Best bullet for close range deer

[timbeech]

I've got a small permission that has deer on the land. Due to the lie of the land I can actually shoot the deer at quite close range, certainly below 100yds.

I'm just wondering what would be a good bullet for this closer range situation. After looking on the good old t'interwebs I'm more confused.

My original thought was a light weight bullet, but now realise this is wrong. I'm tempted by a heavy weight 180grn bullet at a medium velocity, but would a heavy round nose bullet be better than a heavy pointed bullet? After all I'm after knock down power at close range.

What do you guys use?

 

[ferretmanabu]

Any deer legal bullet should be good enough.

 

[tackb]

If they are definitely under 100m I'd head or neck them with a light fragile bullet

 

[I. Farticus]

You don't say if 100yds is the extent of the permission, so what is your safe distance behind any quarry?

A ton of UK stalking is lowland/woodland, so sub-100yds is pretty normal, so most ammo is available with that in mind

I use 140gr SSTs in my 6.5x55, and have taken instant kills with them from 30yds to 201yds, and that's a slowish pointy bullet traveling at 2,660fps into the boiler room

All that matters is that you use something that you are confident with

 

[timbrayford]

90 & 95 grain ballistic tips (deer, not vermin type) in .243 mv-around 3000fps, me-1800 ft/lbs ish, chest shot. Not sure what calibre you are using or which species but you appear to have plenty of knock down power. atb Tim

 

[timbeech]

Thanks for your replies.

Should've said I'm using a .308, my permission is long but narrow, and typically I'm shooting in the narrow direction. Luckily I'm in a elevated position shooting into a natural shallow bowl so my backstop looks ok. Just wanting to make sure I can take the deer down without going mental with high velocity ammo, risking it going through the deer (which is unlikely). I'm loading my own so can tailor them, and use different heads. Currently got 150grn Sierra's #2125 but wondering if these will be "too much"

The species of deer are fallow.

 

[tackb]

110 vmax in the napper.

 

[teyhan1]

Thanks for your replies.

Should've said I'm using a .308, my permission is long but narrow, and typically I'm shooting in the narrow direction. Luckily I'm in a elevated position shooting into a natural shallow bowl so my backstop looks ok. Just wanting to make sure I can take the deer down without going mental with high velocity ammo, risking it going through the deer (which is unlikely). I'm loading my own so can tailor them, and use different heads. Currently got 150grn Sierra's #2125 but wondering if these will be "too much"

The species of deer are fallow.

I apologise at the start
timbeech you sound incredibly 'green'
All centrefire ammo IS high velocity
Most centrefire ammo will and should be assumed to pass straight through a deer.
Have you taken a DSC1. If you haven't, you should. If you have, you didn't listen.

I'm sorry if I sound rough, but from your post it really doesn't sound like you know what your doing or what your using.

 

[caorach]

If you shoot them in the neck or head they will go right down but you just can't be sure of that with a chest shot. However, that's probably not news to you.

I was shooting a Hornady Spire Point out of my 308 at 3000fps and it never put a chest shot sika down where it stood with ranges from 20 to probably 220 yards and sometimes huge damage to the deer. Recently I've moved to a Nosler Partition at about 2700fps and it does put a goodly proportion of chest shot sika straight down with ranges from close to about 250 yards. I can't explain that and I don't know if it has just been lucky or if this performance will hold up in years to come but I've never seen it before. Both bullets are 150 grain.

The partitions have also performed well for me on neck shots - I suspect the front core is pretty soft and so expands well even on a neck shot on a sika calf. I guess this is the advantage of a bullet with two cores.

I haven't, as yet, been able to get the partition to shoot as well as the spire point which is the only down side I've noticed but the partition is now my main deer load.

 

[Brithunter]

Tis only in "Hollywood" that bullets don't exit many bodies. In real life and at normal ranges bullets almost always exit and carry on into the landscape until stopped by a solid back stop. Tress unless huge don't stop bullets very well either.

 

[Cooter]

The only bullet that I have found does not exit anything is an A Max.
There are downsides. They break up on contact with blades of grass or leaves, and they do make a mess so I wouldn't recommend them for anything that you want to eat.

I have used 110 Grn V Max on deer and they stop everything in it's tracks whilst only showing exit holes on smaller deer.
With careful bullet placement meat damage can be nothing to very little, and accuracy is easily sub MOA in my rifle.

 

[glogin]

I found Speer 180gr SPBT was quite good in my .308

 

[Spix]

Any deer legal bullet should be good enough.

+1. No need to get all ballsed up with ballistics. Any legal round that you can place bullet on bullet at your chosen distance will work just fine. I've been shooting Muntjac at upto 30 yards, mostly at 30 feet, with 50gr ; range time and practise may stand you in better stead than taking an exam. S

 

[I. Farticus]

The only bullet that I have found does not exit anything is an A Max.
There are downsides. They break up on contact with blades of grass or leaves, and they do make a mess so I wouldn't recommend them for anything that you want to eat.

I have used 110 Grn V Max on deer and they stop everything in it's tracks whilst only showing exit holes on smaller deer.
With careful bullet placement meat damage can be nothing to very little, and accuracy is easily sub MOA in my rifle.

 

[paul o']

i use 30 cal 150 pro hunters for anything from bunnys to pigs hit em right thay don't even run

 

[PKL]

no offense meant, but if you need to ask this question chances are that you will not be experienced enough for head/neck shooting..(I could be wrong here of course), so I would stay clear of anything plastic tipped, and go for a medium weight soft point bullet like a 150g partition, and stick it in the H/L region every time.

if your permission is quite small, a badly placed head/neck shot means you will undoubtedly be tracking all over your neighbours ground, and in addition to the obvious, it also makes you look bad and will inevitably get back to your landowner.

a decent soft point in a 'normal' weight class for UK game, in the H/L will limit the distance the deer can run, and will limit your chances of messing the shot up and having to ask for neighbouring farmers permission to track wounded deer.

why on earth anyone would outright recommend an Amax or Vmas is beyond me, and in addition, a head/neck shot really should only be taken by the ultra-confident and capable/experienced in an environment where you can most certainly avoid difficult tracking if you mess up (deer parks, etc), and not by the average stalker on a small permission.

if you really want to avoid the deer getting off your ground, go with a high integrity bullet and use a high shoulder shot.

 

[paul o']

Q(The only bullet that I have found does not exit anything is an A Max)
wait for it wait wait fingers are awaggin and thay now are atapping and !yes one has arrived

 

[PKL]

i use 30 cal 150 pro hunters for anything from bunnys to pigs hit em right thay don't even run

bunnies?...I take it they don't go to the game dealer/butcher then?! LOL

 

[Tackleberry270]

Forgive me if I'm wrong but I am also going to assume you are new to this. Forget about finding the perfect bullet. Buy whatever you fancy (expanding) between 140 and 165 grain, make sure it shoots well through your rifle and you can hit what you are aiming at at the distance you are shooting and then go and start knocking deer over with broadside heart shots. You will find that a few might run a short distance but the biggest contributing factor to a humane kill is shot placement. If you think your choice of bullet is causing problems then get on the forum again to compare notes.

If you are new to all this then I would certainly recommend DSC1 and then getting hold of a friendly DSC2 AW for some coaching.

 

[Paul at Fechan]

does anyone use deer legal or deer appropriate bullets anymore? SST (Super Shock Tip) are about as good as you get and are appropriate and legal for the uses indicated.... target ammo on deer indeed Lets just not discuss that....