Bullet Failure???

[Orange Dust]

Ok Guys, time for some Monday morning quarterbacking. The rifle is a 300RUM loaded with 180gr Swift Sciroccos with a MAX load of Retumbo. It is a 1/2 minute gun. The deer is a doe @405yds. Wind is calm with 10mph gusts. Deer is facing into wind broadside. I set the drop, hold on the point of the shoulder instead of lungs. Thinking will give a little cushion if misjudge wind. Get solid and wait for wind. It lays and I touch it off. Big rifle bumps and bullet hits just as it comes down. Deer must have been wet from swimming bayou because it looked like her front shoulder was hit with a RPG. Deer went down and was laying at the edge of the field with its white belly showing. Watched it for a little bit, it didn't move, so I gathered my stuff up and went to get the 4-wheeler. Drive up to the deer and it rolls over and takes off scooting on its chest with both front legs broke. It makes the 50yds to the bayou through heavy buckbrush flooded 6" deep, and is lost in 10' water. Very seldom have I ever lost a deer, and I have NEVER lost one with both front legs broken. I know the hit was a little far in front, but I'm thinking the bullet didn't expand or at least had a very minimal would channel. What do you guys think? I know if I had made the same shot with my 7 mag and SST's I would have ruined both shoulders and got the deer with the same shot. I now have 0 confidence in this bullet.

 

[Canadian Bushman]

I think its really hard to say since the deer wasnt recovered.

Without knowing precisely where the bullet hit, and getting a chance to see what it did inside, i wouldnt blame the bullet just yet.

It sounds like it hit very close to where you were aiming, and it obviously got in there deep. That doe just had a lot of fight in her.

Its a very unfortunate scenario. If you would of been in slightly different terrain surely you would of been able to retrieve your deer.

 

[Orange Dust]

I know. Terrain dictates they have to be put down quickly. Trying to save some meat. Thinking of trying ELDX bullets and ruining more meat. Some is better than none. Just hate to work up a new load in the middle of the season and my kid confiscated my 7MM.

 

[Canadian Bushman]

I wouldnt give up on a good load after the experience you had. I would try a different shot placement to try a put one through the heart on your next animal. After that you will know more about how the bullet acts, and can plot future shots accordingly.

Where i live, we have quite a few hogs, and they make for good test subjects.

 

[Orange Dust]

Heart shot will run. We are hunting deer on our duck club. flooded, heavy cover is always close to where deer are. They have to be put down very quickly. Does only weigh about 100lbs here. Has anyone got experience shooting light game with this combination? I think if it had been a 250# buck, or closer, everything would have been fine. I'm just afraid the bullet is too tough for combination of range/game, but don't know. Would like to know more before shooting another one.

 

[toddc]

Sounds like a low hit to me. The scooting usually means low chest too far forward. Even a big 338 can have issues with a brisket hit. If you had waited longer she might have stayed down. Even if the bullet failed, it wasn't a perfect hit and there is a pocket low and forward that will result in what you described no matter the round.

 

[HARPERC]

Sounds like a low hit to me. The scooting usually means low chest too far forward. Even a big 338 can have issues with a brisket hit. If you had waited longer she might have stayed down. Even if the bullet failed, it wasn't a perfect hit and there is a pocket low and forward that will result in what you described no matter the round.

I've had this happen.

 

[North Idaho Hunter]

It sounds like you shot just a touch too far forward of the vitals.

I believe even with a shot like that with a fragmenting bullet like the Berger Vld or Amax/Eld-M you would've had a different outcome.

I've shot deer with bonded bullets and frangeable bullets. I prefer frangeable, however, it sure does make a mess inside! Most of the time it's irrelevant because I do gutless bone out method.

Since your deer are small, I think your better off with a softer bullet. Something like the amax, sst, eld-M, even Speer BTSP, you don't need a ton of penetration on those small deer.

If I were in your shoes I would stick with the scirroco for the remainder of the season and just head, neck, or high shoulder shoot them from here on out given the range and conditions.

Try not to get down on yourself, it happens to most of us. Good luck!

 

[toddc]

It sounds like you shot just a touch too far forward of the vitals.

I believe even with a shot like that with a fragmenting bullet like the Berger Vld or Amax/Eld-M you would've had a different outcome.

I've shot deer with bonded bullets and frangeable bullets. I prefer frangeable, however, it sure does make a mess inside! Most of the time it's irrelevant because I do gutless bone out method.

Since your deer are small, I think your better off with a softer bullet. Something like the amax, sst, eld-M, even Speer BTSP, you don't need a ton of penetration on those small deer.

If I were in your shoes I would stick with the scirroco for the remainder of the season and just head, neck, or high shoulder shoot them from here on out given the range and conditions.

Try not to get down on yourself, it happens to most of us. Good luck!

Yes high shoulder would be preferred on small deer that you don't want to move. For instant kills I would agree to use a SOFT bullet. I use Bergers, SMKs and ELD-M on game.
Bonding is a response to using bullets with too little sectional density back in the days where LASERS were something you saw on Star Wars. Now you can run a frangible, heavy for caliber target bullet and get a better all around performance. You don't need the higher velocity, short for caliber stuff that caused BONDING to be a need.

 

[Bravo 4]

I feel for ya brother, I've had about the same happen to me before. A good buck at 250 yards with a 150 grain Sirocco out of my 7mag. Seen the red rose of death upon impact right behind the shoulder. Deer ran about 100 yards and jumped into a heavily flood/flowing creek. Never to immerge or be found.
One of the reasons why I try to smash one, if not both, front shoulders if possible. I concur about losing a little meat compared to getting none at all!

 

[Plinker147]

Myself and friends have killed a good number of deer with sirocco's all with great results, so I don't think your bullet failed.

As mentioned early I think what you had happened is the down side to a high retention bullet. From the description the shot was a little low in brisket and either just nicked chest cavity or didn't get in. With no fragmenting (those bullets retain there weight real nicely) bullet didn't get to the vitals. I have has similar situations where the shot wasn't perfect but a fragmenting made up for it, this is why I prefer bullets fragment and retention 40-50 % weight, don't use siroccos' much anymore.

Its all speculation, results might have been the same with any bullet. Just an unfortunate situation

 

[wbm]

I don't think your bullet failed.

Me neither. Watched a dugga boy take 5 Hornady Dangerous Game rounds the other night. The first two were right-on shots. As the old saying goes s..t happens. Sorry about your deer bro...that really sucks....been there.

 

[Orange Dust]

Ok, I'll shoot another one and see what happens. Will change back for next year. The bullet looked like it hit exactly where I was holding, which was further forward than I really wanted to hit it. Couple inches more and right where you all think it hit, and I hoped it didn't. Hard to be 100% sure at that distance at 5pm. Even with a good scope, happens pretty fast. Soaked pants in blood going after it, it was bleeding on both sides. It didn't go far, less than 50yds, but should never have gotten back up after laying at impact point for 15min. Will shoot next one in the lungs if I can find one 100yds from deep water, otherwise top of the shoulders. I do believe if I had shot it with an SST It would have been a done deal with two ruined shoulders. I've seen them put shoulder bone in hams at close range. Can be pretty messy with a hit like this. They do really well in lungs though.

 

[Orange Dust]

I feel for ya brother, I've had about the same happen to me before. A good buck at 250 yards with a 150 grain Sirocco out of my 7mag. Seen the red rose of death upon impact right behind the shoulder. Deer ran about 100 yards and jumped into a heavily flood/flowing creek. Never to immerge or be found.
One of the reasons why I try to smash one, if not both, front shoulders if possible. I concur about losing a little meat compared to getting none at all!

Bravo 4, you know exactly what we are dealing with. The deer was shot near Augusta. I've killed a ton of them, and every one I have lost got in water over knee deep. This is where we live. I just hate it every time it happens.