450 BM, Black Ammo Shot Placement

[Carbide8]

For those of you guys using the 450 BM and shooting Hornady Black ammo, where is the best shot placement on deer?

I’ve done research on the FTX bullet and I’ve come to the conclusion that it most definitely works in lethality but does not leave blood trails.

Do I need to be shooting vitals or shoulder shot? Assuming from 200-250 I need to focus on vitals due to energy at that distance.

Have 3 boxes of this ammo then going to reload so using this ammo for our Shotgun season.

Let me know what you guys think? Thanks

 

[fishhawk2700]

Heart shots are best, but at least The lower third of the chest. There are bullet options. Fury Custom Bullet is making a 275 gr with a small hollow point that IMO has better terminal performance. Its a hair less accurate than the Hornady, but it still shot MOA at 200 yards. If you're going to hand load give Dennis at Fury a call and try some.

 

[ENCORE50A]

Heart shots are best, but at least The lower third of the chest. There are bullet options. Fury Custom Bullet is making a 275 gr with a small hollow point that IMO has better terminal performance. Its a hair less accurate than the Hornady, but it still shot MOA at 200 yards. If you're going to hand load give Dennis at Fury a call and try some.

Exactly!

This one with a 250gr FTX, left blood as high as my head in the trees. About 70/75yds, low and a pass thru...

 

[Carbide8]

Thanks guys. I’m running black this year and will load for it next year. Appreciate the responses.

 

[Busta]

Since you asked, I think you've come to a premature conclusion.

I use the Hornady Black, and so far the blood trails have all been 3 feet, straight down.

However, I have used these same bullets (SST/FTX/Shockwave) in my muzzleloaders and 20ga saboted slugs for over 15 years. 37ish whitetails, and not one lost animal. The longest went 60 yards with a blood trail as wide as a sidewalk. That was the only one I lost sight of after the shot. Another went 50 yards, half of that on his chest, all within sight. All the rest were 25 yards and under, with most pretty much DRT. None ever required a follow up shot or coup de gras.

Remember, you are only going to read the complaints on the internet, and the majority of that is going to be people making a bad shot, because of shooting beyond their capability. I don't take long range or low percentage shots, so I have no horror stories to tell. All the animals I have killed with the FTX based bullets have had both lungs taken out, along with the hearts or plumbing to the hearts on several. No deer can live with a hole through both lungs, period.

If you break the deers chest down into thirds from top to bottom, always aim for where the bottom third and middle third come together, straight up the leg in a perfectly broadside animal. This will always be double lung, and heart or plumbing to the heart, if you do your part. This will ensure a better blood trail than a high lung shot in the middle third, because the chest can hold a lot of blood before it starts spilling out. You will have to wait for it to be aspirated out of the mouth, and that can take several yards.

Bottom line, put it in the boiler room, and you will have a dead deer at the end of a short blood trail, if you happen to need one. I've never needed one, even on the one that I lost sight of. I went to where I last seen it, and could see it laying from there. Then I walked off to the side of the sidewalk sized blood trail to the animal.

My conclusion is they are not the best bullet ever made, but you will not find a bullet that is more accurate, especially in a factory load. If you can't hit where you are aiming, it doesn't matter what bullet you are using, at any range.

There's no such thing as a magic bullet!

 

[Idaholewis]

I started hunting Big Game when i was 8 years old, It was instilled in my head to shoot “just behind the front shoulder” on a Deer that was standing broadside to me, Many years went by before I realized there was anywhere else you could Hit a Deer? Behind the Front Shoulder on a Broadside Animal is the Ticket, Hit em where they Live! :yeah:

 

[ENCORE50A]

Take out the heart, or top of heart with a FTX and you should get something like this hunter had with his FTX shot placement:

 

[Busta]

I see the deer hiding behind that log, waiting for someone to shoot him with a real bullet. :mrgreen:

 

[Idaholewis]

I see the deer hiding behind that log, waiting for someone to shoot him with a real bullet. :mrgreen:

^^LOL you have better eyes than i do Busta!! :lol: I don’t have any experience with Hornady’s Muzzleloader bullets, I do however with their Centerfire SST’s, that bullet was AWFUL in my opinion if you like to Eat what you shoot. This was a 1 time experience as I literally threw the Entire box of them in the Garbage when i got home and Skinned the Deer. I hit a Whitetail buck through the Heart Perfect/fully Broadside at 325 yards, 7MM Rem Mag and 162 SST’s, The Bullet acted like a Grenade, When i started gutting him i had a BIG NASTY MESS??? His Guts were busted wide open?!! And there was no reason for it, My shot was BEAUTIFUL through the Heart. Upon skinning him he was a Bloodshot mess, lost most of the Front Shoulders, Bullet fragments all over through him. I have never looked at Hornady Centerfire bullets again. On the other hand I have had AWESOME luck with their XTP Pistol bullets in .357, and .44 Magnum

 

[Busta]

I see the deer hiding behind that log, waiting for someone to shoot him with a real bullet. :mrgreen:

^^LOL you have better eyes than i do Busta!! :lol: I don’t have any experience with Hornady’s Muzzleloader bullets, I do however with their Centerfire SST’s, that bullet was AWFUL in my opinion if you like to Eat what you shoot. This was a 1 time experience as I literally threw the Entire box of them in the Garbage when i got home and Skinned the Deer. I hit a Whitetail buck through the Heart Perfect/fully Broadside at 325 yards, 7MM Rem Mag and 162 SST’s, The Bullet acted like a Grenade, When i started gutting him i had a BIG NASTY MESS??? His Guts were busted wide open?!! And there was no reason for it, My shot was BEAUTIFUL through the Heart. Upon skinning him he was a Bloodshot mess, lost most of the Front Shoulders, Bullet fragments all over through him. I have never looked at Hornady Centerfire bullets again. On the other hand I have had AWESOME luck with their XTP Pistol bullets in .357, and .44 Magnum

That's what you get for using a varmint bullet in a Magnum.

Here's your problem. "7MM Rem Mag and 162 SST’s"

I had never hunted big game with a center fire rifle until last fall. It was on my bucket list, and I'm not getting any younger. All the whitetails with long bows, recurves, compound bows, crossbow, shotgun slugs, pistol, muzzleloading rifle and muzzleloading pistol. The elk with muzzleloading rifles.

The .450 Bushmaster got the nod. It's like a .45 caliber smokeless muzzleloader that loads from the breech. It does a great job.

Like I said, I've killed 37ish whitetails with the FTX/SST/Shockwave bullets in muzzleloaders, shotgun slugs, and now the .450 Bushmaster, with no horror stories to tell.

Would I use them in some wiz bang MAGNUM under .40 caliber or under 200 grains on big game? Nope!

 

[Idaholewis]

That's what you get for using a varmint bullet in a Magnum.

Here's your problem. "7MM Rem Mag and 162 SST’s"

You couldn’t be more wrong Busta. I have handloaded for Centerfire Rifle from the Age of 15 to Current. When i chose to try the 162 SST bullets i went off Hornady’s Claim below. My load was in the 2800-2900 FPS Muzzle velocity range, i shot this Buck at 325 Yards so the Bullet had obviously slowed down a Fair amount in that Distance, yet it stil completely came undone

https://www.hornady.com/bullets/rifle/7 ... -gr-sst#!/

 

[Idaholewis]

That's what you get for using a varmint bullet in a Magnum.

Hornady DOES make a Varmint bullet for the 7Mag, But this is NOT what i was using


https://www.hornady.com/bullets/rifle/7 ... r-v-max#!/

 

[Busta]

I'll refer you back to the OP's question. He's asking about a 250 grain .452" caliber FTX bullet loaded in a Hornady Black .450 Bushmaster factory load.

"For those of you guys using the 450 BM and shooting Hornady Black ammo, where is the best shot placement on deer?"

And yes, they leave a blood trail.

 

[Idaholewis]

I'll refer you back to the OP's question. He's asking about a 250 grain .452" caliber FTX bullet loaded in a Hornady Black .450 Bushmaster factory load.

"For those of you guys using the 450 BM and shooting Hornady Black ammo, where is the best shot placement on deer?"

And yes, they leave a blood trail.

:lol: :lol: Good one Busta!! No need to refer me anywhere, i just stated a Failure i had with a Hornady SST, YOU are the one that replied to my post and called an SST a “Varmint Bullet” Therefore i posted links to Correct that Misinformation :yeah: Now we can move on!