To shoot thru or not
 

So here goes I do alot of reading and alot of reflecting on that reading .
The question of "degrees of dead" . Do I or You "need "a bullet load that will shoot through at double dia.with 100% retintion ,or is the game just as dead by a 125% dia. 50% retintion lodged in the cavity bullet . IG. A .50cal patchball is going to stay inside deer elk whathave you at 75% of nominal range (80 yds in muley's) and be egg shaped .
A .30 cal can be 2x keep 96% and pass through (Have seen 350yds on muleys) .
Lets say 1000 ft lbs at entry impact and disregard dia cartrige and range.
Lets also rember millions of deer were killed with less than 200 ft lbs buffalo too.
Is muley "A" any deader than "B" ?
Do you need to shoot through?

RE: To shoot thru or not
 

In a perfect world where all shots are taken at game standing boardside in an open field and the hunter never makes a bad shot...probably not. In the real world, it's definately preferred.

RE: To shoot thru or not
 

Weight retention is overrated. The nosler partitions have been and still are one of the best big game bullets for decades. They shed quite a bit of weight when they mushroom.

RE: To shoot thru or not
 

The question is still are we better of to spend our whole 1000 ft lbs to in the game or leave some out on the ground beyond the target .
I shot a muley through baseball sized exit the deer just stood there naked eye at the shot you could see the entry wounda 150spbt was used.
Later same gun and load,another was taken same range like 50 yrds from the first kill . droped like a rock and most of the bullet stayed with the deer but was a shoulder hit ruined both shoulders . As an extreme the first may have carried 1500+ out with it. I found jacket parts in the exit wound not enough to weigh .

RE: To shoot thru or not
 

Lots of deer are killed every year with some form or another of .224. I don't believe a lot of pass-through shots are common at 100+ yds. with those guns. Hydrostatic shock does the job. Personally, I like a pass-through chest shot so I have a double-sided blood trail to follow for the 40-50 yds. needed to trail my deer if I don't get a bang/flop.

RE: To shoot thru or not
 

To me it is not a question of "degree of dead". I want the deer or whatever to drop in it's tracks. Tracking and chasing deer, no matter how far is a bad thing. I have had deer go as little as fifty yards, yet that fifty yards was straight down hill(down a vertical slide one time), and add hours to the recovery time. The way to assure a drop in it's tracks shot is simple. Put the crosshairs on the front shoulder and break him down. yes there is some meat damage, but I can live with that. I want the animal down right there-period. I do not wish to start a conflict here, but there is no more humane way to dispatch an animal. Head shots are a bad idea.

I do not concern myself with pass throughs. Bullet retention or the likes. I also do not feel the need for the expensive bullets. A good quality bullet or a well cast lead bullet is all that is needed. Put that bullet in the front shoulder, then go pick him up.

The most important part of cartridge selection is the ability of the hunter to deliver his bullet where he wants the bullet to be(the front shoulder for me). The hunter should shoot the heaviest and most powerful cartridge that he can shoot comfortably, and effectively. To me there is no such thing as degrees of dead. I shoot alot, so a heavy 30 caliber or my 45-70's are no problem.

If you feel more comfortable shooting a .243 then by all means do so. But if you can effectively shoot a 30-06-then that is what you should be shooting. Tom.

RE: To shoot thru or not
 

Good same page . Always believed that if the chest cavity is blown then you done your part in a clean kill . Deposited energy is more important than how big the holes are I think . My dad shoots partitions ,I prefer the hornadays .

RE: To shoot thru or not
 

I have 2 opinions on this. #1 I would prefer that the bullet utilize all its energy and stop inside the animal. Provided of course it has enough energy to humanely drop the animal. This is on a well placed shot through thevitals.
#2 I would prefer a shotto pass through if the shot was not ideally placed. Which in the real world isalways a possibility. This will give you two holes instead of one for tracking a wonded animal.

RE: To shoot thru or not
 

I use a 7 mm mag with 150 gr. Sierra Gameking BT and through a chrono I'm just over 3000 fps. I always choose the chest shot going for the lungs and heart. I have never had a pass through with one of these loads and I have harvested more deer than I can remember with this load. I wish I had some pictures of the bruising on the inside of the hide opposite the entry hole. It is usually a good 6 in.in diameter (I'll have to post some after next hunting season). I believe that the energy is best served in the animal and not with a pass through. Have they always dropped on the spot.No, but they haven't gonetoo far although I've had some big bucks run 50 to 75 yards without a heart. I suppose the adrenaline that is pumping through them during the height of the rut has something to do with that. They are basicly dead on their feet. If I can't make the shot that I am sure of then I don't shoot. That is the best way of ensuring that you are notonly wounding the animal or that you have to track them for hours.

RE: To shoot thru or not
 

Whether a bullet goes completely through the game or lodges somewhere inside is not nearly as significant as WHAT the bullet hits inside the animal before it exits, or stops penetrating. If it hits and damages or destroys vital organs, the animal will die very close to the place it was standing when hit. If the bullet misses vital organs, it will not die, at least not right away, and it will probably be lost. The size of the bullet and the kinetic energy carried by the bullet is not nearly as important as what it hits as it penetrates through the animal, whether it exits or not.

However, a bullet that exits is twice as likely to produce a significant blood trail, which is an advantage if tracking becomes necessary.