know your rifle and its likely results well
I got to discussing one of my friends last deer hunt's with him.
Hes proof that if you know your area and the game anatomy you don,t need a big rifle to get the job done
(hes use a marlin 357 mag lever action 2.5x scope for many years)
and he mentioned that as hes become more familiar with the carbine that it no longer bothers him when deer don,t always instantly drop when shot, Ive offered to loan him several other rifles , over the years but hes come to like and trust his carbine, and hes recoil sensitive.
(gets a bruised shoulder with even a 20 ga shooting skeet)
most of the areas he hunts are fairly dry higher areas of palmetto scrub/jack pine heads or put a different way , 1/4- 1 acre clumps of brush and trees separated by mud flats or swappy areas, and hes usually using a tree stand and shots tend to be at less than 70 yards where his carbine shots generally result in a brief run and a deer dropping withing a few yards
hes used both hard cast and factory 150-160 grain loads and he gets about 80%-90% pass thru,s on heart/lung shot deer.
from a carbine the 357 mags fully adequate on deer and hogs at close range with good shot placement but hes frequently reported not seeing any indication the deer are hit , but he said hes learned to take his time and watch where they run and not throw a parting flurry of rapid shots after a bouncing white tail, as that usually just results in them running further , before falling where a single shot seems to do the job without help.
btW he like a stiff load of BLUE DOT powder under a 158 grain soft point for most hunting, proper shot placement is critical to fast kills
using a 357 mag carbine with 158 grain hard cast or soft point ammo
shots placed in the dark green area frequently result in the deer dropping, but seldom instantly kill
shots placed in the light green area frequently result in the deer running a short distance then falling dead
shots placed in the black cross area frequently result in the deer running frantically as if un-hit for a short to moderate distance then falling dead
notice all shots fall vertically in line with or slightly to the rear of the front leg on a broadside shot angle
http://www.leverguns.com/articles/taylor/357magnum.htm
IM fairly sure that when many people (most of my friends , included) say they got no reaction they don,t mean that the deer did not instantly react to the noise of the shot or possibly the bullet impact, but that the deer gave no immediate and obvious indication that it was hit, (as for example, stumbling, or having dropped and regained its footing , spinning on impact etc.) what they mean is the deer ran off as if they had missed,or reacted about the same way they would expect if they had shot into the ground next to the deer, and only after looking over the point of impact for hair and blood and tracking did it become obvious that it was hit
I got to discussing one of my friends last deer hunt's with him.
Hes proof that if you know your area and the game anatomy you don,t need a big rifle to get the job done
(hes use a marlin 357 mag lever action 2.5x scope for many years)
and he mentioned that as hes become more familiar with the carbine that it no longer bothers him when deer don,t always instantly drop when shot, Ive offered to loan him several other rifles , over the years but hes come to like and trust his carbine, and hes recoil sensitive.
(gets a bruised shoulder with even a 20 ga shooting skeet)
most of the areas he hunts are fairly dry higher areas of palmetto scrub/jack pine heads or put a different way , 1/4- 1 acre clumps of brush and trees separated by mud flats or swappy areas, and hes usually using a tree stand and shots tend to be at less than 70 yards where his carbine shots generally result in a brief run and a deer dropping withing a few yards
hes used both hard cast and factory 150-160 grain loads and he gets about 80%-90% pass thru,s on heart/lung shot deer.
from a carbine the 357 mags fully adequate on deer and hogs at close range with good shot placement but hes frequently reported not seeing any indication the deer are hit , but he said hes learned to take his time and watch where they run and not throw a parting flurry of rapid shots after a bouncing white tail, as that usually just results in them running further , before falling where a single shot seems to do the job without help.
btW he like a stiff load of BLUE DOT powder under a 158 grain soft point for most hunting, proper shot placement is critical to fast kills
using a 357 mag carbine with 158 grain hard cast or soft point ammo
shots placed in the dark green area frequently result in the deer dropping, but seldom instantly kill
shots placed in the light green area frequently result in the deer running a short distance then falling dead
shots placed in the black cross area frequently result in the deer running frantically as if un-hit for a short to moderate distance then falling dead
notice all shots fall vertically in line with or slightly to the rear of the front leg on a broadside shot angle
http://www.leverguns.com/articles/taylor/357magnum.htm
IM fairly sure that when many people (most of my friends , included) say they got no reaction they don,t mean that the deer did not instantly react to the noise of the shot or possibly the bullet impact, but that the deer gave no immediate and obvious indication that it was hit, (as for example, stumbling, or having dropped and regained its footing , spinning on impact etc.) what they mean is the deer ran off as if they had missed,or reacted about the same way they would expect if they had shot into the ground next to the deer, and only after looking over the point of impact for hair and blood and tracking did it become obvious that it was hit
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