Round Ball Brush Deflection

[Rokon]

I need you RB shooting hunters to confirm my observations.

Over the last two years, I have experienced zero hits with a .45 and .50 caliber round ball at 50 yards if there is ANY intervening brush between me and the animal.

Do you all confirm my experience or are my RB's bewitched?

 

[jamesthomas]

Well, I for one do not shoot unless I have a clear shot, and that means NOTHING between me and the deer. I do not under any conditions shoot if there is anything between me and the deer. There is too much chance to have a deflection and get a gut shot or leg hit in which the animal may leave NO or very little trace of being hit. The animal may stop bleeding but still be hurt and or seriously hurt. Kinda like Cynthialee and her wounded Mountain Lion.

 

[Thing]

Perhaps you are flinching .. Or in excitement , slapping the trigger Or explosion of sight picture at last minute. Could be many things.

 

[BrownBear]

I've done a lot of range testing with everything from modern calibers of all sorts to round balls and ML conicals. In a nutshell, there ain't a one in the whole basket I'd call a "brush bucker." If there's a rule of thumb, it's that the closer to the target, the less deflection. And of course the further from the target, the greater the deflection. With small limbs (twigs really) 20 feet in front of a 15" target, I couldn't get a 458 WinMag's 500 grain bullets to reliably hit a 15" target.

 

[jamesthomas]

I've done a lot of range testing with everything from modern calibers of all sorts to round balls and ML conicals. In a nutshell, there ain't a one in the whole basket I'd call a "brush bucker." If there's a rule of thumb, it's that the closer to the target, the less deflection. And of course the further from the target, the greater the deflection. With small limbs (twigs really) 20 feet in front of a 15" target, I couldn't get a 458 WinMag's 500 grain bullets to reliably hit a 15" target.

It hurts just thinking about shooting a .458 WinMag. :bow:

 

[pargent]

+1 :thumbsup:

 

[Wes/Tex]

My experience is that the slower and heavier the projectile, the less it's likely to deflect. Of course, this is all dependent on what it touches. I've gotten some .54 and larger to get through some branchy/twiggy things a few times. Conversely, just this last season I had a .600" ball deflect over 60 degrees down and hit the ground almost at geographical center under a small standing buck. From my perspective, it looked like he'd stepped on a land mine as dirt and debris blew up all around him and judging by how high he jumped, I'd say he got a peppered belly out of it as well. He's probably still running! Your RBs aren't bewitched, they're just being like everybody else's!! :wink: :haha: :thumbsup:

 

[Rokon]

Let's extend this conversation a bit.

Based upon your actual field experience with RB's and some brush, do you know that a larger ball, say a .54, .58. or .62, will get through some light brush, while a .45 or .50 will not and still be pretty much useful out to 100 yards without a holdover?

Be honest when it comes to field experience!

 

[BrownBear]

I went back and did my brush busting experiments with my muzzleloaders after a nearly unfortunate incident. Dinked a shot at a standing doe about 55 yards out (later lasered at 57). I had a rest and was rested, no stress. Just thinking "meat deer" and took advantage.

She sagged or squatted suddenly at the shot, then took off. Waited a bit, sure she didn't go far. No dice. What the....? A couple of hours and about a mile later I caught up to her bedded down and head up. Ended it right there, thankfully.

Once I got back to my truck I started investigating. Snow on the ground, so I could recreate the shot well. Shooting a 54 cal with 90 grains of 3f, the ball scraped the bark off one side of a twig about 20' in front of her. Not as big around as my little finger. Didn't even see it when I shot. Would have been easy enough to shoot to one side or the other. The ball had moved sideways about 18" in the last 20' after scraping the twig, producing a perfect gut shot. If she'd been facing the other way, I'd have missed her completely.

Nuff for me.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Can't say. Whether it's round ball, lead conical, rifle bullet, shotgun slug or arrow I do not shoot unless the path is clear of all brush.

I've had good results with this policy. 41 deer since 1980.

 

[Britsmoothy]

It is easy to think it is just a few twigs but when your going as fast as a ball or bullet it may as well be a stone wall!

B.

 

[BrownBear]

The trouble is (as I learned) you can't even see twigs big enough to make a difference as range increases. I agree with the Stumpy's point. Priority One is to assure a clear path.

 

[stuartg]

I've done a lot of shooting, and a lot of hunting...killed many deer. I have yet to come across the supposed brush buster round - no matter the caliber or the bullet shape. I would have to side with armakiller on this one, it's best to wait until you have a clear shot. There's nothing more sickening than wounding an animal and not being able to recover it.

Now, I will say that if the obstruction is close to the animal you will have a better chance of hitting it. However, if the obstruction is closer to you, then I'd say you have a slim chance. But again you're playing with chance on this one.

In my teen years, I took a marginal shot with an obstruction being about 2-3 feet in front of a deer. The bullet broke in two, with one part hitting the hind quarter and one part hitting the spine, dropping the deer. I consider myself lucky in this instance. Wait for a clear shot, you'll save yourself some heartache.

 

[Rifleman1776]

My experience is that the slower and heavier the projectile, the less it's likely to deflect.

There have been quite a few articles in modern gun magazines with test results trying to prove or debunk the 'brush busting' of certain calibers. All showed that all calibers will deflect when hitting even tiny branches. Bucking the long standing myth that large, heavy projectiles 'buck' bruch better, results actually showed smaller and faster bullets did better thant big, slow and fat ones.
As said, clear shot only.
And, BTW, a round ball will ricochet off of a tree.

 

[Swede50]

I shot at a nice fat doe a couple years ago while I was in a tree stand.
I didn’t see anything between me and the doe but all I could see was her head because of the tall weeds.
I took the shot the deer ran off with a shot to the head she couldn’t have ran off but she did.
I climbed out of the tree stand down the tree to look for the deer.
My friend found the only evidence of a TOTAL miss.
I hit dead center on a branch of a very small tree.
I also made a small furrow in the ground where the deflected REAL bullet hit.
At least I did not wound the doe and not find her in the tall brush.

So yes brush will deflect even a 50cal projectile.

 

[Eric Krewson]

In fading light little branches disappear, been there, done that.

Shot buck at 45 yards, aimed at the chest, hit him in the neck below the jaw, saw later that a small dogwood between me and the deer caused a deflection.

Shot at a broadside 8 point at dusky dark. Lost the blood that night but found the deer very much alive the next morning with a broken front leg right where it met the body. Something had turned the ball 90 degrees, the wound was back to front of the leg, not broadside. He went to the freezer shortly after I found him, the first deer mentioned dropped in his tracks.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Absolutely, nothing is ricochet proof and I try never to take the chance. The only reason I even tried the shot this year was that the oak looked small and where I aimed at the dead leaves did't appear to have any twigs in it...obviously, I was dead wrong. Glad it deflected enough not to be a bad but not fatal wound!

 

[stinkyfeet]

I've done a lot of range testing with everything from modern calibers of all sorts to round balls and ML conicals. In a nutshell, there ain't a one in the whole basket I'd call a "brush bucker." If there's a rule of thumb, it's that the closer to the target, the less deflection. And of course the further from the target, the greater the deflection. With small limbs (twigs really) 20 feet in front of a 15" target, I couldn't get a 458 WinMag's 500 grain bullets to reliably hit a 15" target.

Spot on I practice shooting through thin brush and limbs with the bow all the time. If its close to the target minimal deflection. If the brush is closer to you than the target deflection is doubled of tripled. I of course try to avoid taking shots on game with brushy shots. But its nice to know the capability of your equipment if ever needed.

 

[stuartg]

With a bow, I shot a doe that was standing just behind a patch of tall grass. I got a good shot on her, but with very little blood and took a while to find her. However, when we finally recovered her (75 yds. away)we found long blades of grass in the wound where the arrow passed through...plugged up the wound channel, and not to mention it was pretty freaky looking. Just another reason not to take obstructed shot :td:

 

[satx78247]

In the South TX brush country, there is virtually NO shots at game that are "limb clear". - The brush is really THAT thick.

On our "big lease" (the 10,000+ acre one) there are places that you cannot SEE game 20M away, though you can HEAR them crashing through the brush.= Obviously shooting at SOUNDS is a BAD idea in any circumstance.

yours, satx