Hunting with a Bolt Action as a Single Shot

[xsn10s]

No joke, I've seen deer with goo left for heart and lungs run 50 yards pumping so much blood out of the boiler room Stevie Wonder could track them. Unless you turn off the CNS they can and will run. Have also seen one literally drop straight down and not twitch on a hit I'd call a gut shot. Animals do incredible things.

That's how that pig was, there was a huge blood spray at the spot of impact. It still ran about 400 yards with most of it's lungs and heart gone. The caribou I shot dropped like a rock. The guide said he never seen anything go down so hard.

 

[mnoland30]

I shoot 168 gr. VLDs in my 7mm WSM. It is a one shot, but I load up some Barnes 160 gr. for backup. They shoot to the same POI out to 200 yards. With herbivores, I have time. A few years ago, I slipped and fell into a cactus while field butchering my deer. I was standing there in the dark, with my pants down around my knees, pulling cactus spines out of my butt. I was about 10 feet from my rifle when I looked to the right and saw two big eyes looking at me from about 20 yards. Once I got my rifle I determined that it was a mountain lion. I put a round between its ears, and it jumped aobut 10 feet into the air. I jacked that Barnes bullet into the chamber so fast that the empty round landed in the next county, but the lion disappeared.

 

[asd9055]

If you liked that, PRB did a three-article series just last year on seating depth testing that challenged the "close to the lands" mantra using hybrid ogive Bergers. Interesting stuff if you're willing to wade through statistical analysis, and open your mind up to some things that might contradict your personal experience.

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[FEENIX]

I'm concerned loading to mag length with the Berger VLD cause the jump will be .350.

Perhaps you should start with your rifle/barrel spec, so it is not a shoot in the dark for those trying to make recommendations/advice.

 

[FEENIX]

I've hit coyotes perfect broadside with a 22-250 only to have them take off running. Same with a perfect shot at 50 yards on a meat sow (120lb) with a 30-06 180gr Speer Magtip and it took off running. Animals can be tough and take off running when they don't know they're done.

Since the thread had transitioned to coyote hunting, ...

I have to admit, I have never hunted coyotes specifically, but I have plenty of deer/antelope hunts that turned into one. This one was comfortable looking at me at 525Y before sending 175 Matrix VLD at 2993 FPS out of my .270 AI.

 

[FEENIX]

No joke, I've seen deer with goo left for heart and lungs run 50 yards pumping so much blood out of the boiler room Stevie Wonder could track them. Unless you turn off the CNS they can and will run. Have also seen one literally drop straight down and not twitch on a hit I'd call a gut shot. Animals do incredible things.

Speaking of heart shot, blood trail, and Stevie Wonder ...

 

[Muddyboots]

So along that line, the Stevie Wonder song for this shot should be: MasterBlaster!

 

[FEENIX]

So along that line, the Stevie Wonder song for this shot should be: MasterBlaster!

LL!

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Yes, killed more game with a single shot that a repeater. Id pick an actual single shot over a repeater for every reason other than resale. Lots of benefits with a single shot.

 

[xsn10s]

Since the thread had transitioned to coyote hunting, ...

I have to admit, I have never hunted coyotes specifically, but I have plenty of deer/antelope hunts that turned into one. This one was comfortable looking at me at 525Y before sending 175 Matrix VLD at 2993 FPS out of my .270 AI.

View attachment 291553
View attachment 291554

That left a mark

 

[mnoland30]

I'm always curious about shooting coyotes or even bear while hunting for deer or elk. I've never done it, and I'm wondering if it scares off the deer and elk. Deer are so rare in NM, that if you scare one away, you may not see another.

 

[Pdvdh]

Yes, killed more game with a single shot that a repeater. Id pick an actual single shot over a repeater for every reason other than resale. Lots of benefits with a single shot.

Curious on the benefits you've experienced.
Are they due to the strengthened action, with less action flex under the stress of 65,000psi gunfire?

Or the additional steel support behind the lower bolt lug?

 

[QuietTexan]

I'm always curious about shooting coyotes or even bear while hunting for deer or elk. I've never done it, and I'm wondering if it scares off the deer and elk. Deer are so rare in NM, that if you scare one away, you may not see another.

A lot of my "hog hunting" is really catching them at last light after the deer I was glassing have moved on for the day. Or pre-season scout trips. I wouldn't blow a trip to get one, but if I've decided to not shoot what I'm there for that day else might as well get something else out of the trip.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Curious on the benefits you've experienced.
Are they due to the strengthened action, with less action flex under the stress of 65,000psi gunfire?

Or the additional steel support behind the lower bolt lug?

Additional support of the lower lug is always a good thing. The biggest thing is stock stability. Take out your magazine box and reassemble the rifle without it. Reach in through the mag opening and see how much force it takes to pull the stock off the side of the action. Composites still move in temp swings just like wood and the bedding is more stable when you dont cut 90% of the stock away. I feel this contributes to small poi changes. A single shot also feeds smoother. Unless you take the time to tune a cfe box perfectly you cant match is from a repeater. Your typical repeater is pretty hard on cases. If a mag is not tuned well it will loosen the neck tension on a round. I have seen it bad enough the bullet fell out of a case that was cycled a handful of times.