ORIGINAL: XxHolleyxX
Thanks for all of the great information guys. I would have replied quicker but my internet was down last night. I talked to him this morning at work and he told me that when he first got the rifle he did try 100 grains but he doesnt remember the bullet he was shooting. He shot a nice buck at a very close distance and hit him in the shoulder. The buck ran off and when he went to find him he got the deer back up and had to shoot him again. He did end up getting the deer but went to 150 grains with terrible acccuracy in favor of penetration. I told him that it was probably the bullet and to try some of my Shockwaves or TMZ's and lets see what kind of accuracy he can get with them next weekend. It may have been a bullet that has a tendancy to fragment at close range. I'm trying to talk him into loose powder also. That way if the bullets dont shoot as accurately he can tailor his power charge to it. He is a bit reluctant, but will probably come around since he likes the idea of getting more shot for his dollar.
Thanks again,
Holley
Wiith regard to more shot for the $$, go smokeless, 44g of Accurate Arms is what I shoot in my Savage 10ML, so I get 2 shot for every 1 shot of a standard ML. Also Savage is a very accurate ML out of the box, 1.5" at 100 yards with XTP 300 or 250g, which are also inexpensive bullet.
I don't mean to start a PowerBelt war again, (I did that last year and it is easy to go there), but if you want to revisit PB fragmentation issues and high charged loads with not well constructed bullets read this:
http://www.the-gleasons.com/powerbelt_page.htm
An XTP or an SST will shead it's jacket if pushed too hard, so shots at close range make it loose the jacket and loose penetration, therefore affecting terminal performce--bone hits at close range are a especially big problem forsome bullets.
Finally, on penetration, bullet performance, fragmentation see this page:
http://www.the-gleasons.com/bullets_penetration_tests_for_mu.htm
Buy this book and read it several times, pay special attention to how various authors feel about expansion vs penetration:
http://www.ramworks.net/estore.html
Bullet Design is not quite a science, it is more about design at a given velocity for a given species. In fact Toby Bridges says use two bullets (one for the long range one for short range):
http://www.hpmuzzleloading.com/EditorsView.html
However most of us don't do that, we choose a bullet based on what shoots well with our gun and use it in all situations. The solution have 2 guns one for long range, like my Savage (SW or Parker Ballistic Extremene, 44g of 5744, supplied sabot, Federal Primer), and one for <100 yards which is my Omega with 100g of 777, 300g Nosler Partition, Federal Primer using Crushed Rib sabot.
Best wishes are you increase your learing on Bullet Performance.
Chap Gleason