Tazman

I have for years used 180 grain round nosed cor loks in my 30-30, pinky hole in 3-4 inch hole out, turns the lungs to mush and knocks them flat, just my experience. Oh yea they will also blow right through the shoulder, but it does waste a lot of meat.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

Sling

Thought I would give everyone some follow up on what happened this season. I was using a .30-06 for the first time and had already commited to using 180 grain soft point (round-nose) bullets based on the advice of a couple of friends. While I did have some success, I think I could have made better choice.

I was lucky enough to get a shot at deer opening day (about 75 yards broadside). The deer looked a little hunched up, but it sprinted about 50 yards angling away from me after I shot and stopped in the brush(offering a sharp quatering away shot). In hindsight, the deer was most likely dead on its feet, but I was having doubts based on the way it took off. After pausing for a few seconds, I shot again at about 100 yards and the deer took off again!

I was a little nervous at this point (new gun and all), but I ended up finding him about 30 yards futher in the brush.

The first shot was maybe an inch back, but was a solid lung shot (exit hole about the size of a nickle). The second shot entered at the back of the rib cage and stuck in the opposite shoulder (I could not find an exit hole). The deer dressed out at 175, which is not real big for this area, but I guess it was not small either.

I basically had a lot of tissue damage, but I am not sure how much energy actually transfered to the deer. When I went to look for blood where I took the first shot, instead of finding some drops on the ground, I found an old oak tree spattered from about knee hight to chest high. The blood trail looked like someone took a spray paint and sprayed all the way to the deer.

Maybe I should not complain, but it does bother me that the deer was that mobile after that shot. I am thinking about switching to ballistic tips or SST's next year based on some other posts, but I have some reservations due to some of the reports that they over expand on shoulder hits.

I guess my new question is do the 165 grain SST/Ballistic Tip bullets handle a shoulder hit better than the 150's, or if they are about the same?

skeeter 7MM

All I shoot for whitetails is Ballistic tip style bullets. I used 130GR Nosler Ballistic tips out of my 270. Only one time did I have a poor result on a large buck, I hit square on the shoulder. It busted the lft shoulder and bone fragments got the lungs...he traveled about 300 yards, after being pushed up twice. But bedded 75 from the hit sight, so had i waited he probably would have died right their. this year I tore the shoulder on the exit side darn near off with a 154Gr SST out of 7 Mag. 125 yards shot, angled to the left shoulder, trashed the H/L region before coming right throw the left shoulder. Dropped on the spot.

4 other deer were killed with 06 150 gr sst (factory loads). Doe #1 through the ribs, pinky entrance and 4' exit went 70 yards...blood trail was emense and one lung had a hole and the opposite was jello..100 yard broad side. Doe #2 150 yards broadside, one lung and liver went 100 yards. entrance was pinky and exit was 2" but plugged up with tissue, causing the animal to bleed less and possible go a bit further. Buck #1 75 Yards, broadside both shoulders and took out the lungs. deer made it about 10 feet on it's nose. Bullet never exited but it really trashed his 2 front shoulders. Buck #2 in the pooper..yeap the texas lung shot. 200 Yards fleeing shot (missed a 125 yards broadside...ooops). Bullet hit the femral and busted the right hip joint deer, travelled 100 yards and then feel and couldn't get up. Required a finishing neck shot. The hole in was 11/2" and exit was 5". Blood trail was emense. (Does were probably 150 on the hoof and the bucks 250)

Just some variety of the SSt on many different shots, but the results were dead deer within 100 Yards.

Now if I always aimed for shoulders I would go with 165 SST or BT. More sectional density and expansion wouldn't be as quick due to FPS being lower. (Although thinking about it if the wheels was my target of choice I would probably opt for 150 GR bullet like a barnes x, failsafe, part, etc.) If my aim point was H/L I would opt for the 150's SST. I am a firm believer through experience that the more energy you can place in the animal the quicker the spin you'll put on him. But at the same time shot placement is a key...so if your a bone aimer the SST/BT might work but why chance it!!! Use a bullet that is meant to do what you want it to do. If you bust up his wheels he can't go far and you'll get the lungs for sure in the front end. I just hate to waste all that meat, when I know I can put the bullet in the ribs and waste none!

Bullets are made to do different things, so use the bullet that is best suited to your situation and that flys the best out of your gun. Confidence is huge factor in success.

Nomercy

I'm going to go the other way on this one. My suggestion for you, is to go a whole new direction though. In pointed bullets, it's pretty much a toss up as to which is going to transfer more energy more rapidly, the 150 is moving faster, so it's going to expand faster, but the heavier bullet carries more energy per FPS, so it should typically do about the same damage as the 150 at those ranges (look at .45-70's, not very fast, but a lot of energy per FPS, so they still knock deer in the mud in a hurry). HOWEVER, there's the kicker, you're only shooting 100 yrds, so you don't necessarily need the long range accuracy potential of the pointed bullets. Here's when the big difference will play, get some round nosed bullets. In 180gr in .30-06, you're going to knock the heck out of a deer, and you're definately not going to have any problem with accuracy at only 100 yrds. I used round nosed for one year because I had permission on a really salty 80 yrd hunt, knocked the crap out of the three I got, it looked like the bullet knocked them over it hit so hard. I recovered one of the bullets from the far shoulder of a fat doe, looked like it was at least a half inch dia!! Surprisingly though, they don't to terrible amounts of shredding, unlike pointed bullets, and I've never had a round nosed bullet fragment extensively!!

Screw the 10 ring, keep them in the zero!!!

762mm

Sling,
I once posted about making a shot similiar to yours. Bullet goes in behind right shoulder, angles through the lungs and busts out the left shoulder. Deer takes off on three legs, quite far before I could find it. Left a blood trail a blind man could follow every time the deer exhaled, blood sprayed out of the wounds.

On that same day, I did something I had done once before with these same results. Shot another doe through the base of the neck as it trotted behind my stand. That 'ol doe stopped like it hit an invisible wall. This must be the sweet spot, where neck ajoins the body. Who else has luck with that area? I think I'm done with lung shots, too iffy and I hate all that tracking.

What did I learn? Shoulder shots don't always stop 'em. Turning lungs to jello won't always drop 'em. I use 30-06 150gr Speer flat points for faster expansion and maximum damage, would use a roundnose if flats weren't available. No need for pointy boattail aerodynamics because my shots are always under 65 yards.

We also find that discount bullets like the Corelokts almost need a bone hit to expand, the jackets must be too thick. I know a few that converted to Nosler ballistic tips because of poor results with 'em, saying that Corelokts are only good for plinking beer cans. That's why Premium bullets fetch a higher price, and ya get what cha pays for :-)

seabuck

I used Rem Core Lokts for years. They just punched holes. I now reload and use Hornady 150 or 180 gr RN's.All my shots are under 100 yds here in Maine.This years deer didn't move another step. No problem. Good performance.I stopped using Rem CL's after center punching a deer 20 yrs ago and he went over 150 yds. It just zipped in and out,in at .308 and out at .308.No shock,no knock down, he just ran out of blood on the run!

Dork063

Well I use 180 grain soft point remington's and I killed 2 deer on monday. The first one dropped with a shot that went in behind the shoulder and broke the oppisite shoulder. And the second was a big deer that I shot and only ran 50 yards with a good blood trail. So I would go with 180 grain soft points not the pointed so points because they are more for longer shots. But just make sure you hit them good and im sure you wont have any problems.

skeeter 7MM

762MM,

If you hate tracking a iffy H/L shot with a trail a blind man could follow. Then look out for a botched neck shot, it is nasty. While i will say if you can do it, go for it!! The margin of error is small on the neck. You tack it in the meat around the spine on a buck and you will have your fill of tracking...with a very poor blood trail! Sorry I'll take my chance on the boiler room any day of the week over the neck.

762mm

I see what you're saying Skeeter,

Actually every shot can have it's pros and cons. Some deer can be easy to put down, hit another deer in that same spot and off it goes. If you bag a lot of deer in your lifetime, you get to see it all, some deer even suprise you with their stamina and will to live.

There is no magic bullet to this, and issues like these will be debated on this board 'til the end of time. Which caliber is better? Which bullet brand is better? Which grain weight of bullet, pointed, roundnose or flat, and where is best to shoot a deer?

tiggeer

Stick with the 150 grain i shot a deer with a 150 grain bullet this year at 50 yards and it didnt even expand but it will expand alot more than a 180 grain