Found the Bullet

[sixshot]

Well I skinned my buck today & found the bullet! I think this might be the first cast bullet I've ever found although I must admit I quit looking a long time ago because they always went out the other side. Three things really surprised me about this, one I just mentioned and that is that I found the bullet. Second one is where I found it, and the third one is how this medium load could do what it did as far as penetration being that it was a hollow point bullet with a BHN of about 8-9.
As I mentioned earlier the buck was getting really nervous the last few steps so I stopped him with a soft grunt & he looked right at me but his body was turned just a tick to my right. The bullet did hit the big shoulder bone in the right shoulder and then destroyed the right lung, after that I didn't know until today. If it's cold enough I like to leave them hanging 5-6 days to age before skinning, that way you only have to skin them once. I had just starting skinning & hit the bullet with my knife blade, yikes!
That hollow point had went through the right lung, intestines & back to the LEFT hind quarter & stopped. I was totally not ready for that. I'm guessing the bucks live weight was about 140 lbs & my load was only 10 grs of Unique with the 245 gr. cast, powder coated HP & it still covered that much ground (meat) Of course the nose had sheared off, I expected that & kind of figured I wouldn't even find the bullet, or much of it being that soft but when I weighed it, it weighed 159.6 grs & had traveled almost perfectly straight across his body, even after driving through that big shoulder bone. The bullet did better than I expected really, being the Penta point HP.
I've shot very few animals with HP's over the years, always preferring Elmer's solids or LBT solids but I have stated a number of times that a HP at the correct hardness was probably a better mouse trap, I just hadn't followed my own advice except for a nice 4X4 3-4 years ago with the same bullet & load. That was a double lunger with an exit so no surprises there. I don't remember how fast this load is running, I'll have to check, I know it was going faster on the first deer because I was using my 10 1/2" Bisley.
This load really caught me off guard, I will use it again, maybe in a couple of weeks after I chase cow elk with the 480.









Dick

[MyFlatline]

Gotta love it..Good write up

[Smoke4320]

I love HP lead bullets .. knock on digital wood I have only had 1 deer so far go anywhere when shot with a lead hp.. it was a nice big 11 point shot with a 30 herrett .. all the rest (at least 12 so far in the last 3 years ) have been DRT

congrats on the kill and write up

[white eagle]

excellent penetration from an ol hp for sure
so much for the penetration theory of cast hp's that has been tossed around
as usual great shooting Dick, and enjoy the backstraps

[Tripplebeards]

Thanks for the post. One more show and tell on a HP with some deep penatration.

[runfiverun]

Dick.
was your just completely covered and full of fat?
2 of ours were just filled with it inside and out.

one was more like normal with about 1/2" on the butt and a bit up inside around the tenderloins.

[sixshot]

Lamar, I would say it was above average for fat but not as much as yours. I think the doe mule deer & doe antelope I shot in Utah last month were both fatter but they were living the good life, right in some farmers field pretty much year round. I know I've sure made some great jerky so far. Now if I can fill a cow elk tag in a few weeks I'll have jerky all year plus I'll can quite a bit of it.

Dick