Pglasgow
The only first hand knowledge that I personally have is from my hunting partner who does use PowerBelts and has for years. Several years back he shot a really nice 4x5 at about 25/35 yards. He knew he hit the animal and knowing him and his shooting abilty I was quite confident that he would not have missed. We reconstructed the shooting found the spot that the animal was and located tracks headed off and downhill. It took us several hours to track the animal down, no real blood trail to follow, just a decent running track every so often in the soil. Anyway afew hundred yards down the hill he found the buck piled up in a heap and in hole. The bullet had entered behind the left front shoulder clipped the shoulder blade broke a rib and from there nobody is quite sure. It did not exit and it could not be found, in fact it never made it across the chest cavity, just not really sure what happened to it.
You can say it worked, because he has the rack to prove it, but it certainly was not an efficient killer. By all rights, the shot he made should have been a great shot, it should have destroyed everything in the chest cavity, it should have passed through. it should have caused a massive loss of blood, but it didn't the animal bled out internally.
The following season he took another whitetail and everything worked just fine. Last year he missed a nice spike elk, we hope... it wasa more difficult shot but makeable. We worked several hours trying to find any trace of the animalor any trace that he had been hit - no such luck- nothing. We have both convinced ourselves it was a clean miss.
I donot use PB's and I can not imagine the situation where I might, not with the other options out there. But to those that do including my best friend that is his/their option, I'll still go hunting with him, but everytime he pulls the trigger on his Hawken, I always wonder, can't help it.
The comment about basalt is exactly that
a comment... although in my mind it did prove to me what might be a stong projectile and what might not. Sort of the ultimate tortue test and the different results speak for themselves.
Also, a scapula is a large flat bone capable of deflecting any bullet if the bullet hits it in a glancing angle.
I guess I pretty much disagree with this statement... if the scapula is under the skin when it is shot... It might cause some deflection but will not stop penetration of a decent bullet with decent velocity. The only way your theory might work is with a straight on shot along the scapula that would be a grazing shot anyway.
A deer is quartered towards them and they shoot the facing shoulder. What a terrible thing to do. Cause the path isn't going to take both lungs.
Pretty much disagree with this statement also... here is a small buck taken with what I think isthe shot you are talking about @ 171 yards with a Nosler... nice little entrance hole... 50cent exit hole and not an organ in the chest cavity intact - just jello... he did go about 25 yards in the snow but know trouble tracking if I needed to...
