lemoyne

Its the magnum, that is a very tuff bullet, I doubt its opening properly with only 100 grains of Pyrodex.
If you drill a neat round hole through deer even through both lungs and its a well placed shot they will run a long way.
The velocity also could be improved, I suggest you look at the 250 grain Shock Wave or the 250 grain Deep curl and try their accuracy with 110 to 130 grains of Pyrodex and use the most accurate load. Forget the 150 grain load as it is only accurate out of a few guns and therefor try it after all else fails.

MountainDevil54

all that wasted blood shot shoulder. #1 reason I will not take a shoulder shot. To much wasted meat.

BarnesAddict

Just shoot another one to make up the difference.........

hunters_life

In some instances with rifle/bullets I like to stay off the shoulder. In others, like Idahorons, I like to take all measures I can to anchor the animal right there by busting both shoulders. So I do my best to use a bullet I know can handle both situations no matter how close the animal is. Max loading any BP rifle will usually result in poor performance in grouping and very little consistency in your first shot performance. My suggestion would be to ditch the pellets and go to loose powder. Next would be to try out the Lehigh bullets as Sabotloader suggested and if they don't shoot well, try out the 250gr or 300gr XTP bullets. In that black diamond of yours Bearbow, I would start out at 90gr with either of those bullets and work up to find where you are getting the best cold clean barrel consistency. Work it up by 5 grain increments. Grouping your rifles at the range is all well and good, but you aren't shooting for consistent groups at an animal. You are shooting that very first shot. So you need to know exactly where that very first shot is going to consistently hit.

falcon

i agree. Last fall i deliberately shot a big buck in the shoulder because of the close proximity of the property line, creek, etc. But the buck ran the other way for 80 yards and i ruined a lot of meat.


Quite often a lung shot deer will die within a few yards; sometimes they bang flop. A deer shot through both lungs seldom runs more than 75 yards. Putting the bullet in the right place is paramount. So called "premium" bullets do not transform all gut shots into bang flops.


For six or seven years all my deer and hogs were killed with the 240 grain .430 XTP bullet. Never lost an animal. One fall i went through a period of rushing my shots and gut shot some animals. Had some long dragging jobs as a result.

Gm54-120

Ive taken high shoulder/spine shots and i hate taking them. They can make a horrible mess even with a little 40cal monolithic bullet.

idahoron

Deleted by JW you have only shot one elk in your life you have no clue what it take to anchor an elk DRT. Go get some real world experience in killing elk then come back and tell me how to anchor an elk DRT. If you have a chance to lose your animal if it is not DRT you have to do what you have to do. edited ny JW flaming

hunters_life

Falcon, with some deer and elk you are absolutely correct about lung shots. With others you couldn't be more wrong. It is all pretty much up to that animal shot on that day. I've seen deer and elk both go a lot longer than 75 yards with a perfect double lung shot. And I've seen both drop right there or very close. What I have never seen is either go very far at all with both shoulders taken out. A couple of pounds of bloodshot meat is well worth it when you are faced with the possibility of losing the animal due to other hunters or it crossing onto property you can't go after it on.
MountainDevil54, you've only taken one elk in your life? Here I was under the impression you were supposed to be some kind of expert on elk hunting given you live in one of the best elk states in the country. You are always talking about how this bullet or that performs on elk. But you have no real world self experience? That's good to know.deleted by JW

falcon

Read my post again: " A deer shot through both lungs seldom runs more than 75 yards.' The key word is seldom and i stand by my statement.

For many years i tracked and recovered wounded deer and elk for other hunters. Yep, i've seen a very few deer and elk shot through both lungs go 200 yards. Most of the deer and elk i recovered for other hunters had been gut shot.


For the most part i will continue to shoot deer in the boiler room like i have for the past 65 years. It works for me and i don't like to ruin meat.

MountainDevil54

No, I have taken many more elk than the one ron claims.

Thats just a waste of blood shot meat and if you cant kill an elk with a double lung shot and that huge bullet, time to change bullets IMO.

Hunterslife, you sure are arrogant my friend.