N-120, Barnes Original kill report

[Kim]

Our Ohio gun season was uneventful for us, bunches of deer and many young bucks daily, mature bucks were hiding well.

My son took a doe for the freezer late in the week.

59 gr. N-120, 300 gr. Barnes, 110 yds, quartering away, entry at last rib, exit just behind offside leg, broken rib in and out, exit hole golf ball sized. Much of her heart and bottom of her lungs were just mush. This deer still traveled almost 100 yds after the shot. She ran full speed until she dropped, blood trail anyone could follow.

We had temps ranging from 73 to 17, rain, sleet, snow, freezing rain, winds in excess of 30 MPH 3 of the first 5 days. I fired my gun after 4 days and hit my aim point and then reloaded for the remainder of the week, no load issues.

We still have a 4 day muzzleloader season coming up during the holidays

 

[getonit]

Kim- sounds exactly like my shot on my buck (good morning post) - not to stir the bullet pot -I shot mine with a 250xtp- 45gr. 5744 at about 30 yds. -exact same placement as your sons shot(including last rib) but much different results- large 2" entrance hole- no exit- heart hit/lungs mush- lots of internal damage but the good part is very little meat lost to the shot- he went about 65 yds and dropped- not a good blood trail at all except on the initial hit sight that showed several large splotches- from the entrance hole. I think having a viable blood trail is a plus though - I would have liked to have one on this one as he went into a high overgrown pasture. my boy will be using my MLII in the late season....-Getonit- ps Yep! our Ohio weather was a bear this year!!!!

 

[Redclub]

I had the same results with that load of 60 grains of VV120 over a 300 barnes original semi spitzer. Bullet went in behind front leg came out last rib Buck ran 80 yards great blood trail. I was very satisfied with this load and see no reason to change.
Redclub

 

[Grouse]

Kim, Was that an MZ Expander??

 

[Loggy]

Kim, Was that an MZ Expander??

Tom, my guess would be bullet was not a 300 grain Barnes MZ Expander. Kim said deer traveled approx. 100 YDS after a good hit......most likely a Barnes Original. :lol:

 

[Grouse]

Kim, Was that an MZ Expander??

Tom, my guess would be not a 300 grain Barnes MZ Expander. Kim said deer traveled approx. 100 YDS after a good hit......most likely a Barnes Original. :lol:

That's what i was thinking. :wink: That MZ Expander does do some Damage.

 

[Loggy]

Kim, Was that an MZ Expander??

Tom, my guess would be not a 300 grain Barnes MZ Expander. Kim said deer traveled approx. 100 YDS after a good hit......most likely a Barnes Original. :lol:

That's what i was thinking. :wink: That MZ Expander does do some Damage.

Tom, I have killed 2 decent sized game animals with the Barnes 300 grain MZ Expander within this past year......a TN Hog & Large Whitetail. My observation of this bullet is that it EXPANDS almost IMMEDIATELY upon Hit and rips its way on through (in ONE PIECE) for total penetration due to its Solid Copper design. I think that the fact it immediately opens up combined with its spin is why its so deadly. On my deer killed this past Monday I noticed a tremendous amount of ground bone (Ribs) from its devastation. It was a center Lung Hit where a knockdown usually aint experienced but was. My Hog hit was very similar with exceptional results.

What really impresses me is it's knockdown WALLOP.... which is likely due to energy transfer from its optimal expansion characteristics.

 

[Kim]

It was the Barnes Original.

We have a 4 day MZ season coming up and 5 more tags to fill. We are pretty selective during the gun season and then during the latter season make sure we have enough meat in the freezer. I passed a 20" plus wide 8 point both Monday and Tuesday. The young fellow just didn't have any tine length or mass to go with his spread. I saw one buck that I wanted to take but he never presented a decent shot opportunity. I averaged 30-40 deer a day with 4-6 different little bucks a day. When it's time to take some meat there are plenty of does available.

I used to shoot the expanders from my Knights. There is no doubt about that bullets ability to do the job extremely well.

I will not form a final opinion on the originals with only one kill. While I have no problems with it's performance on the one deer taken I'll reserve a verdict for a few more weeks when we have 5-6 kills with this bullet to compare.

We did have one lost deer during the week. A buddy shot a good buck at 95 yds with 130 gr. Pyrodex pellets, 250 gr. Shockwave. He thinks he shot a little forward in the shoulder, he heard the bullet hit, but with all of the smoke and falling snow he did not see where the deer went after the shot. There was just a dusting of snow on the ground (grass field) that was melting as fast as it was falling and so many other deer in the group that we couldn't make sense of anything. There was no blood or hair that we could find. We spent 2 hrs in ever widening circles trying to find anything but never did.

This guy was leaning heavily towards a Savage for next year. The huge smoke cloud obscuring his view after the shot made up his mind for sure. He will have a Savage for next year!

 

[Doohan]

Very good writup KIM.. You must have been down in Southern Ohio to see so many deer!

Opening day, I saw MAGILLA from my tree stand... about 15 minutes later I saw him exit the same way he entered the woods! A bunch of locals ran the woods I hunt about 3x a day! So from Monday to Thursday, I didnt see much of anything.

Later in the week I moved to an old hunting spot about 5 miles away and my luck changed ( sort of )

I saw quite a few does and a couple of nice bucks there.. Only hunted the total of about 1 day there..... And couldnt hunt Sunday..


I got a shot at this buck but missed it clean from 253 yds when he finally stopped.... My buddy here in the photo got him on the other side of the woods at about 60yds w/ his 870..


My load was 42 gr of N110 and a 250 XTP ... Im regretting moving away from my 285 spitfire load.. It is my flattest and most accurate load... Im just not real impressed with the spitfire terminal performance! I cant wait for their TMZ's to hit the market.

We are headed to Licking co. for 2 days of the MZ season... I hope to at least fill the freezer in those 2 days. After that, my season will be over..

 

[Mountain Man]

... My load was 42 gr of N110 and a 250 XTP ... Im regretting moving away from my 285 spitfire load.. It is my flattest and most accurate load... Im just not real impressed with the spitfire terminal performance! ...

REALLY??? Out of curiousity, why?

I have gotten GREAT terminal performance out of the 245 Spitfire, with three deer dead to it this fall.

1st fell down with a liver shot, then got up and bounded 30 yards and collapsed within just 30 seconds or so of the shot. Broadside shot through ribcage and liver area showed full expansion and no fragmentation/

2nd dropped at the shot, never to move again. Shot from the front, through the shoulder, heart, lungs, diaphram, liver, and part of stomach, and lodged against hide of the belly adjacent to the genitals. Probably 2 feet of penetration. Pics of recovered slug, entrance wound, and more details here: http://modernmuzzleloader.com/phpBB/vie ... php?t=1805

3rd buck was on high alert when I shot, having snorted and run then paused to look back. Shot took out parts of both lungs and the top of the heart and arteries. Since he was already on high alert and in running mode, he covered 50 yards before falling over within sight. Entrance wound was a good 2" in size on the outside, with a good 6" diameter chunk blown out of the inside of the ribcage on entrance. Exit was over three time the original caliber and showed no signs of fragmentation. More details and wound pics here: http://modernmuzzleloader.com/phpBB/vie ... php?t=2023

Immediate expansion, outstanding penetration, GREAT blood trails, immediate to nearly immediate dropping of the target (none left my sight), and NO FRAGMENTATION or lead particles: If there's something more to ask for in terms of terminal performance, I have no idea what it could be. 8)

 

[Kim]

Doohan,

you know a MZ won't shoot 253 yds :wink: Maybe you need to hunt in a pumpkin patch

Yes, I hunt SE Ohio, Athens County. We have a lot of very private acreage and lots of deer. Getting a deer isn't an issue it's getting the right deer that is really starting to keep me awake (piss me off)at night.

Nice buck your buddy got.

 

[Mountain Man]

Kim, congrats to your son. I'm anxiously awaiting Barnes production of a new batch of Originals so I can give them a try, too. Good luck on getting the "right" deer. Hope it doesn't continue to piss you off--that just takes all the fun out of it! But I know the feeling. :wink:

 

[Doohan]

REALLY??? Out of curiousity, why?

I just have not had the luck you have.. While I cant argue with a "dead deer" I am just not "moved" by the spitfire in my personal experience... ( albeit a one off instance ) The 300gr Original IMHO is a much better tool, It will leave a much larger exit wound from what I have seen.

Other than that, I really cant argue with your success and don't want to! :lol: To each his own, as the say. :wink:

The #1 problem with the 10ML-II - Too many bullet/load combos!

you know a MZ won't shoot 253 yds Maybe you need to hunt in a pumpkin patch

LOL! That buck was gonna be dead no matter what 12 minutes later... ( and was) I may as well have taken my chance at it. Closest I got was 161yds and I couldnt get him to stop..

 

[Mountain Man]

Don't want to argue! I was just curious what happened in your instance. If there was a post about it, I missed it somehow. If there is something I should watch out for with them, I definitely would like to know!

 

[Doohan]

LOL! Sorry, I really didnt mean to imply that! I meant my dead deer..

Nothing really to watch for... Just personal preference is all... If you are happy with em... keep shooting them!

 

[eric10ml II]

My seasond ended with a doe shot brod side at 50yards perfect lung shot but no expantion from the Barnes original 300 vv59g.The exit hole was no biger then the entry hole about the size of my finger great blood trail and lungs to jelly but suprized to see such a small exit hole

 

[Doohan]

Hi Eric,

I believe you and good point! I'm a shoulder shooter by nature and like tough bullets. Anything with BARNES on the label pretty much backs that up.

The Original may not be best suited for the Dbl Lung shot. Something like an XTP, SST, PR Bullet may work better.

Glad you got your deer!

 

[IndianaHunter]

JJ, that's a nice buck...You'll have better luck next time....

 

[Mountain Man]

Eric, I am a bowhunter, as well as 10ML user, and I want the meat from the shoulders, so I aim for double-lung shots and avoid the shoulder if I can. (If I can't, I don't sweat it, of course.)

Anway, if your load has enough energy to make a through-and-through, and you're willing to wait for a true doub-lung hit, I don't think expansion is terribly necessary. It may not drop quite as quickly, but even if all it gives you is a whole through both lungs, that means lung collapse and death within a relatively few minutes. And generally, lots of blood for tracking. Bowhunters depend on that all the time, and their deer generally drop within 30 to 100 yards.

If you use a .243, .50 caliber bullet after expansion is about all you can hope for. Anytime you put a .45 or .50 hole through an animal's vitals, it is going to die pretty quickly. I personally want a bullet that won't fall apart on me, even if it doesn't expand a lot on a double-lung shot.

Congrats on your doe!