TringSaint
Well-Known Member
Mine too - one of the original control feed ones before it all went a bit Pete Tong.
Varmint bullets on deer
- Thread starter maxtheflyinghorse
- Start date
longer ranges and faster expanding bullets expand less and slow expanding bullets might not expand
Placement is way the most important factor in a fast and humane kill
Trigger260
Well-Known Member
Saw my mate shoot a roebuck in scotland with 87g vmax, hit the shoulder and the bullet exploded.
Buck was never found, mate was charged for the shot and I could tell he felt a right tit! Kind of spoilt the trip for him. Why not just use a bullet that's designed for the job?
Buck was never found, mate was charged for the shot and I could tell he felt a right tit! Kind of spoilt the trip for him. Why not just use a bullet that's designed for the job?
TringSaint
Well-Known Member
I saw a chap with a 300 win mag blow the shoulder off a fallow buck once. Next shot was back of the ribs / rumen. It was finally taken down with a well placed 243!
Hitting the right spot really helps!!
Rafter
Well-Known Member
I never understood the "shoot em in the shoulder" thing with soft bullets.
Put the bullet in behind the shoulder, destroy the lungs and by the time the deer figures out what is wrong they are dead.
I have shot a lot of deer with 162 grain 7mm amax projectiles as well as the 87 vmaxes using this method, and in addition to working well, it damages practically no usable meat. Leave the shoulder shots for harder projectiles, where they need something to start expanding against.
Now I'm off to try and shoot a big red with a 156 grain 6.5 Norma Oryx - probably right through a mud covered shoulder.
Put the bullet in behind the shoulder, destroy the lungs and by the time the deer figures out what is wrong they are dead.
I have shot a lot of deer with 162 grain 7mm amax projectiles as well as the 87 vmaxes using this method, and in addition to working well, it damages practically no usable meat. Leave the shoulder shots for harder projectiles, where they need something to start expanding against.
Now I'm off to try and shoot a big red with a 156 grain 6.5 Norma Oryx - probably right through a mud covered shoulder.
I generally agree.
However, with really aggressive expanding bullets, there is a tradeoff: it’s very easy to puncture the rumen if it’s a touch back. Not a bad shot - just one far enough back to miss the shoulder. I’ve seen quite a shots on smaller deer (roe, fallow calves and does, sika hinds etc) with things like vmax, amax and SST, where the shot has been a text book ‘meat saver’, but the rumen has been damaged. This seems to be either because it gets sucked out the exit, or bone and bullet fragments puncture it (or both).
The game head isn’t a Varmint bullet though is it? It’s a game king which is a hunting bullet!
maxtheflyinghorse
Well-Known Member
It’s says gamehead Varmint on the box
Ah, blitzking in that case, I’d probably save them for foxes.
jthyttin
Well-Known Member
Not aware of Sako using Gamekings, since they have in-house SP bullets. Maybe some bizarre calibers they have'nt felt need to put up a production line, but certainly not 22cal.
Looks like it’s just bigger calibres
jthyttin
Well-Known Member
It's Gamehead Pro not Gamehead (Sako), and Gamechanger not Gameking (Sierra). Furthermore you cannot find it anymore from Sako website. Gamehead Varmint you can find one way (All products - Ammunition) but not the other (Ammunition - Rapid Expansion Series).
I wouldn't put too much trust on getting Sako ammunition with non-Sako bullets in the future. Probly a distributor can get them with large enough order, but for some reason they're not advertised anymore (component availability and/or image marketing).
I wouldn't put too much trust on getting Sako ammunition with non-Sako bullets in the future. Probly a distributor can get them with large enough order, but for some reason they're not advertised anymore (component availability and/or image marketing).
Hook'N'Bullet
Well-Known Member
I mean.....you're shooting a "deer" the size of a large fox so I'd imagine varmint bullets would. Send one through the shoulder of any of the other species and see how you fair out. Probably will still kill but wouldn't be my first choice
Only ever shot 2 deer with V-Max from my .270 .. both CWD's (on the same outing) The first was a head shot with predictable results. On the second one (H+L shot) the bullet had obviously hit a rib on the way in. Entry would was about 2" diameter but the exit wound was big enough to put both of my (not inconsiderable) fists in ! 3/4 of the ribcage on the 'far' side had simply vanished. Luckily, not too much good meat lost, but hells bells, it looked like it had been attacked with a grenade.
I stick to 130grain soft points for deer now and funnily enough they seem to fall over just fine ... DRT.
I stick to 130grain soft points for deer now and funnily enough they seem to fall over just fine ... DRT.
Hook'N'Bullet
Well-Known Member
I actually use FMJs. They work great!What you really want is a target bullet like a 105 Amax
Hook'N'Bullet
Well-Known Member
What was he shooting out of the .300WM?
TringSaint
Well-Known Member
God knows! Luckily I was a long way away!!
Not the right gun to use on a cull say in a wood with a lot of stalkers all in the same area but in high seats.
Hook'N'Bullet
Well-Known Member
Why not? More like the bullet choice was the problem more than the chambering. I'd put money on it that he was using a VMAX style varmint bullet and hit bone on the way in
Sierra market the game changer as a tipped gameking.
hybridfiat
Well-Known Member
I have never shot deer with a varmint bullet, but roos yes.
ONLY head shots and ONLY if I am absolutely sure of the shot.
Reason?
Because many many years ago I saw a varmint bullet explode on the shoulder of a 50kg roo creating a devastatingly horrible wound that would have led to a lingering death.
It blew the forearm clean off, but failed to penetrate the chest cavity.
ONLY head shots and ONLY if I am absolutely sure of the shot.
Reason?
Because many many years ago I saw a varmint bullet explode on the shoulder of a 50kg roo creating a devastatingly horrible wound that would have led to a lingering death.
It blew the forearm clean off, but failed to penetrate the chest cavity.
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