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Westcoaster · September 7, 2009, 11:40 PM

I don't really care if the bullet exits or not except that I like to examine and weigh bullets if I can recover them.

As far as killing, damage to vitals is what kills from my experience. From time to time when cleaning animals I have seen enormous damage to the internal organs and they did seem to die faster when this had occurred. I think this may be the hydro-shock some posters have mentioned.

I recall a deer about 20 years ago I shot with a 3006. The heart was the only part of the cardivascular gear identifiable. It was floating in a pile of chunky red goo that used to be the lungs. That deer went down hard. The exit wound from the 180 grain bullet was fist sized.

My moose from two years ago had enormous damage to it's internal organs...but I shot him through the spine at the hump. He went down like a brick. 338wm @ about 100 yards.

Last years deer was double lunged with a 338wm. He ran about 25 feet leaving a blood trail a blind man could follow and dropped dead. No "shock" damage, in and out through the lungs, lungs and heart were still intact. Deer was dead.

Last years moose was double lunged and the bullet clipped the top of the heart. 338wm @ about 100 yards. He took off like he had not been touched - for about 20 feet, then dropped dead. Apart from the significant wound channel there was not that much damage to the organs.

There a couple of examples where I have had quick clean kills with no exit wound and with exit wounds. I have had quick clean kills with the "shock" damage and without it, although I must say when there is "shock" damage they do seem to drop faster.

So with killing stuff the shock damage is fine but a deer, moose, elk, bear, etc is just as dead with a hole in it's lungs or heart. For this reason I feel a wound channel through something critical like a heart or lungs, whether the bullet stays in the body or not, is most important.

September 7, 2009, 11:40 PM	#31
Westcoaster Member Join Date: April 14, 2009 Location: Central BC Posts: 73	I don't really care if the bullet exits or not except that I like to examine and weigh bullets if I can recover them. As far as killing, damage to vitals is what kills from my experience. From time to time when cleaning animals I have seen enormous damage to the internal organs and they did seem to die faster when this had occurred. I think this may be the hydro-shock some posters have mentioned. I recall a deer about 20 years ago I shot with a 3006. The heart was the only part of the cardivascular gear identifiable. It was floating in a pile of chunky red goo that used to be the lungs. That deer went down hard. The exit wound from the 180 grain bullet was fist sized. My moose from two years ago had enormous damage to it's internal organs...but I shot him through the spine at the hump. He went down like a brick. 338wm @ about 100 yards. Last years deer was double lunged with a 338wm. He ran about 25 feet leaving a blood trail a blind man could follow and dropped dead. No "shock" damage, in and out through the lungs, lungs and heart were still intact. Deer was dead. Last years moose was double lunged and the bullet clipped the top of the heart. 338wm @ about 100 yards. He took off like he had not been touched - for about 20 feet, then dropped dead. Apart from the significant wound channel there was not that much damage to the organs. There a couple of examples where I have had quick clean kills with no exit wound and with exit wounds. I have had quick clean kills with the "shock" damage and without it, although I must say when there is "shock" damage they do seem to drop faster. So with killing stuff the shock damage is fine but a deer, moose, elk, bear, etc is just as dead with a hole in it's lungs or heart. For this reason I feel a wound channel through something critical like a heart or lungs, whether the bullet stays in the body or not, is most important.