Hunting with "little" cartridges...

[AjaDog]

Amen bro

I have a TC Contender set up with a 20" heavy barrel in 6.8 with 110 grain SSA bullets. Its my go to gun and has taken deer up to 214lbs, no magic just good shot placement !

Amen!!! Bullet placement, can't stress that to these knotheads that comes to my gun range although I cut everyone off till deer season is over,I built a gun table on wheels to pull behind my lawn mower pretty cool, from the end of my driveway to the target burm is 350 yds marked off in 50 yd increments, and to teach and zero rifles, is 104 yds, being that said if the shooters fundamentals are poor, then the shot and bullet placement probably won't be a factor, anyway I'm glad to read there are some knowledgeable shooters on here

I have a TC Contender set up with a 20" heavy barrel in 6.8 with 110 grain SSA bullets. Its my go to gun and has taken deer up to 214lbs, no magic just good shot placement !

 

[bfriendly]

Ok I'm new here, your small bullet article caught my attention, just this past Sunday a big ole doe on my 75 yd corn pile off my front porch, my .223 already set up on its bipod and my sand sock under the stock, as I set down on my barstool chair at my rifle on a bench I built, putting the scope to my eye a perfect easy kill shot, my European German Shepherd ( Aja ) is her name pronounced Asia, any way she has picked up on her own how to track deer, as I aim the rifle, about a inch behind the front shoulder, and a little shy of half mass, a heart shot all day long, the doe is standing broad side, I squeeze the trigger, as soon as the rifle cracked, there she goes, Aja off the porch headed to the corn pile, when I shot through the scope I saw the deer knocked off her feet on her side, 1st time in my life ever seeing a small caliber cartridge do that, but she got back up, tail between her legs, a very low posture, and kicked the after burners in, Aja is already on the scene, smelling the corn and she heads in the direction of the deer, I get there, no blood no hair, just marks on the ground where she fell, and hoof marks for about 10 to 20 ft, Aja, tracked for about 20 yds maybe 30, and she stopped, she lost the scent, but also there were deer trails very well used, I think she got confused with the deer trails and the smell from them, me and my dog hunted all of my woods, all day, every square ft , no deer, I don't know what happened, anymore have a clue? Did I miss no I knocked her down, I don't know,

Maybe, just maybe Aja going after her so quick chased her out! She’s probably dead, but a pushed deer can go a super long way even if it seems like they should be completely out of blood by now. Did you shoot TMJs? Curious what happened too……

 

[AjaDog]

I have a TC Contender set up with a 20" heavy barrel in 6.8 with 110 grain SSA bullets. Its my go to gun and has taken deer up to 214lbs, no magic just good shot placement !

My Remington 700/300WM, a 24" barrel 1/10 twist, don't shoot it much anymore to much recoil, jars my eye sight for a few seconds a real cannon, only time I use it, shooting 500+ coyotes, my 30-06 and my .223 both have 22" barrels, 06 1/10 twist, .223 1/9 twist

 

[AjaDog]

Maybe, just maybe Aja going after her so quick chased her out! She’s probably dead, but a pushed deer can go a super long way even if it seems like they should be completely out of blood by now. Did you shoot TMJs? Curious what happened too……

Yeah I know Aja is a trip, I should of waited a while before letting her go after it, I just got over confident on her ability to track them, I love that she has picked up that instinct from her own self desire, I was using my .223, 62gr Federal Fusion soft point, like you said there is no doubt I hit her, knocked her down, (didn't know a .223 could do that) and her posture when she ran, I've been doing the deer thing for 40+ years, never had 22 caliber knock one down anyway I still replay it in my mind over and over, thanks for replying

 

[transfixer]

I have a TC Contender set up with a 20" heavy barrel in 6.8 with 110 grain SSA bullets. Its my go to gun and has taken deer up to 214lbs, no magic just good shot placement !

Shot placement is what 90% of deer hunters overlook, thinking the latest greatest caliber or bullet will keep them from losing deer, or having to track them,

time spent behind the scope shooting until you know exactly where the round will hit at varying distances means much more than caliber or bullet !

 

[AjaDog]

Shot placement is what 90% of deer hunters overlook, thinking the latest greatest caliber or bullet will keep them from losing deer, or having to track them,

time spent behind the scope shooting until you know exactly where the round will hit at varying distances means much more than caliber or bullet !

Correct!!!! I shoot countless rounds over and over from different Distances, not as much as I used to Ammo cost factor but I still shoot, at least every 2 weeks

 

[175rltw]

Correct!!!! I shoot countless rounds over and over from different Distances, not as much as I used to Ammo cost factor but I still shoot, at least every 2 weeks

Countless? Countless rounds has nothing to do with the quantity of rounds fired and everything to do with the quality of the counting.

The amount of smoke blowing around is making for difficult reading

 

[AjaDog]

Countless? Countless rounds has nothing to do with the quantity of rounds fired and everything to do with the quality of the counting.

The amount of smoke blowing around is making for difficult reading

I agree I shoot 3 shot groups go study the target board, go back and do 3 more, this 1st pic is 104yds from the targets, this is where I zero in peoples rifles to the left of the targets is my 300 yd shooting lane, this is also my back porch, ponder on these the one with me on the steps you see who's beside me and ready Aja my wonderful German Shepherd

 

[AjaDog]

Yeah I know Aja is a trip, I should of waited a while before letting her go after it, I just got over confident on her ability to track them, I love that she has picked up that instinct from her own self desire, I was using my .223, 62gr Federal Fusion soft point, like you said there is no doubt I hit her, knocked her down, (didn't know a .223 could do that) and her posture when she ran, I've been doing the deer thing for 40+ years, never had 22 caliber knock one down anyway I still replay it in my mind over and over, thanks for replying

Here are some pics of my place to give you a better idea of my set up Aja at the ready, she thinks since I brought the rifles out going after deer,this pic look down range that's my target boards @104yds, look to the left side of the targets that's my 300yd lane,ok those are just different angles of my back porch, and one of the fields on my place

 

[basshappy]

Shot placement is what 90% of deer hunters overlook, thinking the latest greatest caliber or bullet will keep them from losing deer, or having to track them,

time spent behind the scope shooting until you know exactly where the round will hit at varying distances means much more than caliber or bullet !

 

[basshappy]

I have a TC Contender set up with a 20" heavy barrel in 6.8 with 110 grain SSA bullets. Its my go to gun and has taken deer up to 214lbs, no magic just good shot placement !

Again! And again! Shot placement, shot placement, shot placement. Music to my ol' ears.

 

[furtaker]

Shot placement is what 90% of deer hunters overlook, thinking the latest greatest caliber or bullet will keep them from losing deer, or having to track them,

time spent behind the scope shooting until you know exactly where the round will hit at varying distances means much more than caliber or bullet !

I always chuckle when somebody posts that shot placement isn't as important with a 300 Win. Mag.

 

[Liberty]

I always chuckle when somebody posts that shot placement isn't as important with a 300 Win. Mag.

Not what they mean, but my version of that is: I can ethically take harder raking shots with a well constructed bullets of adequate weight at reasonable ranges, than can be taken with lightly constructed bullets at hyper speeds or low velocity non-bigbore rounds fired at distances where velocity has fallen below the minimum expansion threashhold.

 

[Steven037]

6mm ARC got it done again this afternoon.

 

[175rltw]

Not what they mean, but my version of that is: I can ethically take harder raking shots with a well constructed bullets of adequate weight at reasonable ranges, than can be taken with lightly constructed bullets at hyper speeds or low velocity non-bigbore rounds fired at distances where velocity has fallen below the minimum expansion threashhold.

Theres so many qualifiers in that statement that it turns out that you have to take decent shots even with a “300 win mag”

 

[175rltw]

Here are some pics of my place to give you a better idea of my set up View attachment 1273861Aja at the ready, she thinks since I brought the rifles out going after deer,View attachment 1273862this pic look down range that's my target boards @104yds, look to the left side of the targets that's my 300yd lane,View attachment 1273863View attachment 1273864View attachment 1273865ok those are just different angles of my back porch, and one of the fields on my place

Well. Having seen all that , I guess I have a better understanding of why you’re having trouble maintaining a round count. However- nothin g points to actual Volume of fire as a primary reason.

 

[Liberty]

Theres so many qualifiers in that statement that it turns out that you have to take decent shots even with a “300 win mag”

That’s the point my friend. The big gun with tougher bullets only means that you can shoot harder angles and increase range within a personal skill level. The bullet still must be placed in the right spot(s) with anything shoulder fired. Picking the right shot=broadside slightly quartering to, my then 9 year old dropped a deer dead where it stood 45 yards away with a .223 loaded with a 55 grain fracturing copper bullet with the base exiting. This year he shot one 110 yards away with a .308 loaded with a soft point broadside thru the lungs that made it about 60. A tiny sample to be sure, but the bullet last did more damage in the vitals last year by having 5 wound tracks. That .223 load wouldn't make an ethical kill hard quartering, but when used as intended it killed the deer as fast as anything I've ever used. I wouldn't hesitate to use a copper or bonded bullet in a .243 at any suitable angle 250 yards and in.

 

[Railroader]

Y'all are killin' me.

How does .300WM end up in a thread about "little cartridges"?

 

[buckpasser]

Little cartridges. I liked it when we were discussing them. Lots of big caliber talk lately. I think someone said it before on here, but 6.5CM is not on the “little” list. At all.

 

[Liberty]

6mm ARC got it done again this afternoon.

I love that rig. A LPVO is the way to go on a modern sporting rifle. Do you mind sharing what load you were using, and have you gotten exit wounds? I'm thinking about building a rifle length 6mm ARC and shooting copper bullets for swine.