Brush?

[mnwoody]

How much will shooting through small diameter brush effect a bullet's path? I shoot a 7mm WSM with 140 gr. Accubonds for deer hunting. Would I be better off going to 160 gr. bullets if I expect to have to shoot through any brush?

 

[Ol` Joe]

Anytime you hit brush you stand the chanch of your bullet flying off course. There isn`t any "better" bullet or cartridge for brush I`m aware of, nor does velocity or bullet weight change anything. I`ve read of half dozen "tests" over the years trying to find the magic bullet and none have been able to get a bullet to fly straight after hitting twigs and limbs. I`d load the most accurate bullet of suitable construction for the game I`m after. A good load and threading the bullet between the twigs is your best bet if you can`t get a clear shot.

 

[JD338]

I agree with Ol' Joe, no such thing as a brush buster.
I cut small shooting lanes where I hunt in the cedar swamps of the UP to ensure that I do not get any deflections.

Regards,

JD338

 

[mnwoody]

We cut shooting lanes also, but those darn deer seem to know how to hang in the thick stuff. Is it true that the greater the distance between a branch and the target the more the bullet will have strayed?

 

[JD338]

You can't predict what a bullet will do when it hits brush.
Back in 1988, I shot an 11 pt WT deer with my M700 Classic in 35 Whelen and the factory 200 gr PSPCL bullet. The buck was in the "whips" and my bullet caught the side of a aspen, went through and hit the mark 15' beyond. It was pure luck that I killed that deer!
Your best bet is to wait for a clear shot.

Regards,

JD338