Exit wound on deer.

[user 48679]

The only good thing about an exit wound is as an aid for tracking a blood trail.......

 

[Tom A Hawk]

I thought I'd crunch the numbers.
If you have your Bibles (Lyman Handbook) you will see a 28" barrel 50 cal using 80grs fffg has around 1692 fps and 1143 ft lbs of energy at the muzzle.

If you used ffg you'd have less velocity and energy to start with.

At 100 yards the same load has around 995 fps and 400 ft lbs, about 60% loss of energy. Nothing I'd want to catch, but the soft lead will instantly deform and shed more energy once inside the critter.

Lead isn't as scarce as it was BITD, so there's no reason in my mind to NOT want a complete pass thru, and it makes for easier tracking. Here in the cross timbers area, you can't see more than 20 yards in the bush, so the more blood, the merrier.

If your gonna shoot regularly at that range, (BTW, congrats on a great shot), you might wanna up your powder charge, switch to wheel weight round balls, try a conical, or a combination of those.

I think today the only reason for wanting a recovered prb is bragging rights.
I've never recovered a muzzleloading bullet.

At 2000 FPS a recovered .54 PRB looks like this. They can be found just under the hide on the off side when skinning. I really don't need an exit hole for tracking purposes because they go down within my range of vision.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

I didn't mention it because I thought some of you were smart enough to know the truth. I was wrong. It's not the bullet or the ball that kills, it's the noise of the shot. All the ball does it open a hole to let the killing noise in. I know this is true because Col. Charles Askins wrote that this is what the natives in Southeast Asia told him. Now you know.

 

[Bunk]

No matter how fast you drive a round ball at the muzzle it goes subsonic by a hundred yards. The faster you drive it the worse it looses velocity.
That said we know of kills at one hundred and fifty or two hundred yards with ball.
Exit wounds don’t hurt deer. It’s the damage tween the ribs that counts.
My rule, and I ain’t preaching to any one who does it different, is ml is archery on steroids. Get close.
It’s not the frontier of 1840. You don’t go home to an empty belly or bowl of grits if you don’t get your kill. Get close,get kills,enjoy your venison

I no longer hunt, but brag about how CLOSE you get. hat is woods craft.

 

[oldwood]

In a .50 cal. rifle , FFFG black powder gives a little more power. I've shot through many white tails , and only had one where I found the ball in the deer. Deer was around 25 yds. quartering towards me. The ball entered the deer's left front shoulder , breaking the bone , then the ball passed through a lot of organs , heart , lung , liver , kidney , and other unidentifiable stuff. The ball finally stalled under the hide of the right rear ham. The ball was flat and near the size of a quarter dollar. Amazing to me.............oldwood

 

[senseisugarbear]

TheThrough and through bullet is akin to the military using ball ammo.mukes a much cleaner WOUND.A bullet that expands wether from mushrooming or hitting a major bone and does't exit, expends all it's KINETIC energy in the deer. Making for a fast KILL.......Image if the Military used soft point bullets........Be Safe>>>>>Wally

 

[TDM]

I was wondering… Has anyone experienced the lack of penetration with rb? I took a deer today at 106 yds with a 50 cal with 80 grains of goex ffg pushing a patched rb. The ball slipped right through the rib cage smashing the heart before stopping against the back wall of the ribs. Granite, it was a bit far of a shot with traditional iron sights, for me at least, but I felt comfortable enough to take it so I did. It’s not just farther shots though. Most deer I shoot are less than 30 yards and I’ve yet to see one of my rb’s exit the animal. Anyone experiencing the same? I know a rb doesn’t weigh much.

At that range everything happened as it was supposed to. Good job.

 

[longcruise]

It’s funny too. Even though it had no exit wound, it had no problem dropping the animal. Every deer is different I guess. It dropped right where it stood; back legs folded and down it went. It went down so fast that I thought I might have nicked the spine but it didn’t. I’ve shot deer through the heart at 20 yards and have it run 50 yards. This one over 100 and like a sack of potatoes.

It's worthwhile to consider how a ball behaves upon impact. At closer range and higher velocity it flattens and therefore meets more resistance upon impact and as it travels through the animal and is very likely to stop under the skin. Then there's the long shot with the ball traveling much slower and not flattening as much if at all is meeting less resistance and able to penetrate efficiently. They both are making a big enough wound channel to reduce blood pressure dramatically and result in a clean kill.

 

[Eterry]

It’s funny too. Even though it had no exit wound, it had no problem dropping the animal. Every deer is different I guess. It dropped right where it stood; back legs folded and down it went. It went down so fast that I thought I might have nicked the spine but it didn’t. I’ve shot deer through the heart at 20 yards and have it run 50 yards. This one over 100 and like a sack of potatoes.

Years ago a Dr told me There are no Absolutes in Biology.
Most of the deer I've shot have ran a short distance. A few ran farther, a few fell at the shot.
I read in the early 80s a deer shot in the liver will drop and not get up. I once shot one quartering to and it collapsed. Dressing it the bullet destroyed the liver, maybe its true.

The same applies to other critters, both bigger and smaller.

 

[Billy Boy]

I was wondering… Has anyone experienced the lack of penetration with rb? I took a deer today at 106 yds with a 50 cal with 80 grains of goex ffg pushing a patched rb. The ball slipped right through the rib cage smashing the heart before stopping against the back wall of the ribs. Granite, it was a bit far of a shot with traditional iron sights, for me at least, but I felt comfortable enough to take it so I did. It’s not just farther shots though. Most deer I shoot are less than 30 yards and I’ve yet to see one of my rb’s exit the animal. Anyone experiencing the same? I know a rb doesn’t weigh much.

Spanked one three weeks ago, 40 yds, walking, hit on the point of the shoulder - smashed it, deer ran 75 yds and died. Not a drop of blood along that 75 yds. Ball didn’t exit but was found inside his heart, partially flattened. 90 gr Pyrodex, I have seen more penetration but I usually don’t smack them on the point of the shoulder.

 

[johnraleksa]

I was wondering… Has anyone experienced the lack of penetration with rb? I took a deer today at 106 yds with a 50 cal with 80 grains of goex ffg pushing a patched rb. The ball slipped right through the rib cage smashing the heart before stopping against the back wall of the ribs. Granite, it was a bit far of a shot with traditional iron sights, for me at least, but I felt comfortable enough to take it so I did. It’s not just farther shots though. Most deer I shoot are less than 30 yards and I’ve yet to see one of my rb’s exit the animal. Anyone experiencing the same? I know a rb doesn’t weigh much.

Friend of mine years and years ago shot a deer the bullet went through and killed a deer that was standing on the other side. Game warden was not understanding, and Friend got a large expensive ticket.

I was wondering… Has anyone experienced the lack of penetration with rb? I took a deer today at 106 yds with a 50 cal with 80 grains of goex ffg pushing a patched rb. The ball slipped right through the rib cage smashing the heart before stopping against the back wall of the ribs. Granite, it was a bit far of a shot with traditional iron sights, for me at least, but I felt comfortable enough to take it so I did. It’s not just farther shots though. Most deer I shoot are less than 30 yards and I’ve yet to see one of my rb’s exit the animal. Anyone experiencing the same? I know a rb doesn’t weigh much.

 

[Gooddaytoya!]

At 2000 FPS a recovered .54 PRB looks like this. They can be found just under the hide on the off side when skinning. I really don't need an exit hole for tracking purposes because they go down within my range of vision.

View attachment 176978

How do you produce a 2000 fps ball at hunting range?

 

[LME]

Years ago a Dr told me There are no Absolutes in Biology.
Most of the deer I've shot have ran a short distance. A few ran farther, a few fell at the shot.
I read in the early 80s a deer shot in the liver will drop and not get up. I once shot one quartering to and it collapsed. Dressing it the bullet destroyed the liver, maybe its true.

The same applies to other critters, both bigger and smaller.

I don't know if you ever boxed or not but if you receive a good blow to the liver area you will go down. The only way a deer could possibly keep standing after shot through the liver is if it were a ghost? I do know strange things can happen as well?

 

[senseisugarbear]

I beleive it was TENNGUNN that said M/l is like Archery on STEROIDS, I concurr completely, When I first started hunting deer it was with a Rifle. I got Skunked for 3 seasons and was pretty down hearted.My family didn't hunt deer, So I had no FETCHIN UPS as GRANDPA would say. So I bought a stick & string and read everthing I could on archery hunting deer, I got 3 with that Bow. Then the idea came to my mind. I've been archery hunting deer with a Rifle ever since. an arrow doesn't kill with Kinetic energy but rather with Hemmorage, bullets kill with a combination of kinetic & hemmorage. Of course a larger caliber will DRAIN a deer faster than a smaller cal. I'd say if you got a load or combination that is WORKING. DON"T let this thread change your way, Our goal is a quick HUMANE kill...Be Safe>>> Wally

 

[Stykbow]

I don't know if you ever boxed or not but if you receive a good blow to the liver area you will go down. The only way a deer could possibly keep standing after shot through the liver is if it were a ghost? I do know strange things can happen as well?

Truth! Nothing hurts like a hit to the liver.

 

[senseisugarbear]

A good LIVER shot makes you want to PUKE, POOP YOUR PANTS,& PEE DOWN YOUR LEG all at the same time, I don't know for a fact that that's what the deer feels , But all the Blood runs though the LIVER very quickly. They ain't going far....Be Safe>>>>>>>Wally

 

[Tom A Hawk]

How do you produce a 2000 fps ball at hunting range?

That is muzzle velocity. Guess we'd have to extrapolate based on yardage to know velocity at impact.

 

[Snake Pleskin]

No matter how fast you drive a round ball at the muzzle it goes subsonic by a hundred yards. The faster you drive it the worse it looses velocity.
That said we know of kills at one hundred and fifty or two hundred yards with ball.
Exit wounds don’t hurt deer. It’s the damage tween the ribs that counts.
My rule, and I ain’t preaching to any one who does it different, is ml is archery on steroids. Get close.
It’s not the frontier of 1840. You don’t go home to an empty belly or bowl of grits if you don’t get your kill. Get close,get kills,enjoy your venison

I agree, close is good!

 

[Snake Pleskin]

How do you produce a 2000 fps ball at hunting range?

you don't!

 

[Rifleman1776]

Any projectile that stays in the deer is expending all of its energy

Many people simply do not understand that concept. However internal organ damage, exit or not is what counts.