- Joined
- Sep 1, 2006
- Messages
- 255
- Reaction score
- 226
Took the Optima pistol out for a morning hunt yesterday. First time this season I've had it out. Last season, I had switched from a 240 gr XTP to a 225 gr Barnes XPB with 90 gr by volume of Blackhorn. Through the chrono, this setup produces a touch over 1600 fps. I've always been careful to avoid shoulder shots with the pistol preferring to shoot a little further back catching only ribs and lung tissue. Well, yesterday I got a little too much into the shoulder on a decent 6 pointer that came in and offered a 30 yard broadside shot. When I saw him running off after the shot and saw that left shoulder/leg flapping, I just knew I'd screwed the shot and was a bit concerned. He ran a bit further than one would expect given the damage that bullet caused but the pistol and bullet did it's job with some pretty impressive results. The left shoulder was completely blown out/smashed and we found the bullet lodged just under the skin on the opposite side after it had passed completely through the chest cavity making a huge mess. Now, I'm not advocating taking shoulder shots with this load and will still aim to avoid the shoulder but its nice to know the performance is there if you happen to flub the shot a bit.