collapse

Advertisement


Author Topic: great hunt gone bad  (Read 10282 times)

Offline bobcat

  • Global Moderator
  • Trade Count: (+14)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2007
  • Posts: 39203
  • Location: Rochester
    • robert68
Re: great hunt gone bad
« Reply #15 on: October 04, 2010, 01:45:17 PM »
With a soft bullet like the Powerbelt, it's likely that you would get less penetration the closer it is. If you would have hit the bull behind the shoulder, it probably would have worked just fine.

Offline J Snow73

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Hunter
  • ***
  • Join Date: Sep 2010
  • Posts: 131
Re: great hunt gone bad
« Reply #16 on: October 04, 2010, 03:09:51 PM »
 Ya I'm with you too hoofer I would prefer not to be put in that situation again without knowing what i have loaded up will do the job. With the 454 being open for either deer or elk i guess we were prepared more on the deer side and shoulda been the opposite with only 2 days for both i guess lesson learned. I heard from my wife a while ago and they didn't find anything up there and after listening to all the other comments really shed some light on your situation and ours. Thanks for posting what happened with you this weekend cause I was kinda  ??? :dunno: makes more sense now ;)

Offline grundy53

  • Global Moderator
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Explorer
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2010
  • Posts: 12860
  • Location: Lake Stevens
  • Learn something new everyday.
    • facebook
Re: great hunt gone bad
« Reply #17 on: October 04, 2010, 03:20:10 PM »
elk are definetly tough i bet he survives.
Molôn Labé
Can you skin Grizz?

The opinions expressed in my posts do not represent those of the forum.

Offline JackOfAllTrades

  • Rasbo said I Ain't Right.
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: Feb 2009
  • Posts: 6509
  • Location: Lynden, WA.
  • Μολὼν λαβέ
Re: great hunt gone bad
« Reply #18 on: October 04, 2010, 03:22:28 PM »
 :jacked:

OK, now that he's still huntin this critter, and he's decided to switch lead offerings,  I've got a couple questions.

First, I'll submit http://castboolits.gunloads.com/ for a wealth of people that cast their own bullets for every type of firearm and purpose imagineable.

Then I ask, how much do those precast un/proven lead offerings cost for those front stuffers?  I've been casting bullets for my pistols/competitive pistols for accuracy and performance on wild game. I've taken deer with my concoctions and would present a hard cast bullet on Elk or Bear. -Harder is not always more accurate but there is a range of hardness where as hunters we should be able to get the accuracy and terminal performance we're looking for.

All it takes is a mold, a melting pot, ladel, some lead, antimony and tin and you can cast your own bullets to give the performance you're looking for. Water quenching will harden them even more depending on what alloy you're concocting.

Some would say you can do better than using a jacketed bullet, for the speeds that you're pushing them through a ML.

So why don't any of you cast your own ML bullets?

-Steve
The NRA says I'm a Master!
Colt's, Ruger's, Dan Wesson, & Kimber are my friends!
Proud to be a U.S. Navy Veteran.

If you never follow your dreams, you'll never go anywhere.

Critical thinking keeps people from freaking the hell out every time some half baked blogger forgets his meds. Unlike some of you, I do not have TawkethOutOfAnus© syndrome.

Offline trophyhunt

  • Forum Sponsor
  • Trade Count: (+11)
  • Explorer
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2008
  • Posts: 19635
  • Location: Wetside
  • Groups: Wa Wild Sheep Life Member
Re: great hunt gone bad
« Reply #19 on: October 04, 2010, 03:26:09 PM »
My wife shot a bull at 10 feet with those powerbelts, she also hit the shoulder and we never found that bull either. I don't think you need much more than a 300 grain bullet, but now we can use copper jacketed and next time we shoot behind the shoulder.
“In common with”..... not so much!!

Offline whacker1

  • Trade Count: (+3)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2008
  • Posts: 5816
  • Location: Spokane
Re: great hunt gone bad
« Reply #20 on: October 04, 2010, 03:42:42 PM »
The Barnes solid Copper bullets are roughly $30 for 20 rounds.  Expensive, but performance is what we are looking for.   I thought about casting my own a few years ago, but with how few I shoot each year, it didn't make sense.  I may shoot 15 - 20 per year if I target practice a bunch.  I have only shotten a couple this year.

Offline bobcat

  • Global Moderator
  • Trade Count: (+14)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2007
  • Posts: 39203
  • Location: Rochester
    • robert68
Re: great hunt gone bad
« Reply #21 on: October 04, 2010, 03:44:40 PM »
Steve, I don't cast my own bullets but I do use hard cast bullets made by Harvester and they're only $10.50 for 20 bullets w/sabots. I'm using the 330 grain but they also offer a 400 grain that would work well in rifles with a faster twist than mine (my Lyman Deerstalker is a 1 in 48 twist.)

Offline J Snow73

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Hunter
  • ***
  • Join Date: Sep 2010
  • Posts: 131
Re: great hunt gone bad
« Reply #22 on: October 04, 2010, 04:19:49 PM »
Quote
All it takes is a mold, a melting pot, ladel, some lead, antimony and tin and you can cast your own bullets to give the performance you're looking for. Water quenching will harden them even more depending on what alloy you're concocting.


So why don't any of you cast your own ML bullets?

-Steve


Man you make it sound so easy. Granted after spending umpti$$ and then the learning and trial and error to me personally is way more money and time then the average hunter would consider. My grandfather and father did what you are suggesting ,but I feel that is way more far and in between then it was years ago :twocents:
« Last Edit: October 04, 2010, 04:41:14 PM by bobcat »

Offline Lowedog

  • Trade Count: (+6)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jul 2007
  • Posts: 2624
Re: great hunt gone bad
« Reply #23 on: October 04, 2010, 06:10:10 PM »
Barnes 250gr TMZ.  I dug these out of a very hard packed back stop.  Almost 100% weight retention.

[smg id=7832]
"Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching- even when doing the wrong thing is legal."
— Aldo Leopold

Offline bigbull94

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Tracker
  • **
  • Join Date: Jun 2010
  • Posts: 94
  • Location: longview,wa
Re: great hunt gone bad
« Reply #24 on: October 04, 2010, 10:11:42 PM »
Lead bullets suck in general.I would recommend going to a good performing copper bullet.The blood trails from a lead hole is almost no existant in my opinion.I have tracked tons of game shot with round balls,sabots,conicals,etc.and everything shot with lead,the blood trails sucked.There was tons of blood in cavities but left little outside.Elk are tough,and I think you hit shoulder as well.If,you hit the upper horizontal bone on shoulder,it could have stopped the bullet.The flat part of shoulder it would have penetrated,soft bullet or not,at close range.He could have a damaged(broken)shoulder but never entered his vitals,and he will be fine!I have seen arrow shafts,broadheads,in weird places and the animal survived,until someone else did them in!If,it was me,I would have sneeked in on him while he was bedded for an hour and a half at 175yds,cut the distance and cap him again,but that is after thought.

Offline TikkaT3-270Shortmag

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2008
  • Posts: 1012
  • Location: Chehalis
Re: great hunt gone bad
« Reply #25 on: October 04, 2010, 10:22:06 PM »
I killed my bull with a lead bullet but did not pass through. I hit him in the heart but not a major blood trail!

Offline highside74

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (+11)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: Oct 2009
  • Posts: 5224
  • Location: Eatonville wa
Re: great hunt gone bad
« Reply #26 on: October 04, 2010, 10:35:48 PM »
 When I started reading this thread it sounded like my buddies hunt from Sat. He shot a bull at 80 yards with 348 gr lead powerbelts and cartwheeled the bull. High fives all around and then...This bull get's up and walk's off. Shot #2  no response. #3 bull he is headed deep down a whole. He shoot's this bull with all five powerbelts he is carrying and is out of lead. Finally has to finish him with someone else's gun and a jacketed round. During the skinning he got all five round's from that bull and none of them penetrated. All five were turned into blobs of lead.  :bdid: :dunno:

Offline whacker1

  • Trade Count: (+3)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2008
  • Posts: 5816
  • Location: Spokane
Re: great hunt gone bad
« Reply #27 on: October 04, 2010, 10:38:10 PM »
When I started reading this thread it sounded like my buddies hunt from Sat. He shot a bull at 80 yards with 348 gr lead powerbelts and cartwheeled the bull. High fives all around and then...This bull get's up and walk's off. Shot #2  no response. #3 bull he is headed deep down a whole. He shoot's this bull with all five powerbelts he is carrying and is out of lead. Finally has to finish him with someone else's gun and a jacketed round. During the skinning he got all five round's from that bull and none of them penetrated. All five were turned into blobs of lead.  :bdid: :dunno:

Did you recover the jacketed round?

Offline highside74

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (+11)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: Oct 2009
  • Posts: 5224
  • Location: Eatonville wa
Re: great hunt gone bad
« Reply #28 on: October 04, 2010, 10:57:08 PM »
When I started reading this thread it sounded like my buddies hunt from Sat. He shot a bull at 80 yards with 348 gr lead powerbelts and cartwheeled the bull. High fives all around and then...This bull get's up and walk's off. Shot #2  no response. #3 bull he is headed deep down a whole. He shoot's this bull with all five powerbelts he is carrying and is out of lead. Finally has to finish him with someone else's gun and a jacketed round. During the skinning he got all five round's from that bull and none of them penetrated. All five were turned into blobs of lead.  :bdid: :dunno:

Did you recover the jacketed round?

No...shot him in the head.

Offline bearpaw

  • Family, Friends, Outdoors
  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (+10)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Apr 2009
  • Posts: 38524
  • Location: Idaho<->Colville
  • "Rather Be Cougar Huntin"
    • http://www.facebook.com/DaleDenney
    • Bearpaw Outfitters
  • Groups: NRA, SCI, F4WM, NWTF, IOGA, MOGA, CCOC, BBB, RMEF, WSTA, WSB
Re: great hunt gone bad
« Reply #29 on: October 04, 2010, 11:02:01 PM »
I have had nothing but bad luck with hunters using all lead projectiles. Jackets are legal now, use them.... :twocents:

A good jacketed bullet will shoot clear through both shoulders of an elk, I have seen it. On the other hand, I have had to cut the throat on live bear that were wounded by multiple lead projectiles and I have watched many animals jump up and run off to never be seen again from lead bullets.

THose Barnes are a godsend too..... :twocents:
Americans are systematically advocating, legislating, and voting away each others rights. Support all user groups & quit losing opportunity!

http://bearpawoutfitters.com Guided Hunts, Unguided, & Drop Camps in Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wash. Hunts with tags available (no draw needed) for spring bear, fall bear, bison, cougar, elk, mule deer, turkey, whitetail, & wolf! http://trophymaps.com DIY Hunting Maps are also offered

 


* Advertisement

* Recent Topics

Pocket Carry by Westside88
[Today at 09:33:35 PM]


2025 Coyotes by JakeLand
[Today at 07:15:03 PM]


Toutle Quality Bull - Rifle by Yeti419
[Today at 06:11:55 PM]


AUCTION: SE Idaho DIY Deer or Deer/Elk Hunt by bearpaw
[Today at 06:11:45 PM]


AKC lab puppies! Born 06/10/2025 follow as they grow!!! by scottfrick
[Today at 02:14:23 PM]


Calling Bears by bearmanric
[Today at 02:07:32 PM]


2025 Crab! by Stein
[Today at 01:48:55 PM]


Sauk Unit Youth Elk Tips by Kales15
[Today at 01:04:52 PM]


Price on brass? by Magnum_Willys
[Today at 12:18:54 PM]


Utah cow elk hunt by kselkhunter
[Today at 09:03:55 AM]


KODIAK06 2025 trail cam and personal pics thread by kodiak06
[Today at 07:03:46 AM]


Unknown Suppressors - Whisper Pickle by Sneaky
[Today at 04:09:53 AM]


Early Huckleberry Bull Moose tag drawn! by HillHound
[Yesterday at 11:25:17 PM]


THE ULTIMATE QUAD!!!! by Deer slayer
[Yesterday at 10:33:55 PM]


Archery elk gear, 2025. by WapitiTalk1
[Yesterday at 09:41:28 PM]


Oregon spring bear by kodiak06
[Yesterday at 04:40:38 PM]


Tree stand for Western Washingtn by kodiak06
[Yesterday at 04:37:01 PM]

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2025, SimplePortal