Forget caliber and bullet, let’s talk shot placement

[TheTone]

I've been drinking so it looked close enough

a good share of hunters can probably get away with that line

 

[R.K.]

Honest question, do you think that the mono makes that much of a difference in lost meat while shattering shoulder bone?

I ask this because I am truly interested in your real life observations using a mono. I have never personally killed an animal with a mono bullet. Been packing mono handloads around for the last three years but have yet to actually fire them into a game animal. My only observation, to date, is that mono bullets sure shoot good groups!

This was a 168 gr Barnes Vortex from a .308 against an antelope. Broke both legs. Lost about 1lb of meat total, turned a bunch into burger.

Bloodshot loss is not an issue with monolithics, in my experience.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Those of you using monos, do you still see a lot of blood shot? I used tsx's in my 270 on my deer and elk this year and was surprised at the amount of blood shot. Wonder if it has more to do with velocity or bullet construction.

I have noticed too that a big slow bonded bullet (from my 9.3) produced very little blood shot and meat loss.

 

[Eyesinthedark]

It seems we have ad nauseum conversation and debate about what is the best caliber to get a blood trail out of an elk. Followed up by, what is the best bullet to get a blood trail out of an elk.

It’s been my experience over the years that shot placement is far more important than either the heads stamp, or the type of bullet being used in terms of a short recovery on an elk.

In order to find the ideal aiming spot for a fast kill, do the following:

1. imagine a vertical line that is perfectly centered between the two front legs

2 for your horizontal hold imagine the body cavity is divvied up into quarters. Go slightly above 1/4 of the way up that vertical line.

You can go higher than this if you want to, but absolutely do not go above the halfway point of the body. The further away you get from that 1/4 horizontal hold, you are still in double lung territory, but the amount of vasculature is greatly reduced relative to the lower hold. View attachment 252966View attachment 252967View attachment 252968View attachment 252969

I’ve only gotten to take two elk and both were broadside. Was told shoot right behind front shoulder on the slight lower than midway and both ended up double lung. I was happy with both falling in place.

 

[brockel]

I’m a straight up the back of the front leg 1/3 of the way up on broadside. Any other angle whatever angle gets me in the same ballpark as that shot

 

[WapitiBob]

Those of you using monos, do you still see a lot of blood shot?

sometimes...

 

[Nick87]

 

[mevertsen]

View attachment 253116View attachment 253117

Your points are a bit higher than a lot of the previous images in this thread. I tend to aim higher as most of your pics show.

 

[huntnpack]

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[EYJONAS!]

Your points are a bit higher than a lot of the previous images in this thread. I tend to aim higher as most of your pics show.

Yeah i dunno it's worked pretty well so far.

Aim high let em fly.

 

[Stocker]

Yeah i dunno it's worked pretty well so far.

Aim high let em fly.

Just get a bullet/arrow in em then we’ll track em.

-Nebraska Deer Hunter

 

[Revenuerman]

Has anyone had an issue with copper bullets failing to expand at distance?

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

New to this thread, has anyone yet brought up cranial targeting?

 

[HandgunHunter]

You rifle guys have to track things?

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

Has anyone had an issue with copper bullets failing to expand at distance?

What speed do you think your copper hits and what distance? Please enter some more details here and three HTers will give you five opinions; these ppl have a lot to say.

 

[Nameless Range]

Not gonna speak to the validity of this data. Don't know the page it came from. Don't know the weapons used. Just saw it and thought it was kind of interesting and it made me think of this thread.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I’ve killed elk with my .243 and an 85 grain Barnes. It’s easy to overthink shit.

Or underthink shit.

 

[KingOfTagSoup]

Or underthink shit.

Yeah I saw an elk this year killed with a 120 gr Barnes TTSX out of a .300 blackout. Went through and lodged under the skin of the opposite shoulder at 100 yds. Bull ran 60 yds and died. Certainly not a caliber that I would ever choose, but the performance of the mono bullet was quite impressive.

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

Not gonna speak to the validity of this data. Don't know the page it came from. Don't know the weapons used. Just saw it and thought it was kind of interesting and it made me think of this thread.

View attachment 255178

Source was from Ohio where slug shotguns could move some green dots more like drt red.

 

[Ought Six]

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Got interested and found these to be helpful.

In my experience the scapula shown here is a bit small, and it moves based on the position of the leg. Great diagrams though will be showing these to my kids