Question for experienced hunter's re: big bores

[WheelMan]

Howdy,

I've heard a couple stories about the use of big bore/hard lead/wide meplat projectiles against medium-ish game animals (deer, pigs, etc) where the bullet would rip a 1-2 inch permanent cavity through the animal (the two stories I've heard like this involved a .45-70 and a .44 mag from a rifle both using heavy for caliber bullets and fast for weight charges.

Can any hunters here relate a similar experience or refute such claims?

 

[H&Hhunter]

I can tell you this from experience. The cast core stuff out of a .45-70 will penetrate like the dickens on a hog.

It's been my experince however that it leaves a pretty small wound cahanel. like .458 in and out.

And that is with some really hot loaded buffalo bore stuff. I think it was 538 gr.

 

[WheelMan]

Thanks H&Hhunter, I was hoping you'd respond as I've noticed your extensive experience on this board before.

I guess a better way to phrase my question is this. I'm interested in any cases of a non expanding bullet creating a wound channel noticeably larger than it's own diameter. I've heard a couple anecdotal, "urban legend" style stories to that effect, but I wanted to see how The High Road Think Tank weighed in on it.

 

[tc300mag1]

Never used um in rifle yet but in My 44 it doesnt seem to be a super big channel more like size of the bullet. This was using 240's and 310's.

 

[H&Hhunter]

I'm interested in any cases of a non expanding bullet creating a wound channel noticeably larger than it's own diameter. I've heard a couple anecdotal, "urban legend" style stories to that effect, but I wanted to see how The High Road Think Tank weighed in on it.

TC.

It has not been my experience no. Even on higher velocity stuff like a .458lott solids will just kinda drill a diameter hole. I do not find them to create a larger than bore wound channel even after hitting bone.

And that goes for small as well as large game.

 

[mete]

Can't tell you about rifles but in handgun it's basically bullet diameter. However I have noticed a difference between RN and SWC in 44 and 45. With a RN you have to push your finger into the hole but with a SWC your finger easily slips into the hole. Obviuosly the SWC is better.

 

[MeekandMild]

I've only shot one deer with a .45. that was a 240 grain hollow point sabboted soft lead projectile from a black powder rifle shooting 110 grains of Pyrodex pellets. The result was awesome, with a quarter sized hole through the deer. Next year I'm going to use less pyrodex.