Whats your best deer bullet?

[Dusty Stevens]

Im talkin killing ability and good blood trails. Been using barnes triple shocks and while the deer is dead those that run off never leave a spot of blood. Happened 3 times this week- found the deer 50-100yds away with no trace of blood. Entry and exit good and insides pulverized.

 

[wboggs]

The bullet should exit to let the blood out. I too have had those kind of shots where there was no blood. Shot one at 50yds, .270 wby, 130 nosler part. at dark. No blood, found next AM 50 yds in brush. I don't think there is a perfect answer with all the shot variables. On the other hand, I sometimes get profuse blood trails from TTSX bullets.

 

[Gary in MD]

I've had more DRT's along with massive blood loss when they do run with Nosler Ballistic tips. They have all exited on broadside shots.
I've killed deer in calibers .243, .257, .270, 7mm, & .308 using them. They work for me.

Gary

 

[hogpatrol]

Berger hunting VLDs. You won't have a trail. Bang flop, DRT, They go NOWHERE.

 

[Larryh128]

The Barnes tipped TTSX open up better as a rule than the TSX's do. Most don't run very far if at all. Never been a lack of blood, which usually is a high lung hit when they don't bleed.. It's gotta fill up to that level to pump out. Shoot them 3/4 of the way up the front shoulder and the tracking will be 36" straight down.

 

[ShootDots]

I have not hunted "deer-sized" game in a few years now. However, I did A LOT of hunting for deer and Texas "Exotics".. The bullet that knocked the dog out of the deer and had "pass-throughs" for a good blood trail were the Hornady Inter-Locks. They smashed shoulders and still passed thru, usually leaving a gaping hole for blood to spurt out..

 

[JRS]

A STOS tipped cedar arrow shaft

 

[Dgd6mm]

Nosler Ballistictip and Amax, never gone far and leaves blood trails.

 

[dkhunt14]

I have used Hornady and Nosler Ballistic tip. I have had good luck with Bergers. The one that really did a good job was a Sierra 85 grain HPBT in a 6mm or 243. It is a real good deer and bear bullet. Good blood loss and usually an exit. Matt

 

[Chiefstealth]

My deer experience is with 30-30. Only Sierra Pro-Hunter bullets. IME, lighter bullets, traveling faster, are less likely to go through an animal. They expand much quicker, and therefore slow down more quickly in the animal. Heavier bullets, which travel slower, are more likely to go through. More likely to produce a blood trail from holes in both sides of the animal.

 

[mmcu]

I've had very good results with Nosler Partitions from 6mm through 30 caliber.

 

[Berger.Fan222]

Nosler Ballistic Tip

 

[HTSmith]

I changed from Hornady SSTs and Nos Ballistic Tips to Hornady Interbonds and Nosler Accubonds because the non bonded bullets were making too big a mess. All these bullets are very accurate in my 260 Rem and have done well on deer.

But sometimes stuff just happens. I helped my nephew track a doe last Saturday night. He shot it with a 270 Win using Winchester 130 Gr Power Points at about 60 yards. We found lung tissue and a bit of blood where it was hit. We followed very sparse small droplets of blood for about 70 yards and found her in a big pool of blood. It was a just about perfect double lung shot. When we dressed it the lungs were a mess and the exit wound was the size of half dollar. Hard to figure.

 

[gaboon]

165gr partition bullet out of 30-06. Explodes the insides to pieces. Drops em right there.

 

[fredo]

Seems to be a question that simply can't allow for verifiable, or consistent reply.

Heck, you shoot deer with the same bullet, but in a different part of the body, and you're gonna have a different result.
And, if you shoot a deer with the same bullet in the same area, but with a different impact velocity, and you're gonna have a different result.

I don't expect ANY bullet to perform identically, under a wide range of impact velocities and/or impact zones. Real world results just don't support that kind of 'magic bullet theory'...

Only thing that can be established as a baseline data is: if you shoot a deer thru the lungs, they're gonna die. Beyond that, what you see is what you get!

 

[colder]

The old bronze points from Rem ammo! Really wished they would bring them back.
Todd

 

[Coleridge]

Berger hunting VLDs. You won't have a trail. Bang flop, DRT, They go NOWHERE.

Somebody should tell all the deer around here that. Obviously somewhere around half the ones local have no idea of this phenomenon, and about half of those decide not to bleed any (or VERY little); especial for the first 30 yards or so.

 

[hogpatrol]

Berger hunting VLDs. You won't have a trail. Bang flop, DRT, They go NOWHERE.

Somebody should tell all the deer around here that. Obviously somewhere around half the ones local have no idea of this phenomenon, and about half of those decide not to bleed any (or VERY little); especial for the first 30 yards or so.

There's no accounting for poorly placed shots. :-X

 

[seymour fish]

Ballistic Tips. Bang-Flop way downtown

 

[dkhunt14]

Berger hunting VLDs. You won't have a trail. Bang flop, DRT, They go NOWHERE.

Somebody should tell all the deer around here that. Obviously somewhere around half the ones local have no idea of this phenomenon, and about half of those decide not to bleed any (or VERY little); especial for the first 30 yards or so.

I never had a problem with the Berger's but I use 210 VLD hunting. I also make sure the hole is not closed from when they make the bullet. Sometimes the jacket folds and you can't see it closes inside. I check all Hollow points with a pin to make sure they are open. I saw this in all companies bullets. If they are not open they pencil through. Matt