This year's handloads have been effective.

jtoews80 · Nov 23, 2008

Well, this year's hunting season hasn't been cold enough to bring the big bucks out to rut because there is alot of forage still green in the forests. This was the best buck so far, shot by my brother @ 80 yds with a 7mm Rem Mag, 120 grn NBT @ 3200 FPS. Ran 40 yds, droped within sight of shooter. Bullet recovered, but I haven't weighed it yet. Not a bad buck, but the picture isn't the best.

One of the newbies took a spike with a 90 grn NBT from a 243, recovered the bullet, will post weight when I get it.

I also had to backup a shot and anchor another buck for a friend @ 320 yds after it was hit poorly. Unfortunately, the deer took a hit in the lower front leg and started to run. I was spotting the shot thro my scope (could see the ruined leg as it ran) and ended up hammering it with a 200 grn AccuBond from my 30-378, it went down, but I damaged alot more meat than I wanted to. I guess a 1/2 deer hanging is better than a whole deer being lost in the woods. The bullet performance was impressive, a 1.5" wound channel from the mid ribs quatering back thro the spine above the backstraps until it hit the leg bone and destroyed much of the hind quarter. I also shot a meat deer with my 257wby and a 120 Sierra GameKing BTHP @ 40 yds. So, this years handloads have been effective.

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Guest · Nov 23, 2008

That is a nice looking deer! He looks like a horse, did you put him on the scales?

FOTIS · Nov 24, 2008

Congrats! He does look healthy!

jtoews80 · Dec 15, 2008

I got the bullet from this buck back, but only the jacket. Seems it opened on the hide, gave about a quarter sized entrance wound and then gave a full energy transfer to the vitals. The heart, & lungs were mush, bullet jacket found under the hide going out along with some lead fragments. No exit wound at all. This load chrony'd @ 3200FPS. This might make some people nervous, myself included. However, upon further thought, it did yield full energy transfer and in turn a very dead deer. Not to much to complain about, just not a bullet to use on Elk.

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remingtonman_25_06 · Dec 15, 2008

congrats on the success!! Nice to see the time and hardwork of putting those loads together finally pay off!! Nothing more self gratifying then shooting game with loads you put together yourself.