Muzzleloader Pass Through Bullets and SD

[KMG]

I'm shooting a standard 26" factory barrel on my 50 Cal. Encore. Several seasons in an effort to extend my range I switched to shooting 400gr Barnes Original Semi Spitzers with crush rib sabots. I'm getting 1960' with a full 120gr charge of BH209 & CCI Mag primers. Upon switching I went 6 for 6 bang flops on whitetails. From 187 yds out to 248 yds. Most were high shoulder type shoots & they all excited, some penetrating thru both shoulders. This bullet powder combo has done nothing but impress me. If I do my part it will pattern 1-1.5 moa groups out to 400yds, most of which is horizontal. The vertical dispersion is usually in the 1/2 moa range or less. I've been so thoroughly pleased with this combo I would recommend it to anyone looking to transform their muzzleloader into an absolute longer range hammer. Personally I have yet to try this combo out on elk. That being said, my farthest shot was on a big whitetail buck at 248yds. The bullet entered off the hind qtr & excited thru the off side shoulder. That's about 3' of thru body penetration and it dropped him in his tracks. I wouldn't hesitate to use this bullet powder combo on elk out any other large game for that matter. Kevin

 

[twister]

i shoot barnes 300's and only recovered one shooting a deer in the breast bone and found it in the spine against the bladder. shot was only at 17 yards using 90g equivalent of the black horn 209. good bullet will take out both shoulders and exit at 80 yards with that charge.

 

[1Moose]

Recent experience with 300 grain all-copper Thor bullet in front of 100 grains blackhorn 209 (shot just a few days ago from just over 100 yards). Bullet found just under hide of far shoulder. Colorado requires more primitive equipment including full bore diameter projectiles (no sabots, scopes, etc)

 

[mnoland30]

Thank you all for your replies. Those elk pictures get my blood up. I just came into a small inheritance, so I'm looking at a custom barrel for my Encore. It seems to me that in the open country I hunt a longer barrel makes sense. It seems like free velocity. I'll get higher velocity without using more powder. I'm going to try a 30 inch, 1:20 twist. I may splurge on some Parker bullets. I've read great reviews, especially on accuracy. I also like the idea of the Barnes Originals. Anyone out there use a muzzle brake on a muzzleloader? Can you recommend it?

 

[ATH]

ATH, Maybe I misunderstood. How many elk did you say you've killed with the FTX bullets?Deer and elk are very different. Every deer I've shot with my muzzleloader dropped in its tracks.

A shot at 20 yards is very different than 200 yards. You didn't mention velocity, but assuming a velocity of 2000 fps. that is a muzzle energy of 2886. At 200 yards that energy is 1696 ft-lbs. Up to a certain point, penetration increases as velocity decreases (but effectiveness decreases).

Are you saying you get an entrance wound that bleeds with these bullets?

No doubt that I've missed some shots, my lament is that I don't really know how many. If there isn't a blood trail, and I can't track them, there is no way to know if it was a complete miss or just a poor hit. With a large entry and exit wound, I would know, and have a chance for a follow up shot. Even with a hollow point 405 gr. bullet, the lung shot cow elk I shot in Dec. ran 50 yards with no blood trail. But even I can track an elk for 50 yards.

I've killed a good number of elk, but none with this bullet. But an bullet that gives >3ft of penetration on a whitetail at 20 yards will only give more at an extended range where expansion isn't so severe. And it will certainly through-and-through an elk. I suggested this specific bullet because unlike ANY OTHER tipped ML bullet I have tried, it has an impressive ability to stay together an penetrate. This was why I was irritated why you dismissed it just because of the tip. Because I have experience with pretty much all the tipped bullets, and I mentioned this one for the specific reason that it is different and this opinion was based on numerous experiences on game.

Exactly how many elk have you shot or shot at and failed to recover? It doesn't sound like the problem is the arrow...any elk shot in the lungs, even lacking a blood trail...is not going to be able to run out of range of brute force recovery (walk the ground in a pattern).

I have a BFR revolver in 45-70. Even with the velocity penalty of a 7.5" barrel, I had to stop using hollowpoint bullets because they would splash on deer and require follow-up shots. I switched (again) to the 325gr FTX and through both sides they go.

 

[mnoland30]

I'm not trying to irritate anyone. Thank you for clarifying. What I'm looking for is what I've read the old time buffalo hunters had: one shot kills on bison that dropped them so the rest of the herd didn't stampede. I've come close to that with the Remington bullets I've been using, but can't get more. If they could do that in the 19th century, we should be able to do it now. You've shot elk, so I'm sure you know how much tougher they are than deer. I have trailed an elk shot through the lungs (on the second shot) and she went another 1/4 mile. I've also had trouble finding elk in the dark even when they only went 75 yards after the shot. Do you find that your animals bleed from the entrance wound? If the entrance wound is bigger, both sides seem to bleed better. Looking back, I can think of two shots at elk where they ran off and there was no sign of blood. One at 90 yards, and one at 200 yards. Entirely possible that I missed, but I've also killed two that walked or ran off and there was no sign of blood.