Went with a solid bullet this year

[Irascible]

Last year I posted how I had hit a deer just in front of the diaphram with a 454 Encore and 300gr HP bullets of 50/50 +2%. It was knocked down and then stood up, so I hit the same area again with my 45 Colt Ruger, 260gr RCBS SAA 270gr which was also hollowpointed. It was definately dead, but I was really surprised that neither bullet exited. I vowed to go back to the solid point this year with the 454 Encore (down loaded to 1500fps).
Well, this year I hit two deer on management permits, with this solid bullet combo. Both ran about 10yds and fell over dead. While field dressing, I noticed that the first was hit low and back of the diagphram. It had entry and exit wounds, the exit wound being ahead of the diaphram, so the bullet had passed through it, taking out part of a rib on entry and exit.
The other deer was straighter shot and somewhat higher and ahead of the diaphram. It blew a big hole through the entry rib and again was lost somewhere in the organs and did not exit. In solid form, this bullet weighs about 310gr and again I'm very surprised at no exit hole. As I remarked last year I need to toughen the alloy up on that gun. I think 80 WW /20 pure + 2%. I still have an open tag so the hard work, looking for a decent set of horns, is yet to come.

[Smoke4320]

"Both ran about 10yds and fell over dead."
I see nothing wrong ..Bullet did its job and neither deer ran much distance at all .. sounds like it performed very well

[DougGuy]

If you want to study boolit performance or find boolit problems, it helps a LOT to recover the boolit..

What's with shooting behind the diaphragm? That's almost a gut shot and nowhere near the vitals. You should be aiming at a front shoulder or just behind the shoulder on a straight on side shot or a quartering away shot, just in front of the shoulder on a quartering towards shot. Heart/lungs is what you want to hit.

[Digital Dan]

The 310 grain weight in that caliber is relatively low in sectional density (~.217). If you don't know what the bullet looked like (expanded diameter & weight) that did not exit you have only assumptions upon which to find remedy. Lower velocity and more lead might lead to Valhalla. Maybe.

[white eagle]

congrats on the deer keep up the good work

[Irascible]

Was aiming further forward, but both Deer were moving. I'm not complaining about the bullet performance, just surprised at not having complete pass through no matter where it hit. Neither Deer bled a lot outside, so tracking might have been a problem, thank heavens it was not.

[GooseGestapo]

How much are the bullets expanding?
I've shot, and seen shot with my bullets and I've only had one instance of a .45cal boolit NOT exiting a deer.
That was a 200gr Lee .452" swc sized to .450 and fired from a .50cal m/l over 80gr of Pyrodex RS. Range was 15yds into the chest of a deer facing me. Bullet lodged somewhere in the paunch after breaking his spine twice. Once on entry into neck and again between the shoulders as it ranged downward through chest and into stomach.

It may help to use a harder alloy and slow down the load.
I've seen the Lee .452" 250gr RFN fired from a .45lc 24"bbl rifle at chrono'd 1,200fps completely penetrate a deer with an angling frontal hit to shoulder and exit far opposite ham... 7.8gr Universal.

[TMenezes]

If it were me, I would leave your alloy soft and not bother hollow pointing. Your soft alloy is already expanding rapidly at that velocity anyways so HPing seems pointless. If you really like to cast and shoot hollow points then you will want to toughen up the alloy or slow it down, maybe both in a 454 Casuel.

[Irascible]

Already stopped HPing in the 454