Shot a deer with 45-70, got a question

[rodok]

I shot a young doe with my 405 grain lee at 123 yards right in the middle of the shoulder, it exited out of the top of the deer next to the backbone in the neck area, so it deflected off of something. I figured with that much weight in the bullet it would go straight through. It was traveling at 1350fps. Was the load to slow and caused the deflection because it couldn't penetrate the shoulder, I just figure with that heavy of a bullet it would go straight through. This also my first deer taken with a cast bullet.:)

[btroj]

Hard to say. Unless the bullet was from an extremely hard alloy it shouldn't break up at that speed. May have just hit bone at the right angle for some deflection. Doesn't take much angle on impact for deflections to occur.

Got the deer, that is what matters.

[Wolfer]

As a general rule heavy, blunt boolits like yours go pretty straight thru regardless of velocity. However, every situation is different and you can never tell what might happen.

In the past I've had deer that the bullet appeared to have deflected. In at least one case it did but mostly I could track it back to me being higher or lower than the deer and the angle was not what it appeared to be. Woody

[rexherring]

Any bullet can deflect no matter the weight. A heavy one usually less than a light one. Alloy can also have an effect, soft ones can deform on bone and veer off course more than a hard cast one. By the time the bullet hit at 123 yds it slowed down and could be more prone to deflect.

[TXGunNut]

First of all, congrats on your first CB deer! I shot a good-sized hog a few months ago and observed a similar boolit path with a 350 gr 45-70 at significantly higher velocity. The RD 460-350 smashed the shoulder bone on the way to the spine, exited behind the skull. The boar kicked for awhile but never took another step. I avoid shoulder shots on deer to avoid wasting meat but I like to try to break both shoulders on a bigger hog to avoid tracking.

[rodok]

I agree on not shooting the shoulder, I don't aim there with my other rifle, I was bound and determined to shoot one with cast this year and it had about a 3 inch grouping at 100 yards when I sighted it in. I also agree there deer didn't run off it fell right where it stood. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't under powering my load, it was just it was so weird it came out the top. Anyway I'm glad I got my first CB kill on a deer. Thanks so much for the information.

Rod

[bmortell]

im not sure what twist is normal for 45 70 but is the projectile in questions length properly stablised? if it hit with slight yaw it will exit anywhere but far side of animal

[Changeling]

It is extremely unusual for a basically slow bullet (1300/1400 fps) of that weight to veer off line, especially on a deer that has very weak bones. In fact this is the first time I have ever heard of it happening. Are you sure that your line of sight to the target was not "up hill".

This is not an unheard of happening with J type projectiles (still rare) with a pointed profile at high velicities. An example would be a modern type bullet at say 3000 plus fps "plus". Even then it is very rare!

[rodok]

I would of shot down on the deer (shooting out of a corner of round bales of hay)so I might of been a foot higher, when getting my load worked up I had no signs of the bullet key holing at 100 yards probably shot 20 or 25 of the same load. My cousin and I just couldn't figure out what might of caused it since it was a yearling deer.

[Blammer]

the bullet was traveling sooooooooo slowly that the deer died and was falling before the bullet exited... yea that's the ticket!

[wlc]

the bullet was traveling sooooooooo slowly that the deer died and was falling before the bullet exited... yea that's the ticket!

You owe me a keypad. :)

[taco650]

the bullet was traveling sooooooooo slowly that the deer died and was falling before the bullet exited... yea that's the ticket!


You owe me a keypad. :)

Me 2!

[GaryN]

the bullet was traveling sooooooooo slowly that the deer died and was falling before the bullet exited... yea that's the ticket!

Hahahaha, yes that is what happened.

[nanuk]

I shot a moose in the neck with a 338WinMag using Failsafes... broadside.

bullet turned on the neckbone and drove down through the lungs/gut... never found it, but there was no exit.

this was a 230gr FailSafe hit at 50 yds....

I would have NEVER guessed a bullet like that could turn 90degrees in a 2 inch span and continue for another 4-5 feet....

[taco650]

Sorry rodok, guess we're of no help[smilie=1:

[Hardcast416taylor]

A friend shot a pie-bald whitetail deer with his .25-06 that I had loaded his ammo with Nosler 115 Ballistic Tips. The shot was at 125 yards with the proper behind the shoulder hold. At the shot the deer crumpled like a bag of laundry, he claimed. During the gutting it was noted there was no exit wound. Further examination found that the bullet had deflected off the opposite shoulder bone and went up the deers neck almost 8" hitting the spine and breaking it. The recovered bullet still had 96 gr. weight left in a perfect mushroom shape. Robert

[LAH]

the bullet was traveling sooooooooo slowly that the deer died and was falling before the bullet exited... yea that's the ticket!

Have your lead levels checked. HEE HEE

If you kill 50 more deer with that same load it probably won't happen again.

[whelenshooter]

Shot a bobcat once that was quartering away from me a bit down hill. Shooting an fr8 in 308, jacketed bullet, hit behind her left shoulder and came out immediately in front of her right rear leg. That's getting close to a 180 deg turn. Don't know how it happened but it did. Huge exit wound.

David

[NSP64]

nose of bullet slows down, veers slightly, tail of bullet continues on. Instant 90* turn

[William Yanda]

Shot a bobcat once that was quartering away from me a bit down hill. Shooting an fr8 in 308, jacketed bullet, hit behind her left shoulder and came out immediately in front of her right rear leg. That's getting close to a 180 deg turn. Don't know how it happened but it did. Huge exit wound.

David

Now that's easy, the bobcat was going somewhere between the speed of the bullet and the speed of light.

[winchester 71]

Did it get dead???????????? be happy,eat it and shoot better next year.....45/70's have been killing everything that walks and talks for a hundred and fifty years........a 400plus grain bullet going 1300+ fps is more then enough to kill a deer.............

[fouronesix]

Well, bullets can do strange things for certain, but a small doe at 123 yards, 45-70, 405 gr cast! Hmmm. If there was that much deflection on a small, lightly built animal... might make one wonder about the possibilities (notwithstanding all the anecdotes and hypotheses to the contrary of course) on a larger, tougher animal like a cape buffalo.

[LAH]

Bill thanks for the information on Joshua Chamberlain.

[Finarfin]

I think 4 out of the last 6 or 7 I've seen shot had bullet detours. Not quite so dramatic as some of these. One was a buck I shot with 32-40, hit him broadside just behind the shoulder, perfect shot, it came out a little low and behind the ribcage.