What is your Meat Saver round?

[Super Sneaky Steve]

What's your go to cartridge/boolit/loading when you want to do the job but not over do it?

[waksupi]

.358 Win, with the proper bullet design, hardness and velocity. Kills every time, with very little loss. I could say the same thing for pretty much any chambering, though.

[dragon813gt]

HEAD SHOT!!!!!

Someone had to say it ;)

[tsubaki]

Well, it ain't a boolit but I got a 55gr PSP scooting along at 3450fps out a .223 with 26.0gr of AA2230 that does very well with neck shots.

[farmerjim]

22lr and a flashlight.

[blikseme300]

444 Marlin using a RD 265gn boolit over 45gn Reloder 7 through a Marlin 444S.

[Motor]

100gr Rocket. I ate the liver it cut through. :) Nearly zero meat loss and it's quieter than a 22lr. :)

[kweidner]

High velocity voilent expanding centerfire to neck or head.

[MBTcustom]

I prefer to clear their sinuses. Especially if they are looking at me.
When I take a behind the shoulder shot, the best way to shut them down is with the 358 Winchester shooting a bullet that measures about 15BHN going 1800FPS.
My best bullets for this are the RCBS 35-200-FN or the Lyman 358318 cast of my House alloy (95.6/2.2/2.2) either water quenched (26BHN) or air cooled (14BHN).
358 Winchester with a semi-hard lead bullet means dead deer, like mama ringing the dinner bell means supper's on.

[Blammer]

My meat saver round is usually any shot I miss with. :)

[runfiverun]

7X57 [and the Ackley version] pushing a hornady 139gr interlock to 2775 and 2875 respectively.
it just makes a 3/8" hole going in and a silver dollar hole going out, so far it's worked on yotes through moose with the same results.

[MT Gianni]

I have been in the position where I needed meat and had to hunt for it. I have never been in the position where I needed to choose a less powerful cartridge at the possible expense of a kill to save a little meat. I do not aim for the point of the shoulder but consider it more important to walk away with meat rather than hoping I didn't tear up too much at the possible expense of having none.

[trails4u]

.50 round ball from the cap lock...just behind the shoulder. at least until I get my flinter built.... :) I've only missed/not killed one deer in my life, and it was a clean miss. shot the $$^%% out of a 2" branch about 10yds. in front of the deer in KY last year. :(

[TXGunNut]

45-70 loaded with a RD 460-350 at around 1700 fps. No bloodshot meat and blood trail is always short, often DRT.

[DougGuy]

head shot!!!!!

Someone had to say it ;)


^^^^ this!

[Bulletpusher]

I've got two, .45 Colt with my load or almost any load in the .45-70. Use either one and you can eat right up to the hole. They don't have to expand to make a big hole and it dose'nt blow the meat into red pulp.

[nagantguy]

.223 fmj head or neck pencil sized hole in pencil sized hole out plup in between good eating all around.

[waksupi]

I am saddened by those using jacketed bullets. :x

[35 shooter]

Right now it's the 35 whelen with the 358009 280 gr. boolit heat treated to 27 bhn. and running 2200 fps.

[runfiverun]

I am saddened by those using jacketed bullets. :x

C'mon Ric.
I coulda went with the 308 and a bullet I made myself from a core I cast myself.
but I gotta go with the girl that brung me here,,,,,, sides he asked.

[GoodOlBoy]

in 45 LC a 250-255gr RNFP lead cowboy round. Drops whitetail deer in their tracks when I hit 'em right, and I can bust a bunny in the noggin without destroying the goody. In 45-70 a 405 gr rn lead or rnfp lead cowboy load for hog and deer. You can eat right up to the hole. No "shock meat" losses. In a 30-30 a nice mild middle of the road 165 gr RNFP lead. one shot drop in the tracks on a deer. too much for anything smaller really.

You want to save meat? The uber super duber magulum bleeding edge rounds ain't the ticket. Save those for the range, and for rabid log trucks on a august afternoon. Nice cowboy, or BP round in most anything will do the job if you put it where it's supposed to go.

GoodOlBoy

[Motor]

I am saddened by those using jacketed bullets. :x

How about expanding broadheads.:roll:

[220]

Haven't got one, for me if I want less meat damage its about shot placement. Slip the pill between the ribs or into the head instead of through the shoulder or spine.
Having said that calibre selection also comes into it with small game, even headshot rabbits with the swift are often only fit for the dogs.

[dragon813gt]

How about expanding broadheads.:roll:
Mechanicals fail. I will never understand why people use them. A fixed three blade kills them just as dead. And w/ less meat damage.

[Lead Fred]

A 430gr Ranch Dog to the head, makes it so ya dont have to remove the head, its already gone

[Dan Cash]

I prefer the .30s but also use .35 Rem and .45-70. It is not the round, though, but where you put it. Neck shot = little meat loss, Shoulder or rump = mucho homburger.

[Ron in PA]

45-70 Marlin 95, 405 RCBS at 1500 in the shoulder,meat in the freezer.

[MBTcustom]

Mechanicals fail. I will never understand why people use them. A fixed three blade kills them just as dead. And w/ less meat damage.

Thunderheads are the way to go if you have time to tune them for accuracy, but the NAP Spitfire works fantastic for plug and play, shoot like a field tip performance.
If you want something a little more traditional, Zwicky Eskimo with a Port Orford Cedar shaft will do the trick every time.

[Motor]

Mechanicals fail. I will never understand why people use them. A fixed three blade kills them just as dead. And w/ less meat damage.

1) No sharp edges sticking out.
2) They shoot exactly like feild tips.
3) I don't understand the meat damage comment. As stated in my first post I cooked and ate the liver that it shot through. There was no damage just sliced meat.

[dragon813gt]

I've seen mechanicals cause more damage when they don't work properly. If they work properly there is no difference between a regular broadhead. I prefer simple things that don't have the option of breaking. A regular broadhead can't fail to open. This is just my personal opinion.

The broadheads I use have the same point of impact as field points. Maybe I've been lucky this way but that's a moot point for me.

[mart]

400 Whelen with a 400 grain Woodleigh RN or a 400 grain gas checked WW/2%, either at 2100-2150 fps will take them off their feet and leave a bullet hole you can eat right up to.

[seaboltm]

50 bmg with Raufoss rounds, head shots of course. :kidding:

[Super Sneaky Steve]

I've got two, .45 Colt with my load or almost any load in the .45-70. Use either one and you can eat right up to the hole. They don't have to expand to make a big hole and it dose'nt blow the meat into red pulp.

I'd be curious to hear about your loading. My standard .45 Colt load is 6.0gr of Tightgroup under a 260gr Lee Boolit. It does 843fps out of my Blackhawk with a 7.5" barrel. In my Henry it will do 980fps. I figure that should be enough.

[tdoyka]

I've seen mechanicals cause more damage when they don't work properly. If they work properly there is no difference between a regular broadhead. I prefer simple things that don't have the option of breaking. A regular broadhead can't fail to open. This is just my personal opinion.

The broadheads I use have the same point of impact as field points. Maybe I've been lucky this way but that's a moot point for me.

i've always used grim reapers mechinal broadheads. every deer i killed dropped within 50 yards of being shot. well at least using a bear lights out bow. since i had a stroke and i didn't get out much last year, i gotten a barnett penatrator crossbow. i still use a grim reaper razortip 100gr crossbow heads.

i used rage broadheads one year. that mechincal did not work. at 25 yards i shot the deer broadside and then it ran. i waited 45 min, got down from the treestand. i started looking at 25yds but there was no bloodtrail. i knew where to start looking about 25yds further, so i did and i found one drop of blood. needless to say after tracking it around 300yds, i found her. still alive!!! i put the 2nd one right thru the heart and then she died. the first one was a little behind the shoulder about 1/2 way up. all the rage did was put a little bitty hole thru both lungs but never came out. the 2nd one did the same thing, but the heart was taken out.

grim reapers, you can eat up to the hole!!!
i would like to try a 265gr ranch dog in my 444 marlin.

[jhalcott]

I have used many caliber to take deer, from 223 to 58. Bullet placement is more important than caliber. I confess to a fondness for the .35, both rem and Whelan. I also use a contender in 358jdj

[725]

hard .45-70

[butch2570]

Mechanicals fail. I will never understand why people use them. A fixed three blade kills them just as dead. And w/ less meat damage. Wow, you must have had some real bad luck. Bears, bucks, does ,yotes all dropped within sight, when I do my part.

[MT Gianni]

Montana's seasons for bear, elk and deer run concurrently. I will not use a round that cannot put any of them down quickly.

[jhalcott]

I have SEEN and HAD mechanical broadheads FAIL to open properly. This was many years ago and MAYBE they have been improved these days. I saw a video where a guy had failures when testing several of them recently. I have considered them for my cross bow, but still remember those past failures!

[robinsroost]

1894 Winchester .45 Colt. 255 grain RNFP, cast out of wheel weights, over 5 grains of Hodgdon Clays, 1.5 x 5 Redfield scope. This load will yield about 800fps, with no danger of leading. It will go slap through a deer or hog, without slowing down much. Works pretty good for head shots on squirrels or rabbits......Robin

[dragon813gt]

Wow, you must have had some real bad luck. Bears, bucks, does ,yotes all dropped within sight, when I do my part.

I don't have bad luck w/ broadheads. Red dots on crossbows that won't hold zero are another story. Thankfully I didn't wound any deer because of that horrible optic.

W/ parts that move it's not a matter of if they will break. It's a matter of when they will break. I don't like taking that chance when hunting. Everyone is entitled to use whatever they want as long as it's legal in your state. I just prefer simplicity w/ a lot of things in life. Guess it comes from my trade but the more complicated the equipment is the more it fails.

[Geezer in NH]

22lr and a flashlight.
+1 worked 30 years ago when we were young with kids.

[Jevyod]

45-70 with a 415 grain boolit powdercoated. 3/4" hole going in and 3/4" coming out!

[butch2570]

I don't have bad luck w/ broadheads. Red dots on crossbows that won't hold zero are another story. Thankfully I didn't wound any deer because of that horrible optic.

W/ parts that move it's not a matter of if they will break. It's a matter of when they will break. I don't like taking that chance when hunting. Everyone is entitled to use whatever they want as long as it's legal in your state. I just prefer simplicity w/ a lot of things in life. Guess it comes from my trade but the more complicated the equipment is the more it fails. Yeah they do occasionally break a blade , the end result is still the same so far. I've broken blades on Rocky Mtn Razor,Wasp Cam Lok, and Thunderheads also (all fixed blade) , it happens. Never broke a Bear razor or a Zwickey Eskimo however. I admire your determination to cleanly take your animal though. Simpler is usually better I admit.

[Ramjet-SS]

any bullet head shot .......... meat saved.....

[Fishman]

100 gr slick trick broadhead works great. Flies like a field point to 50 yds out of my bow. Deer shot with a bow taste better in my opinion, but I like deer regardless.

300 blackout 155 gr lee @1800 fps doesn't make much mess Either.

[MT Gianni]

If you have seen deer starve to death with a broken jaw, it isn't pretty. I usually consider a head shot a fools game at the best of times. I have done so but much prefer a break the off shoulder shot.

[Digital Dan]

Have a little patience, pick your shot and the bullet doesn't matter much. This was a CB Short.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/muddler/pig%20pen/DSCN2968_zps85ccff04.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/muddler/media/pig%20pen/DSCN2968_zps85ccff04.jpg.html)

[white eagle]

if a meat saver is a get it done cartridge
for me it the 45-70 with a 425 gr 25-1 Accurate Molds Boolit for my normal meat hunts
however if I get to go out of state where the shots will be longer than my normal woods range
I would take my 3 groove model 70 win.in 280 Ackley Improved

[TXGunNut]

Have a little patience, pick your shot and the bullet doesn't matter much. This was a CB Short.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/muddler/pig%20pen/DSCN2968_zps85ccff04.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/muddler/media/pig%20pen/DSCN2968_zps85ccff04.jpg.html)

I won't take that shot anymore unless I can do it with a downward angle...but I don't like to let them get that close. I've bounced more than one boolit off that very spot.

[Harter66]

I killed 3 hogs only 1 ran any distance and he was already all juiced up when I shot . I served the rib that got clipped on 1 and the trenches exit wounded ham . Really we ate the bullet hole . 45 Colts 452-252 SWC over 8.0 Unique 1000 fps from a 16" carbine.

Now the 200gr pp self spire point just made an exit mess on the off shoulder at 2400 fps ,silver dollar hole in the hide baseball cavity in front of the shoulder and rib chips almost into the neck but very dead ,just 1 bound saved me about 80ft up the hill .

I still have about 18 Bear Magnum w/bleeders maybe 1 of these days I'll get back to it . 125 gr points on a 32" cedar shaft totaling 425gr from a 48# Bear Grizzly 58" and a 30" draw .......29 ftlb 1.25 inches tall 1 inch wide . Dad killed 2 Ca deer and 5-6 in Utah with it ,I shot a few ducks and a goose with it .

[flounderman]

shoot it in the neck and it doesn't make much difference what you use. Shooting something thru the shoulders is just a waste of meat.

[Harter66]

I shot a feral cat through the neck one time ,managed to miss everything except I guess esophagus , found it 4 days later .....