Recovered balls/bullets

[ETipp]

This one was my bull from last year. It started out at 458 grains. It weighed 454 when I recovered it. The shot was 248 yards and the bull dropped in his tracks. It's been hard to find these bullets because they plow through and keep going.

What bullet is that?

 

[deermanok]

Recovered from last year.
240 grain Hornady PA conical bullet. 80 grains volume of 2f Swiss.
The shot struck just inside the front shoulder of the deer. Almost a head up shot.
The bullet traveled through the body and was found on the opposite side in the rear thigh.

 

[idahoron]

What bullet is that?

That is my home made Lee 500S&W bullet paper patched and sized for my barrels.

 

[idahoron]

Recovered bullets can be as much a trophy as the antlers. I looks at the box full I have from a lifetime of hunting and can recall every deer, every hunt.

I have a pile

 

[ETipp]

That is my home made Lee 500S&W bullet paper patched and sized for my barrels.

That's incredible!

 

[10gaugemag]

I have a pile

Assuming most of those came from something more than a 150# deer?

 

[ETipp]

I have a pile

You must take lots of long range shots. Out of all my years hunting I have only recovered a very few. Most just keep on going never to be seen again. I have recovered bullets and broadheads that was not mine out of some of my critters.

 

[idahoron]

Assuming most of those came from something more than a 150# deer?

A fair number of them are from elk.

 

[idahoron]

You must take lots of long range shots. Out of all my years hunting I have only recovered a very few. Most just keep on going never to be seen again. I have recovered bullets and broadheads that was not mine out of some of my critters.

In this picture the top row is 140 gr Nosler Partition all taken from deer. Those shots were from 50 yards to no more than 300.
The bottom row is Hornady 140 grain BTSP.
THE Hornady bullets all were found under the hide on the off side. All penetrated more inches of game than the Noslers. The elk shots were all under 300 yards.

 

[ETipp]

In this picture the top row is 140 gr Nosler Partition all taken from deer. Those shots were from 50 yards to no more than 300.
The bottom row is Hornady 140 grain BTSP.
THE Hornady bullets all were found under the hide on the off side. All penetrated more inches of game than the Noslers. The elk shots were all under 300 yards.

That's interesting because one would have thought that the Nosler Partition would have out penetrated the Hornady 140 grain. That was Nosler's selling point for the Partition bullet.......deeper penetration.

IMO they all performed well.

 

[idahoron]

That's interesting because one would have thought that the Nosler Partition would have out penetrated the Hornady 140 grain. That was Nosler's selling point for the Partition bullet.......deeper penetration.

IMO they all performed well.

The Hornady bullets were all heavier when recovered. I stopped using the noslers due to lack of penetration.

 

[idahoron]

This was probably the farthest I've taken elk. It was 638 yards. I couldn't get any closer. The grass was ankle high. The stalk was about a mile and a half. The last half mile was hands and knees.
This bullet is a Hornady 140 gr.

 

[10gaugemag]

I have a pile

Color me jealous!!

 

[Patched]

Here’s a 240gr. 40 cal “Dead Center“ bullet from Precision Rifle Bullets shot from a .45 cal gen1 CVA Optima ((110grs.of T7 ffg)…the bullet was recovered just under the hide on the farside of this bull …one shot at 83 yds…walked 30yds and tipped over dead…
Everyone I know was trying to lend me a “decent“ gun…my eBay parts Optima is hideous to look at…but shoots flat and hits way hard above its weight class…found parts for another exact copy of the CVA antique ugly stick…

 

[rporter]

bullet reactions are always of interest as are bullet tests.
when i chose the 180 grand slam in 30-06 my bud tested them in wet newsprint and considered them a very poor performer.

here are a few recovered from elk and one moose. many other were pass throughs and not recovered.
one of the interesting bullets is on the far right. the elk was shot and when i got ready to dress it i found a small patch of hair missing on the off side and felt a bullet just under the hide. after cutting out the bullet it was not mine! it was a 30 cal but had not performed well and was healed completely. my bullet was right beside it and was well mushroomed.
2 of these bullets went the full length of an elk and were recovered in the heart. yea, a texas heart shot, but the animal had been plugged through the lungs first and turned to leave when it got the THS.
i have a collection of 12 ga slugs and sabots from shot guns and muzzle loaders that performed predictably.

i do appreciate the tests very much.
i always read the tests but i am careful to draw conclusions.
it is however the best we can do