?? Wonder if I made a bad choice

[LVJ76]

This wasn't a bow shot

About 25 years ago an uncle of mine and I shot two deer in the same hill seconds apart. Mine dropped and his ran several hundred yards and out of our sight.

We recovered mine right away and started tracking his. We found some blood where he hit it and we started following a drop here and a drop there. At first it was easy because we saw where he went but after a while it was a drop or two every 10 yds or so. He later popped up in front of us and he finished him off.

The exit wound got clogged due to a small size exit, like the diameter of the bullet. He used a Sierra Matchking, after that, never again.

Hunting bullets will leave a nice exit hole, or cause mass trauma inside the animal that will not let him go too far, as long as the bullet is placed where it needs to go.

 

[HeadedWest]

Are you saying you had no blood with yours either?

I don't remember any blood. You may have hit him.

 

[7sand8s]

About 25 years ago an uncle of mine and I shot two deer in the same hill seconds apart. Mine dropped and his ran several hundred yards and out of our sight.

We recovered mine right away and started tracking his. We found some blood where he hit it and we started following a drop here and a drop there. At first it was easy because we saw where he went but after a while it was a drop or two every 10 yds or so. He later popped up in front of us and he finished him off.

The exit wound got clogged due to a small size exit, like the diameter of the bullet. He used a Sierra Matchking, after that, never again.

Hunting bullets will leave a nice exit hole, or cause mass trauma inside the animal that will not let him go too far, as long as the bullet is placed where it needs to go.

Yeah I have never used these bullets, so I have no clue on how they perform

 

[Idaho Lefty]

Berger,.. HUNTING VLD'S, Elite Hunters and Classic Hunters, ALL, Kill like,.. the "Hammer of Thor" IF, Bullet PLACED,.. correctly !
Target and Hybrid Bullets,.. NOT so, much !

 

[Idaho Lefty]

My 12 y/o grandson popped, a Nice 3X4 Muley at, 265 Yards with, an 87 Gr. HVLD Berger @ 3,000 FPS out of, my .243 Win, One hop and,.. DRT !
Insides,. "Jello"
Shot my Elk, 3 weeks ago with, a 140 Classic Hunter, in my .270 WSM ( High Shoulder shot, due to having to shoot kneeling position, OVER Sage ) ,. Heels and Hooves, instantly ! Almost no meat loss with full, BOTH Shoulder Blade, penetration ( 5-6 Fragments, stuck in far side, Hide ).
Nobody's talking us out of, shooting, the "Hunting Version", Bergers !

 

[L.Sherm]

Target and Hybrid Bullets,.. NOT so, much

You would change your mind if you saw the 2 bulls my nephew and I shot in wyoming about a month ago with the 30 cal 215 Hybrid hit like they were hit between there eyes with THORS HAMMER.
Almost everbody is assuming you hit the deer, I agree with Adam32 if you didn't see any hair or blood theres a chance you missed. If the shots as good as you think look farther its dead.

 

[Idaho Lefty]

I've heard enough, "Horror Stories" like the OP's to convince me that,.. they ( Target Bullets ) "May" work,.. "sometimes" !
Obviously, they worked for you,.. in a 300 Mag and you probably shot / Hit, HIGH Shoulder,.. correct ???
Us 7mm and .270 Guys like, the Hunting Version to be,.. SURE !
My guess is THAT,.. the OP's Bullet went thru, "No man's land" on his Buck and did NOT hit,.. Bone or Vitals and did NOT,.. "open up" !
EVERYBODY should, TEST their, Hunting Bullet of Choice

 

[L.Sherm]

I dont go off any horror stories I hear, its all my personal experience and seeing with my own eyes what Berger elite hunters, VLD hunters and the 215 Hybrid do on probably 2 dozen animals and not one single failure all very few steps or dropped in there tracks.
Nobody wants to admit to a bad shot or miss but truth is it happens.

 

[Idaho Lefty]

All I'm saying is that, recommending, TARGET Bullets for, the General Hunting Public that, DOESN'T "Test" or understand much about, Bullet Performance, can result in, LOTS of, lost / crippled, animals and WE Sportsmen, don't need, too much of that, chit,.. IMHO
Yes, I've "heard" of, some good results, using some, Target Bullets in the Bigger ( .30 - .338 Mag. Cal's ),.. successfully.

 

[L.Sherm]

I've never known the Hybrid to have the target designation.
I guess they do

 

[L.Sherm]

I think there's alot more blame the bullet instead of it being not the best shot

 

[adam32+P]

Can't blame the bullet unless you find the deer. The odds of it being a "bullet failure" is the same odds as you just missing the buck completely.

 

[HeadedWest]

I would set those bullets aside. The hunting Bergers would have given you an exit hole you could put a grapefruit in.

Not the ones I was using in 2016 ,30-06 180 gr. Shot 2 whitetails in Montana double lunged both went 40 yds . I wondered if I even hit them, the way they acted. no grapefruit.

 

[HeadedWest]

Sounds like you just plain missed. It happens to everyone.

Last time I missed, was with a muzzleloader at 175.