Shot placement with 40 or 45 cal. hunting?

[Danny Ross]

For those of you that hunt with a 40 or 45 caliber, using roundball, where do you aim for your shot placement, chest or neck?

 

[54ball]

Broadside double lung shot just aft of the shoulder at appropriate range. No neck shots and definitely no head shots.

 

[Critter Getter]

I have always aimed for a double lung shot..... except once on a buck who was directly underneath my tree I was sitting in. That one was a brain shot coming down right between his antlers. Wow, that .45 did a quick number on him! Greg

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Danny,

I have a .54, a 20 gauge, and a .40. I prefer the double lung shot for all three. Now for the 20 gauge as the accuracy opens up past 50 yards, and the .40 is losing a lot of energy past 50 yards with a round ball, I'll shoot them at 50 yards or less, that's all. No worries. The .54 will go out to 100 yards ..., if I have to. I would try a shoulder shot if need be with the .54 or the 20 ga at 50 yards, but not with the .40 with a round ball (BUT I got hold of some limited edition conicals for the .40 so I would take a shoulder shot with those if it presented itself.)

I am required by state law on deer to use 60 grains of powder with the .40 so that's what I load, and it's accurate.

I hope this helps.

LD

 

[FishDFly]

What animal???????????????????????????????????

 

[Katahdin]

broad side, double lung, just behind the point of the shoulder/leg joint,marking the heart/lung area.NEVER A HEAD OR NECK SHOT.Yes, I say and mean Never..

 

[Danny Ross]

Deer, Antelope, Cougar, Hog, all similar body weight. Wouldn't think you would go larger in body weight with the 40 or 45.

 

[hanshi]

I try to imagine a deer with a basketball in the chest. I aim for that imaginary ball so as to get both lungs, the heart or both. I've used mostly a .45 with prb and have had no problem with penetration even at quartering angles. As long as I "see" that basketball, I know my shot will be a good one. The only neck shots I've had were accidental when the deer "twitched" so quickly he moved before the rifle fired.

 

[mooman76]

It doesn't matter to me what I hunt with. I always go for the heart/lung shot. I never go for the neck. Allot of good meat there and I have seen more than a few animals get away because some misplaced a neck shot.

 

[coloradoclyde]

NEVER A HEAD OR NECK SHOT.Yes, I say and mean Never..

Agreed!.....A friend of mine tried that once and got to watch the deer run away with it's jaw swinging.... :shake:

I tried to finish off a deer once with a head shot and it ricocheted off the skull... The deer and I both had stunned looks on our faces..

Head shots are a bad idea......

 

[jrmflintlock]

broad side, double lung, just behind the point of the shoulder/leg joint,marking the heart/lung area.NEVER A HEAD OR NECK SHOT.Yes, I say and mean Never..

:metoo:

The brain and Spine are very small on deer, elk, antelope etc. There is just too much other stuff to catch the bullet that sends a very wounded animal off to die. Roundballs, while they have whompability, do not kill the same as cartridge rifles. They are just not built that way. They kill similar to an arrow, with a little more ability to break through bone. The location of the spine in the neck is not where you think it is so its difficult to actually "aim" for the neck. The brain is further back between the ears also. a head shot is likely to just break the jaw and poke a hole through the nasal cavity.

NO BUENO!!!!! I shot a small cow elk in the late season who had been shot in the face by someone else. Poor thing was on her last legs and she had gangrene through out.

RB do not mess up that much meat so why take a risky shot if a sure double lung shot will do the trick. bigger target!

My two cents!

 

[Black Hand]

Heart/Lung or quartering Heart/Lung/Liver - Same as for an arrow. Never head or neck - the targets are just too small for a consistent kill and are more likely to wound than kill if slightly off...