didn't find blood for 100 yards and there was a spot of blood where he was standing when initially hit. Both Lungs taken out but it was high . Heart was intact.taken out. I really don't know how to judge that bullets performance

[timgrant_75]

i shoot a 243 and if i shoot a derr in the sholder they have to fill up with blood on the inside befor they start to leave a blood trail. i shoot them in the neck that way the fall where they stand

[Mr. .45-70]

I definitely want my bullet to pass through. Just like the other posts said. Two holes spewing out blood makes for a much better blood trail if a tracking job is needed. A lot of times a hole will plug with internal fat and tissue.

Mr. .45-70

[trailer]

I would definitely want the bullet to go thru the animal for a better blood trail. Two years ago I shot a buck at approx. 20 feet away with my 7MM Rem. mag. and the bullet didn"™t got thru the buck and didn"™t leave any blood trail at all. Lucky the buck only went a little ways. When it came to skinning the buck I found the bullet between the meat and the hide in very good form but I would rather have the bullet go thru the animal.

[Georgetownboys]

A whole on each side is better than one . . .more blood . . . . . . . .

[Soilarch]

I understand the idea of wanting fully energy absortion, it's a logical arguement. But if you're bullet reguire that ALL of its energy be transferrd to make a clean kill it is time to step up the cartridge ladder. Pass through makes tracking much easier, and its better to err on the side of too much, and cause "some" damage across the entire body cavity, than to to create "alot" of damage to one half.

I agree though, dead is dead. If you've never had a problem with your current load, keep it. You aren't alone in your preference.

[skeeter 7MM]

I agree however under utilization of the energy and creating 2 small holes(small wound channel) is not a great choice either. In this case I would much rather have a fist sized entrance with mush for vitals vs 2 pin holes!

A comprimise in both is what I (we) truly want/expect for optimal performance.

[James B]

After shooting hundreds of big game animals, I have never had to track an animal. As long as the bullet hits the vitals, I don't care if it passes through or stays inside. I am pretty carefull when I pick my shot oppertunities. I would always rather pass up a shot than take an iffy shot.