All this might lead one to suspect that it's marginal to shoot deer with 7mm magnums of any flavor
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All this might lead one to suspect that it's marginal to shoot deer with 7mm magnums of any flavor
Hunter_Nick, i can see your problem. The bullet could of hit the knife in the shoulder. Just saying
I've actually not found the m to be universally tougher. I've recovered 147s quite intact from close shots in the creed and had 143s grenade the insides at distance.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hunter_Nick
I think there's a lot at play like hitting a rib on the way in or not etc but also the specific bullet used ie which eld m. I'd have to think there's even some lot to lot variation.
None of the ones I've shot with 7 mags have gone more than a couple of wobbly steps....but I generally shoot them a bit further away than 100y....rarely inside 200y I use ELDM's in magnums if it makes any difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by gimp
Can we really call this a failier though? Bullet punched bone, dumped a shit load of energy, put a big old hole in the vital bits then exited. All while operating outside of its ideal velocity window.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hunter_Nick
Imo as along as the bullet can consistently achieve the penetrating to, then putting a big hole into the vitals bit, idc what it looks like.
Paralysis by analysis. Not the exclusive domain of just 7mm bullets on here :)Quote:
Originally Posted by gimp
bringing this back up as been reading up on eldx and have a similar question on terminal performance.
been shooting 150g eldx out of a short barrelled 708 at 2500 fps mostly at 200-300m and most animals dont make it far. generally dont see any exit wounds, maybe 1-2 out of the last 20 deer. that’s fine as they generally dont make it far but have recently lost a couple in thick, highly trafficked scrub that have run but there’s no blood trail and too much other sign to track them. they were both pretty standard 200-250m shots and not rushed.
no issues at all with the eldx except the lack of exit wounds and i know i may be compromising on killing effectiveness with a bullet that more consistently exits but keen to hear suggestions on alternatives to try.
@Mararoa are you still using the tipped game kings?
Yep sure do. I really rate them. In my experience they always exit but by the same token they seem to open up reasonably well just going on the size of the exit wound.
Since December 2023 I have been doing pest control on a forestry block. The block is quite small with not a lot of deer on it.Quote:
Yep this is exactly the same way I am looking at it. There is plenty of times where I am putting it through the front shoulder bone, deliberate shot or not. Thinking about trying the 150 accubond or LR accubond as both ballistically will give me plenty of reach but are by all accounts les fragable compared to the ELDX. Interesting I have had really good results shooting 154 SST's out of my 18 inch .284. Dropped a big 'ole bull tahr from 10 meters on the spot with a quartering shot behind the shoulder and deer at a variety of ranges. It shoots sub .3 MOA groups all day long. What are peoples experience with SST's 0-500 yards?
However, in that time I have shot 30 deer and the majority of those deer were shot with the Hornady SST projectiles.
Most were taken with a 6.5 Creedmoor using the 129gn SST. A smaller number were shot using a .280 Ackley Improved using the 139gn SST.
For the 6.5 129gn SST the ranges have varied from 170yds to 430yds. In the .280 AI with the 139gn SST ranges varied from 250yds to 310yds.
In both calibers 90% of those projectiles exited the animal. I always take shoulder shots if I can. The animals mostly drop on the spot. If I have to take an angling shot, I try to break the near or offside shoulder. On these occasions the deer only run a short distance…maybe 10-15yds.
I have never retrieved a projectile from anything shot with the 6.5 and have only retrieved 1 under the hide on the offside shoulder, using the .280AI.
That was a large bodied 8-point stag.
On 2 occasions using the 6.5 129gn SST the projectiles did not exit and there was nothing but shrapnel in the chest cavity and a huge amount of smashed up bone in both animals.
Both animals were shoulder shot and both were at 300yds. One was a very big 8 point red stag. I could barely get the back steaks back legs in my 70lt pack. The other animal was a big hind.
I appreciate it’s only a small number of deer that I’ve taken with these projectiles, but I can’t fault their performance. In my opinion, you can pay a hell of a lot more for projectiles that don’t kill as well as these SST.
Based on my experience I have total confidence that these projectiles will get the job done. Even the 2 occasions where the bullet blew up, they were already through the shoulder and into the chest cavity along with all of the bone fragments from the shoulder. You can’t kill them deader than dead.
To spite the good performance of the 139gn SST in the .280AI I am currently working up loads with the 140gn Sierra Game Changer. This is purely because I want to see for myself just how well they perform compared to the 139gn SST and because of their higher BC.
The 154SST is excellent choice for 280ai or 284