BrentD
01-23-2009, 09:44 AM
I posted this on the Shiloh site but thought it might be appropriate here too.
On the last evening of this year's deer season I was desperate enough that I took my ugly gun. It is an underhammer muzzleloader. .45 caliber, with an 18-twist Badger barrel. It is a special purpose "bean field" gun and I was going to hunt a bean field so it seemed appropriate.
Anyway, in the last minute of the season, 6 does and fawns ran out into the field from the North. My postdoc who had never yet shot a deer tried a shot from the east side. He missed judged the range and missed by a lot. Those deer ran to the west and my left and stopped 200 yds out on the edge of the field. They were prancing and fidgeting and about the leave when I pulled the trigger on one of the larger does.
So the real purpose of this story is to show you what happens when a deer gets hit with a 475 gr paper patched flatnosed bullet backed by 106 grs of Swiss 1.5 fg. The pictures are pretty self explanatory. I use these same bullet in all of my .45 caliber cartridge rifles, though usually I make them heavier. The bullet was either 40:1 or pure lead. I would wager on 40:1 though.
Bullet hit left shoulder blade, exited perfectly perpendicular on the same spot on the right shoulder. Two ribs were centered and shattered, and both lungs where hit but not the heart or a whole lot of major plumbing. The deer ran like a greyhound for 150 yds in deep snow before falling twice, and the last time expiring. I don't think I have ever seen a deer run as fast and low as this one did.
I have shot deer with this rifle at much shorter ranges, 10-30 yds, and only gotten quarter-sized holes.
Entrance hole (pencil)
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Deer/entrance%20hole.jpg
Exit hole (pencil eraser)
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Deer/exit%20hole.jpg
Left (entrance) side ribs
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Deer/left%20ribs.jpg
Right (exit) side rib cage
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Deer/right%20ribs.jpg
Right (exit) shoulder blade. It is not only holed, it is pretty well shattered. The left side shoulder blade was also holed and shattered.
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Deer/right%20shoulder%20blade.jpg
Brent
On the last evening of this year's deer season I was desperate enough that I took my ugly gun. It is an underhammer muzzleloader. .45 caliber, with an 18-twist Badger barrel. It is a special purpose "bean field" gun and I was going to hunt a bean field so it seemed appropriate.
Anyway, in the last minute of the season, 6 does and fawns ran out into the field from the North. My postdoc who had never yet shot a deer tried a shot from the east side. He missed judged the range and missed by a lot. Those deer ran to the west and my left and stopped 200 yds out on the edge of the field. They were prancing and fidgeting and about the leave when I pulled the trigger on one of the larger does.
So the real purpose of this story is to show you what happens when a deer gets hit with a 475 gr paper patched flatnosed bullet backed by 106 grs of Swiss 1.5 fg. The pictures are pretty self explanatory. I use these same bullet in all of my .45 caliber cartridge rifles, though usually I make them heavier. The bullet was either 40:1 or pure lead. I would wager on 40:1 though.
Bullet hit left shoulder blade, exited perfectly perpendicular on the same spot on the right shoulder. Two ribs were centered and shattered, and both lungs where hit but not the heart or a whole lot of major plumbing. The deer ran like a greyhound for 150 yds in deep snow before falling twice, and the last time expiring. I don't think I have ever seen a deer run as fast and low as this one did.
I have shot deer with this rifle at much shorter ranges, 10-30 yds, and only gotten quarter-sized holes.
Entrance hole (pencil)
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Deer/entrance%20hole.jpg
Exit hole (pencil eraser)
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Deer/exit%20hole.jpg
Left (entrance) side ribs
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Deer/left%20ribs.jpg
Right (exit) side rib cage
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Deer/right%20ribs.jpg
Right (exit) shoulder blade. It is not only holed, it is pretty well shattered. The left side shoulder blade was also holed and shattered.
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Deer/right%20shoulder%20blade.jpg
Brent