New guy with a success story

[Fonman25]

Hi everyone. I got a Thompson Center Triumph Bone Collector for my 40th birthday, this past summer. I've only bow hunted before this year, and took a decent 8pt earlier this month. In Indiana, we only get one buck tag, so I decided to go out on Saturday and try to get a nice doe with my new gun. I have taken 30 practice shots to get it sighted in at 50 and 100 yards, and have gotten very comfortable with shooting it. My bullet was a T/C 250gr shockwave with super glide sabot, and I was using 100gr of fff pellets (2). We saw 17 deer that morning, and I was finally presented with a 52 yard broadside shot at a very big, mature doe. There were 6 deer in this group, and after I took the shot, it was a full 2 count before they reacted and I watched my deer gracefully bound away, flagging her tail. I spent the next two hours second guessing myself. How could I have missed at that range? I eventually got down and went to look for blood at the site of the shot. There was none. I walked 30 yards to a fallen tree that I had seen them jump, no blood. 20 yards further on, it looks like someone rolled out the red carpet, and I found my doe another 40 yards down the blood trail. Being a bowhunter, I put the bullet exactly where I would put the arrow. I punched right through the center of both lungs. The exit hole was no larger than the entry hole. In hindsight, and going forward, should I just aim to take out the shoulders, or is there a better bullet/powder combination that will be more effective on a lung shot. I don't want to ruin shoulder meat if I don't have to, but I also don't want to risk losing a deer on what should be a perfect shot.

 

[cayuga]

Welcome to the forum. As for your experience with the Shockwave, I have READ about similar experiences with the bullet. It sounds like it made a pencil hole through and through. I am wondering did it hit any bone at all? As for why the bleeding took so long, you being a bow hunter know if you don't hit them low, the body cavity sometimes has to fill before they start to bleed. Could you have placed the shot better.... I don't know. Never killed a deer with a Shockwave.

Are there better bullets? Yes there are. XTPs. Deep Curls, Barnes, Lehigh, etc.. might give you a larger wound channel and better bleeding. I am sure that some of the forum members will give you some real time experiences they had with different bullets.

Again, welcome to the forum.

 

[Fonman25]

Thanks for your response! I wouldn't call it a pencil hole; the hole was at least the same size as the diameter of the bullet. I hit a rib on the entry side, but the exit was clean through. I was surprised I didn't even have tiny spray droplets from her nose or anything, until it looks like she absolutely exploded so far away from the hit. I'm very happy with the ease and accuracy of my gun, but I'm definitely going to do some more research on bullets and shot placement.

 

[hawgslayer]

:applause:

WELCOME ABOARD :!: :!: Glad you could join the group. I'm sure your going to enjoy your stay........

Ray......... :yeah:

 

[ShawnT]

Welcome to the forum!

As for you experience with the Shockwave, I also (My Nephew too) had a similar experience with the Hornady SST. They are the same bullet, it is made by Hornady for TC and they just change the tip for TC. There are 2 of those bullets, Bonded and a standard non-bonded. The Bonded is much tougher, with you charge you should not use it so make sure that is not the one you have. I was also using 2 pellets but of Pyrodex and it was accurate, but penciled through. There are a lot of guys, and members here, that have very good luck with them, so I will not bash it as there must be a reason for this happening now and then to some. In reading most of the loads from guys that like it, I have an idea that the problem (I and mu nephew had) may have been that velocity was not really high enough to provide reliable expansion. So if it don't expand you get a "Pencil Hole" or "Pencil Though", as we call it when the entry and exit holes are the same size. One thing you could do is to switch to Loose powder and push up the charge to 100 or 110 grains. 100 grains of pellets (2 pellets) of either 777 or Pyrodex is not the same as 100 grains of loose powder (777 or Pyrodex). Pellets are a bit slower than loose. If your shots are normally in the 50 to 150 yard range I would go for a bullet with a wider meplat like the XTP, Deep Curl, Barnes Expander/XPB. If you want to stick with the 2 Pellet load, I would go for the XTP (easier to get then the Deep Curl at the moment). I can't get my Nephew to switch to loose powder but got him started using the Hornady .452 (45cal) XTP 300grain (Non Mag) with a Crushrib sabot and 2 777 pellets. Expansion has been where it should be from 80 to 170 yards. He loves it.

 

[Fonman25]

Thank you ShawnT. I belong to a lot of forums, and that was one of the single most helpful and informative replies I've ever received.

 

[ShawnT]

Your Welcome. Those are just my thoughts/conclusions based on my experience and reading the better experiences of others and not facts. We have ideas on what we like in our bullets choices.

Post your questions down in the "New to" or "Inline" forums and it will get lots more exposure. You will find that there are a Lot of very experienced guys here always willing to help! This is the Premier Muzzleloading site in my opinion!

If you have not done so spend some time relaxing and browsing though the forums, There is TONS of great info. Don't over look the stickies at the top of the forums either. There is some fantastic info stored there that is real useful.

Again Welcome to the gang!

 

[JStanley]

Congrats - welcome aboard!

 

[BuckDoeHunter]

congrats on the deer! artyman:

I personally don't take shoulder shots, I would if I absolutely had too but hate the wasted meat.

Barnes 250gr TEZs with a Harvester smooth black sabot shoot well out of my son's Triumph.