If you don't get much blood trail with the muzzle loader then you are using the wrong bullets
Any tracking dogs in the Centerville/Linden area?
- Thread starter JCDEERMAN
- Start date
Bullets dont play as much a part in blood trails as where the deer are hit, hit high you might get blood after the cavity fills up maybe not, gut shot plugged holes wont let much out 45-50 cal holes are rather large , I have had way more runners with premium bullets that stayed together and made 2 holes, very few tracking jobs needed with 243 to the lungs/heart area , powerbelts also very little tracking if any, a hit in the lower rib cage will let lots of blood out imo. a bad hit with any bullet is still a bad hit and no bullet made can make up for that no matter what experts say lol
Out of curiosity what bullet were you using?
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
Thompson Center Shockwaves
I agree 100% on the placement. Nothing trumps a well placed bullet and nothing helps a poorly placed bullet. But some bullets are pretty well known for little to no blood trails. Like powerbelts. I'm also not a fan of any bullet that doesn't expand. It doesn't matter if the hole is from a 50 cal muzzleloader or not, if you don't have expansion you have little no hydrostatic shock. The hydrostatic shock does most of the damage. With out the expansion a bullet would just pencil thru much like an arrow would with a field point.
10-4. I was just curious.
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
I believe the main problem was there was no exit hole for it to drain. He was just filling up inside. What bullets do you use? I've been a big fan of these Shockwaves and shot several mature bucks with them and they have mushroomed very well. However, I am definitely going to change something up, whether that's bullet/powder/both. At 10 yards, he shouldn't have made it far at all. It was a chip shot.
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
Will definitely be looking. And you reminded me of a buck I shot in 2015, I believe, and didn't recover him until the following weekend when we saw buzzards. I had walked 10 yards from him the day I shot him and didn't lay my eyes on him.
Fury bullets, Hornady xtp, Barnes hollow points, not a fan of the tipped tmz, Parker BE
Jc IMO the best muzzleloader bullet is a Barnes. We never have issues. Now my father in law uses shockwave ez glide. Track 1 a year. I'm not saying that was your problem but I'd definately try Barnes.
Full disclosure: I am primarily shooting a smokeless ML, but I don't hotrod it. I usually load for similar velocities to standard ML loads, and not the 150gr equivalents, either. Now onto the rest…
I want shock AND exit wound. For all of the merits of the killing affect of shock, you will eventually need an exit wound and blood trail some day. And neither will cover for a bad shot as has been alluded to by other posters.
In my muzzle loader I use 325gr .458 or 250gr .452 FTX bullets and Harvester or MMP sabots. The 325s have never NOT given me an exit wound from any angle, and the blood trail is very impressive. I've only just begun to use the 250s (led to this because of recoil and availability of the 325, but I'm also a notorious tinkerer), but have had a good start so far (1/1) with exit wound and short tracking job. I'll be honest, a 250gr bullet in a 50 cal ML is on the light side, and I expect one to stay in there eventually if I'm not selective with my angles, but the one that I shot this season was from a VERY high angle and quartering away and exited the offside shoulder just fine. If that shot entry/exit was reversed then I'm sure that I would have been wishing that I had used the 325. I will likely end up using the 325s next season and just deal with the recoil.
I've had good success with the SST/Shockwave (same bullet, different sticker on the package), but only with the 300gr. Early in my hunting career I jumped straight from 200 to 300 when the 200s would not EVER give me an exit wound, and left sparse blood trails when the deer was not DRT. The 300gr SST/Shockwave answered this call, but can be difficult to find at a reasonable price… enter the 325 FTX. Once again, I want shock AND exit wound.
I took a young hunter/shooter out last Friday, and he used my CVA Optima V2 using a reduced load of BH209, a 300gr XTP mag, and an MMP short black sabot. Even in reduced loads I'd rather go lighter on powder than on bullet in an ML, with few exceptions.
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
Never heard of Fury. I have heard really good things about the Hornady and Barnes you referred to.
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
Thanks for this info, pal. I will definitely be experimenting with different load combinations during the offseason and will refer back to this thread. I appreciate it!
You know my thoughts on muzzleloaders. Call me if you head back tomorrow, internet was down all day today and I couldn't even work. If it's down tomorrow I will be itching to get out. My screen name is dumbluck now so if I come. I will probably step on him.
arkwaterfowler
Well-Known Member
Bullet placement, angle, and whether you have an exit wound all determine blood trail.
