Is it better to just pass through or stop and stay?

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Uncle Mike

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Here's something to opine over... in your opinion, is it better for the bullet to pass through the animal or to stop inside the animal, not exiting?

Why.....

I have read where many say they prefer the bullet pass through the animal, as to offer a better blood trail... others reinforce the idea it is better to have the bullet 'stop' inside the animal, allegedly expending all its energy within and on the animal.

Whatda' think...

:D
 
I'm in the "want a big exit hole for blood trail" camp. Definitely. I've lost some animals due to no blood trail, and it ain't fun for anyone involved. :( Cept the coyotes and buzzards I guess.
 
Another vote for exit hole, using an expanding bullet, FMJs don't do much damage.
 
I like for my bullet to exit, even though I don't think my .300 wby mag bullets is going to stop in a white tail.
 
Big, bloody, easy-to-track exit holes, please. If you hit some combination of heart/lungs as you are supposed to, more energy won't really help much.
 
My opinion is if it stops inside it`s due to not having enough energy to push its way through. I` want a hole all the way through and the bullet to be fully expanded while doing it.
 
I'm not an experienced hunter, so take this as hand-me-down info and with a grain of salt, here...

My grandfather said he used the rounds he did (handloads, I think; wish I could remember the specs) because it stopped just under the skin of the biggest buck he's ever shot.

Meaning, in his opinion, that a shot should dump nearly all its energy in the animal, but still have enough to pass through. No wasted energy, but still a blood trail. I tend to agree there.
 
Problem is, with no exit you may well not get a trail. I want 'em to leak out of both sides. Entry is typically quite small.

I shot a buck head on with a 12 gauge slug (Remington Copper Solid). He ran toward me, then veered off and ran across the field and almost to the woods before falling. Heart and one lung were destroyed.

Unless you get a spine, neck, or head shot, you'd better figure on the deer going 8-10 seconds. They can cover a LOT of ground in that time.
 
I want as much blood trail as possible, because deer don't always drop dead like bad guys shot on Magnum PI


I want an entry and exit if I can get it
 
It's the hole that kills. You want the biggest, deepest hole you can get.

Now, some will talk about "hydrostatic shock" -- but how many of us have had a deer run a hundred yards or more after being hit? In such a situation, "hydrostatic shock" is over and done with -- but bleeding out continues.

Next, you don't always get a perfect shot. Sometimes you have to take a quartering shot, which requires much more penetration. If the bullet won't exit on a broadside shot, it isn't up to dealing with quartering shot.

Finally, the points about leaving a good blood trail are right on target. Two holes leak more than one.
 
Bullets don't have enough energy to kill that way. You kill them by poking a hole in them so if it goes all the way through it works better.
 
others reinforce the idea it is better to have the bullet 'stop' inside the animal, allegedly expending all its energy within and on the animal.

This is a rediculous claim with no proof to back it up. If I'm using a round that wont pentrate through the animal (EX: deer, elk etc.) than I am using a Under Powered cartridge. "Energy Dump" or "Bullet Dump" isn't a good thing, period. I wan't my bullet to travel all the way through. This ensures that penetration is sufficient. Remember kids, although expansion is good, penetration is what kills in the end.
 
or, the cartridge may be perfectly acceptable but improper bullets or unacceptable velocity, etc...

for the record, i want two holes, and i'll take the golf ball size exit, thanks.
 
I like the exit hole, but noticed something with coyotes A high speed bullet will go clear through, the coyote will roll, get up and go. I've got coyotes with a healed scar about ten nches long along the side down low. It appeated a bullet had gone thru and the coyote had healed up. I got one at long distance with a heavy hollow point 44 mag. and he went down like he was clubbed with a big, big club. No roll. The bullet never came out. Circunstances vary.
 
The one buck I never could find was hit with a bullet that punched all the way through. I saw the blood come down from the far side of the deer. He went to his knees, came up and ran and that was the end of my luck. And I could tell I'd made a good hit.

Except for that one incident, I never have had to track a deer or coyote for more than vision-range. Mostly, DRT whether or not there was an exit wound.

IOW, I don't know that it really matters one way or the other...
 
I believe in the two hole theory my self. More air in = more blood out. I use rifles the will exit a deer from any angle that I may have to shoot one.
 
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