Best bullet for brush, thick conditions?

[bigbore442001]

I have been blessed twice this past week. I shot two deer with the centerfire rifle and will be able to hunt the same area with the muzzleloader.

The terrain I hunt in is rather thick. It is composed of maple, oak and interspersed with mountain laurel.

What would your ideal muzzleloading projectile be in such a situation? I can pick my shots, sort of, as I hunt primarily from a treestand. But it does seem that the deer often have a few branches between them and me.

 

[big6x6]

What would your ideal muzzleloading projectile be in such a situation?

The old thought on "brush loads" has been proven to be nothing more than folklore. Pick the most ACCURATE load/bullet and shoot thru the openings. That's the only way to do it. Something such as the Hornady 250gr/300gr XTPs would be a good place to start.

 

[bigbore442001]

A few years ago, I shot at a doe at about 50 yards. It looked like a clear shot but when I saw the deer, and about thirteen others bound off through the snowcovered woodlands, she was unscathed.

I looked and saw something funny. There was a lone sapling with the top hanging down. The 295 grain Powerbelt HP had hit it square and the bullet disintegrated. I found a pea sized peice of the bullet about ten yards beyond the dead sapling.

 

[choc-dog]

bullet??

If the powerbelt broke up on what you call a"sapling" maybe it's a good thing you did not hit that deer.

Only you were there, if a sapling broke up my bullet I would have to re-think my choice of projectile.

There was a post recently where the hunter dead centered the small "tree"
and the T/C shock-wave went thru the tree and 2 pieces of the bullet killed the deer dead.

Choc-dog

 

[braintanned]

I totally agree with the XTPs as a good place to start-and clear shooting lanes with something other than the bullet.I had an exciting morning turn bad when I took what I thought was an easy shot at a broadside buck a few years ago-I was using 300 grn SST -I shot and the deer did everything but fall down-he ran and stopped with his head behind a tree while I franticly reloaded-when I shot him,he had his left side to me-when I was re loading,his right rear leg was broke-he ran off and I spent 4 hours on hands and knees following blood,and then securing rights to follow him onto private property-he ended up being coyote food.or maybe someones 3 legged trophy,but it taught me a huge lesson about shooting through saplings-I had groups of respectable sizes with that load,and while I'll be the first to admit a bad shot,I blame two feet off on bullet deflection.

 

[RAF]

IMO any branch, twig of sappling is going to have an effect on a bullet. At the very least it's going to deflect it. If you intended target is right behind it, no big deal. But if your target is farther from the twig it'll be a long way off. Either you wound or completely miss.

 

[whitesmoke]

Personally I do think there is some truth about 'brush busting' but not how it was marketed in years gone by. It has been shown that all bullets tumble after going through brush, from 22s' to the mighty 50 BMG. However if your target is fairly close from where your bullet first contacts brush then a heavy large diameter bullet is going to give you an edge in still being able to cleanly harvest the animal on the basis simply of mass, being able to penetrate even though the bullet may be yawed or keyholed.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that a person should take irresponsible or marginal shots but at the same time there is Murphy and we all know how 'he' works The area I hunt is nicknamed the 'Congo', that's one of the reasons I shoot a Prbullet 360gr KeithNose HP. Not the most aerodynamic projectile on the market but since I've never killed a whitetail beyond 40yds in the 'Congo' I think I'll not worry about a bullets B.C.

Whitesmoke

 

[Spitpatch]

IMO....and if I were going to brush bust a big Magilla I would use a Barnes all copper bullet in the best and most accurate weight for my gun.

Reason being.....they do not and will not frag when they come in contact with brush. Deflect? Maybe... but they hold together, and with that you've solved half the equation. MO 8)

 

[loaded4bear]

I don't believe there is such a thing as a "brush buster" bullet. That being said, I would go with a bullet with a wide metplat (frontal diameter) for more immediate energy transfer at short range. Spitzer style bullets offer no real advantage at the ranges you'd be shooting in the thick stuff anyway.