Pass through or Expended in Target?

[Mark37082]

I prefer pass through. All I know is certain animals just have the will to live that defies all the science and logic. The 1st deer I shot (many decades ago) was a 15-20 yard broadside shot with a 12 ga slug. It went through both lungs creating a baseball size exit hole. The deer still ran over 75 yards before crashing in the thickest briar patch in TN. I have also shot deer with 160AB at 250 yds that never twitched (DRT). I don't know why every deer that makes several yards before it crashes seems to pick the deepest ravine or thickest briar patch as it's final destination.

 

[WildRose]

Which would you rather do or build a bridge?

?

I'd rather have an option to edit so it's not such a mess!

 

[Blue Ridge Rifleman]

Hornady 87 gr. flat base spire point in a 243 at 3100 fps. Same rifle and load for 40 years.
All whitetail around here.

Makes sense now. My lightest .243 bullet is 95 grains at 3100 fps. 4 Mulies, including a hog, 4 pronghorns, and all pass through.

 

[VTbluegrass]

All my experience is with whitetails but I've only ever had two bullets fail to exit and both instances was the 85gr Sierra GK out of a 243. One was a small doe and the other a 2yr old buck, both neck shots DRT. After shooting a 35Rem, muzzleloader, and 270 my whole life not having pass through was a foreign concept so I stopped hunting with that combo.

 

[crm3006]

I will go for a pass-through every time. I don't like to have to track, or more accurately, blood trail, but without a pass-through, you have no indicator as to where your shot animal went, if the shot was not a bang-flop.

 

[Papa762]

For any kill, whatever produces the most tissue destruction. For some animal harvest, place bullet to conserve meat.

 

[Indian7953]

Mainly because those high BC, frangible bullets that do so well at long range become a grenade inside the animal at high velocity impacts at close range when the shred apart internal organs and do not retain enough mass to exit the offside.

The fastest 4 kills I have ever witnessed, I mean droped without a kick or twitch, lights out, was when a bullet was recovered under the offside hide.
6mm 105 Hyb @ 3188mv, 460ish yard pronghorn broadside low in the crease
6.5mm 130 OTM @ 2925mv, 454 yard mule deer quartering away behind last rib, bullet found offside neck
.308 175 SMK @ 2975mv, 160 yard bull elk broadside in the crease
.308 230 Hyb @ 3113mv, 432 yard bull elk broadside high in the crease

That's mighty fast for a 308 with 230 grain bullet. It ought to kill him if it just comes close.

 

[Blue Ridge Rifleman]

For any kill, whatever produces the most tissue destruction. For some animal harvest, place bullet to conserve meat.

Right. Tuck it in behind the point of the shoulder.

Mainly because those high BC, frangible bullets that do so well at long range become a grenade inside the animal at high velocity impacts at close range when the shred apart internal organs and do not retain enough mass to exit the offside.

The fastest 4 kills I have ever witnessed, I mean droped without a kick or twitch, lights out, was when a bullet was recovered under the offside hide.
6mm 105 Hyb @ 3188mv, 460ish yard pronghorn broadside low in the crease
6.5mm 130 OTM @ 2925mv, 454 yard mule deer quartering away behind last rib, bullet found offside neck
.308 175 SMK @ 2975mv, 160 yard bull elk broadside in the crease
.308 230 Hyb @ 3113mv, 432 yard bull elk broadside high in the crease

That's funny. .308 230 Hybrid at 3113. Faster than the 175 SMK at an astounding velocity.

 

[Mike D Texas]

Pass through. If the animal runs, I want 2 holes leaking fluid.

 

[Bwana Barry]

a) If it passes / zips through, it still uses up energy after exiting.
b) It also limits your shot if there are other animals standing behind it, or even at a slight angle behind the targeted animal.
c) Blood trails are not always required- depending on the terrain.
d) I have found in 50 years of hunting well over 500 large and small plains game in Africa (no dangerous game, with 8x68S, 300 Win Mag, 30-06, 7x57 and lately 6.5x55), that it made no difference to my success whether the bullet passed through or remained in the animal.....
95+ of the shots were double lung, with various bullet makes and weights - never used SST's, A max's, V Max's and the like.
I prefer the bullet to remain inside, and the perfect scenario would be the bullet protruding on the opposite side, which has often happened.

 

[Bwana Barry]

Saying that a bullet that passes through does more damage than one that stays in is a very broad statement, and very incorrect. An fmj will almost always pass through, doing little damage compared to a fragmenting bullet that stays in.

I voted "stays in" although that too is a very broad statement. I prefer a Berger type bullet over a Barnes type bullet, but there is lots of middle ground in between that obviously works very well for lots of guys.

Hunting with FMJ are banned in S Africa, thank goodness.

 

[sp6x6]

I hiked in about 7 miles,this number of years ago.Was trying to get back basin and saw this bull above in a forked slide chute.He was 840 some yards and I was trying to get set up off a rootwad to shot him. By the time I did I could not see him. He was 2/3 up near a band of larch,that was turning.I thouught Id hike up and if I was in one fork of chute might see him in other. When I got to larch trees I see ,I think blonde patch,yes hes looking at me and I shoot him 1/4 towards me.The blood trail was crazy like a perfect bow shot,blood on brush above my waist,both sides.I tracked him to this edge of 20 foot cliff.Looked at ther side where I thought he went,no blood.I peek out of cliff,and there his one side of rack,got down off there.Hes there close top of small box canyon,not horn leaning in picture. 300 OTM,40-50 YRDS,really openned him up

 

[Bravo 4]

Skipped around and only read a few random posts, thought I'd comment on one:
Yeah I like full metal jackets, especially those that tumble so you have erratic wound channels. Heard old stories about the 55 grain 5.56 NATO in Vietnam, hit them in the the elbow and it comes out their kneecap. There is a problem with this and you can look at it 2 different ways:
1. Deer have neither knees nor elbows
or
2. A deer's knees are it's elbows
You're screwed either way, as that leaves little for penetration.
Moral of the story, don't use FMJs for big game!

I'm just being stupid guys…

 

[cornshank]

I hiked in about 7 miles,this number of years ago.Was trying to get back basin and saw this bull above in a forked slide chute.He was 840 some yards and I was trying to get set up off a rootwad to shot him. By the time I did I could not see him. He was 2/3 up near a band of larch,that was turning.I thouught Id hike up and if I was in one fork of chute might see him in other. When I got to larch trees I see ,I think blonde patch,yes hes looking at me and I shoot him 1/4 towards me.The blood trail was crazy like a perfect bow shot,blood on brush above my waist,both sides.I tracked him to this edge of 20 foot cliff.Looked at ther side where I thought he went,no blood.I peek out of cliff,and there his one side of rack,got down off there.Hes there close top of small box canyon,not horn leaning in picture. 300 OTM,40-50 YRDS,really openned him up

I like the part where he is looking right at you,sounds familiar .