Ammo For New Rifle

[Born Hunter 17,622]

 

As for the deer, all I can say is aim more accurately. You want the engine room not the shoulder.

What do you think is between the shoulders?

[Alsone 789]

No offence meant.

 

Maybe we just have a different idea of what constitutes the shoulder. To me the shoulder is the area behind the neck at the very top of the back where the shoulder blade aligns with the spine. I added a label to the diagram below I pulled off google. In that case, the vital organs are at least a foot below:

 

 

Maybe you view the top of the leg as the shoulder

[Born Hunter 17,622]

"Pinning the shoulders" is a commonly accepted ethical shot placement. Telling someone to have better aim shows a real lack of experience.

 

http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/shooting/deer-stalking/deer-stalking-meat-loss-or-humane-kill-15647

[Lloyd90 509]

I recently bought a Lee classic loader kit, used a few old privi cases, tub of powder, primers , rubber mallet and some 87grain BTHP hornady rounds.

 

Shoots much better than the privi's , very easy to reload by hand without any fussy equipment and damn cheap too result

[Alsone 789]

"Pinning the shoulders" is a commonly accepted ethical shot placement. Telling someone to have better aim shows a real lack of experience.

 

http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/shooting/deer-stalking/deer-stalking-meat-loss-or-humane-kill-15647

 

That's a fair comment as I don't shoot deer. However, I'm not sure about the ethical comment.

 

The target area above was taken off a deer shooting website and many other sites carry similar targets. When you google pinning the shoulder, the general opinion across many deer shooting sites is that it's not always humane because if you fail to smash both shoulder blades in a way that causes the fragments to travel downwards and damage the aorta and lungs, something that is by no means a certainty but requires an element of luck, the deer is wounded and can run on, or where the blades are smashed but the fragments haven't hit anything vital and it hasn't proved fatal, it drops but then requires a 2nd follow up shot.

 

In fact there was a big discussion on this forum about pinning the shoulders not some time ago, with many posters on here saying it wasn't humane: http://www.thehuntinglife.com/forums/topic/154598-pinning-a-deer/

[Born Hunter 17,622]

I said commonly not completely. And you should know that we can have the same arguments about every choice of shot placement. My point is that you were giving advice and critisicm to someone who did no wrong on a subject you have no experience of.

 

If that's his preferred shot placement its no less ethical than any of the others. f**k ups can happen with any of them, telling someone to aim better seems a little arrogant.

 

There's no such thing as the perfect shot, just a judgement call.

[Alsone 789]

If it came across arrogent, I apologise. It was meant lightheardly. Sometimes these things get lost in translation on the internet.

[ValerieLeverette 2]

I used to favor Aguila ammunition since it has a good advantage of unique loads for exceptional rimfire applications and non-corrosive in nature.

[charlie caller 3,654]

 

 

Thanks chaps but not intending on reloeding to be honest. Rather buy factory loads.

Privi do both 90 grain and 100 grain soft points.

 

Maybe try a box of each ? Some people find 100gr heavy in a 243 and won't stabilize as good as slightly lighter bullets so the 90s may be better.

 

It's worth trying them out for sure.

 

Theyre the only rounds I've used atm and have taken fox (which ran on a good 30 yards before stopping) and fallow (which dropped on the spot but was still alive) both with the privi 100 grain. On the fallow the bullet went straight through both shoulders well. I imagine it did the same for the fox and didn't expand quick enough hence it ran a bit before dropping.

 

 

 

TBH, your experience just backs up what I was going to say, I'd stay away from softpoints if your primary use is fox / small prey. You'll tend to get poor expansion in their narrow soft bodies and over penetration. That's the probable reason for the runner with the fox.

 

You'd be better off buying a ballistic tipped varmint round and then keeping a single box of heavier softpoints for dedicated deer use.

 

I've not much experience of .243 but I've heard that all of the ballistic tipped rounds up to 75gr are pretty devasting against fox and small prey.

 

As for the deer, all I can say is aim more accurately. You want the engine room not the shoulder.

 

Actually the shoulder shot is a damn good way of putting a deer on the deck, if you are not worried about a little meat damage, not much goes very far with two smashed shoulders, and the trauma caused usually results in damage to heart and lungs,soft point deer bullets are not the best on foxes, as Alsone says, they tend not to expand as well as the frangible varmint type bullets,for 90% of my shooting I use the brilliant Sierra 80grain blitz, good BC, flat shooting, drops foxes like a light switch going out, and penetrates well and leaves a good cavity on deer, as I dont think, even though it is a varmint bullet, that it is quite as explosive as some of the v-max types, the last CWD I shot, was a heart and lung shot, he dropped on the spot, the bullet passed through leaving a nice exit wound.