Kent said:
Slow heavy bullets knock deer off thier feet better, kill cleaner, penetrate deeper and damage less meat.
The .243" bullets are fast and comparatively light. I disagree with Thar a 100 grn .243" bullet will not reliable go staight through a Red / Sika stag.
Indeed i have shot a number of Fallow does / Roe were bone heavy meat contact has prevented getting a stike through.
Hi Kent
The slow heavy bullet is of cause the Africa PH mantra, how relevant it is to the UK and with new types of better constructed bullets I am not so sure.
What do you mean when you say a slow heavy bullet? To me this means something like a 300gn doing 2200fps, a calibre like a 45-70. Yes I quite agree that will but a deer down better than a 100gn 243 but apart from the legal aspect it would not be ideal for a longer shot.
All the calibres we have discussed are what might be termed “high velocity rifle calibres” with muzzle velocity of around 3000fps (apart from the swede). With bullets of 100 to 150gn being the norm’. None of these are using slow heavy bullets in my book.
Does a 300gn bullet with muzzle velocity of 2200fps kill better than a 300gn bullet doing 2900fps?
As regards to my comments on penetration maybe I should of said it is “capable” of punching a hole straight though a Sika or Red stag with a conventional heart lung shot, which is what most of us take. Admittedly if you start trying to break both shoulders or use lightly constructed bullets then you will not get “reliable” penetration but in taking these shots what about the meat damage? We are not shooting plains game here. What bullets are you using that are not capable of breaking both shoulders of a Roe deer, how big are your roe?
I have seen on more than one occasion red stags come into the larder hit fair and square with a 150gn .308 in the ribs and there has been no exit wound. There is a train of thought that this is a perfect matching of bullet to animal, as if the bullet exits then it still has energy in it and this energy would be better if it was put into the animal. Personally I like an exit wound as it makes following up easier if the animal does not drop on the spot.
All the above said I do not advocate the use of a 243 on Stags if you have something bigger.
In conclusion my points of my first post were.
1. The 6.5X55 is a good medium calibre but don’t get the idea it is a magical cartridge.
2. The largest calibre I can shoot and see the deer’s reaction to the shot is a 243 which is more important to me in the field than a small ballistic advantage of another calibre.
3. If you are regularly shooting stags consider something with a bit more clout than a 6.5X55.
4. Don’t get too hung up on calibre if it is deer legal get out there and shoot some.
Best rgds
Thar
Thank goodness you meant tobacco.
