what is a good cast bullet hit on deer?

[fffffg]

a friend of mine told me today that a hard cast bullet in .36 caliber going thru a deers lungs side to side will not be a good hit as the deer will go a very long way before it dies.. he says this must be  a shoulder shot..  i tended to believe the opposite is true especially with a 200 grain bullet at 1350 feet per second.. its a rifle but velocity is in pistol range, that is why im here... any comments welcome..  dave

[jhalcott]

I don't think the 200 grain HARDCAST 200 grain would go thru both shoulders of a large deer. I almost always try for the heart/lung area because it's the largest vital area on a deer. Their legs and neck seem to move constantly.Even a small twig can deflect a bullet some distance from the point of aim.Having killed a few deer with a 357mag revolver,I'd still say the heart/lung is best!  jh

[TScottO]

I donÂ’t see a problem with a double lung shot with a .36 cal bullet. In my opinion the most important thing is to hit the deer low in the lungs, the lower 1/3. A bullet at handgun velocities does not impart a lot of shock to a deer like a high velocity, expanding rifle bullet. With a rifle you will notice frequently that there will be tissue damage 3-5 inches all around the bullet hole. This is not the case with a hard cast pistol load. Often times you will be able to eat right up to the bullet hole. The reasoning behind shooting the deer in the lower 1/3 is so the lungs will fill up with blood sooner and over flow through the wound channel leaving a good blood trail. Where as if you hit a deer high in the lungs it takes much longer for the lungs to fill with blood and reach the wound channel. In this scenario it is likely you will not find blood for a long time while trailing your animal.

Another part of the equation with hardcast bullets is to cause bone structure damage. Hence shooting square through both shoulders. This helps to put the deer down by removing their running gear. The deer cannot run and simply lies their and bleeds out. I would think a 200gr hc bullet would penetrate both shoulders within a reasonable distance, say 30-40 yards but I donÂ’t have experience with .36 bullets to be sure. Perhaps some of the others here will give their imput. With hard cast bullets itÂ’s important to have full penetration.

Be Safe,
Scott

[Redhawk1]

I would not use a hard cast bullet on a deer, hogs yes. I would go with a soft point jacketed or a hollow point like a Nosler partition. Heart and lung shot. Just my personal preference.

[fffffg]

redhawk,,  no jacketed bullets are availabe for this  8.7x 72r drilling. i willhave to go with hard cast as the rifling has a 3x8 inch jump to reduce pressures of the orriginal jacketd bullet.. .ive used 30-1 and they strip.. many have told me to use 9,3 ammo but they dont know what they are talking about..  9,3 shoots a   jacketed  .366.  ..  my bore is .360.   pressures would be too high..  dave.

[Lloyd Smale]

a good hardcast .35 200 grain bullet will go through two deer! Lung shots will kill good but theres usually a little tracking to do. No problem though as it will usually leave a good blood trail. Shoulder shots have a better chance of anchoring a deer and with a hard cast bullet little meat damage is actually done.

I don't think the 200 grain HARDCAST 200 grain would go thru both shoulders of a large deer. I almost always try for the heart/lung area because it's the largest vital area on a deer. Their legs and neck seem to move constantly.Even a small twig can deflect a bullet some distance from the point of aim.Having killed a few deer with a 357mag revolver,I'd still say the heart/lung is best!  jh

[Captainkev]

I would agree that although you can use the hardcast for thinskined animals like deer, if I had a choice, I would prefer to use an expanding bullet.
I have some Oregon Trail 240 gr SWC's loaded up for my 4 inch Mountain Gun, but that is basically for a hog backup gun.  It is an extremely hard solid, that would do little more than drill a hole, unless I hit something solid with it.  Of course, If that hole is drilled through the vitals, it will do it's job, it just comes down to how long that will take.


Kevin

[Mikey]

I've not had any problems with heart/lung shots with a 357 mag using a 200 gn swc on whitetail.  Mine are usually a bit slower because they are out of a pistol but the swc design smacks them pretty good out to 50 yds or so.  If I hit one of the shoulder sockets the slug will usually penetrate on through the chest and they hit the ground.  They might try and get up but there isn't any 'go' left in them at that point.  Mikey.

[GunnyII]

I have to agree. I have shot four whitetails with 187gr LBT's @1300fps out of a six inch Python. All at bow ranges, less than 30yds, out of my bow hunting tree stands. Two broadside and two shoulder to lung shots, all were through and through. They all ran (as to be expected!) less than 50 yards. The rest is meat in the freezer!

These were big Michigan whitetail does, 160+ lbs, not those tiny southern whitetails! lol

[S.S.]

I am kinda' partial to those Little Southern White Tails  :lol:
(Especially in Daisy Duke Jeans)

[Mohawk]

Good ole' fashioned .357 Mag 158gr. SWC's work fine on central Texas Whitetails. MANY people used to say the same thing about the .243. Boy, we know how terrible of a cartridge that is on deer........ :wink:

[Duffy]

If at all possable try and use a flat nosed bullet. You will get better terminal effects and it won't hurt ballistics in fact it may be better at the lower vel. Try for a flat that's about .100 smaller that bore.   I shot a nice doe that was below me and sort of looking at me at an angle. A behind the shoulder shot would have gone through the guts so I aimed where the neck and shoulder meet. It severed the main arterys and exited behind the off shoulder. She went 10 yards and dropped. This was with a LFN in a 44 at 40 yards. If you also aim low you'll get the heart too so that's a plus.

Proper bullet + accurate load + good placement = more sausage to make.

Ryan

[GunnyII]

I am kinda' partial to those Little Southern White Tails  :lol:
(Especially in Daisy Duke Jeans)

I've been down the Georgia way, and I know what you mean!  :eek:

[fffffg]

with a whole lot of work and your help and help of the local gun gerus i finnally came up with an acceptable load for my .36 cal drilling..  it turns out that hunters before jacketed bullets appeared to prefer paper patch bullets at the turn of the centruy for hunting.. as now the jacketed bullets are prefered over hard cast bullets becouse they have expansion.. it turned out that the 200 grain pure lead paper patched bullet at 1500 feet per second  really does in 4 volumens of an old encyclopedia i had laying around. with a good hit to the lungs or lower shoulder it appears it will pretty devastating to mr  deer.   the little .360 bullet in hard cast would give exceptional pennetration but poor preformance according to expereinced hunters that have used hard cast in 38-55.. yes with a proper hitit would work fine, but the pure lead appears that it should work quite a bit better..  of course i havnt tried it on deer,  many have.. but thier not  talking. as i havnet run into many 110-125  year old deer hunters lately.  i got an old bullets of the world at a pawn shop the other day and was surprised all the cartriges that had paper patches in the older bullets.. alot of them arnt even in the new cartriges of the world.. my cartrige looks alot like the 360 nitro express,except mine is longer about 2 3/4 inch case..  what really tipped my off  was redhawks post about jacketed bullets that was echoed on another list.. i dont ahve the cast bullet option, buthis gun seems to have patched groove rifling, and patched bullet freebore. it shot a good group also this am, and im off to the races with 4198, wall mart reciepts for patches and hemoroid grease for lube..  figures..  good luck and thanks, dave...