Hornaday bullet ?
 

I am using the great plains 50cal 385 grain HB-HP with 90 gr of powder behind it, patterns 2 1/2" @ 100 yrds. My questions is- is anyone having any penetration problems on deer or bigger size game?
Thanks Gary

RE: Hornaday bullet ?
 

It sounds like you have an excellent shooting rifle and bullet combination. I do not think you will have any problem with anything you want to shoot using that set up. Conicals penetrate much better then most other projectiles because of their mass. You also put a good charge behind them. Good luck.

RE: Hornaday bullet ?
 

thats a deffinate power house combo you have there, would be plenty to take even elk or moose. As for accuracy thats some nice shooting for 100 yards what gun are you using?

RE: Hornaday bullet ?
 

I use a CVA Eclipse 1 in 23 twist. Of couse it has taken me all summer to find this load combo, lots of spare bullets left..

Why I asked my first question is, last night I shot a buck at 70 yards and the buck was knocked off its feet onto its back and laid there for about 30 seconds, got up and ran off before I could reload, when I got to where the buck was I started tracking, there was no blood, hair, nothing. I started to follow his tracks until he stopped running, 100 yrds or so, then I started a grid search thru the brush for another 300 to 400 yrds, nothing. Went back this morning and searched for 3 more hours nothing.
Any ideas on what could of happened? This is my first year to use a muzzleloader, I know what to expect from my bow and 270.
please help...

RE: Hornaday bullet ?
 

Gut shot, happened to me at 30 yards with a doe she hit the ground so hard i thought it was a done deal but she crawled into the bush after 30 seconds and then disappeared no blood no hair nothing and i was sure that i was eating suasage.

RE: Hornaday bullet ?
 

Sounds like you hit too high...above the heart/lungs but below the spine...that's just muscle tissue there...the shock effect that close to the sping temporarily paralyzes them, then it wears off and they're up and running...no blood trail to follow, deer will be fine...did the same thing with a .30-30 at 50yds years ago...shot too fast at the whole deer, didn't really pick a pinpoint for a target...remember the old saying: "aim small-miss small"

RE: Hornaday bullet ?
 

If I had to guess what happened, I would only guess that the deer was shot through that part of the body where there are no vital organs end and pure muscle tissue begin. These are located above the lungs under the spine (I have seen them run a long way and hardly if any blood), or you shot it through the diaphragm. Sometimes when they are shot through the diaphragm, they take a good hit, but bleed very little. They will run off, then lay down. If you push them they will run again until they can no longer fill their lungs with air. When you locate them, they usually have a large foam bubble from their nose and lungs where they simply suffocated. I took one last year with a bow that way. It tried to duck the arrow.

Due to the powerful load you were shooting it would still knock them off their feet, which you observed. Once they get their senses back, they take off like their tails on fire.

I used to be real meat greedy and never shot for the front shoulder. Now that I have gotten old, I put it through that front shoulder, into the heart and lungs and break them down. I don't like tracking anymore then I have to, and I hate dragging even worse.

Better luck next time. I know the feeling your going through when you hit one hard and then can't find it. I guess that's why its called hunting and not shooting.....

RE: Hornaday bullet ?
 

Above the lungs, below the spine?

I have butchered a bunch of deer, but can't say I've ever seen one with any muscle below its spine, except the T-loins, and they are not above the lungs. If a deer has exhaled fully, and a bullet strikes just below the spine, it may not hit lungs, but that deer shouldn't go far.

I know for a fact that I have hit a deer too high, above the spine, and seen the same thing happen. Deer dropped instantly, but before I could reload its legs started thrashing and off he went. That is what I would say happened. Now you need to figure out why you hit high at 70 yds. In my case, I overestimated the range to the deer and held high on the top of the shoulder. That's where I hit.

RE: Hornaday bullet ?
 

Under / Over...I think my point was clear...perhaps a better way to say it would be you can hit above the vital organs, pass through some sort of "body tissue" without hitting the spine, stun the deer temporarily from the collateral shock value, then it will regain and run off, essentially unhurt

See organs chart:

http://www.whitetails.com/anatomy.html

RE: Hornaday bullet ?
 

For some reason I get the feeling you got him just he may have gone alot farther than you think.A buddy of mine had a hit like that once and we found that buck more than a mile away.