Copper and blood trails

[1894]

My experience is that blood trails are a function of position and more specifically height of entry and exit plus body positioning of the deer.
Higher lung shots can take some time to produce noticeable blood if at all.

 

[big ears]

Returning to the OP's original question, PSB some recent roe taken with 130gr TTSX home loads in a .308 at 2948 fps at approx 100-150m - all bullets exited. The last, a doe kid shot at 40m ruptured 13 ribs on both sides of the spine! On both kids shot at that distance, the sternum was also ruptured. Whilst all of these dropped on the spot, I don't like using this round on kids - mature/old bucks and does, no issues but there's too much energy there for kids.

View attachment 282271View attachment 282272View attachment 282273View attachment 282274View attachment 282275

Agree hitting kids at 40m can be messy.
This was with a yew tree. Picture if exit

 

[Mungo]

My experience is that blood trails are a function of position and more specifically height of entry and exit plus body positioning of the deer.
Higher lung shots can take some time to produce noticeable blood if at all.

Exactly this.

Had plenty of lead shot deer produce no detectable blood trail at all. Had copper shot produce blood trails like this:

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

143 posts of nothing that has not been said before at least 20 times in the last couple of years.

 

[Kevgun]

And were does one purchase these Barnes TTSX wonder bullets, they don't seem to be available anywhere.

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

And were does one purchase these Barnes TTSX wonder bullets, they don't seem to be available anywhere.

That’s simply because everybody knows they work, so they’re the ones that people have bought out!

Personally, if you can’t get a Barnes TTSX next best stop is lapua natralis!

The pic is .30 cal from the then 30.06 180gn again, 99.5% weight retention, they were for my then tracking rifle so would have been about 2000fps or less Absolute mega bullet.

Loaded those a long time ago 2015.

 

[Feugh]

I just watched this again:

There are sections on copper / non-lead at the beginning and at 23:30. The latter section is, IMO, more interesting.

 

[big ears]

And were does one purchase these Barnes TTSX wonder bullets, they don't seem to be available anywhere.

Reloading solutions in Oxford

 

[John Doe]

I just watched this again:

There are sections on copper / non-lead at the beginning and at 23:30. The latter section is, IMO, more interesting.

I seem to recall a large proportion of those 350 animals were head shot so it was all a bit pointless?

 

[Feugh]

I seem to recall a large proportion of those 350 animals were head shot so it was all a bit pointless?

130 chest shot

 

[Nikko]

143 posts of nothing that has not been said before at least 20 times in the last couple of years.

Agreed. FE, FLS and many NGOs and large private estates are all using non lead. They work! I think sometimes the weak link is the person pulling the trigger .........

 

[John Doe]

130 chest shot

Thanks, couldn’t bring myself to sit through that video to check, lost interest the first time the chap called bullets ‘heads’. So it was actually a sample of 130 realistically.

 

[Feugh]

Thanks, couldn’t bring myself to sit through that video to check, lost interest the first time the chap called bullets ‘heads’. So it was actually a sample of 130 realistically.

If I was you I would skip to the later part. You’ll get what I think is the interesting stuff (bullet by bullet review) without the fluff.

 

[John Doe]

Agreed. FE, FLS and many NGOs and large private estates are all using non lead. They work! I think sometimes the weak link is the person pulling the trigger .........

Who are the ‘Many NGOs’ just out of interest?

 

[25 Sharps]

I just watched this again:

There are sections on copper / non-lead at the beginning and at 23:30. The latter section is, IMO, more interesting.

Why did you watch that?

Field sports channel is about product placement and getting free stuff for the contributors

 

[Feugh]

Why did you watch that?

Field sports channel is about product placement and getting free stuff for the contributors

Suit yourself.
They did look at about a dozen different brands

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

Why did you watch that?

Field sports channel is about product placement and getting free stuff for the contributors

Watched it once, very quickly realised it was a crock of shite, not watched it since!

 

[Nikko]

Who are the ‘Many NGOs’ just out of interest?

WT & RSPB

 

[25 Sharps]

Suit yourself.
They did look at about a dozen different brands

They did. I watched it when it first came out and didn’t think it was much good then as they didn’t (wouldn’t) release the data. I still don’t think it’s much good now.

As for the channel, just like air rifle magazines, they’re to plug products and get freebies for those involved.

 

[StephenToast]

Agreed. FE, FLS and many NGOs and large private estates are all using non lead. They work! I think sometimes the weak link is the person pulling the trigger .........

I put an Freedom of information request into FE earlier this year...

Between September 2016 and May 2022 they had culled 86,000 deer and wild boar with non-lead ammunition. They ceased to use any lead ammunition for culling deer and boar after September 2016.

Sounds like it works fairly well to me.