I have shot or seen shot quite a few deer, 150 maybe, never kept a count. Widest possible variety of firearms, but no bulleted MLs.
The typical MT mule deer will make 40 yards unless shot with something like a light bullet in a 25-06 and this ruins most of the front of the deer. 7mm mag? 40 yards. 50 cal RB? 40 yards. 6.5 x55 40 yards, 30-06? 40 yards. Bigger bore RBs? 40 yards. Some less some significantly more.
I have had them cover 200 shot with a RB perfect kill shots, one a MD with a 50, one a Whitetail. both with in 50 yards . I shot a buck at 140 with a 50 RB and you guessed it, he made about 40 yards. The 38-40 loaded with BP, real pop-gun very poor wound channels, MD buck double lung away from the heart, yep about 40 yards, 54 ML pistol? Heart shot at about 25 yards, deer ran about 40 yards and crashed.
I have had them go a lot farther shot with a 308 that was a diagonal shot that got one lung, range was maybe 150 yards. Tracked it around a mountain side for maybe 500-600 yards and finally it was anchored by a running shot by one of the guides, me, using a 400 gr speer at about 1600 from a 45-70. The deer went another 50+ yards and fell and I then head shot it. The 308 is no popgun and the 400 gr speer at 1600 is
really not a popgun.
I shot a WT doe at 300 yards with the 6.5x55 and a 140 gr SP. This is a VERY effective deer cartridge. Bullet broke the upper front leg bone and passed through the pericardium just behind the arteries bruising the heart. Deer ran about 100 yards and just as it was hidden by terrain I saw hoofs in the air. Dead deer. But there is a buck hanging around so I don't want to risk her possibly getting up, she was out of sight now, so I wait a few minutes till he quits looking at her from 15-20 yards away. He leaves and I approach she is laying with her head up so I head shoot her.
I had a 44-90 Sharps, used 92 gr of FF and 1:40 alloy PP bullet with a BIG flat point. It was a real killer. 40 yard neck shots that missed the bone would blow all the meat off the tendons for 2-3 inches either side of the bullet path. Shot a doe MD at about 50 yards double lung. Deer ran about 150 yards. So a 44-90 is not sufficient for deer?
I shot a MD doe at about 40 yards with a 16 bore rifle, .662 lead ball at 1600 MV. Ball struck "base of the throat" just to the side of the wind pipe. Make a large entrance wound though the hard tissue of the brisket made a 3"+ hole where the upper part of the heart was and stopped after about 30" of pentration. The pointed thing at the bottom of the hole is the remains of the heart.
There was enough pressure in the deers chest to blow blood, fat and tissue back out the bullet hole in a trail about 2 ft long back toward the gun. Deer turned 90 degrees and ran 55 long steps. Massive blood loss, could see the blood pouring from the wound as she ran (not very well but faster than I could run).
I suppose its possible that some pyrodex loaded saboted pistol bullet shooting thing with a plastic stock may have done better but I doubt it. I am confidant the Maxi would not have done as well. Ball weight is identical to the 54 maxi BTW 437 gr vs 440 for the maxi.
Toby has been virulently hostile to the RB for decades. It is impossible to believe anything he says and people need to get the place and date where this test took place if he has a place and date.
This is the lungs from a deer I shot at 60 yards with my 50 cal.
the ball struck on the shoulder blade close to the joint, broke the blade full length, shattered the socket to little chunks did this in the chest cavity and then EXITED the deer just in front of the offside shoulder. I screwed up the shot or I would not have struck the shoulder blade, but do-do occurs, I have an excuse but the ultimate fault is with the trigger puller, I screwed up. Deer lost all use of its front legs but by use of her hind legs made about 30 yards down a pretty steep slope before becoming immobile and dying.
Now since this deer traveled a shorter distance does this mean the 50 is more effective than the 16 bore??
I think we all know the answer to this.
Almost forgot. Sister shot a doe this fall with her 7mm-08. Deer ran and fell but kept its head up, Pat head shot her as she approached. Was kinda surprised the deer was still alive since she knew the shot was good. In dressing the deer she figures the heart would be edible. Wrong heart was destroyed. Deer just did not know it was supposed to be dead.
Every animal is different. They all react differently. Some are either already pumped up, the two I have shot with a RB (50 and 54) than made 200 yards and the one I shot with 44-90 that ran 150 were ALL pumped up. Someone had spooked the deer I shot with the 50, I was sure the WT I shot with the 54 was hyper and I had killed a buck with a neck shot within feet of the one I shot with the 44-90 but she stopped and paused and I dropped another round in and shot her.
Dan