I shot a deer this year through small limbs and brush. The deer was maybe 10 feet beyond the foliage. I was shooting 140 grain Fusion bullets through a 7mm-08 at 75 yards. I could see most of the deer in my scope on 3x. When I got to the POI I looked back at my stand. W was surprised at what was between me in the animal. (More context: He saw me first, crouched down below some brush where I could only see horns. A minute later he stood and started back where he came from when he stopped. This was all hardwoods with some thickets scattered.) When skinning the deer with my friend, he couldn't decide which side contained the exit wound. Both sides showed a circumference of a tennis ball. I assume my bullet was tumbling when it hit. Since I almost solely hunt thick stuff, should I move to my .30-06 and shoot 200 grains? What best keeps its course/direction/vector when hitting light brush?
heavier grain bullets - a query...
- Thread starter TNBillyEarl
- Start date
I don't know the answer, but my total guess would be super heavy and sub-sonic speed projectiles stay on course better. Again, this is a total guess with no fact to back it up...
Curious topic. Following to see what more informed people have to say.
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Curious topic. Following to see what more informed people have to say.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
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- Jul 16, 2015
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Heavy, large frontal area bullets will maintain direction better. That is why guns like 450 marlin, 45-70, 450 bushmaster, and other large calibers are referred to as "Brush guns". I've seen a Hornady 325ftx fired from a 45-70 at 2400fps go thru a 2" sapling 10 feet from the muzzle and still kill the deer at 40 yards.
infoman jr.
Well-Known Member
Inertia. It takes more disturbance to push a heavier bullet off course. Large frontal area bullets are just a byproduct of them being big and heavy. A thinner bullet would be less likely to impact brush, but they usually weigh less.
DaveB
Well-Known Member
A heavier flat nosed bullet will indeed deflect less than a similar weight pointed soft point. This assumes the bullet you fire will only contact brush nose-on. Since these heavier bullets have a trajectory that cannot be described as flat, the trajectory could encounter obstacles on the rise, not head on. The bullet will tumble, as you see in your kill. Any further away and that deer would have been missed or wounded.
A tumbling bullet has lost most of its directional stability. For example. Take a .224 77 grain bullet and fire it from a 22-250 with a standard 1:14 twist rate. This combination is inherently unstable. The bullet will "upset" a few feet out of the barrel. I could barely get my 22-250 on paper at 25 yards-bullets were all over the place.
Personally, I'd get a machete or chain saw and cut myself some unobtrusive shooting lanes. If you cannot do that, get something with a FLAT trajectory and practice setting up twigs/sticks in front of your targets. See if you can shoot between the sticks...through the "holes".
A tumbling bullet has lost most of its directional stability. For example. Take a .224 77 grain bullet and fire it from a 22-250 with a standard 1:14 twist rate. This combination is inherently unstable. The bullet will "upset" a few feet out of the barrel. I could barely get my 22-250 on paper at 25 yards-bullets were all over the place.
Personally, I'd get a machete or chain saw and cut myself some unobtrusive shooting lanes. If you cannot do that, get something with a FLAT trajectory and practice setting up twigs/sticks in front of your targets. See if you can shoot between the sticks...through the "holes".
50 bmg
I have read several thngs over the years that state a faster bullet will deflect less than a slower one,cant recall where but I do know a 250g sst that hits a 2" sampling will blow a hole in it and kill a 8pt with w 2 holes 6" apart,buck was less than 2' from sapling,I think bullet build/toughness would be the deciding factor,
TresMon
Well-Known Member
I'm in the large meplat camp. Large flat "frontal area" bullets, per my personal testing. It appears that spitzers...long pointy nose bullets,have more ability to cam away from the obstruction and reorient to a new path of travel. Flat nose bullets track better, where there is interference. That's what my personal testing revealed at the range with my home made "sapling box" I shot through. the falter the meplat, the better. Full wad cutters did the best. YMMV.
ratsnakeboogy
Well-Known Member
There's a YouTube video where a guy tests .223, 7mm08, 7.62, 3006, 30-30, and some big bores like 45-70. The big bullets did dramatically better. Was quite surprising to me as I always thought the brush gun talk was BS .
Can't remember the exact title, but it has Brush Gun in the title, the guy that did it has tons of gun videos "veteran" is in his handle.
Can't remember the exact title, but it has Brush Gun in the title, the guy that did it has tons of gun videos "veteran" is in his handle.
dirtyhands
Well-Known Member
I shot a very small button buck once with a 435gr plus p bear load 45-70. It obviously passed through the deer but also went straight through the 8 inch tree behind it.
